us verse wests

[roosterproud]

Anthony Minichiello,
Daniel Tupou,
Michael Jennings,
Shaun Kenny-Dowall,
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck,
James Maloney,
Mitchell Pearce,
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves,
Jake Friend,
Sam Moa,
Boyd Cordner,
Mitchell Aubusson,
Frank-Paul Nu'uausala,
Daniel Mortimer,
Tinirau Arona,
Aidan Guerra,
Isaac Liu,
Usaia O'Sullivan,
Luke O'Donnell,
Michael Oldfield

[Guest]

Even without SBW and Kennedy that side looks beasting.

[Guest]

I'm glad this Uasia O'Sullivan is on the periphery, he goes real good

But of pressure on captain clumsy kenny dowall hopefully

[fletch]

the thing I will be most interested in seeing is if Robbo has been able to solidfy our defensive structure on the fringes, there are major doubts on the Cordner/Pearce/Jennings combo on the left and more troublesome the Maubs/Maloney/SKD combo on the right.

[Yak]

Do you think Pearce will play left side Fletch? I know Maloney plays right and has a beautiful left to right pass but him being on the same side as SKD in defence scares the hell out of me. If Pearce plays left we'll get the best out of Jennings and can utilise Maloney's support play off SBW but yeah defensively that is weak.

Robinson is making the most of our speed out wide defensively. Jennings never looked trouble by Lyon because TR had the team sliding well with good early cover from the inside, a good indication of improved fitness. He speaks a lot about building the trust within the squad and that speaks volumes about how defensively minded he is. The whole defensive effort against Manly was based on trust. And that is why he's offloaded the lazy players in the team. How are your teammates supposed to trust you if they know you haven't done the work.

[fletch]

Yak, at this stage it is likely to be Pearce left and Maloney right, but as you said that right edge of Maubs/SBW when fit and then Maloney/SKD is pretty scary and you can bet teams will be running that way most of the time against us.

although I can't stand Anasta he did have a few interesting things to say yesterday about what was going on last year within the club, he said the players were not happy under Smith, but most importantly there were quite a few not putting in, as we know Robbo has already dealt with some of them but the likes of FPN/SKD have also been put on notice, if things don't improve in early 2013 you can bet there will be another major shakeout of the current roster.

[Guest]

So 20 players named for this trial & I see Nafe & Langi aren't named, I thought Langi was dynamite at times last week & as I've stated before I really like what Nafe offers from dummy half, just needs to fix his passing.

[Guest]

Yak, at this stage it is likely to be Pearce left and Maloney right, but as you said that right edge of Maubs/SBW when fit and then Maloney/SKD is pretty scary and you can bet teams will be running that way most of the time against us.

although I can't stand Anasta he did have a few interesting things to say yesterday about what was going on last year within the club, he said the players were not happy under Smith, but most importantly there were quite a few not putting in, as we know Robbo has already dealt with some of them but the likes of FPN/SKD have also been put on notice, if things don't improve in early 2013 you can bet there will be another major shakeout of the current roster.

I'd let those 2 go tomorrow

[fletch]

I'd let those 2 go tomorrow

FPN is going to need a stellar season to get a contract extension, as for SKD if Moga was fit there would have been a very good chance he would be at the titans in 2013.

[Rooster_6]

So 20 players named for this trial & I see Nafe & Langi aren't named, I thought Langi was dynamite at times last week & as I've stated before I really like what Nafe offers from dummy half, just needs to fix his passing.

That's a pretty major flaw in a dummy halves game, it'd be like hiring an accountant who can't do maths.

[Rooster_6]

I'm actually a big fan of FPN, I think he's got all the ability in the world just needs a simple game plan to shine.

He can play tight, on the fringes, strong hit ups, great offload, can ball play & is a solid defender.

[davos]

I'm actually a big fan of FPN, I think he's got all the ability in the world just needs a simple game plan to shine.

He can play tight, on the fringes, strong hit ups, great offload, can ball play & is a solid defender.

Is it my imagination or has he slimmed down a lot over the preseason ?

[Guest]

That's a pretty major flaw in a dummy halves game, it'd be like hiring an accountant who can't do maths.

Yeah I get what you're saying but I think with Nafe he can pass, he just tries to do everything at a million miles an hour & his passing can appear careless, he just needs to take that moment to get them right IMO.

[Jollyjock]

Yeah I get what you're saying but I think with Nafe he can pass, he just tries to do everything at a million miles an hour & his passing can appear careless, he just needs to take that moment to get them right IMO.

BTW Nafe is playing on Saturday for Newtown!!

[dj_sta]

Is it my imagination or has he slimmed down a lot over the preseason ?

I thought so too but then thought its probably just my imagination too.... If he has put in the hard work he might be in for a big season....

Verdict is still out on SKD though, especially looking at his performance at the All Stars game... RTS I thought had a cracker game vs Lyon in the trial in centres, so he's another option in the centres whilst Mini hogs FB and I know of a few Manly fans who were talking RTS up after he kept shutting down Lyon. The best part was they didnt even know who he was...