Jack Williams has been training the house down apparently, and has been training primarily in the middle- (courtesy of Sixties @ TCT), who provides a great insight into the daily news at training. .
Personally, I'd like to see Williams at lock who provides plenty of energy and toughness, and is a great defensive player. Jack also has good footwork in attack, and can play big minutes when he's needed to.
Williams has impressed Ryles so much at training, that he had no choice but to include him in the leadership group without even lacing a boot for the club. Now that's saying something !
But where does that leave Hopgood, who made his debut for Qld last year ?. Hopgood also gives a point of difference to the team with great ball skills and has a very high work rate.
Does Ryles start either of the two at prop, and have either Jnr or Ofehengaue off the bench ?
I'd personally like to see both Hopgood and Williams in the starting 13, giving the team the best chance to get an early jump on the opposition.
Here's my team
1. Iongi
2. Addo-Carr/ Russell
3. Penasini
4. Lomax
5. Simmonson
6. Brown
7 Mo
8. Ofehengaue
9. Hands
10 Hopgood
11. Tuilagi
12. Guymer
13 Williams
14. Matterson
15. Paulo
16. Moretti
17 Kitione Kautoga
Replies
The Cooma Stallion "Jack Williams" will prove to be a great buy. He is a leader by the very fact he does not shirk his responsibilities on the field, an eveready battery that just wont stop and will do the grunt work. The work that gets missed in bottom 8 teams. He Leads by sheer effort on effort plays.
Ryles appears to be going for real quick, speedy play. Lots of leg work, mobile forwards that can play minutes. He has two good ones in Hopgood and Williams, that earn respect with their involvement. Theres a reason they are in the leadership team and other experienced players like Lane, Matterson, Cartwright are not.
Im not sure if playing from the Bench is a real concern these days. A startung side isnt what it used to be in our day, with the interchange and minutes played per forward. Id like to have a similar effort and skill with the bench as with the starting side. We may dind Williams and Hopgood on opposite bench rotations to keep that effort leadership going all game, not just when the starting side are on.
Junior has a lot to do, to rectify his reputation after last years effort. Im hoping Ryles has him playing different to the style BA wanted. ie Run up , slow down turn your back and offload. A mix of taking 3 or 4 defenders out with a bustling run with metres is such a wonderful sight in footy.
Well if you listen to reports he looks fitter and leaner this year. Captaincy has been taken off him, he has a point to prove.
I really didn't like the way Jnr was used under Brad's systems. There was too much looking for the offload rather than finding his front and getting the team rolling forward. Sure there's a place for the offload in the opposition's red zone but Jnr was used ridiculously by the bush coach.
Ryles will have Jnr primarily finding his front 95% of the time, and having him fit enough to stay in the defensive line. Brad wanted him bigger so he could offload
I really hope this is the case. I have always thought he needs to start the game by tuking it under his arm and hitting the line hard. The offloads will come, but they are more effective later when the defence is not as switched on.
Junior's best asset is his footwork, when he is stepping and creating a one on one against a defender he is dominant.
All rubbish, Junior's job is to intimidate, what comes from that is the bonus of creating both defensively and offensively. The two most intimidating middles in the game are/were from Roosters & Storm, we have been waiting for years for Junior to do it.....that is why he has the forward leadership role, to provide the platform for the rest of the pack to follow. Ryles is still telling him that what he needs to do and encouraging him by his role in the leadership group..
Chief's idea of Hopgood going to prop most certainly puts him up in the coaching field with his former best friend "Brad" (lol reference).
Chief, Hopgood is an elite player and has skills that are much better suited as a lock, a position that seems to be changing again with both a middle style (Yeo) and a more traditional lock style (Murray & Radley). Williams seems set for the middle but personally I would like to see him on the edge and us getting the defence and attack out of his leg speed. I have some concerns that if one of our second rowers (edge) is Kelma Tuelagi that defensively we may be light on protecting our halves, specifically Moses, who as he ages is showing more than average injury proness. Moses tends to end up defending in the front line out wide and that's where he gets injured? All the best halves tend to have minders?
Just one final thought for Chief is that Hopgood came to Parra because he was blocked by Yeo in the lock position......every wondered why Penrith didn't put him in the front row as an alternative?. He came to Parra to be a lock!!!
Jnrs job is to get the team on the front foot and to do his job in defence. Your notion for a player to come on to intimidate is going back 20 years plopp.
Have you watched origin recently pop ? Nowadays Props have a job to do rather than to be a Mark Carroll..
Where are the Mark Corroll's and the Chief Harrogan's in the Origin now plopp ? I'll tell you it's non existant
Look at Josh King at the Storm. Look at Moses Leota at Penrith, both great examples of the modern game prop.
Get with the times Boomer 🤣🤣🤣
Sorry Chief who are the props for Melb and formerly Roosters, are they are figment of your imagination or mine.
'
Yeah this is it.
Williams could very well play Prop. If anything his style suits Prop more than Lock. Though do no be surprised if he starts on an edge either. But i reckon he could be starting at Prop in Round 1.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 6 Next