For 25 rounds 95% of us could pick the 1-17 each week. "Pick & Stick" aka Shaun Lane.... his son being the 8 year exception.
Whether it was a training mishap, fatigue or not, why Joey Lussick played against the Panthers was outright stupidity.
Papali'I has started every game since round 2.... now drops back to the bench.
Matterson comes back ASAP everytime in the regular season. Cartwright has a howler last week but starts on the bench.
Ray Stone had a great game v Panthers but he is no number 9. Who is the better option, I don't know.
Will Penisini had his best game since his debut, but has played only 3 games (not consecutive weeks) since moving into the QLD bubble, IMO would have benefited getting 40 mins in against the Panthers.
I hope I am wrong but I am having flash backs of 2017 when we played the Cowboys and BA made the "tactical decision" to drop Siosaia Vave against a big pack after we pushed the Storm the week before (should have won) and selected Kaysa Pritchard who hadn't played for god knows how long with injury.... what happened? Alvaro gets knocked out in the first 2 minutes and we have no big bodies on the bench and get rolled.
I hope Brad knows what he is doing because I have zero faith in him being a thinker or tactical genius.
The last time he did this picking JA over Will Smith... well, we all saw what happened.
We win the collision or we lose the match.
Will be a nervous opening 15 minutes.
Replies
Very true Bert, I think Newcastle are going to play a physical game, I don't like our bench at all.
Scott
I disagree with this.
Firstly we have no idea of tye health of the squad
Secondky I thought our tactics against Melb were excellent
As they were in 2017 v Melbourne. The best game we played all year. Déjà Vu?
You would go with the same 17 v Cowboys the following week... but no.
BA is no Wayne Bennett or Brian Smith.
Shit, even Bellamy fucked up against us dropping Nicho Hynes.
Every selection carries some risk. What sort of deadshit says I told you so when one of many possibilities eventuates? Whatever happens on Sunday, it's only one of a range of potential outcomes. Just because we beat Melbourne doesn't mean there was no chance we could've gotten belted. Likewise if we get beaten this week, it doesn't mean we weren't a chance of putting 40 on the Knights. This is how Sportsbet (and a subset of all punters in a given round) are able to make money.
Don't second guess. Just enjoy the game ffs. Bellamy might've fucked up by dropping Hynes but there's no way you'd know if it was a fuck up. All the alternatives might've turned out worse, or he could've kept the same line up and played us another ten times and won every game. We just don't know. Let's not pretend we do. Just because a team loses a game doesn't mean your criticism was valid.
If you knock someone or sonething often enough eventually you'll be right but what does that prove?
you can equally be Brissy and say we will beat Melb then one day you are also right.
Different opponents call for different tactics
They clearly have a plan in mind to beat Newcastle - which we've done a lot recently so I'm happy to sit back and see how we go
Just enjoy the game ffs.
sit back and see how we go
Agreed. No point speculating anymore. After the rollercoaster ride that was the regular season, I'm looking forward to the finals and hoping that every player picked knows what's at stake and is ready and raring to go.
My sentiments exactly Monsieur. People are speculating about selection and injuries and they know sweet FA about what's happening especially since they're in lockdown or in other parts of the world for that matter. Plenty of opportunties to vent about all that after the game on Sunday.
I think it was david gower he left out for pritchard and i also remember my dissspointment.
It was Vave.
I reskon this is one of the bravest, smartest selections BA has made in his entire 8 years at the club. Having two middle forwards on the bench, with Bryce Cartwright as a point of difference with a big body who played exactly as BA would have wanted him to (except for that early push of the ball from a head spin). To pick Ray Stone at hooker was both a tacticle and an injury forced selection which just stiffens up our middle where we have to nulify the big Newcastle twins. The Siafiti bro's are the cornerstone of their pack which we must not only stop but actually get over and drive through if we are to win like we did against the Storm, playing our power game.
Having Papali'i and Maka on the bench gives our middle huge bench support and allows our relentless power game to continue suported by S. Lane rotating into the middle when replaced on the edge by Carty. We can then leave Marata on the right edge to terrorize their left side strike in Bradman Best and Kalyn Ponga running off Mitchell Pearce. Fergy plays with confidence to hold his sideline when playing outside Penisini and Niukore. Will Smith will cover hooker and halves is capable of playing centre and is potentially a gamebreaker off the bench in his current form.
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