We Must Pick Our Best Team!

[stevied]

We beat a brave Parra today in a grinding game. However, this type of performance will not cut it against the more well oiled, elite sides, starting with the Cowboys next week. To be, at least, competitive we must pick the best possible side and at the moment we are not. It's clear that Robbie is not going to be back in the team and that Halatau is only capable of around 50 minutes so this means that a legitimate back up hooker has to be found. Taylor, Rankin or Edwards are not the answer at dummy half so why not Littlejohn? He might have to replace Brooks at half anyway. I have been a supporter of Rankin because of his effort and earlier sound performances but he must also make way for JAC now. Two poor performances from him should not be tolerated and including JAC, at least adds speed. Also, I am not convinced, based on recent performances, that Lovett is first grade standard and, to be honest, I don't know where the hell Edwards' selection came from! Therefore, one should be replaced by Felise, who can actually provide some impact off the bench. I know this is flogging a dead horse, but now is the time to give ourselves the best chance to make the finals. No more rewards for good guys/ good trainers. Pick the best best damn team for once because, if we do, I really think we can do something…..

 

[boonboon]

JAC was average at best in NSW Cup yesterday he didn't earn a spot over Rankin.

Edwards played really well last night and my understanding is JJ can't play due to 2nd tier cap problems anyway.

Lovett I think is a good bench option but when we have Rankin coming into DH then we need prob Chee Kam whereas if you have Lovett playing backrow mainly it would be better to keep him.

However also again last night we lost an unexpected injury and had to shuffle Id be really interested to see how our team worked without any injury shortage

 

[marzie]

The problem is that because the 2nd tier cap is spent he can't select anyone outside of the top 25.

That means no JAC, no Felise, no Liddle and probably no Chee Kam or JLJ.

 

[phil1986]

The problem is that because the 2nd tier cap is spent he can't select anyone outside of the top 25.

That means no JAC, no Felise, no Liddle and probably no Chee Kam or JLJ.

I think you will find, JAC, Chee Kam and JLJ are all top 25.

 

[Snake]

The best team has been picked the last 2 weeks with two wins what part of this do we all not get!

 

[southerntiger]

Best team and best players are not necessarily the same.

 

[southerntiger]

JAC was average at best in NSW Cup yesterday he didn't earn a spot over Rankin.

Edwards played really well last night and my understanding is JJ can't play due to 2nd tier cap problems anyway.

Lovett I think is a good bench option but when we have Rankin coming into DH then we need prob Chee Kam whereas if you have Lovett playing backrow mainly it would be better to keep him.

However also again last night we lost an unexpected injury and had to shuffle Id be really interested to see how our team worked without any injury shortage

Good post. JAC didnt do enough to get a call up. For a guy that has the wraps he does, he doesn't stand out a lot at that level.

Edwards was excellent last night. His defensive work in the middle is invaluable. We finally have a player that can attack with their defense.

 

[Snake]

Best team and best players are not necessarily the same.

Well that is subjective what you deem as the best team I probable would not ..but a winning team is the best team IMO .

 

[southerntiger]

Best team and best players are not necessarily the same.

Well that is subjective what you deem as the best team I probable would not ..but a winning team is the best team IMO .

Of course its subjective. There is no way to avoid subjectivity in such matters. Even when winning, people can still argue its not the best team. We have seen this the last 2 weeks.

 

[Snake]

Best team and best players are not necessarily the same.

Well that is subjective what you deem as the best team I probable would not ..but a winning team is the best team IMO .

Of course its subjective. There is no way to avoid subjectivity in such matters. Even when winning, people can still argue its not the best team. We have seen this the last 2 weeks.

Your point is certainly valid as Tatyor has said all the way along dependant on who the team are playing next players could change..I always thought Farah would play against the Cowboys at Liechardt but I doubt that now.

 

[tigerap]

If I were JT I'd be sticking with the policy not to play Farah in FG, except this weekends game against the Cowboys as its almost certain Brooks will be out…I'd be playing Farah off the bench......if we win its a masterstroke, if we lose then the questions will be asked of Farah again.

 

[LCA]

If I were JT I'd be sticking with the policy not to play Farah in FG, except this weekends game against the Cowboys as its almost certain Brooks will be out…I'd be playing Farah off the bench......if we win its a masterstroke, if we lose then the questions will be asked of Farah again.

Huh? What's your logic? Since we've won without Farah (unimpressive wins against basket case clubs) and he suddenly gets a shot against the defending premiers (one of the top three sides in the comp) and we lose, then it points immediately to the influence of Farah? Are you serious? What planet are you on?

 

[Defiant]

imo Farah has ruled himself out for life by re-tweeting that slanderous story about Taylor driving Akoula to contemplate suicide.

I won't forgive him and neither should the club.

 

[InBenjiWeTrust]

The best team has been picked the last 2 weeks with two wins what part of this do we all not get!

Agree, with few exceptions, Lovett and #9, while Addo-Carr can be argued both ways.
Addo-Carr has proven issue with the bombs, Parra consistently attacked our left edge with bombs, Rankin did not drop one :slight_smile:
By saying that Addo-Carr is much better attacking player.
Lovett was given enough oportunities, while solid in defence, he offers nothing in attack. IMHO, Griffin offers much more, and can be real impact player.
Re hooker, if there are no salary issues, Liddle should be obvious choice (as our prima donna was '_injured_'.

 

[marzie]

The problem is that because the 2nd tier cap is spent he can't select anyone outside of the top 25.

That means no JAC, no Felise, no Liddle and probably no Chee Kam or JLJ.

I think you will find, JAC, Chee Kam and JLJ are all top 25.

I'm not sure about it because the 17 we have playing atm are definitely top 25\. Add Farah, Sironen, Hunt, Ballin, Cherrington, Milone and possibly Heleta. That's 23-24 out of the top 25.

 

[gallagher]

imo Farah has ruled himself out for life by re-tweeting that slanderous story about Taylor driving Akoula to contemplate suicide.

I won't forgive him and neither should the club.

I agree. He's not an option. He's ruled himself out.

 

[stevied]

The best team has been picked the last 2 weeks with two wins what part of this do we all not get!

Nah, can't agree with you Snake and, with respect, it's not a case of 'not getting it' as you put it. We are all entitled to our opinions and we each believe we are right. Rankin's form has been very poor the last couple of weeks, Lovett provides no impact off the bench and we need a real back up dummy half/ hooker. For these reasons I have suggested that JAC be brought in, Felise inserted in place of Lovett and Littlejohn brought into the squad as back up hooker or half. However, I must admit, in the 'Your Team' thread, I changed my mind and included Rankin at five-eighth as he is probably the best replacement option in the halves…...

 

[Nelson]

The problem is that because the 2nd tier cap is spent he can't select anyone outside of the top 25.

That means no JAC, no Felise, no Liddle and probably no Chee Kam or JLJ.

I think you will find, JAC, Chee Kam and JLJ are all top 25.

I'm not sure about it because the 17 we have playing atm are definitely top 25\. Add Farah, Sironen, Hunt, Ballin, Cherrington, Milone and possibly Heleta. That's 23-24 out of the top 25.

Surely Milone wasn't top 25? I would've thought Littlejohn and MCK would be at the bottom end of the top 25\. Littlejohn is a good quality backup half and the only other backup half we have is Rankin (since Drinkwater was released).

 

[teddy23]

Brooks ruled out for 3-5 weeks…. Big blow for us!

Jack Littlejohn do us proud!

 

[851]

The best team has been picked the last 2 weeks with two wins what part of this do we all not get!

You are surely kidding, JT cranks on about cohesion, how the hell do you have cohesion when the secondrower playing hooker needs a rest, we then see the winger to hooker, secondrower to centre, centre to wing to allow this.
What a joke, and Rankin can have how many bad games before the accountability kicks in, it is clear as day this accountability thing is only for a select few.
And no coach in their right mind has a 17 with no hooker, sure we beat a saints side who average 13 points a game and a parra side who have more players unavailable than they do available, we should have taken this opportunity to try and fix our bad F/A the last 2 weeks.
We are not picking our best 17 on form, accountability or cohesion. :crazy