Tupou

[Guest]

I almost cried watching his inept performances all season.

[Thirteen]

I'd even swap him for old Perrett and I think Perrett is useless.

[Thirteen]

Matterson looks to me more like a lock or inside centre. Lui Cordner TKO and Matterson a formnable back row

What's an inside centre?

[Thirteen]

I haven't turned on Matterson - you assume at some point I was blowing his trumpet. Like I said, he is talented and has potential but some on here have already compared him to Fred and have anointed him as our next great half. I disagree. I think Hastings is unlucky that his style of play is too similar to Pearce's otherwise - baring his alleged attitude deficiencies which remain unsubstantiated - he would be the keeper over Matterson as a halves player. Matterson on the other hand would make a solid back rower given time.

Pearce takes on the line. Hastings doesn't.

[2026]

So he should.
All us poor supporters have been there weeks ago.

Is Robbo failing miserably in this department?

Toops amongst others were in career best form 2013/14 and now they look like they're playing on eggshells.

[eddie]

Is Robbo failing miserably in this department?
Toops amongst others were in career best form 2013/14 and now they look like they're playing on eggshells.

I thought Toops was good last year as well.
He did start the year with an injury which might effect his form/confidence???
Jennings absence wouldn't help his game either, as plenty on here have noticed.

My feeling is players like Toops and Guerra would give any coach high blood pressure.

[Intercept]

you need to watch the replay.(if you can) i tell my boys up not in. copley should try that.

That being the case, I don't know what I saw and neither does the commentator (Greg Alexander from memory). When the bloke defending on the inside of you jams in and leaves a three on two you do your best, be that up or in. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting Copley is a great defender but he was left posted a few times there. I'll take another look and maybe I'll see what you saw.

[Intercept]

It didn't take long for people to turn on Ryan Matterson.

BAW, not sure if you are suggesting that I am turning on Matterson. If so, you are well wide of the mark. Simply stating what I saw.

[HEGtheROOSTER]

Toops really worries me on kick returns and dummy-half runs. He gets rag-dolled and driven back almost every time and either loses the ball or seems a bee's dick away from doing so...

[PeeGee]

Toops really worries me on kick returns. He gets rag-dolled and driven back almost every time and either loses the ball or seems a bee's dick away from doing so...

To be honest, I don't know how they let him run from dummy half so often. He gets negative metres

[LeCoq]

Pearce takes on the line. Hastings doesn't.

Yeah, fair play. I agree with that.

[ism22]

I thought Toops was good last year as well.
He did start the year with an injury which might effect his form/confidence???
Jennings absence wouldn't help his game either, as plenty on here have noticed.

My feeling is players like Toops and Guerra would give any coach high blood pressure.

Good point... he's a winger and relies on quality service. Playing outside Jenko is very different from playing outside a different person every week (Copley this week? I always forget which number is left/right... wasn't Jenko #3 and on the left with Toops. Now SKD's playing left centre and Fergo's playing outside Copley? Baaaah just my confusion but maybe a fair point... we don't really have any comfortable winger/centre pairings because we keep changing things up.)

Toops played alright on the weekend for a guy who hardly got any ball (because we s*cked). My only real criticism is that he missed that ball from Latrell. Not blaming Latrell (we should encourage him to keep doing those passes until Toops catches them) BUT... it wasn't the last tackle, he probably coulda scored by himself and the two of them didn't really communicate. TBH I don't know what Toops was doing on the wing... he was too flat to take the pass and wasn't expecting the FB to pass the ball out to the wing (where there was a decent-sized overlap.)

I'm guessing Robbo wants him to be calling for the ball and ready to take it at ALL times. That said, Jacko has a habit of kicking the ball when a pass would suffice... so whadda you do? Players try to predict the next move. Maybe Toops was predicting a kick on the next tackle so was edging up flatter in order to chase it? I dunno... while Toops made the error, I can't help thinking it was due to the larger problem of our halves and backs having no communication or feel for each other. Cause? They were playing ad-hoc footy rather than executing a plan. Cronk/Smith seem better at letting the backs know what's going on. We just wing it and then yell at them for not catching the ball.

[Guest]

I wonder if Toups has read this thread and agrees with the Chookpen's assessment of him?

[eddie]

I wonder if Toups has read this thread and agrees with the Chookpen's assessment of him?

If he has spoken to Guerra he'd be giving this site a wide berth.

[bondi paul]

If ever a player that needs sports performance enhancing drugs it is Toups as he appears to be on Prozac