if i was smith id put anasta at center position

[Guest]

you heard it first,,

we lack a quality center and i think anasta can play that position.

leave carney at 5/8 and put a hard working young kid at lock

[melon....]

you heard it first,,

we lack a quality center and i think anasta can play that position.

leave carney at 5/8 and put a hard working young kid at lock

Actually, i said it about 2 months ago. i repeated it again last week in another thread. Anasta should wearing the 4, with Morbs moving into the 13. Thats what id like to see. Mainly for some experience out wide.

[Roosterfarian]

Sounds ok to me. That way there will be a few less people who won't get any ball in the backs mun.

[Guest]

i can't see a long term position for Anasta the way Smith is recruiting

[elo]

i can't see a long term position for Anasta the way Smith is recruiting

Gotta agree......Smith probably reckons we are overpaying for him so looks to be squeezing him out. I don't see a position for him if Carney plays 6.

[horrie hastings]

I would say Phil Graham will be one of our starting centres,i don't think we bought him to play on the wing.

[melon....]

I would say Phil Graham will be one of our starting centres,i don't think we bought him to play on the wing.

Although he'd be the best winger at our club.

[Guest]

Although he'd be the best winger at our club.

i wouldnt complain to see graham outside anasta, speed and try scoring outside size and skill. Also defensively rock solid. Put linnett or williamson inside mini down the other edge with perrett at the back, carney and pearce the halves and you have a well balanced side that is rock solid in attack and defence and has the right amount of experience about it as well. EIther this or carney to fullback. Anasta should definatley not be in the pack though imo - waste of a player and not well suited to that role

[Guest]

Yeh I agree. Then I would have Mini at 5/8 and Perrett at hooker.

Thank God you guys don't pick the team every week. What would Anasta give us at centre? Our fans complain about our lack of pace out wide. So why would we replace the blokes we have there with someone slower? It is very simple Anasta will be at 5/8 or lock. Carney could do a job at fullback it wouldn't change his job in attack. It is just getting him up to speed with his positional play at the back.

[Guest]

Precisely.

It will either be 1. Carney, 6. Anasta, 7. Pearce...or 6. Carney, 7. Pearce, 13. Anasta

[Chookies74]

Yeh I agree. Then I would have Mini at 5/8 and Perrett at hooker.

Thank God you guys don't pick the team every week. What would Anasta give us at centre? Our fans complain about our lack of pace out wide. So why would we replace the blokes we have there with someone slower? It is very simple Anasta will be at 5/8 or lock. Carney could do a job at fullback it wouldn't change his job in attack. It is just getting him up to speed with his positional play at the back.

copy that, Maubs hasn't missed a tacke all yr, why move him to then put someone who has never played centre, crazy. Smith won't move Aubs for at least 6 weeks, if at all. Remember, not every centre has to be a gun linbreaker, Matt Cooper has made a career out of smashing people, it locks up 1 side of the field, making your defensive structure easier to manage.

Maybe Anasta likes tackling? maybe in his old age he realises that to get the cash, that's what he's going to have to do, only he and Smith know the answer to that.

[melon....]

Yeh I agree. Then I would have Mini at 5/8 and Perrett at hooker.

Thank God you guys don't pick the team every week. What would Anasta give us at centre? Our fans complain about our lack of pace out wide. So why would we replace the blokes we have there with someone slower? It is very simple Anasta will be at 5/8 or lock. Carney could do a job at fullback it wouldn't change his job in attack. It is just getting him up to speed with his positional play at the back.

He runs good lines, breaks tackles and the line and can pass (not that he does when he has to, but he can). We dont have any centres at the club that are better at these qualities than Anasta.

[Guest]

He runs good lines, breaks tackles and the line and can pass (not that he does when he has to, but he can). We dont have any centres at the club that are better at these qualities than Anasta.

We have absolutely no pace out wide so I can't understand why we would put Anasta there. The thing Anasta has always lacked since his debut is pace. For a 5/8 he is slow and he lacks the ability to beat the defence with speed or footwork. He would be a disaster in the centres.

Also the qualities you talk of for centres are not effective in the modern game. The traditional bigger centres who stand deep, run lines and hit holes are rarely seen these days. The game is quicker these days (especially this season) teams don't have to stand wide and deep to get room to attack. Centres need speed and footwork to beat their opposite and to capitalise on the quick play the balls and extra room in attack.

Defensively also it would be ugly to see what blokes like Jenning, Morris, Hodges, Ingilis and Lawrence would do to Anasta one on one.

As I said above Anasta will play 5/8 or lock next season. Yes we are deficient in the backs but I think we have seen this year using band aid solutions and playing blokes out of position has been a disaster. Smith isn't stupid he will put the players in their best positions. Reputations will not bother him and he will not be scared to promote young kids if they can get the job done.

[Guest]

I prefer Carney at centre before considering putting Anasta there. I think Carney would do well as a centre too. He is defensively solid and has a bit of size about him. His main strength is his running game and he is able to squeeze through tiny gaps because he is no slouch when it comes to speed either. Would be interesting to see in the trials a line-up something like the following just to see a few young guns performing, trialling players in different position and see how combinations would fare as after all, trials are exactly that (keeping in mind this is not our strongest line-up):

1. Anthony Minichiello
2. Phil Graham
3. Ryan Williamson
4. Kane Linnett
5. Fine Moeakiola
6. Todd Carney
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Frank Paul-Nuusuala
9. Ben Jones
10. Lopini Paea
11. Jared Wearea-Hargreaves
12. Mitch Aubusson
13. Braith Anasta (c)

14. James Aubusson
15. Stanley Waqa
16. Daniel Conn
17. Jason Baiteri

This would be the team to start the trial but then in the 2nd half, maybe move and tweak the team a bit like moving Carney to fullback or centre, Braith back to 6 and bringing on Baiteri at lock. Just an idea.

[Rooster_6]

No Jake Friend and Sam Perrett... I honestly didn't think 2010 could get any worse but if your name is Brian Smith we might be in a bit of trouble.