3 games this year have all had one thing in common. Paramatta have started all games horribly as they have been rolled through the middle by the opposition with ease.
This has resulted in JDB being dropped. However, JR said JDB still has an important role to play in NRL so hopefully he fixes it that ASAP because we need it now with the news of Hopgood doing his ACL.
I think JR learned his lesson today that Walker needs to stay on the bench and is not the answer to fixing our poor starts. Smith is a speed bump to start games if he doesn't have support from his middles. Walker does not help that.
Paulo is meant to be the leader of the forward back but he is ageing and providing no go forward. Plus his defense to start the games have been poor. However with a lack of options I think Paulo will start.
You can tell JR knows this is a problem as he has been pushing hard to buy an elite middle from the open market which we all know has failed time and time again.
Our bench has been very strong this year and been the reason we have got back into games the past 2 weeks. So to me Walker, TDS, Doorey and Tuivita have to remain on the bench for me. Don't change that. The only person that has potential to start is Tuivita but I wouldn't consider that till end of the year or next year because Tuivita is still very young and needs to build his defence still and play consistent NRL.
To me William is a starting backrower or a bench middle. He is not a starting middle forward. He does not have that aggression to start games in the middle. Perhaps its more mental that a phsyical limitation for him starting games cause he has the leg speed and size. Got to be more aggressive with his line speed and first contact in defence. The way he plays right now I would want to start him as the eddge backrower and move him intot he middle at the 20th minute. But the problem with this strategy Williams, Walker, TDS, Tuivita and Doorey is a 5 man bench. So I assume JR will persist with starting Tuilagi at backrow and Williams at lock.
8. Paulo
9. Smith
10. Moretti
11. Tuilagi
12. Kautoga
13. Williams
14. TDS
15. Walker
16. Doorey
17. Tuivita
18. Guymer (hopefully he is ready to step up to starting nrl games in the middle. At his best he loves to lead the line speed and be aggressive in defence. However, his meterage is not the best)
19. Papalii
I think 18 and 19 will be filled by Samrani and Papalii when Samrani and Penisni is fit.
Replies
against Penrith I'd go:
1: I Longi
2: B Simonson
3: B Kelly
4: S Russell
5: J Addo Carr
6: J Pezet
7: M Moses
8: J Williams
9: R Smith
10: Jr Paulo
11: Kelma
12: K Kautoga
13: C Guymer
14: TDS
15: S Tuivita
16: M Doory
17: D Walker
18: L Moretti
19: J Papali
20: J Debelin
21: T Brown
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