Some observations on the Knights game.
1. AJ was sensational at 5/8. He needs the ball in hand and close to the action and I think that being in the halves next year will be the best outcome for the Titans.
2. JC was very good at fullback and saved 2 tries with great goal line defence. He is quickly learning the craft of goal line defence for a player of his size. With 2 try assists and 125 metres, he is developing very quickly on both sides of the ball and should be our fullback for next year.
3. Some good support to Tino from our middles with Jolliffe, Mo and Ese having their best games for a long time.
4. Klese had a great debut and was strong with his carries and was great in the effort areas. Will have a great future and should be part of the NRL squad from now on.
5. Jojo should be a starting centre next year and is strong on both sides of the ball. He was one of the best yesterday with strong carries and hitting hard in defence.
6. Defence overall was better although Newcastle did not throw much at them except for the last 10-15 minutes. Our edge defence structure has changed and it seemed to work better. I note in an article by Tino during the week that they have changed their defensive structure to be used for next year.
7. Whilst he is destructive in attack, Dave needs to get fitter for the defensive part of the game where he can get caught out defensively due to fatigue as happened yesterday.
8. The only poor performance was Turner who was horrendous and should not be anywhere near the 1st grade squad. He is not a hooker and I cannot fathom why Holbrook persists with it. He is a real liability in defence
Thanks WD and Titanic. I'm still scratching my head about Turner's performance. Surely he doesn't play like that in Q Cup???
I'm with Titanic and Ozynorts on Foran though. He's an out and out 6. They tried him at 7 at Parra and it removes his impact. He's a classy player and on his day a textbook 5/8.
I've also swayed from week to week on who our fullback should be next year and if Tannah can do a job like he has been, Brimmo is the best choice. JC would be a great 14 for us. I'm not sure if Toby can gain pace, learn to marshal his edge and hone his kicking better over the offseason but let's hope so. Weaver might be too light for the early rounds next year too, depending on how he develops.
I hope we keep both fullbacks though as I can see Brimo developing into a Munster style 5/8 once Foran retires, and JC should be at the peak of his powers around then.
Turner doesn't play like that in Qcup because he isn't a hooker in Qcup so doesn't get exposed for some of his major flaws. He was poor yesterday and has been every time he's taken the NRL field for us. The defensive work required playing as a 6 and then in the middle is much different to that of a fullback, let alone at cup level.
He's one of those guys that has some good offensive traits (even though we haven't seen them in NRL, they're there in Qcup when he's at FB) but unfortunately lacks some key fundamentals required at NRL level and gets really exposed. Unfortunately with our injuries, we don't really have a choice unless you want to remove Boyd from 7 where he's going well.
Turner is going to need a huge off-season because he isn't much of a 5/8 IMO and and can't really be trusted as a 14 in the middle because he can't defend there. He's not going to get a gig at fullback at top level with our stock in that position and has pressure coming from the other direction with the development of De Groot and Kini. He's a depth piece in any case so no sweat really, but even in that capacity I'm not sure where he fits in going forward.
edit: your observations pretty much summarises my thoughts too WD
Cheers HS ... I think that we have squeezed most of what we can out of our more established outside backs and think this weekend we could run with Francis (I know it's a dream at this stage of the year) and Jojo as our centers with Kelly out. Marzhew gets one wing (I just wish it was the right side) and that leaves Sami on the left wing if he's available?
Four reasons to escape to Queensland: Sun, Surf, Sand & the Titans.