Well, they fought hard, outclassed but deadset could have (several bombed tries) even won it! Well done boys!
Proud of you
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Better then what Riley could have provided for 30mins cause thats all he played. Never came back. TDS is not up to it defensively. Just a highlights reel hooker.
I think Da Silva is ok in defence, can get better but I think that's harsh on Tallyn.
His service was good enough but he isn't creative or a running threat but he can play as a middle forward so I think playing two straight out hookers should end for the eels at least in the short term.
I would start Edwards and have smith on the bench and give tds a few games in reserve grade to work on a couple of aspects of his game.
Well as Ryles said, Edwards gives you that versatility. PM is right, Edwards gave us what Smith does sort of, but can play middle. Thats what Ryles prefers a Hooker that's not specialist. Helps your bench rotation out massively.
I keep being amazed by some of the people on here with the idea that Reserve Grade provides a benefit by getting some things right.
Unless its for disiplinary or just out of form (replacements aside) then its a waste of time.
"I would start Edwards and have smith on the bench and give tds a few games in reserve grade to work on a couple of aspects of his game."
Since this is your advice presumably to the coach, what are the couple of aspects that Ryles has not identified and you have?
Very fair comment and that is exactly Smith. He ain't going to set tries up much at all but will give you good service and tackle well. Da Silva is not the defensive liability he was last year, he is steadily improving and Ryles giving him 60+ mins the last 3 games would have done wonders for him. He's still 21. I went hard on him to start the year, but yeah realised he is still a toddler in NRL terms. I wouldn't say Da Silva in Cup is needed, he needs time in top grade with the speed.
But I think you are right, Da Silva is the plan but Smith is that bridge for now.
Smith has fallen away badly in defence. I don't know if he's lost bulk to become quicker, but even in reserve grade yesterday there were plenty of meters made by running at Smith. He was very poor, and took wrong options on a couple of occasions.
I can't see him getting back into first grade until he gets bigger and fitter. It could be that he's been carrying his injury since round 1. Thats the reason we started with a bigger body in Edwards to stop the rot in the middle.
Tallyn is a bigger body that Smith. Give him another pre season and he'll be even better.
His sternum injury wouldn't help his defence to be fair Chief. But earlier in the year I did feel Smith's defence was a little worrying. The Melbourne game in round 1 had forwards just brush past him.
His line speed (or absence of) has been the big difference. I don't know about Smith in Reserve Grade yesterday....but we badly need the Smith of 2025. Its the missed tackles yesterday that killed us, the errors can be worked out, but we cannot it seems stop players missing tackles, whether it is Talagi or Kautoga, the halves or the fullback is hard to ascertain.
We need a big (ger) body 5/8 that knows how to cover tackle and floggings to the forwards that cannot close the gaps we regularly let sides through.....i.e. distance tries are killing us.
I have supported DeBellin all year, but he cannot continue at lock playing as a middle, we badly need someone with some speed and abiliy to close a hole if we continue with the current edges. Is this Perhaps someone like Petrus? who we will lose to PNG if we don't do something to encourage him now.
I hear what you are saying, and you are right, but that sounds like what we said in the early 90s when we never expected to come close to winning games. As a club we do need to be so much better than what has been dished up this season. There has been some good things, but there has also been some really bad errors and poor decision making. It's hard to see things getting much better in coming years without some very key signings.
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