NRL : The Official NRL Thread 2006 (4 Viewers)

[sando]

*cough*one man team*cough*

Manly are a pretty good team, hey

HAHAHAHA

Benji isnt like Johns, Tigers can still play well without him, i reckon its just a confidence issue, that a 5/8 is out

Cant wait for Farrah and Halatua to get back

 

[MuffinMan]

this is turning out to be a very weird season indeed

 

[sando]

U shouldnt be that shocked that roosters are loosing

 

[MuffinMan]

damn as if newy is winning, but no worries
parra is headed for minor premiership again!

 

[DRAGONZ]

U shouldnt be that shocked that roosters are loosing

He supports Parramatta. And it's spelt 'losing'.

damn as if newy is winning, but no worries
parra is headed for minor premiership again!

As long as Johns plays the season out, Newcastle will be in the top four.

Parramatta .. it's hard to make much out of their season so far, because they started crap last year too. I still think they are top four material, they need Tahu back.

Dragons are now two wins ahead of where they were this time last season, and they still aren't playing anywhere near their best. They were only a crossbar and a golden point field-goal away from starting the season 4-0 despite their generally poor play. That's a pretty ominous sign for the competition, I think. Especially considering there's $1 million of our salary cap sitting on the sideline at the moment.

Cowboys have started the season in solid form. They should have enough to beat the Tigers on Friday night at Townsville, and that would stretch create a new club record 5 wins in a row.

The two biggest matches of Round 5 are definitely Cowboys vs Tigers on Friday, and Dragons vs Knights on Saturday. That should be four of the eventual top eight teams right there.

Big few weeks of NRL coming up before the Anzac Test. Will Barrett and Gasnier be selected if they choose to quit NRL before the team is selected? I think not.

And with regards to those two, Gasnier is a pretty safe bet to stick with the Dragons, Barrett was about to announce he was going to England but is now biding his time because Wigan have started the Super League season in shocking fashion, currently sitting in last position after seven rounds. Barrett has no desire to play for a second division Super League side.

Also, Matty Head looks to be re-signing with the Dragons for two/three years. This won't happen for six-eight weeks, though, at least.

 

[Jiga]

Does anyone know how much Warriors were going for before Johns was ruled out? Someone told me it was like $4... if only I could go back in time...

And good on the sharkies for their first win of the year...... sure it was close even against Souths, but without Vagana and Pommeroy in the centres we were always going to have trouble in attack with limited options and in defence. And when you look at the sides we just got beaten by in previous weeks, Broncos and Manly, both have gone on the next week to convincingly beat their opposition... so its not all bad!

 

[sando]

It doesn't seem likely unless Hodgson greatly improves his kicking - 1/7 is shithouse.
Yes i agree it is shithouse, but they still managed to win. It would hav been 42-28 if he got all of the kicks

Does anyone know how much Warriors were going for before Johns was ruled out? Someone told me it was like $4... if only I could go back in time...
It iwas actually $5.28 when the teams were first named, newcastle were on $1.17 and were almost guaranteed winners lol

Cowboys have started the season in solid form. They should have enough to beat the Tigers on Friday night at Townsville, and that would stretch create a new club record 5 wins in a row.
Stop speaking in the future, Tigers will have the best chance so far in beating them, especially with a near full strenght side

they were only a crossbar and a golden point field-goal away from starting the season 4-0 despite their generally poor play.
Tigers win over dragons was more than a crossbar win away, 9 points if im correct.

 

[chocolate_lover]

Benji isnt like Johns, Tigers can still play well without him, i reckon its just a confidence issue, that a 5/8 is out

The tigers can still play well without him?? Does the score 47-12 ring any bells for you?

 

[Random_87]

How bout those Sharks? Did'nt have Vagana and won? WTF? How did that happen? And they play the worst team of the season (So far) and only win by 2! Its going to be a great season! I just cant understand how we're in 7th?

 

[DRAGONZ]

Cowboys have started the season in solid form. They should have enough to beat the Tigers on Friday night at Townsville, and that would stretch create a new club record 5 wins in a row.
Stop speaking in the future, Tigers will have the best chance so far in beating them, especially with a near full strenght side

I'm not denying that the Tigers have a better chance to beat NQL than Brisbane, Manly, Melbourne and Parra had. They do indeed have a better chance.

I am saying, though, that I still think the Cowboys will be good enough to win. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

they were only a crossbar and a golden point field-goal away from starting the season 4-0 despite their generally poor play.
Tigers win over dragons was more than a crossbar win away, 9 points if im correct.

We've argued about this before, I think. Futile going over it again. And besides, I have an exam tomorrow in university, so I'm studying

You should be studying too. For your HSC or something.

 

[sando]

The tigers can still play well without him?? Does the score 47-12 ring any bells for you?

Well its not as if they have NEVER won a game without him.

Of course the odds of losing will be higher without him, but a win is not impossible

 

[rewster]

I think the Tigers will surprise the undefeated Cowboys, (they are due for a loss).
The Roosters have the best team on paper, but they only play as individuals, Jamie Soward has been their best player this season.
For the Sharks to play well Kimmorely and Dykes have to lift, which they havn't.
I think Souths will play well when Walker is back, they looked good before Morely smashed him.

 

[DRAGONZ]

sando,

I think the statistics read something like:

When Marshall plays, Tigers win 70% of their games.

When Marshall doesn't play, Tigers win 25% of their games.

It's something like that. So basically, you just have to hope that he doesn't get injured this season

The Roosters have the best team on paper, but they only play as individuals, Jamie Soward has been their best player this season.

Roosters don't have the best squad on paper.

They are too weak in the forwards.

Apart from Morley and Harrison, and Tupou off the bench, the forward pack doesn't offer too much. Oh, and Wing off the bench too.

Finch at hooker .. lol. Flannery is solid, but nothing spectacular in the second row. Fitzgibbon is too old now to be playing in the front row (much like Webcke and Civoniceva, only worse).

Shillington and Plum, however, aren't good enough at the moment. I have a pretty high opinion of Shillington, though. He could end up being a top front rower. Shackleton rounds out the forward pack, starting second rower this week, and he's another fairly average player.

Compared to other sides, it is a weak forward pack.

For example, Bulldogs boast O'Meley, Hughes, Asotasi, Ryan, Mason, SB Williams, Grimaldi, Perry, Myles, Armit .. in my opinion, that is the best forward pack in the competition by a country mile.

With Ryles, Bailey and Young, the Dragons have the best front row in the comp, but the two front rowers are both injured.

And of course, Brisbane have a fearsome pack on paper, but they are running on tired legs.

Manly have a good second row, with Menzies, Watmough and Kennedy.

There's a few teams in the comp with better forward packs than the Roosters. But they do look pretty awesome across the backline. Monaghan instead of Perrett would probably make it just about the best backline in the competition ..

 

[sando]

In my opinion, the team to have got the worst over the last 5 years is:

Brisbane Broncos- they are no longer a dominant force in the competition

 

[Dimorphic]

I think the Roosters will pull a 2002 (not neccesarily win the comp). They will get into great form arou dround 13-14 and never look back, Jamie Soward and Anasta have to start gelling first, when that happens we will be unstoppable, it will be the seond half on the Canberra game every weekend!

 

[sando]

might i add, dimorphic your signature is very very sad

 

[snickerdoodle]

Disagree.

Hughes - solid not spectacular
Ryan - above average
mason - over fucking rated
williams - absolute joke, glass body and never plays
grimaldi - solid not spectacular
perry - shit
myles - shit
armit - shit

I rate o'meley and asotasi...and thats about it.

You've got it all wrong. It goes like this:

Above average: Mason, O'Meley, Armit, Asotasi
Solid: Grimaldi, Perry, Myles
Shithouse: Hughes, Ryan
Who the fuck?: SB Williams.

Mason is not overrated. No matter what's written about his off field dramas you can feel the team lifting with each of his runs.

Anyway, they've dropped Shifty to Premier League again. One off game and suddenly he's to blame for the whole team going to shit. Assholes.

 

[sando]

Armit is shit, along with grimaldi and perry.

Evry other player deserves recognition of 1st grade and deserves how much they get paid

 

[DRAGONZ]

Fine then, the Dragons do

8. Bailey
9. Young
10. Ryles

I think we all agree this is the best front row in the NRL.

11. Sims
12. Creagh
13. Timmins

Creagh has also been selected in the Australian 25-man squad last year .. would love to see him replace Fitzgibbon in the second row for SOO. Sims .. everyone knows how explosive he is; a lot depends on his attitude on the day. Timmins is old, but still has a lot of class .. if and when he gets onto the field.

14. Poore
15. Payne
16. Henderson
17. Gorrell

Going on Sunday's performance against Brisbane, this looks like an awesome bench.

In Premier League will be a few of the current First Graders filling in spots for injured players .. Andrew Price (very solid so far), Sam Isemonger (displayed more in one game for the Dragons than he did his whole career with the Sharks), Matt Bickerstaff (offers nothing in attack, except for Sunday's offload for the Isemonger try lol, but hits like a hammer in defence).

Add to that George Ndaira, who nearly orchestrated an almost-impossible comeback against Penrith in 10 minutes, who will one day be the Australian hooker. You read it here first

And then Te Maari, Houston, Wicks, Hunt, Jiminez, Haberecht, Dunning, Leaeno, as well as Aaron Wheatley all playing in Premier League .. I doubt anyone here knows many (if any) of these guys, but they form the best forward pack in Premier League .. Houston will probably come onto the bench in '07 when Bailey leaves for Gold Coast, but the second row is explosive. And that's an understatement.

So there, settled. Dragons have the best forward pack in the NRL


Edit: Also, Matt Head is returning in Premier League this week. It will probably take a few weeks for him to regain enough match fitness before coming back into First Grade, but I'm sure all Roosters fans will appreciate that he will be a big benefit to our team once he is there again

 

[Bookie]

Last years Sharks pack would get my vote.

Stevens Hilder Nutley

^ Two of the best props in the game coupled with a back rower who is severely underrated.

Williams Bailey

^ Williams is good, and will be great in years to come, but to you non-Sharks hes prbablya nothing. Phil Bailey would be the games best back rower if he could pass.

Gallen

^ please refer to stats.