All these fowards...who plays??

[Fluffy]

Disagree watching Ballin in trials well before his debut he was a standout in the field.

I don't know where this myth comes from that ballin has no attack, he is pivitol to how we attack and go forward.

If we didn't have two gun halves and the likes of Jamie Lyon and Glenn stewart then I can see a need for someone like ballin to go forward more. The key to our attack however is quick and quality service from dummy half, teams figured this out so try and stifle him which is why he had to run more last year

Well you missed half of it, you are co,paring game to game not age to age, in which case as I said Hodges s 80 - 90% of Ballin. Wait 3 years and Hodges could be damn close to Ballin.

Missing his lack of attack baffles me, last year was Ballin's best attacking year since Le Strange by miles and as you said without a Glen Stewart for most of the year.

We now have this guy known as one of the best offloaders in the game called Mateo, surely you would expect us to exploit this.

 

[Gib the Pom]

My picks;

Mason - I've heard players say the forward battle is won in the first 10-15 minutes so Mason starts for mine.


As a front-rower I can tell you this is so true. Those first 15 minutes set the tone for the full 80. All the talking and the hype and the adrenaline build up and those first 15 are were it gets released before the game settles in to its rhythm. In those early encounters you want your biggest and meanest forwards on the park to really lay in to them, the early collisions will have a massive effect on the oppostion psychologically.

You have to have an ego in the front row in some respects. You have the attitude that you just cannot let the other guy get the better of you, and if you do its an embarassment to yourself. Win the early collisions and you're thinking you can take on whatever the opposition throw at you no matter who comes off the bench, don't care, they run at you and you'll hurt them time and again. If you lose them though, you can't help but lose confidence in everything you do and its so hard to recover from that position.

In an ideal world I'd have Mason coming off the bench just as the opposition start to think they're getting a break, however at the moment he's our biggest and meanest forward and has to start to win those early encounters.

If we bring him on after 20 mins and ask him to give us some go forward, its gonna be 10x more difficult if our pack has been beaten so far and their pack is buzzing off the back of smashing us all over for 20 mins.

 

[rifraff]

8 Mason.. Has to start. Will talk it up in the sheds and set an example.
9 Ballin. Tackling low will be the way to slow down the play the balls. Good distribution
10 ? Trial form.. So many more choices than last year. I don't know.
11 Symonds Was touted as a star at the roosters and injury free is starting to look that way.
12 Buhrer Injury free, going to be his best year. Love his lines, his defense, his support. Getting better every year. I didn't like Toovey when he when he made the team. Ended up being an all time fav. Buhrer is fast becoming that

13 Mateo I am going to swear at him a lot. Will either be either effing brilliant or effing sad.

Don't need the best pack in the league when you have the best backline.
We held our own with all the numpties and penalty away givers and ball droppers last year. Bring on this one.. And bring on Ms Burgess, she will help us more than hurt us. Bloody Poms.

Insert stupid video <<<here>>>

 

[Loobs]

Ballin also split time at hooker with a bunch of different guys before he was given the reigns for 80 minutes and so long as he can play 80 at his current level, there is no need whatsoever to have Hodges in the squad. Especially when Buhrer can spot fill if Ballin gets injured (and if he's out THEN Hodges can play).

 

[Dan]

Well you missed half of it, you are co,paring game to game not age to age, in which case as I said Hodges s 80 - 90% of Ballin. Wait 3 years and Hodges could be damn close to Ballin.

Missing his lack of attack baffles me, last year was Ballin's best attacking year since Le Strange by miles and as you said without a Glen Stewart for most of the year.

We now have this guy known as one of the best offloaders in the game called Mateo, surely you would expect us to exploit this.

No I read it.

I also meant same point in his career not age.

 

[pjayz]

My selections:
8. Mason
9. Ballin
10. Lawrence
11. Buhrer
12. Symonds
13. Mateo
--------------
14. JSL
15. J Trbojevic
16. Burgess
17. Lui
I think you could win a comp with the above.

What Toovey will likely pick:
8. Starling
9. Ballin
10. Lawrence
11. Buhrer
12. Symonds
13. Mateo
--------------
14. Mason
15. JSL
16. Lui
17. Horo

 

[Fluffy]

If he is fit Lui will be hard to leave out after last year, may even start at lock then bring on Mateo for 55 mins and Lui joins the prop rotation.

 

[Loobs]

If he is fit Lui will be hard to leave out after last year, may even start at lock then bring on Mateo for 55 mins and Lui joins the prop rotation.

We are going to need guys who can get down and up again quickly in defense so that makes sense. You'll probably see the minutes of the boppers get shorter because they won't be able to wrestle and sneak a breath or two any more...

 

[mozgrame]

Lawrence
Ballin
Mason
Mateo
Symonds
Buhrer

Starling
Burgess/Vave
JSL
Lui/Hodges

 

[EagleFromMay1967]

@Fluffy. Oi ! very ageist. Compared to who ? Anyway should be picked on form. In the trials. Not rep.
Workrate, agression, defence, hitup metres. Start of season ! Clean Slate !