Your team vs Bulldogs

1. Bula
2. Alaimalo
3. Feledy
4. Olam
5. Staines
6. Galvin
7. L Fainu
13. Bateman
12. S Fainu
11. Papali'i
10. Klemmer
9. Koroisau
8. Utoikamanu

14. Sezar
15. Matamua
16. Twal
17. Pole
 
Matamua is bog average , I can’t see a top 17 spot for him unless we are very week for back up , if this is the case we need to go buy a big robust , aggressive front rower for the bench .
imdont mind the idea of Bateman in the centres with Olam as it opens up another spot for a big body and adds solid defence plus he can move and step ok , may even cross the stripe
 
Bula
Alaimalo
Naden
Olam
Staines
Galvin
Sezer
Klem
Api
Uto
Paps
Bateman
Pole

Latu
Sam Fainu
Twal
Seyfarth

However would like to see bench used more. In particular Latu to come on and play 13 and Pole moves into prop rotation for longer periods in game. Also I don’t mind if Paps gets some rest time for Samuela during the game as part of the bench rotations if injuries etc allow it.
Our biggest issue is that Api looks smashed at the moment.
 
Stevec said:
1.Bula
2.Naden
3.Olam
4.Bateman
5.Staines
6.Galvin
7.Sezer
8.Utoikimano
9.Korisau
10.Klemmer
11.papalii
12.Sam Fainu
13.Pole
14.Simpkin
15.Seyfarth
16.Twal
17.Matamua

I think our winger Solomon had a go but failed to mark up
I think Bateman looks and is built and is a capable center
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I like Bateman to the centres.

I’d actually like to see Sione Fainu and Latu Fainu in for Simpkin and Matamua.

Albeit I am a big fan of Alaimalo, I thought he deserves another run. He took some pretty tough carries. However as one other Forumer noted he went off with a HIA so may not be a chance.
 
It’s hard to believe that in such a short time, one off season, we’re now staring down the barrel at being smashed by the team that really performed worse than us in many ways, last season. We’re talking about their lethal backline like it’s the Broncos or Penrith or Roosters. They bought extremely well, I guess it was only a matter of time before they clicked into gear. Meanwhile we’re still floundering around trying to get combinations right and play like a team.
 
Flippedy said:
It’s hard to believe that in such a short time, one off season, we’re now staring down the barrel at being smashed by the team that really performed worse than us in many ways, last season. We’re talking about their lethal backline like it’s the Broncos or Penrith or Roosters. They bought extremely well, I guess it was only a matter of time before they clicked into gear. Meanwhile we’re still floundering around trying to get combinations right and play like a team.
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They realised their roster wasn’t good enough and recruited heavily to improve it.
We just sit back in fairy land and think that players who cannot even stand out in NSW Cup will somehow magically become our saviours.
 
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not sure why there's so many people worried about the Dogs.

yes their left edge is firing but they have a forward pack and bench that is the smallest in the comp. they certainly punch above their weight but the fact of the matter is that if we muscle up like we did in the first half v Brisbane and for 65 minutes v Penrith they won't fire a shot. Naden's got some work to do in regards to making the right reads but I've got no doubt they'll will be doing plenty of work this week to get things right down that edge in preparation.

they beat the Titans who were pathetic at the time, an insipid Newcastle outfit and nearly lost to an 11-man Roosters. they lost to an abysmal South Sydney outfit a month ago and while they did well to stay in the contest against Melbourne, its not like we haven't done that against good sides this year either.

there will also be plenty more pointscoring opportunities. although they have defended well to begin the year, they don't have the scramble or the knowhow of Penrith or Brisbane. I can see Galvin toying with Salmon and Hutchison already.

the biggest thing is that they're fresh off a bye, but again, no excuses. we'll be full strength providing Api's right to go. I think it shapes up as a cracker.
 
Kikau is a bit of a flat track bully. Amrite?

Our middles more the held there own last week against the best props in the game. We are every chance of winning this game if we can take advantage of our opportunities.
 
jrtiger said:
not sure why there's so many people worried about the Dogs.

yes their left edge is firing but they have a forward pack and bench that is the smallest in the comp. they certainly punch above their weight but the fact of the matter is that if we muscle up like we did in the first half v Brisbane and for 65 minutes v Penrith they won't fire a shot. Naden's got some work to do in regards to making the right reads but I've got no doubt they'll will be doing plenty of work this week to get things right down that edge in preparation.

they beat the Titans who were pathetic at the time, an insipid Newcastle outfit and nearly lost to an 11-man Roosters. they lost to an abysmal South Sydney outfit a month ago and while they did well to stay in the contest against Melbourne, its not like we haven't done that against good sides this year either.

there will also be plenty more pointscoring opportunities. although they have defended well to begin the year, they don't have the scramble or the knowhow of Penrith or Brisbane. I can see Galvin toying with Salmon and Hutchison already.

the biggest thing is that they're fresh off a bye, but again, no excuses. we'll be full strength providing Api's right to go. I think it shapes up as a cracker.
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The Dogs are definitely beatable and we have the ability to do it. We have shown for long periods that we are up to speed in many facets of the game. However, we are our own worst enemy as we go away from the game plan when we start to make mistakes with the ball in hand.

It will be hard yards against their edges, which is where their strike is; however, we were able to contain both the Sharks and Eels and also had the measure of Penrith for good parts of that game. It is definitely within them to win this game.

When we are playing well there are a couple of themes (although we did cause ourselves plenty of trouble with the ball in hand against the Eels at one stage). When our kick chase is on so are we, the key to winning is to have the Dogs on the back foot coming out of their end all day. When our completion rates are high we can match it wtih most teams, when our completion rate is low we tend to go away from the game plan and get a bit panicky. The key to winning this weekend is:
  • Kick Chase: kick well and deep to nullify their edge attack. We have the pack to dominate the middle corridor this week and if we do they will finish their sets in poor to average field position. The chase is a critical enabler.
  • Kick Pressure: Burton's kicks are a real weapon and we can expect him to try and kick a 40/20 or two and throw some floating bombs at Bula. His big boot will be hard to nullify; if he is given time he will make life misery for us.
  • Defend the crash ball: Mahoney has good slight of hand and is almost as capable as Api in his ability to draw a forward through the defence on the line.
  • High execution rates: Our intensity with ball in hand needs to be high, but secure. We also need to limit the silly penalties that gifts the ball to the opposition. When we execute well with the ball in hand we tend to execute the overall game plan well. When we turn over the ball and lose the possession battle we start to fall off tackles and struggle to get back into the game. We simply aren't disciplined enough to stick with the game plan when we are facing adversity. We showed some resilliance agains the Eels, but it is not something we want to rely on.
I expect I will throw a few beer tokens on our boys this weekend.
 
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I said earlier this year that this team only has a few hard wins in them and that they’ve had 2 already in Sharks and Eels. However, even though they’ve been losing they have shown more than the last few years. Hopefully they can beat the Bulldogs.

Note: Canberra got flogged by the Sharks and people are saying it’s because of so many young blokes filling in for injured guys … we have the youngest squad in the comp so we aren’t too bad.
 
cqtiger said:
I said earlier this year that this team only has a few hard wins in them and that they’ve had 2 already in Sharks and Eels. However, even though they’ve been losing they have shown more than the last few years. Hopefully they can beat the Bulldogs.

Note: Canberra got flogged by the Sharks and people are saying it’s because of so many young blokes filling in for injured guys … we have the youngest squad in the comp so we aren’t too bad.
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Canberra got flogged because they didn't turn up as a team - the young blokes has little to do with it. Canberra were awful across the park from the kickoff. It was one of those days for them - shame it wasn't round two!
 
Vicious said:
They realised their roster wasn’t good enough and recruited heavily to improve it.
We just sit back in fairy land and think that players who cannot even stand out in NSW Cup will somehow magically become our saviours.
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This is why I feel Rich saying we are done buying players for next year we are still in trouble , we needed to clear off 3/4 first graders from this season
Bud - Seyfarth - Naden - AD - just to. Start then clear out half our reserve grade side as it’s poor
 
Jolls said:
The Dogs are definitely beatable and we have the ability to do it. We have shown for long periods that we are up to speed in many facets of the game. However, we are our own worst enemy as we go away from the game plan when we start to make mistakes with the ball in hand.

It will be hard yards against their edges, which is where their strike is; however, we were able to contain both the Sharks and Eels and also had the measure of Penrith for good parts of that game. It is definitely within them to win this game.

When we are playing well there are a couple of themes (although we did cause ourselves plenty of trouble with the ball in hand against the Eels at one stage). When our kick chase is on so are we, the key to winning is to have the Dogs on the back foot coming out of their end all day. When our completion rates are high we can match it wtih most teams, when our completion rate is low we tend to go away from the game plan and get a bit panicky. The key to winning this weekend is:
  • Kick Chase: kick well and deep to nullify their edge attack. We have the pack to dominate the middle corridor this week and if we do they will finish their sets in poor to average field position. The chase is a critical enabler.
  • Kick Pressure: Burton's kicks are a real weapon and we can expect him to try and kick a 40/20 or two and throw some floating bombs at Bula. His big boot will be hard to nullify; if he is given time he will make life misery for us.
  • Defend the crash ball: Mahoney has good slight of hand and is almost as capable as Api in his ability to draw a forward through the defence on the line.
  • High execution rates: Our intensity with ball in hand needs to be high, but secure. We also need to limit the silly penalties that gifts the ball to the opposition. When we execute well with the ball in hand we tend to execute the overall game plan well. When we turn over the ball and lose the possession battle we start to fall off tackles and struggle to get back into the game. We simply aren't disciplined enough to stick with the game plan when we are facing adversity. We showed some resilliance agains the Eels, but it is not something we want to rely on.
I expect I will throw a few beer tokens on our boys this weekend.
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Bateman to chase down Burton just like he did to Hyne in sharks game , terrorise him , also Put big Sam on Kickou and just tell him to hit him with everything but clean , 2 in on the tackles every t8me and wrap the ball up ,
 
Gould went to town about how stupid the rules are in the game ATM and had a crack at the people who are making them on his program last night ( how he escapes penalty when he is affiliated with a club and others don't is perplexing ) not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing for us leading up to playing the Bulldogs this weekend. We are always going to need a few to go out way to get us over the line.
 
Dogs are no where near the level of the Panthers or Broncos in either attack or defence. If the 50/50s go our way for once I cant see why we cant beat them comfortably, I thought the same about the Dragons to so Im no judge.
 
Wagga_Tiger said:
Wagga_Tiger said:
Dogs are no where near the level of the Panthers or Broncos in either attack or defence. If the 50/50s go our way for once I cant see why we cant beat them comfortably, I thought the same about the Dragons to so Im no judge.
Click to expand...

Dogs are no where near the level of the Panthers or Broncos in either attack or defence. If the 50/50s go our way for once I cant see why we cant beat them comfortably, I thought the same about the Dragons to so Im no judge.
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I was always nervous about the dragons because they are a big team, and we always struggle with containing them in yardage/ momentum .
The dogs less so , but we have been losing key moments in games for so long . It’s a real tough one. We should be better than them . But who knows
 
Lestronge said:
I was always nervous about the dragons because they are a big team, and we always struggle with containing them in yardage/ momentum .
The dogs less so , but we have been losing key moments in games for so long . It’s a real tough one. We should be better than them . But who knows
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Im not sure about should, feel they have more momentum and we really need to be on it to win
 
We will still be slow regardless of whatever we do thru the week
Line speed will disappear as soon as fatigue starts to hit after about 10 or 15.
Thats when we start to lose the Ruck and we need to infringe to compete and the penaltys start to flow against us =. More defense= more fatigue = more poor choices = points conceded.

But sometimes none of that can happen... that's when I question our consistency... Things like ref's giving us a few fifty 50s...the opposition having an.off day... A few injuries to them - it doesn't take much for it all to swing ariund.. But that's out of our control and we can't rely on it,, which is why we get sporadic wins here and there

Well still be slow tho... And we need to score points... I see kicking as our main option. Our kicking needs to be perfect as this is where I see our points mainly coming from
 
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