Trial V Souths

[Seagles68]

RTV ? Tried hard - you can tell that he wants that other wing spot. He dropped one pass from memory. He was put into some space a couple of times, and made good metres (and two tries, I think!). Great to have competition for wing spots. He gave his opposite a lot to think about; you could tell Souths saw him as a threat with the ball that needed to be shut down quickly before he built up momentum - he's a powerful runner of the ball, and hits hard in defense.

Cheers Bob. Be great if he could step again on last year coz the kid is a competitor, that's for sure.

 

[parala]

My selective thoughts on today's game - yes, I went (glad I did.... ):

Luke Brooks will be good - he seems to be enjoying the freedom to try things, and his passing game, link work, and kicking in general play will be a bonus this year that we didn't have last year.

Benny T - VERY determined to make a mark on the game, and did just that.

Jaxon P - competent player, did his part, good goal kicker (though he did miss a relatively easy one. Unfortunately didn't get to see him in full flight much, don't know how he compares for speed with the rest of the back line.

Brown - did a lot of ball distribution.

Condon - dropped a couple of passes, made a break in the 2nd half down the middle like a runaway giraffe - tried hard.

Talau - involved, and some good runs; I have a suspicion he may have let in South's only try, but without a replay it's had to be sure.

GCKT - a threat when he ran the ball.

Humphreys - we're lucky to have both he and GCKT as back ups to Croaker at dummy half. Very good goal kicker, too. Very involved.

Arthur - no fuss, calm, competent.

Faulalo - good opportunistic intercept try. Though he was going to get caught by a Souths defender at one point, but did well to go 90 metres.

Overall - good passing, better handling than Souths today. Manly tried more things with kicks, too, which was good to see. More experience, class, and teamwork from Manly - not surprising, it was a below strength Souths side, but (as Siebold pointed out), Manly had 13 or 14 first graders missing as well. Good depth, good spirit, good intensity, good teamwork - what you want to see in a trial.

PS - Matthew Lodge was sitting about 8 to 10 seats in front of me. He moved to his seat freely, didn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from his injury last year. Possible bonus inclusion before round 5.......hopefully?

Fantastic summary, thanks so much. Interesting about Lodge as well.

 

[Jay Eagle]

RTV ? Tried hard - you can tell that he wants that other wing spot. He dropped one pass from memory. He was put into some space a couple of times, and made good metres (and two tries, I think!). Great to have competition for wing spots. He gave his opposite a lot to think about; you could tell Souths saw him as a threat with the ball that needed to be shut down quickly before he built up momentum - he's a powerful runner of the ball, and hits hard in defense.

He's all heart.. but honestly lacks the pace and evasive skills to be a top flight NRL winger.. he was put into clear open space 3 times only to be covered easily by the cover defence.. sad but true.. i love his effort though

 

[MW66]

I went to the game and as many have commented, apart from the first 15 mins it was a very lop-sided contest so any player rated performances must be viwed in this light. My thoughts on a number of players:

Hodgson - a few have asked how he went. He is on the smaller side, quite quick and runs the ball back hard. Dropped a bomb early but looked ok;

Paulo - didn't really get to see him in open space but played well. Decent goalkicker too;

Talau - looked very fit, has slimmed down and no strapping. I thought he looked good;

Ray V - gee a wrecking ball and an intimidator. Does this make him a regular FG? Not sure. Very much rocks and diamonds;

Brooks - apart from 2 kicks dead (was a recurring issue at tigers) he looked very good in attack. Nice debut;

Arthur - solid as always and if he had an extra yard in pace would be a regualr FG;

Brown - as per training reports and others comments he was a key distributor and did it well. Also came out of the line a couple of times to try to put on a bit hit so still has that intimidator mind set;

Burbo - very good in attack and defence and for me a starter game 1;

Condon - Apart from a couple of dropped balls he ran hard and tackled hard. May be good depth off the bench and looked fitter than last year;

Bully - started prop and ran with gusto. Had a medical check at 1/4 time and did not go back on;

Lawton - ok but not sure of his role. Started hooked but distribution is a tad slow. Didn't platy a lot of minutes;

Paseka - boss;

Humphreys - strong boy and tackled well. Didn't think his service from dummy half was super quick but it was efficient. Backed up a couple of times and looked fit and keen. Very good goal kicker;

Gordy - contrary to some I thought his service out of dummy half was the best of the hookers on show. He also split them a couple of times up the middle with quick, little darts. Was he better than Humphrey? No but he was different.

A James - was disappointed. Big body but didn't use it like Paseka did e.g. didn't really bend the line. Some work to do if he is going to play FG this year.

 

[silvereagle]

My selective thoughts on today's game - yes, I went (glad I did.... ):

Luke Brooks will be good - he seems to be enjoying the freedom to try things, and his passing game, link work, and kicking in general play will be a bonus this year that we didn't have last year.

Benny T - VERY determined to make a mark on the game, and did just that.

Jaxon P - competent player, did his part, good goal kicker (though he did miss a relatively easy one. Unfortunately didn't get to see him in full flight much, don't know how he compares for speed with the rest of the back line.

Brown - did a lot of ball distribution.

Condon - dropped a couple of passes, made a break in the 2nd half down the middle like a runaway giraffe - tried hard.

Talau - involved, and some good runs; I have a suspicion he may have let in South's only try, but without a replay it's had to be sure.

GCKT - a threat when he ran the ball.

Humphreys - we're lucky to have both he and GCKT as back ups to Croaker at dummy half. Very good goal kicker, too. Very involved.

Arthur - no fuss, calm, competent.

nn
Faulalo - good opportunistic intercept try. Though he was going to get caught by a Souths defender at one point, but did well to go 90 metres.

Overall - good passing, better handling than Souths today. Manly tried more things with kicks, too, which was good to see. More experience, class, and teamwork from Manly - not surprising, it was a below strength Souths side, but (as Siebold pointed out), Manly had 13 or 14 first graders missing as well. Good depth, good spirit, good intensity, good teamwork - what you want to see in a trial.

PS - Matthew Lodge was sitting about 8 to 10 seats in front of me. He moved to his seat freely, didn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from his injury last year. Possible bonus inclusion before round 5.......hopefully?

Good summary Bob. I was also out there yesterday and so good to have the footy back.

Now I had to keep reminding myself that this was a first up trial against a bunch of no- names, but got to say was so impressed with some of our combinations but also the camaraderie amongst the boys. I said in a post earlier this year that Brooks will be the buy of the year and will definitely stand by that after yesterday. Humphreys was a absolute standout and will be challenging strongly for that 14 jumper. Paseka was a powerhouse and easily best forward on the park. Big games also from Ben, Brown and Bullemor but got to give a wrap to big Ben Condon. I have not been a fan of this guy since he arrived from the Cowboys but he changed my mind yesterday. Big game and big involvement in both attack and defence for the first three full quarters (60 minutes) and made a beautiful 60 meter break that should have led to another try. He was out on his feet there at one stage but kept pushing himself to the front line. His fitness level looks like has gone up a gear or two so I reckon he will be a handy middle forward back up this year. Jakob Arthur also looking the goods and very nicely composed in most of our set moves. Jaxson Paulo caught my eye for that other wing position. Tall, fast and can kick goals from anywhere. I would love for Vaega to get the nod just for his aggression and sheer enthusiasm but he got shown up quite a few times in speed. Talau and Faulalo look the goods and will only get better.

Great day.....for Manly fans!!

 

[IQofalimabean]

Watched a replay of the game we had the advantage in the middle, so credit to the forwards for laying the platform.
Out of the backs centre Clayton Faulalo was the standout. Thought ben had a great game too.

 

[patorick2010]

Wherabouts?

 

[SeaEagleSI1]

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[Eagles4Life]

Watched a replay of the game we had the advantage in the middle, so credit to the forwards for laying the platform.
Out of the backs centre Clayton Faulalo was the standout. Thought ben had a great game too.

Is there a link to the replay?

 

[IQofalimabean]

Is there a link to the replay?

 

[mkultra]

I also thought Austin Dias was all commitment the times I saw him involved. Can't recall seeing too much of him in defence, but he was running very hard and straight lines. Tall lad, with some extra meat on his bones, could also be someone with his hand up. Hard, fast and straight is something we haven't seen in Maroon and White for a while and I'm here for it.

 

[Bird of Prey]

Anybody know much about Cameron Brown , I have no knowledge of him but he scored a good try and he looks very quick.

 

[manly al]

Anybody know much about Cameron Brown , I have no knowledge of him but he scored a good try and he looks very quick.

Think that he has essentially come through the junior ranks [ well from some stage there ] , 20 "s and now Blacktown . Always primarily a winger from recollection and noted finisher or quite good finishing ability .
Not sure of his background before this but good that he has progressed through the Manly system and as you have suggested , seems to have some good natural ability .

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Good to see Burbo not only dominate with the footy but also dominate in defence. He tackled hard and with intent. Look-in like a big year for T number 3!

 

[Brookie Bob]

20:44 - that short ball from Brooks to Burbo, after Brooks took on the line directly. Something we missed last year, that left edge threat.

One they know that most of your attack will go right side (DCE to Hamole / Koula / Saab), it becomes rather predictable and easy to target.

Especially with no Turbo roaming around on the left side for extended periods.

The good dummy half pass / reading of which side to go from Lawton to Brooks also helped make that try.

 

[mickqld]

Good to see Burbo not only dominate with the footy but also dominate in defence. He tackled hard and with intent. Look-in like a big year for T number 3!

He's definitely bulked up and with some pace could be very handy out wide. I like the look of the amount of attacking options we are building BUT if the mids don't dominate up front then it won't mean a thing.

 

[Eagle 1]

Good to see Burbo not only dominate with the footy but also dominate in defence. He tackled hard and with intent. Look-in like a big year for T number 3!

Sure is, you could see the signs late into last season, then, only to be hampered with those cursed hamstring injuries. He's looking fitter and stronger in both attack and defence now, bring on Las Vegas, can't wait.

 

[maxta]

Just watched the game vs Souths.
Could see a big improvement in the game play and style, with a fit Manly team made up of 80% NSW cup players playing up tempo footy with far more shifts at speed with very sharp timing, cutting Souths up out wide on several occasions...this of course only works if the wheels in the middle are turning and every forward done a job.
Condon looked 50% stronger in everything he done, but needs to get some tarzan grip to stop the dropsies if he wants to fight for a bench spot.
The forward overall were gritty, well drilled and where we really dominated to lay the platform for a dominant Win and the dummy half service was well controlled without being slick, but seemed to take the right options which is what we need....including a running game !!
The addition of GCK or Humphrey every week off the bench is a MUST and I feel will be part of the structure from round 1.
Brooks looked sharp on debut and played pretty well and I certainly feel will be close to if not - Best buy of 24, but that media hyped it up plenty and I thought Ben T was the outstanding player, from what I seen and rightfully is in contention for that edge spot.
The centre Faulolo ? looked like a true footy player in every way, though his speed over a distance is
certainly not great as shown by his interception with a few Souths players making up 10m - 15m in a 90m chase....but just a Natural footy player.
The winger Vaega put in a robust performance and looks a handy option, though Paulo will start in Vegas it's good to have a few outside backs who can get it done as Talau looked reliable and decent also...plus Brown who came on is a definite finisher who deserves a look imo.
Arthur played a solid game and always looks energetic and Woodsy, the old boy came on looked to add experience and purpose to keep the momentum rolling.
Overall there was plenty of good attitude and intent from a side looking fit and sharp....looking forward to a big year.
Will be interesting playing a good NRL team this weekend, with a few of out top liners back also.

 

[Bird of Prey]

Just watched the game vs Souths.
Could see a big improvement in the game play and style, with a fit Manly team made up of 80% NSW cup players playing up tempo footy with far more shifts at speed with very sharp timing, cutting Souths up out wide on several occasions...this of course only works if the wheels in the middle are turning and every forward done a job.
Condon looked 50% stronger in everything he done, but needs to get some tarzan grip to stop the dropsies if he wants to fight for a bench spot.
The forward overall were gritty, well drilled and where we really dominated to lay the platform for a dominant Win and the dummy half service was well controlled without being slick, but seemed to take the right options which is what we need....including a running game !!
The addition of GCK or Humphrey every week off the bench is a MUST and I feel will be part of the structure from round 1.
Brooks looked sharp on debut and played pretty well and I certainly feel will be close to if not - Best buy of 24, but that media hyped it up plenty and I thought Ben T was the outstanding player, from what I seen and rightfully is in contention for that edge spot.
The centre Faulolo ? looked like a true footy player in every way, though his speed over a distance is
certainly not great as shown by his interception with a few Souths players making up 10m - 15m in a 90m chase....but just a Natural footy player.
The winger Vaega put in a robust performance and looks a handy option, though Paulo will start in Vegas it's good to have a few outside backs who can get it done as Talau looked reliable and decent also...plus Brown who came on is a definite finisher who deserves a look imo.
Arthur played a solid game and always looks energetic and Woodsy, the old boy came on looked to add experience and purpose to keep the momentum rolling.
Overall there was plenty of good attitude and intent from a side looking fit and sharp....looking forward to a big year.
Will be interesting playing a good NRL team this weekend, with a few of out top liners back also.

Travelled all the way from Woy Woy for the match and it did have a different vibe for a trial match from the Manly team , lots to rave about from the fringe players there was an abundance of wholehearted defence which actually won us the game . Very happy trip back home and for a change feeling very upbeat for Manly and the Blacktown team this season.