2015 Rd 21 V Cowboys: Teams and Previews *Teams p1*

[Shadow Boxer]

1. Wighton
2. Lee
3. Croker (c)
4. BJ
5. Waqa (Rapana if he's still injured)
6. Austin
7. McCrone (if Williams still isn't fit)
8. FPN (seemed to play better starting)
9. Hodgson
10. Shillo
11. Paps
12. Soliola
13. Fensom

14. Baptiste
15. Vaughan (seemed to play better coming off the bench)
16. BIG SHANNON BOYD
17. Edwards (Kennedy if Edwards isn't fit yet)

Can't agree with you there big man. All perfect besides back line. Cannot drop Rapana.

If Waqa is fit he strolls back into the side in front of chickenfingers. It's not even close either, and I like Jordy Raps.

Agreed he strolls straight back in but at the expense of BJ, not Rapana.

BJ can take Kennedy's spot

Other way around I reckon, Joey is just getting warmed up.

[El_Capitano]

I'd love to see our boys give it to Thurston again. Hopefully the charge against Papalii gets thrown out.

The Cows actually have a pretty ordinary team other than Thurston and their starting middle third forwards. Granville and Morgan are quality but their backline is bog average and their bench is also crap.

I'd be starting with FPN and hope he can do a job for 20 minutes so that we can take some ascendency in the forwards when Vaughan and Boyd come on.

Granted there are a few bog average players made to look better but he quality around them. I still think you are underselling talent like Coote, Cooper and Lowe. About the only area they look ordinary on paper is the 3/4 line. No stars there but all perform solidly in support of a high class spine and forward pack.

Agreed. Their 3/4's are pretty avg. I mean Linnett is probably their best. Their bench is also pretty thin.

Their back line could be 3 penguins and a hay bail, as long as they are running of Thurston they will look like superstars. Speaking of which maybe we can get that hay bail on a 2 yr deal...?

[Botman]

You dont sign a guy like Beej and stick him on the bench playing out of position.
He's a centre, we need to know if this guy is someone we should be giving a long term deal too

He's got to play centre. He was also really strong against Penrith.

[Raidersrawesome]

He will only get better

[El_Capitano]

You dont sign a guy like Beej and stick him on the bench playing out of position.
He's a centre, we need to know if this guy is someone we should be giving a long term deal too

He's got to play centre. He was also really strong against Penrith.

Liked him against Penrith, he showed he can make good decisions as well.

[Matt]

Soooo, Rapana scores 2 tries, BJ is the last pass for both, and manufactured the 2nd all by himself, yet he misses out... Hmmmm. Both Rapana and BJ had success together. That said, Lee scored the icing try, and has been in better try scoring form than Rapana. VERY hard choice.

[novak djokovic]

Edit

[julian87]

It's definitely one of Rapana-Lee that misses out. That was the whole point in buying Leilua. Rapana's work from our own end is brilliant, but Waqa has him covered in every other facet of the game. And Wighton is great doing the pig work, as is Leilua (does it similar to Ferguson from right centre actually) if he can do it more often we'd be sweet.

[zim]

1. Wighton
2. Lee
3. Croker (c)
4. BJ
5. Waqa (chickenfingers if he's still injured)
6. Austin
7. McCrone (if Williams still isn't fit)
8. FPN (seemed to play better starting)
9. Hodgson
10. Shillo
11. Paps
12. Soliola
13. Fensom

14. Baptiste
15. Vaughan (seemed to play better coming off the bench)
16. BIG SHANNON BOYD
17. Edwards (Kennedy if Edwards isn't fit yet)

Rapana scored 2 tries why drop him lol

They were 2 Boyd style tries (Darius Boyd, where you become an origin legend by falling over the line) with the first one set up by Hodgson and the second by Leilua so you can't really count them.
Rappa picked the worst game to start dropping the pill again. His hands have been much improved in recent weeks but this game was a big step back for him. I'm a huge fan of Rapana and I rate him much higher than Lee when his hands are good but Lee is safer under the high ball. It's a big area for a winger to have problems and Thurston will bomb him all day. Add to that that Lee and Croker have been playing next to each other all year and I don't see how we can replace Lee with Rapana.

Leilua is not going to be moved from centre. Getting regular starts will only improve him and you want to get your monies worth. He already looks like he's starting to drop some weight.

I'd love to see Rapana stay in the side but I just don't see it happening when Waqa comes back. If he could fix his hands he'd be an amazing player.

[CJ42]

BJ's second assist for rapana (what a damaging combo they could become too) was pretty clever.
He looks the fittest I've seen him, maybe Ricky has got into him.

[El_Capitano]

I don't think they will break up Lee and Croker...

[Manchild]

1. Wighton
2. Lee
3. Croker (c)
4. BJ
5. Waqa (chickenfingers if he's still injured)
6. Austin
7. McCrone (if Williams still isn't fit)
8. FPN (seemed to play better starting)
9. Hodgson
10. Shillo
11. Paps
12. Soliola
13. Fensom

14. Baptiste
15. Vaughan (seemed to play better coming off the bench)
16. BIG SHANNON BOYD
17. Edwards (Kennedy if Edwards isn't fit yet)

Rapana scored 2 tries why drop him lol

Because it's Nickman. He's had it in for Rapana ever since the day that Rapana faked fracturing his cheekbone in a tackle.

I remember when that milking bastard stayed down. Must have taken some of those acting classes hey colztrad

[Jhack]

Our gameplan against the cowboys is simple just keep bombing it to Justin oneill because he's really down on confidence under the ball and target him in defence because he's looks ordinary

O'Neill plays centre...

[VictorTheViking]

Barnett running at Thurston would be beast like

[novak djokovic]

Edit

[Regs Revolution]

BJ has one good game and all of a sudden he automatically takes the right centre spot.

Such short memories.

He needs to do a lot more to prove he can take that spot away from the others.

[El_Capitano]

I don't think they will break up Lee and Croker...

Has edrick Lee ever scored a try off a jarrod croker pass

I dunno, but they have a long combination and that's what they all talk about is combinations, ergo, wont break up.

[dubby]

My change would be drop Kennedy, BJ to bench, waqa to centre

[simo]

I think croker would benefit from having an experienced player like waqa outside him

[CJ42]

I think Croker would benefit from a full off-season.

[dubby]

Our gameplan against the cowboys is simple just keep bombing it to Justin oneill because he's really down on confidence under the ball and target him in defence because he's looks ordinary

O'Neill plays centre...

And he's dead set terrible. Cows are my second team, I follow them kinda closely, but mate you have to admit they rely on Thurston heavily.
He makes Cooper, Bolton, Morgan, Wright, Linnet look better than they really are.

[RedRaider]

They do Dubs, but what a player to rely upon. Thurston is in vintage form and if there was one player in the Comp I wish the current Raiders line up could have, he would be it. I still remember what he did to us in the last match. We matched them all the way until the maestro sealed the deal for the Cowboys. Hopefully we can be right in the contest again and pay him back. Given our one point loses this year I hope we are doing opposed field goal drills at training.

I wouldn't change the side which went around against Penrith. Our kicking was terrible, more often than not, straight to a Panther, but I don't know that we have anyone else currently available at the Club who would be better. As usual, our defence 'needs work'.

[Lucky]

Thurston not playing might be our only chance.... hope the eels smash him up tonight

[Botman]

I don't think they will break up Lee and Croker...

Has edrick Lee ever scored a try off a jarrod croker pass

At least 10 i would say. So yeah, he's got a couple

[Seiffert82]

I'd love to see our boys give it to Thurston again. Hopefully the charge against Papalii gets thrown out.

The Cows actually have a pretty ordinary team other than Thurston and their starting middle third forwards. Granville and Morgan are quality but their backline is bog average and their bench is also crap.

I'd be starting with FPN and hope he can do a job for 20 minutes so that we can take some ascendency in the forwards when Vaughan and Boyd come on.

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA.

Lachlan Coote, Matthew Wright, Justin O'Neill, Kane Linnett, Antonio Winterstein, Gavin Cooper, Ethan Lowe, Scott Bolton, Ben Hannant and John Asiata are all 'bog average', yeah right.

Let me tell you something, Cowboys are second on the ladder (13 wins, going for 14 tonight), Canberra are ninth (just 8 wins) and have the worst defence in the comp. Maybe look at yourself before you call someone else 'bog average'.

Thanks champ. Tell us again about all the grand finals this great team has played and how awesome their record is without Thurston. Can't wait to hear it.

[greeneyed]

Canberra Raiders Josh Papalii escapes charge after Nigel Plum head clash



The Canberra Raiders have received a major boost before Saturday's tough road trip to Townsville with Josh Papalii escaping any charge after being placed on report in Sunday's win over Penrith.

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-l ... z3h552Wxjr

[Raiders666]

Sanity prevails

[Notaroboticfish]

Why are they saying escapes charge? It should never have been a penalty in the first place.

[Raidersrawesome]

Because it was put on report

Technically it is correct

[Greenmachine87]

hopefully EDIT against the eels tonight then we might be in with a shot next week

[boydy80]

I hope EDIT too

[Fair Cop]

So where's our **** apology then? No charge means it was a load of **** penalty and report awarded after video review. I'm assuming they used the same video footage to dismiss the charge. *****!

[-TW-]

I wonder if the on field ref makes the call to put them on report the video ref can't reverse it

[Notaroboticfish]

We won't get one because we're not Brisbane, Parra or Souths

[greeneyed]

Josh Hodgson repays Canberra Raiders' gamble in spades

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has revealed a chat with former St Helens coach Nathan Brown helped convince him Josh Hodgson was the man to end the club's exhaustive search for a long-term hooker.

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-l ... z3h5LLqcZ0