Robbo's interview with Danny Weidler

[Rooster_6]

Don't be a dick.

Who's better at taking on the line, Keary or Pearce?

Keary is the better option at 5/8 and it ain't even close.

He's a devastating ball runner that creates holes all around him if he isn't running through one himself.

Pearce on the other hand is a classic halfback.

Oh and why did Latrell make 18 line breaks? Might have something to do with who played 5/8.

Why did Latrell make 18 linebreaks? Because he's a gun..

It's not like he all of a sudden started breaking the line. Last year he made 15LB's, this year 18.

Why did Luke Keary make 15 linebreaks this year when for the other 63 games of his career he's only made 14 in total?

Will you apply the same train of thought you were hinting at with the Latrell question or will the bias blind you?

[eddie]

Yeh I mean there would obviously be compromise to fit 3 halves into one starting team.

But Robbo has form in this area and I think we have the players to execute it successfully.

I have no doubt Robbo & Taylor would be deep in discussion about all the possibilities of how they could make it work.

TBH, NRM...........I'm curious .............I don't understand the difference between the best organanising halfback, as opposed to a real halfback?
I'm not the stupidest person to ever walk the planet, but you make me question my own intellegence.............Ya do.
What, is the difference, subtle or otherwise, between managing a game, and organising it???
And must people make sport as confusing as the real world just to ruin our recreation time?

I am full of questions online..................coz I can't answer them honestly to impressionable kids who like football.
Help me , Mr Moderator Sir???

[Rooster_6]

TBH, NRM...........I'm curious .............I don't understand the difference between the best organanising halfback, as opposed to a real halfback?
I'm not the stupidest person to ever walk the planet, but you make me question my own intellegence.............Ya do.
What, is the difference, subtle or otherwise, between managing a game, and organising it???
And must people make sport as confusing as the real world just to ruin our recreation time?

I am full of questions online..................coz I can't answer them honestly to impressionable kids who like football.
Help me , Mr Moderator Sir???

You think I'm NRM?

That's a blast from the past...

[Yak]

I actually thought we looked quite strong at times when Connor Watson came on as lock. Think about some of the strengths of Pearce's game. I'd say his top 3 would be his line running in the middle third, his support play up the middle on a break, and his ability to square up a defence playing first receiver. Now think about the way we play under Robbo. Lots of short passing at the line to genuine support. Double blocks from the scrum line with the lock the initial distributor. Add to this Tedesco's ability to beat tired defenders on inside balls. Imagine that first receiver being a genuine half with a genuine run in him and pinpoint pass to Cronk or Tedesco inside. If Teddy is your inside option, Keary showed at the back end of the season that he can be the second sweep option on the right side as well. I'm not saying that's always the shape we play with but it would be a pretty threatening option.

The big issue with Pearce playing big minutes at lock would be his size and how that might take away from the presence of the pack. He'd definitely have to add some size. Pearce playing big minutes at lock would keep three middles on the bench fresher to rotate as props and maybe one rotate into lock with Pearce to hooker to give Friend a spell.

It's not the worst idea in the world if everyone buys into it. But it is a big gamble. It could change the game also. Teams are getting very good at defending block plays with passive defence and good hunt from the inside. Maybe angle plays around the ruck to deter that hunt will come back in fashion. Would certainly make for more interesting footy. It's almost like interchanges went down to 8 and no one adjusted to take advantage of that tiredness. So many teams persisted with block plays. The Blues showed for 50% of the series how you win a game in 2017 and then went back to 2012 footy and got caned, pardon the pun.

However it ends up working out its going to be a very interesting 2018 season.

[Hollus]

Well the high I felt on Monday after Cronk signed has now come crashing down. Pearce at 5/8?? This is akin to shifting Wing to the bench to accommodate an underperforming Finch in the halves. Ho hum

[eddie]

You think I'm NRM?
That's a blast from the past...

Sorry.
Spur of the moment shite, didn't mean to offend.



He was probably a great person anyway.

[rented tracksuit]

Pearce at 5/8 and Keary as super sub makes a lot of sense- a Craig Wing type of role - Robbo starting to think more about how the team should play is a positive- Keary wont get the dollars he wants for an extension in any case. Pearce must stay

I'm starting to think you might actually be Mitchell Pearce?!?

[eddie]

Must've been the dodgeing question thingy..............?
NRM was as quick to take offense as Eric Grothe was quick to recognise pain.

We all have our cross to bare.

[Rooster_6]

I actually thought we looked quite strong at times when Connor Watson came on as lock. Think about some of the strengths of Pearce's game. I'd say his top 3 would be his line running in the middle third, his support play up the middle on a break, and his ability to square up a defence playing first receiver. Now think about the way we play under Robbo. Lots of short passing at the line to genuine support. Double blocks from the scrum line with the lock the initial distributor. Add to this Tedesco's ability to beat tired defenders on inside balls. Imagine that first receiver being a genuine half with a genuine run in him and pinpoint pass to Cronk or Tedesco inside. If Teddy is your inside option, Keary showed at the back end of the season that he can be the second sweep option on the right side as well. I'm not saying that's always the shape we play with but it would be a pretty threatening option.

The big issue with Pearce playing big minutes at lock would be his size and how that might take away from the presence of the pack. He'd definitely have to add some size. Pearce playing big minutes at lock would keep three middles on the bench fresher to rotate as props and maybe one rotate into lock with Pearce to hooker to give Friend a spell.

It's not the worst idea in the world if everyone buys into it. But it is a big gamble. It could change the game also. Teams are getting very good at defending block plays with passive defence and good hunt from the inside. Maybe angle plays around the ruck to deter that hunt will come back in fashion. Would certainly make for more interesting footy. It's almost like interchanges went down to 8 and no one adjusted to take advantage of that tiredness. So many teams persisted with block plays. The Blues showed for 50% of the series how you win a game in 2017 and then went back to 2012 footy and got caned, pardon the pun.

However it ends up working out its going to be a very interesting 2018 season.

Yeh I agree on Watson, I know it wasn't a popular selection on here but I thought it had the potential to be a really successful sub option. Just a shame as he seemed to be warming into the position Gordon got injured which meant he had to go play fullback and then by the time he switched back he never had time to really settle and establish some combos.

I actually think we will run with Pearce & Cronk as the halves pairing with Keary attacking as the 'lock', essentially just a roving 2nd/3rd receiver role. Pearce averaged about 60 touches a game this year and Keary just 25 so it's not like moving Keary into a roving role would effect his involvement in a game, he essentially played as a support half for the majority of the season anyway getting the majority of his ball at second receiver and on the edges which he still would as a roving half.

In attack we would be;

Right Centre - Aubusson
Right 2nd rower - SST/Matterson
Lock - Keary

In defence we would be;

Right Centre - Keary
Right 2nd row - Aubusson
Lock - SST/Matterson

SST & Matto would obviously still give us good go forward in yardage sets coming out of our own end and both can play 2nd row when we're on the attack.
Aubbo is more than capable of playing in the centres and it was definitely Robinson's preferred choice this year.
And you can't even argue we'll be worse off defensively for having Keary in the centres over Joey Manu or Blake Ferguson.

[Rooster_6]

Well the high I felt on Monday after Cronk signed has now come crashing down. Pearce at 5/8?? This is akin to shifting Wing to the bench to accommodate an underperforming Finch in the halves. Ho hum

Wing was moved so we could blood Soward.

Much better dummy half than he was half anyway IMO.

[Rooster_6]

Must've been the dodgeing question thingy..............?
NRM was as quick to take offense as Eric Grothe was quick to recognise pain.

We all have our cross to bare.

No offence taken.

I quite enjoyed reading his views on the game, didn't agree with everything he said but he looked at the game from a different angle and he was a breath of fresh air on here.

Shame he was made of egg shells and left due to the shit he coped for not conforming to the popular opinions on here.

[eddie]

I am actually interested in the sutle difference between the best organising halfback and the one who can play the position.
Serious.
I ain't the smartest bloke in the world, dead-set....
But these sort of intricaces totally escape me.

Football is not rocket science.
In my book, if it takes years for one dedicated fan of the same club , to point out to another that the game is more akin to chess than I could ever figure out in my spare time....................I wan't a better sport to follow before the fatal heart attack.

What, the f is the diff between an organising half, and one that just manages a game?????????????????????????????????????
Tell me, please.....

Don't worry about blowing my mind

[eddie]

No offence taken.
I quite enjoyed reading his views on the game, didn't agree with everything he said but he looked at the game from a different angle and he was a breath of fresh air on here.
Shame he was made of egg shells and left due to the shit he coped for not conforming to the popular opinions on here.

He was the sensative type.....................but I liked him

[Lydon]

Well the high I felt on Monday after Cronk signed has now come crashing down. Pearce at 5/8?? This is akin to shifting Wing to the bench to accommodate an underperforming Finch in the halves. Ho hum

Funny how Finch has come out supporting the Cronk & Pearce combo..
Whereas smart judges like Sterlo are adamant those 2 in the halves would be a disaster as they are too similar..

[King Salvo]

Well the high I felt on Monday after Cronk signed has now come crashing down. Pearce at 5/8?? This is akin to shifting Wing to the bench to accommodate an underperforming Finch in the halves. Ho hum

Pearce 5/8 and Keary as super sub is the right move - remember that Wing played mostly from the bench for NSW and Australia as the super sub to cover a range of positions - would never had played for NSW and Australia in front of Joey or Buderus for instance as half or dummy half - bench only