Round 23: BULLDOGS vs TITANS

[Mexican titan]

R.I.P HS

Yeah I am waiting for your new 2016 avatar as well. You should call for suggestions. First prize is a 4 game membership and second prize is a full season membership.

[Hail Sezer]

Are you going to change your name somehow? Or just leave it?

probably just join the Raiders forum

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Yeah I am waiting for your new 2016 avatar as well. You should call for suggestions. First prize is a 4 game membership and second prize is a full season membership.

Prizes can be awarded in vCash when we reboot that system for the 2016 season

[DavidBouveng]

I had you in mind when I wrote that. hahaha

i was sure of it.

[Hail Sezer]

After letting belting number 4925 settle in, I've had a read through here and tend to agree with the majority of comments.

Jimmy makes some horrible errors but then pulls of miracle plays like that try..definition of rocks and diamonds, thankfully the diamonds weigh more than the rocks

Nene would be a very very good winger, I don't feel that he has the defensive capacity or urgency to be able to play at centre at the moment. The bulldogs at one stage were so confident that they could exploit him that they shifted the ball to their right edge on the last play with nothing on. I think Nene is a very talented footballer and could be a centre in the long term, however his lapses are costing us big time.

Mead is our best fullback. I've given Hoffman the BOTD for most of the year but I feel a lot safer with Mead back there. He returns the ball fearlessly and is becoming more accustomed to playing that 2nd man role out the back. Where that leaves Hoffman I'm not sure (and Neil will pick him at fullback again, lets be honest), however he sure as hell isn't a half.

Morts has copped a fair bit although I don't mind him playing at hooker. He's such an effort player and we really do lack that throughout the squad.

Our middle D is slopcity and fullbacks are having a fun time cleaning us up through there. I'm not sure Shillington is going to tidy that up either although Friend may assist.

Not too much else worth writing..in all honesty I've never really rated Li, and that's from watching him for 2 years in U20's. His lateral movement and ability to change direction is pretty lethargic but I actually thought he went okay yesterday, considering we got bathed. Kick returns were solid and tidied up a few grubbers nicely. I have confidence we will see him in the NRL again.

I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I'm also realistic and with that said...I think we will be in for our 2nd spoon. Suck it up lads, can only go up from here.

[TITAN PETE]

Sezer's NRL season could be over

Mon 17 Aug, 2015, 6:09am
By Steve Zemek, AAP

Gold Coast coach Neil Henry has joined North Queensland superstar Johnathan Thurston in urging the NRL to provide greater protection for kickers after playmaker Aidan Sezer suffered a potentially season-ending shoulder injury.

Sezer is expected to miss at least the next two weeks with a shoulder problem as a result of being smashed by Canterbury giant Sam Kasiano in Sunday's 36-14 loss in Gosford.

Midway through the second half, the Titans five-eighth was crunched by Kasiano as he kicked downfield - and he went up the tunnel soon after.

It proved to be a turning point in the game as the Titans were left without a recognised playmaker, with Kane Elgey a late scratching after failing to overcome a hamstring problem.

The Titans worked themselves back to within six points after James Roberts scored with 20 minutes on the clock but with makeshift halves Josh Hoffman and Greg Bird calling the shots, the Dogs ran over the top of them with three late tries.

"It's an area that's been debated and we probably need to look at it a little bit," Henry said.

"There's a bit of a difference if the kicker's going to the line to put a grubber through or something.

"But at the moment kickers are fair game for those sorts of things."

Thurston, the Australian and Queensland champion and Cowboys captain, has appealed to the NRL to offer kickers greater protection after copping what he described as repeated late shots in his side's loss to South Sydney on Thursday.

Henry said while under current rules he did not have a problem with Kasiano's hit, he believes the laws should be tightened because kickers are often left in a vulnerable position.

"As long as you wrap your arms, which I think (Kasiano) did, they're letting players do it," Henry said.

"JT (Thurston) has talked about it. It's one of those ones where he's not going to the line to kick it and when you've got 126kg landing on a 85kg body, something's going to give.

"(Sezer's) shoulder moved a bit ... He couldn't use his arm and it wasn't worth needling it."

[JunctionBlock]

Good analysis HS. Hopefully Meady gets a look in at as our long term fullback with Hoffman moving to Roberts Wing, Don moving to the centres and Nene shifting to the wing. If Hoffy doesn't want to pass then shove him on the wing. Roberts and Don can both break a line so to have Nene or Hoffman outside them might be handy. Nene is also coming in for dummy runs and offloads too so wing might be a better spot for him to retain a bit of energy to take the pressure off our forwards.

Bird also needs to be told to stop stifling the play. He's playing like Gallen, wants to be in everything but stops effective use of the back line. Stats look great but it's to the determent of the team. Personally I think he needs to be playing in the middle where he can be more effective in ensuring some effective tackles. Perhaps next year with Zeb we might see him playing out wider to allow Bird to roam in the middle.

[NSW Titan]

At least we were consistent?

[Toads]

At least we were consistent?

That we are..

I'm seriously beginning to think we can't rebuild ourselves out of this situation, as we're damn near a complete basket case. There's little doubt a handful of QRL/NSWRL teams could produce better results than we do at this level. It might just be a case where the NRL might have to buy our way out of this situation, with a complete clean out of Staff, Board members and Players alike.

I'm all outta ideas..

[Titanic]

Agree with a lot of that and add that our issues are primarily:

1. Leadership on the field. I am taking a long step here and assuming that we have a game plan.
2. Backrows who can defend the edges instead of plodders and I mean James and Paasi who are props. The best teams have athletic backrowers e.g. Packer, Glenn, Guerra and even Eastwood ... these are bread and butter players, not stars but so necessary.
3. Bird plays 13 which is a middle position and everytime we get done up the middle it's him I am looking for. He should be both there and rallying the midfield.
4. Shillington will be like Douglas and we need those blokes. Friend will assist greatly but I go back to points 1 and 3.
5. Mead for 1 and Hoffman needs a wake-up call ... he passes even less than Bird ... so we are constipated left and right.
6. The need for T. Roberts or more depth in the half's was never more obvious than yesterday.
7. Totally agree with Macdonald to wing and like the look of Li for the other. Like Don but he won't get any better than what he is.

[Titanic Believer]

At least we were consistent?

Funny, I made the same comment last game. Sad really...