Eels Blogs

Replies

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  Jack November 24, 2020 at 1:03pm

  Avg team 
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  Parraborn1 November 24, 2020 at 1:27pm

  Keegan Hipgrave will definitley be in the 17
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  Sir Col "THE NODDY MUSHROOM" November 24, 2020 at 2:44pm

  I would be starting Nuikore with Lane to bench.

  Haven't really started "The Toughest Pre Season ever" and already we are seeing the click bait team lists. *sigh*

  Parraborn1  you could be right. Kafusi out? These days a middle forward is a middle forward, regardless of title of Prop or Lock.
• Coryn Hughes November 24, 2020 at 3:00pm

  I reckon middle fowards are where it's at.

  I'd be carrying 4 props every game especially the way it looks like we want to play.

  What you need is that guy at 14 a Conor Watson type whose just all energy and can change a game.Could Bryce Cartwright be that for the Eels.
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    Sir Col "THE NODDY MUSHROOM" > Coryn Hughes November 24, 2020 at 3:17pm

    I am not a fan of 4 props on the bench Coryn - if (or more likely when) a backline player goes down we have NO real options to cover them with any form of effectiveness.

    Shifting a back rower into the back line is mostly stop gap measure, we have seen this proven so many times with every team that is forced into this situation.

    14 should, imo, always be a utility. Cartwright can be that utility, same as Taka and Smith were
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      Brett Allen > Sir Col "THE NODDY MUSHROOM" November 24, 2020 at 4:00pm

       Agreed, if your best 5 middles can't get the job done, two more aren't gonna help much
    • Coryn Hughes > Sir Col "THE NODDY MUSHROOM" November 24, 2020 at 5:04pm

      Depends how you want to play Col if you are a bend the middle momentum type team,like BA wants to play having 4 props isn't a bad thing.

      But I do think that 14 position is something that I'd probably like to see invested in a bit more.
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    Poppa > Coryn Hughes November 25, 2020 at 8:47am

    

    Coryn, you can carry 4 props but how do you fit them into the game if Junior and RCG like to play at least 60 minutes each.

    Given that nearly all our edges can play middle it would be Fittler type mistake to go in with 4 middles on the bench.

    The question is who will play 14 i.e. Lussick can play in the halves as well as hooker, Roache could just be an exceptional player and Bryce Cartwright may also give it a crack, but realistically he is not giving you the Hooker relief.

    I would have Lane on the bench as more of an impact player late in the first half, this gives the starting edge roles to Matterson (certainty) and then either Niukore or Pappalii for Lane's previous position.

    This leaves you the 14 and one middle, Kaufusi for mine but Hipgrave will give him a contest there as well.

    This is in a perfect world fit 100% forward arrangement and inevitably this won't happen.

    I believe that Junior and RCG should take it in turns starting, that takes any hard feelings between those two being shown a preference over the other. I would expect them both to play 60 minutes or longer which makes a huge difference to rotation.

    Finally I believe if BA has learnt anything from this season gone is he needs to keep his players fresh at the backend of the season. Resting players can be a luxury without injuries, but it is important that maybe a squad of forwards sees themselves that way as part of a unit that involves regular rotation.
    • Coryn Hughes > Poppa November 25, 2020 at 11:32am

      Quite easily actually possession dictates minutes.If we defend a lot I want to keep my 2 starting props as fresh as possible if the flow stays with us I leave the starters on longer to dig the dagger in deeper.

      My 14 would be Cartwright whose my halves cover and I'd be having a guy like Lussick or Roache to spell Mahoney.With the 2 props.

      Lane and Matto are 80 minute guys with Brown.If anyone of my middles get hurt I'd probably move Lane in and and Brown just picks up the slack.

      Remember dependent on who we are playing I could mix and match my bench.

      The reason I want 4 props is because I still think BA wants to go through the middle of teams.
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        Sir Col "THE NODDY MUSHROOM" > Coryn Hughes November 25, 2020 at 12:27pm

        Ah-HAH! Silly me, I took Coryn's comments to mean carry 4 props on the bench.

        *sigh* getting older by the day.