The pigman absence is what sucks..slightly more imaginative than why Matt sucks..and a slightly better readThe Nickman wrote:And that’s why Why Matt Sucks sucks.
Sent from my SM-G950F using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Matt's Match-ups 2018
Moderator: GH Moderators
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Sent from my SM-G950F using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
yet so similarirvste wrote:The pigman absence is what sucks..slightly more imaginative than why Matt sucks..and a slightly better readThe Nickman wrote:And that’s why Why Matt Sucks sucks.
Sent from my SM-G950F using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G950F using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Edrick The Entertainer
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Matt’s Match-ups Rd 4: Raiders V Sea Eagles
You know what’s going on by now, any surprise skins this week?
Sea Eagles V Raiders
Tom Trbojevic 1. Jack Wighton
Matthew Wright 2. Nick Cotric
Brad Parker 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Brian Kelly 4. Joseph Leilua
Akuila Uate 5. Jordan Rapana
Lachlan Croker 6. Aidan Sezer
Daly Cherry-Evans © 7. Sam Williams
Addin Fonua-Blake 8. Sia Soliola
Apisai Koroisau 9. Siliva Havili
Martin Taupau 10. Shannon Boyd
Joel Thompson 11. Josh Papalii
Curtis Sironen 12. Elliott Whitehead
Jake Trbojevic 13. Luke Bateman
Interchange
Jackson Hastings 14. Ata Hingano
Shaun Lane 15. Junior Paulo
Llyod Perrett 16. Dunamis Lui
Kelepi Tanginoa 17. Joe Tapine
Extended Bench
Lewis Brown 18. Liam Knight
Tom Wright 19. Blake Austin
Frank Winterstein 20. Michael Oldfield
Jack Gosiewski 21. Jack Murchie
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)
Match-ups:
Fullbacks:
Jack Wighton versus Tom Trbojevic is a hell of a lot closer than most will think. I'm going to do this a little differently this week, so here are the numbers:
Metres: 406m v 339m
Tries: 1 v 0
Try assists: 1 v 2
Line breaks: 1 v 2
Line break assists: 3 v 5
Tackle breaks: 11 v 9
Errors: 3 v 3
It’s Tommy Turbo, just.
Wingers:
Jordan Rapana wasn’t his damaging self-last week against the Warriors, however he is still the best winger in this game, given the quality of his first two rounds. Akuila Uate can be damaging, but hasn’t really been able to do it yet in 2018. He has passed 100m twice this year though.
This time last week, I was saying how Nick Cotric wasn’t looking like the same kid that played last year. Well, he turned that on its head against the Warriors. He was back to his best, somehow burrowing through four defenders to score a try. He also posted over 130m, including a whopping 13 tackle breaks. While Cotric has gotten off to a slow start in 2018, Matthew Wright is only playing his second game in his second position for the year. He played centre in round one to fill in for Dylan Walker, and now he is filling in for Jorge Taufua. Taufua, unluckily, has a broken collar bone and will be out for eight weeks. Manly lose a massive source of go forward here; Taufua made a ridiculous 239m in Rd 1, while backing that up with 122m and 135m in Rd 2 and 3. Taufau also has two tries in three games.
Centres:
Jarrod Croker hasn’t been great this year, but Brad Parker hasn’t done anything at all, and is just warming Dylan Walker's seat.
Joseph Leilua played just six days after being driven off on a medicab against the Knights. He had his best game of the year. He was in everything, making plenty of damaging runs, for a total of 145m for the game. Consistency isn’t Joey’s strong suit, while his opponent, Brian Kelly, is a model of consistency. Kelly has passed 100m gained in all three games this year, and scored a try in Rd 1. This one was close, but I’ll go with the consistent form here.
Halves:
Has the hooker experiment finally run its course for Aidan Sezer? Or is Ata Hingano a straight swap Blake Austin? I hope it’s the latter, because I believe the Raiders halves need to be ball distributors not ball runners; the Raiders have outside backs and edge forwards who excel at that. It is hard to rate how Sezer is going in the halves, as he has played more hooker. He lines up against former Raider, Lachlan Croker. Croker managed to beat Hastings to the No. 6 jersey during preseason, and is doing enough to hold it at the moment. He also doesn’t look as frail defensively as he did at the Raiders; but I guess a couple of years of bulking up will do that.
Sam Williams has yet another tough skin this week, in Daly Cherry-Evans. Williams is still the same guy he has always been, very capable when the forwards are rolling, a good short kicking game, but goes missing at times. He is also the Raiders' best field goal kicker, slotting the Raiders first last weekend after a long line of misses. Daly Cherry-Evans was very good in both the first two rounds, especially in week two’s demolition of the Eels. However, their attack didn’t click in Rd 3.
Prop:
Martin Taupau might be the leading metre eater and offloading prop in the competition, but he isn’t making his metres the same way Shannon Boyd is. Boyd is an old school bulldozer at the moment, and that’s why I’ve given him the edge this week. Taupau is not to be underestimated though, this is tight.
Sia Soliola is doing a mountain of work in defence. He has made the fifth most tackles for a prop this year with 89. He is doing a much better job than I expected. Addin Fonua-Blake has stepped up this year. When Darcy Lussick went down, it was Fonua-Blake who stood up and carried the team. He has 331m from 35 carries and 62 tackles from three appearances.
Junior Paulo needs to start picturing Jamie Buhrer every time he carries the ball, rather than having visions of Andrew Johns cutout passes. He needs to follow Boyd’s lead. Shaun Lane has been super impressive for Manly this year. I’ve rated him for a while, and now he is finally getting the game time that is warranted. He made 101m in week one and 154m in the rout in week two.
Dunimus Lui has been very impressive the past few weeks. The Raiders are getting great value off the bench from Lui, and better yet, I'd argue they are getting cap value for him too. Lloyd Perrett was rated quite highly when he came out of the Bulldogs, but his other forwards are performing too well for him to get more minutes at the moment. So, his output hasn’t been as good as Lui in recent weeks.
Joe Tapine has been named to return from a thumb injury sustained in Rd 1. This is an injury affect ruling, meaning Kelepi Tanginoa gets an easy skin.
Hooker/utility:
Siliva Havili isn’t getting many minutes, but I really can’t think of a reason not to pick him as the winner this week. I mean, what more can you ask of the bloke? He has played a total of 68 minutes, and in that time he has scored the opening try in Rd 1 and 3, and was a major part in the Croker try in Rd 2 playing as a running forward. The Raiders have scored 48 of their 75 points while he is on the field. Api Koroisau made 66 tackles in Rd 1, but his attack was stifled by so much defence. He was then exceptionally lively in Manly’s thrashing of the Eels in Rd 2, where he bagged himself a try. In Rd 3, Manly looked awful. No cohesion and the Bunnies ran over them in wet conditions, meaning Koroisau was left tackling again.
Blake Austin was relegated to the bench last week due to his poor defensive reads. This week he has been dropped. Ata Hingano was added to the extended bench last week. This week he has made the bench. I believe Hingano is a younger, cheaper version of Austin. He did play a little bit of hooker at the Warriors though, so maybe Havili will spend more time at hooker, rather than Sezer shifting there. As it’s a debut game for Hingano, the skin is a win for Jackson Hastings.
Backrow:
Josh Papalii has to be better, he can be better, but he is still out performing former Raider Joel Thompson at the moment. 317m versus 254m and 54 tackles versus 76 tackles. Papalii has eight tackle busts and a line break to Thompson's three and none. Thompson has also missed five tackles to Papalii’s three.
Elliot Whitehead has had some stiff competition the past couple of weeks, but Curtis Sironen doesn't even live in the same postcode. Whitehead has been close to the Raiders' best over the three games. Sironen is lucky to still be starting over a guy like Shaun Lane, who is firing this year.
Luke Bateman had a better week overall last week, but the obstruction on the Paulo no try, is enough to lose him the skin this week. That said, he wasn’t going to beat Jake Trbojevic anyway. He is a class act, and with 339m, 115 tackles, five tackle busts and a line break - and playing nearly every minute this year - he is head and shoulders above Bateman.
Result
The tally is Sea Eagles 9 and Raiders 7. With a loss last week, I think that has brought Manly back down to the Raiders level a little. However, I still can’t see how the Raiders are going to get their heads back in the right place at the moment.
Result: Sea Eagles by a lottery win (by 12-18).
Plus follow The Greenhouse on Facebook: The Greenhouse Forum and Twitter: @TheGHRaiders
You know what’s going on by now, any surprise skins this week?
Sea Eagles V Raiders
Tom Trbojevic 1. Jack Wighton
Matthew Wright 2. Nick Cotric
Brad Parker 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Brian Kelly 4. Joseph Leilua
Akuila Uate 5. Jordan Rapana
Lachlan Croker 6. Aidan Sezer
Daly Cherry-Evans © 7. Sam Williams
Addin Fonua-Blake 8. Sia Soliola
Apisai Koroisau 9. Siliva Havili
Martin Taupau 10. Shannon Boyd
Joel Thompson 11. Josh Papalii
Curtis Sironen 12. Elliott Whitehead
Jake Trbojevic 13. Luke Bateman
Interchange
Jackson Hastings 14. Ata Hingano
Shaun Lane 15. Junior Paulo
Llyod Perrett 16. Dunamis Lui
Kelepi Tanginoa 17. Joe Tapine
Extended Bench
Lewis Brown 18. Liam Knight
Tom Wright 19. Blake Austin
Frank Winterstein 20. Michael Oldfield
Jack Gosiewski 21. Jack Murchie
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)
Match-ups:
Fullbacks:
Jack Wighton versus Tom Trbojevic is a hell of a lot closer than most will think. I'm going to do this a little differently this week, so here are the numbers:
Metres: 406m v 339m
Tries: 1 v 0
Try assists: 1 v 2
Line breaks: 1 v 2
Line break assists: 3 v 5
Tackle breaks: 11 v 9
Errors: 3 v 3
It’s Tommy Turbo, just.
Wingers:
Jordan Rapana wasn’t his damaging self-last week against the Warriors, however he is still the best winger in this game, given the quality of his first two rounds. Akuila Uate can be damaging, but hasn’t really been able to do it yet in 2018. He has passed 100m twice this year though.
This time last week, I was saying how Nick Cotric wasn’t looking like the same kid that played last year. Well, he turned that on its head against the Warriors. He was back to his best, somehow burrowing through four defenders to score a try. He also posted over 130m, including a whopping 13 tackle breaks. While Cotric has gotten off to a slow start in 2018, Matthew Wright is only playing his second game in his second position for the year. He played centre in round one to fill in for Dylan Walker, and now he is filling in for Jorge Taufua. Taufua, unluckily, has a broken collar bone and will be out for eight weeks. Manly lose a massive source of go forward here; Taufua made a ridiculous 239m in Rd 1, while backing that up with 122m and 135m in Rd 2 and 3. Taufau also has two tries in three games.
Centres:
Jarrod Croker hasn’t been great this year, but Brad Parker hasn’t done anything at all, and is just warming Dylan Walker's seat.
Joseph Leilua played just six days after being driven off on a medicab against the Knights. He had his best game of the year. He was in everything, making plenty of damaging runs, for a total of 145m for the game. Consistency isn’t Joey’s strong suit, while his opponent, Brian Kelly, is a model of consistency. Kelly has passed 100m gained in all three games this year, and scored a try in Rd 1. This one was close, but I’ll go with the consistent form here.
Halves:
Has the hooker experiment finally run its course for Aidan Sezer? Or is Ata Hingano a straight swap Blake Austin? I hope it’s the latter, because I believe the Raiders halves need to be ball distributors not ball runners; the Raiders have outside backs and edge forwards who excel at that. It is hard to rate how Sezer is going in the halves, as he has played more hooker. He lines up against former Raider, Lachlan Croker. Croker managed to beat Hastings to the No. 6 jersey during preseason, and is doing enough to hold it at the moment. He also doesn’t look as frail defensively as he did at the Raiders; but I guess a couple of years of bulking up will do that.
Sam Williams has yet another tough skin this week, in Daly Cherry-Evans. Williams is still the same guy he has always been, very capable when the forwards are rolling, a good short kicking game, but goes missing at times. He is also the Raiders' best field goal kicker, slotting the Raiders first last weekend after a long line of misses. Daly Cherry-Evans was very good in both the first two rounds, especially in week two’s demolition of the Eels. However, their attack didn’t click in Rd 3.
Prop:
Martin Taupau might be the leading metre eater and offloading prop in the competition, but he isn’t making his metres the same way Shannon Boyd is. Boyd is an old school bulldozer at the moment, and that’s why I’ve given him the edge this week. Taupau is not to be underestimated though, this is tight.
Sia Soliola is doing a mountain of work in defence. He has made the fifth most tackles for a prop this year with 89. He is doing a much better job than I expected. Addin Fonua-Blake has stepped up this year. When Darcy Lussick went down, it was Fonua-Blake who stood up and carried the team. He has 331m from 35 carries and 62 tackles from three appearances.
Junior Paulo needs to start picturing Jamie Buhrer every time he carries the ball, rather than having visions of Andrew Johns cutout passes. He needs to follow Boyd’s lead. Shaun Lane has been super impressive for Manly this year. I’ve rated him for a while, and now he is finally getting the game time that is warranted. He made 101m in week one and 154m in the rout in week two.
Dunimus Lui has been very impressive the past few weeks. The Raiders are getting great value off the bench from Lui, and better yet, I'd argue they are getting cap value for him too. Lloyd Perrett was rated quite highly when he came out of the Bulldogs, but his other forwards are performing too well for him to get more minutes at the moment. So, his output hasn’t been as good as Lui in recent weeks.
Joe Tapine has been named to return from a thumb injury sustained in Rd 1. This is an injury affect ruling, meaning Kelepi Tanginoa gets an easy skin.
Hooker/utility:
Siliva Havili isn’t getting many minutes, but I really can’t think of a reason not to pick him as the winner this week. I mean, what more can you ask of the bloke? He has played a total of 68 minutes, and in that time he has scored the opening try in Rd 1 and 3, and was a major part in the Croker try in Rd 2 playing as a running forward. The Raiders have scored 48 of their 75 points while he is on the field. Api Koroisau made 66 tackles in Rd 1, but his attack was stifled by so much defence. He was then exceptionally lively in Manly’s thrashing of the Eels in Rd 2, where he bagged himself a try. In Rd 3, Manly looked awful. No cohesion and the Bunnies ran over them in wet conditions, meaning Koroisau was left tackling again.
Blake Austin was relegated to the bench last week due to his poor defensive reads. This week he has been dropped. Ata Hingano was added to the extended bench last week. This week he has made the bench. I believe Hingano is a younger, cheaper version of Austin. He did play a little bit of hooker at the Warriors though, so maybe Havili will spend more time at hooker, rather than Sezer shifting there. As it’s a debut game for Hingano, the skin is a win for Jackson Hastings.
Backrow:
Josh Papalii has to be better, he can be better, but he is still out performing former Raider Joel Thompson at the moment. 317m versus 254m and 54 tackles versus 76 tackles. Papalii has eight tackle busts and a line break to Thompson's three and none. Thompson has also missed five tackles to Papalii’s three.
Elliot Whitehead has had some stiff competition the past couple of weeks, but Curtis Sironen doesn't even live in the same postcode. Whitehead has been close to the Raiders' best over the three games. Sironen is lucky to still be starting over a guy like Shaun Lane, who is firing this year.
Luke Bateman had a better week overall last week, but the obstruction on the Paulo no try, is enough to lose him the skin this week. That said, he wasn’t going to beat Jake Trbojevic anyway. He is a class act, and with 339m, 115 tackles, five tackle busts and a line break - and playing nearly every minute this year - he is head and shoulders above Bateman.
Result
The tally is Sea Eagles 9 and Raiders 7. With a loss last week, I think that has brought Manly back down to the Raiders level a little. However, I still can’t see how the Raiders are going to get their heads back in the right place at the moment.
Result: Sea Eagles by a lottery win (by 12-18).
Plus follow The Greenhouse on Facebook: The Greenhouse Forum and Twitter: @TheGHRaiders
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Oh ****, logged onto the wrong account there.
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
But we like Croker don't we?!?!?
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
If I were picking a side, me too. However, he has played mostly hooker, and he hasn't been better than ok. Really hope he gets 80mins at 6 this wk
-
Greedysmurf
- Dean Lance
- Posts: 826
- Joined: April 6, 2008, 5:50 pm
- Favourite Player: Mal Meninga
- Location: London, UK
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Hey Matt, I thought the match-ups were all based on last start performance? Or have you changed that methodology and I missed it?
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Form mate. Not last start. Its not a 1 game thing. Its a case of gauging how a player is going across a season. Thats why suspension and injury can affect it.Greedysmurf wrote: ↑March 28, 2018, 5:50 pm Hey Matt, I thought the match-ups were all based on last start performance? Or have you changed that methodology and I missed it?
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Crikey Matt, given your description of Brad Parker, if he scores a try by going around or through JC where does that leave our Captain. Shot from Nickman's Big Bertha cannon perhaps. No pressure Captain. No excuses either with Austin playing for Mounties.
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
There’s no way I’d ever advocate for Jarrod Croker to be shot out of a cannon, Red. I love the guy, he’s the least of the problems with our squad right now.
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Why Matt Sucks:
This is why Matt sucks.Brian Kelly > Joseph Leilua
Lachlan Croker > Aidan Sezer
Siliva Havili > Apisai Koroisau
Shaun Lane > Junior Paulo
Kelepi Tanginoa > Joe Tapine
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Another standard response from WMS.
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Hahaha hard to argue with any of his reasoning there though, Matt
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
I have no doubt WMS believes that the Raiders players are better players, and In most instances I agree, however, you both know that's not how I do things. AND...The Nickman wrote: ↑March 29, 2018, 8:36 am Hahaha hard to argue with any of his reasoning there though, Matt
BJ has had 1 good game, 1 injury game, and 1 where he did dumb BJ stuff.
Aidan Sezer has played 25mins at 6 this yr. Not picking him might be a little harsh on him, but that's how it is.
Havili is not as talented as Api. BUT... in 68mins, which is a close to a quarter of the total game time he and the Raiders have looked waaaay better. U know most of the numbers on it by now too. I think in 68mins he has Api covered ATM.
Lane has been killing it for Manly. Paulo has been less than impressive.
Tarpz has played what, 50mins this yr? He has had 2 wks off too. Again, you know how I do things.
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
And that's Why Matt Sucks.
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Who the **** is Brad Parker?
Sent from my iPhone using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
'I've got 17 blokes in that dressing room that are hurting'
-
Northern Raider
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 32584
- Joined: June 19, 2007, 8:17 am
- Favourite Player: Dean Lance
- Location: Greener pastures
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Some ginga they dug upToviii wrote: ↑March 29, 2018, 2:57 pm Who the **** is Brad Parker?
Sent from my iPhone using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
* The author assumes no responsibility for the topicality, correctness, completeness or quality of information provided.
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Matt’s Match-ups Rd 5: Raiders V Bulldogs
You know what’s going on by now, lets have a look.
Bulldogs V Raiders
Moses Mbye 1. Jack Wighton
Brett Morris 2. Nick Cotric
Josh Morris 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Will Hopoate 4. Joseph Leilua
Marcelo Montoya 5. Jordan Rapana
Jeremy Marshall-King 6. Aidan Sezer
Kieran Foran 7. Sam Williams
Aaron Woods 8. Sia Soliola
Michael Lichaa 9. Siliva Havili
David Klemmer 10. Junior Paulo
Josh Jackson © 11. Joe Tapine
Raymond Faitala-Mariner 12. Elliott Whitehead
Adam Elliott 13. Luke Bateman
Interchange
Fa’amanu Brown 14. Ata Hingano
Danny Fualalo 15. Shannon Boyd
Francis Tualau 16. Dunamis Lui
Kerrod Holland 17. Liam Knight
Extended Bench
Not Named 18. Jack Murchie
Greg Eastwood 19. Blake Austin
Asipeli Fine 20. Michael Oldfield
John Olive 21. Josh Papalii
Rhyse Martin 23. Not Named
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)
Match-ups:
Fullbacks:
Jack Wighton has been one of the Raiders' best this year. Last week he did his very best to emulate what Tom Trbojevic did, right down the long break down the right edge for a try. However, his team didn’t go with him. Moses Mbye has also been very good for the Bulldogs. He has been a revelation at fullback. He is providing some much needed spark in attack, and was a massive part of the Bulldogs win against the Panthers a fortnight ago. Mybe was knocked out early in the game last week, and that’s the only reason this skin isn’t a draw.
Wingers:
Jordan Rapana looks a frustrated man at the moment. No doubt he is putting in 100 per cent, but his team just aren’t all following his lead. Lucky for him, Juan Pablo Montoya… oops, I mean Marcelo, has only done something special in the single game the Bulldogs have won this year.
Nick Cotric looks to me like he is having some second year syndrome, mixed in with being on the outside of a misfiring back line. Brett Morris, on the other hand, is one identical half of an all Morris left edge. The Morris brothers have been very good in the opening rounds, laying on tries for each other. Brett looks dangerous in open space again this year, and is always a quality support runner.
Centres:
I believe Jarrod Croker probably had his best outing of the season in the loss to Manly. He crossed for a good try, and was quite involved. He isn’t playing to the same level as Josh Morris though. Paired with his twin brother on the left edge, the Morris twins have been proving a handful for all comers. Josh crossed for two tries on the weekend, bringing his 2018 tally to four.
Joseph Leilua is not having a happy year. Like many in the team, frustration is boiling over. He tried to get involved last week against Manly, but with limited ball, that was difficult. I’m also very surprised he didn’t get sent to the sin bin for slapping the ball out of a Manly player's hand so as to slow down a seven tackle set. Will Hopoate, however, seems much more at home in the centres. While he had to fill in at fullback on the weekend for Mbye, his first three weeks have been quite impressive. He has passed 100 metres in all four rounds, including a whopping 184 metres in the win over the Panthers.
Halves:
Both Sam Williams and Aidan Sezer have survived the chopping block again this week. Neither are doing a whole lot to nail down their spots in the team right now. I supported Sezer for putting up his hand to cover the hooker role in the first few weeks. I’ve supported Williams for at least doing his best to play the defensive structure. He had a standout game against the Titans and has produced a 40/20 and a field goal. However, there are loads of negatives too.
Jeremy Marshall-King and Mbye were the main reasons the Dogs got a win a fortnight ago against the Panthers. I thought he was quite good last week too, but didn’t really get noticed as much. Kieran Foran is playing some of his best footy at the moment. He is taking the ball all the way to the line, and kicking well. The only worry is whether his body can hold up, with dodgy shoulders and hamstrings.
Prop:
Junior Paulo had his best game of the year on the weekend. He passed 100 metres for the first time this year and he was a big part of the resurgence early in the second half. But David Klemmer has been in beast mode all year. He is pushing out big minutes and big metres. He wins this easily.
Sia Soliola scored the first try, then made a pile of tackles. He has been solid this year, but I still think he looks a yard off the pace. Aaron Woods may have got a haircut, and might be one of the most annoying players to ever wear the sky blue, but he is doing his job at the Dogs. Like Klemmer, he is playing good minutes and making good metres. As much as I hate to say it, he is playing pretty well at the moment.
Shannon Boyd had his worst game for the year against the Sea Eagles. From memory he only had three carries prior to the halftime break. That’s because the Raiders simply didn’t have the ball. He has been moved to the bench this week. I'm not really sure why, but maybe the coach is aiming to get two explosive stints either side of halftime. Ricky Stuart has definitely left him sitting on the bench far too long. Last weekend, I would have brought him straight back on after the Wighton try so as to keep the momentum flowing, especially with two Manly forwards on the bench with knee injuries. Danny Fualalo has been doing a job for the Dogs off the bench. He is playing reasonable minutes either side of halftime and is just keeping the Dogs rolling forward. He's not a game breaker by any means.
Dunimus Lui is one of the surprises of the season for the Raiders. They are getting good value and good output from him at the moment. Francis Tualau has only played two games for very low minutes. He played really well in the trial game against the Raiders, so they should be wary of him.
Liam Knight gets his second shot in the top grade at the Raiders. There is certainly an argument for him winning his skin, due to Kerrod Holland not having played this year, but Knight has only played for 11 minutes in his first outing. I’m calling it a draw.
Hooker/utility:
Siliva Havili has been one of the Raiders' better players this year. However, Michael Lichaa has certainly started to look like the guy who came out of the under 20s system at the Sharks. He is running the ball from dummy half and looking more dangerous. He carved the Raiders up in the trial game too.
Ata Hingano gets a second game off the bench for Canberra this week. His long passing from dummy half last week was poor. He looked much better going short or running the ball. Stick to that young man. He is very lucky that Fa’amanu Brown was terrible last week. From memory his first touch was a drop. He also isn’t doing much else. I’ve called this a draw.
Backrow:
Josh Papalii has not played anywhere near his potential this year, and his dropped kickoff was enough for me to decide that he is phoning it in. Well, Ricky Stuart seems to agree, and Papalii has been named in jersey No. 21. Joe Tapine has taken his place in the starting side. His return from a thumb injury wasn’t good, missing eight tackles. The selection felt very much like an "SOS" pick for mine, and it backfired. Josh Jackson had to cover the centres last week because of Mbye’s concussion, so his numbers weren’t great in the Dogs' close loss. He struggled a little the week before as well. However, he was probably Canterbury's best player in rounds one and two against the Storm and Roosters.
Elliott Whitehead has again been named on the edge this week, despite moving to lock on game day against Manly. He is the Raiders' best player at the moment, and I can’t speak highly enough of his efforts in four awful performances from the Raiders. Raymond Faitala-Mariner is a big strong backrower, with a good offload and fend. I can’t understand why Des Hasler didn’t play him more last year when the Dogs couldn’t score points. He has been very good for them on the left edge, teaming up with the Morris twins. However, Whitehead takes the skin.
Luke Bateman is an all effort footballer, but he just isn’t bending the line like he did in the Raiders' run of 2016. He also isn’t making enough cover or clean up tackles around the ruck this year. He is definitely the type of player you need in an NRL squad, but he is the guy you want playing limited minutes, not as your starting lock. Lucky for Bateman, Adam Elliott has been only playing the ‘fresh legs’ role this year. He hasn’t been getting many minutes with the likes of Woods, Klemmer and Tolman all capable of big minutes in the middle third.
Result
The tally is Bulldogs 9 and Raiders 6 and two draws. It was about six weeks ago that these two teams went head to head on the Sunshine Coast. The Dogs were the better of the two teams while the strongest NRL sides were out there. I don’t see it any different this week.
Result: Bulldogs by enough (8-16).
Plus follow The Greenhouse on Facebook: The Greenhouse Forum and Twitter: @TheGHRaiders
You know what’s going on by now, lets have a look.
Bulldogs V Raiders
Moses Mbye 1. Jack Wighton
Brett Morris 2. Nick Cotric
Josh Morris 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Will Hopoate 4. Joseph Leilua
Marcelo Montoya 5. Jordan Rapana
Jeremy Marshall-King 6. Aidan Sezer
Kieran Foran 7. Sam Williams
Aaron Woods 8. Sia Soliola
Michael Lichaa 9. Siliva Havili
David Klemmer 10. Junior Paulo
Josh Jackson © 11. Joe Tapine
Raymond Faitala-Mariner 12. Elliott Whitehead
Adam Elliott 13. Luke Bateman
Interchange
Fa’amanu Brown 14. Ata Hingano
Danny Fualalo 15. Shannon Boyd
Francis Tualau 16. Dunamis Lui
Kerrod Holland 17. Liam Knight
Extended Bench
Not Named 18. Jack Murchie
Greg Eastwood 19. Blake Austin
Asipeli Fine 20. Michael Oldfield
John Olive 21. Josh Papalii
Rhyse Martin 23. Not Named
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)
Match-ups:
Fullbacks:
Jack Wighton has been one of the Raiders' best this year. Last week he did his very best to emulate what Tom Trbojevic did, right down the long break down the right edge for a try. However, his team didn’t go with him. Moses Mbye has also been very good for the Bulldogs. He has been a revelation at fullback. He is providing some much needed spark in attack, and was a massive part of the Bulldogs win against the Panthers a fortnight ago. Mybe was knocked out early in the game last week, and that’s the only reason this skin isn’t a draw.
Wingers:
Jordan Rapana looks a frustrated man at the moment. No doubt he is putting in 100 per cent, but his team just aren’t all following his lead. Lucky for him, Juan Pablo Montoya… oops, I mean Marcelo, has only done something special in the single game the Bulldogs have won this year.
Nick Cotric looks to me like he is having some second year syndrome, mixed in with being on the outside of a misfiring back line. Brett Morris, on the other hand, is one identical half of an all Morris left edge. The Morris brothers have been very good in the opening rounds, laying on tries for each other. Brett looks dangerous in open space again this year, and is always a quality support runner.
Centres:
I believe Jarrod Croker probably had his best outing of the season in the loss to Manly. He crossed for a good try, and was quite involved. He isn’t playing to the same level as Josh Morris though. Paired with his twin brother on the left edge, the Morris twins have been proving a handful for all comers. Josh crossed for two tries on the weekend, bringing his 2018 tally to four.
Joseph Leilua is not having a happy year. Like many in the team, frustration is boiling over. He tried to get involved last week against Manly, but with limited ball, that was difficult. I’m also very surprised he didn’t get sent to the sin bin for slapping the ball out of a Manly player's hand so as to slow down a seven tackle set. Will Hopoate, however, seems much more at home in the centres. While he had to fill in at fullback on the weekend for Mbye, his first three weeks have been quite impressive. He has passed 100 metres in all four rounds, including a whopping 184 metres in the win over the Panthers.
Halves:
Both Sam Williams and Aidan Sezer have survived the chopping block again this week. Neither are doing a whole lot to nail down their spots in the team right now. I supported Sezer for putting up his hand to cover the hooker role in the first few weeks. I’ve supported Williams for at least doing his best to play the defensive structure. He had a standout game against the Titans and has produced a 40/20 and a field goal. However, there are loads of negatives too.
Jeremy Marshall-King and Mbye were the main reasons the Dogs got a win a fortnight ago against the Panthers. I thought he was quite good last week too, but didn’t really get noticed as much. Kieran Foran is playing some of his best footy at the moment. He is taking the ball all the way to the line, and kicking well. The only worry is whether his body can hold up, with dodgy shoulders and hamstrings.
Prop:
Junior Paulo had his best game of the year on the weekend. He passed 100 metres for the first time this year and he was a big part of the resurgence early in the second half. But David Klemmer has been in beast mode all year. He is pushing out big minutes and big metres. He wins this easily.
Sia Soliola scored the first try, then made a pile of tackles. He has been solid this year, but I still think he looks a yard off the pace. Aaron Woods may have got a haircut, and might be one of the most annoying players to ever wear the sky blue, but he is doing his job at the Dogs. Like Klemmer, he is playing good minutes and making good metres. As much as I hate to say it, he is playing pretty well at the moment.
Shannon Boyd had his worst game for the year against the Sea Eagles. From memory he only had three carries prior to the halftime break. That’s because the Raiders simply didn’t have the ball. He has been moved to the bench this week. I'm not really sure why, but maybe the coach is aiming to get two explosive stints either side of halftime. Ricky Stuart has definitely left him sitting on the bench far too long. Last weekend, I would have brought him straight back on after the Wighton try so as to keep the momentum flowing, especially with two Manly forwards on the bench with knee injuries. Danny Fualalo has been doing a job for the Dogs off the bench. He is playing reasonable minutes either side of halftime and is just keeping the Dogs rolling forward. He's not a game breaker by any means.
Dunimus Lui is one of the surprises of the season for the Raiders. They are getting good value and good output from him at the moment. Francis Tualau has only played two games for very low minutes. He played really well in the trial game against the Raiders, so they should be wary of him.
Liam Knight gets his second shot in the top grade at the Raiders. There is certainly an argument for him winning his skin, due to Kerrod Holland not having played this year, but Knight has only played for 11 minutes in his first outing. I’m calling it a draw.
Hooker/utility:
Siliva Havili has been one of the Raiders' better players this year. However, Michael Lichaa has certainly started to look like the guy who came out of the under 20s system at the Sharks. He is running the ball from dummy half and looking more dangerous. He carved the Raiders up in the trial game too.
Ata Hingano gets a second game off the bench for Canberra this week. His long passing from dummy half last week was poor. He looked much better going short or running the ball. Stick to that young man. He is very lucky that Fa’amanu Brown was terrible last week. From memory his first touch was a drop. He also isn’t doing much else. I’ve called this a draw.
Backrow:
Josh Papalii has not played anywhere near his potential this year, and his dropped kickoff was enough for me to decide that he is phoning it in. Well, Ricky Stuart seems to agree, and Papalii has been named in jersey No. 21. Joe Tapine has taken his place in the starting side. His return from a thumb injury wasn’t good, missing eight tackles. The selection felt very much like an "SOS" pick for mine, and it backfired. Josh Jackson had to cover the centres last week because of Mbye’s concussion, so his numbers weren’t great in the Dogs' close loss. He struggled a little the week before as well. However, he was probably Canterbury's best player in rounds one and two against the Storm and Roosters.
Elliott Whitehead has again been named on the edge this week, despite moving to lock on game day against Manly. He is the Raiders' best player at the moment, and I can’t speak highly enough of his efforts in four awful performances from the Raiders. Raymond Faitala-Mariner is a big strong backrower, with a good offload and fend. I can’t understand why Des Hasler didn’t play him more last year when the Dogs couldn’t score points. He has been very good for them on the left edge, teaming up with the Morris twins. However, Whitehead takes the skin.
Luke Bateman is an all effort footballer, but he just isn’t bending the line like he did in the Raiders' run of 2016. He also isn’t making enough cover or clean up tackles around the ruck this year. He is definitely the type of player you need in an NRL squad, but he is the guy you want playing limited minutes, not as your starting lock. Lucky for Bateman, Adam Elliott has been only playing the ‘fresh legs’ role this year. He hasn’t been getting many minutes with the likes of Woods, Klemmer and Tolman all capable of big minutes in the middle third.
Result
The tally is Bulldogs 9 and Raiders 6 and two draws. It was about six weeks ago that these two teams went head to head on the Sunshine Coast. The Dogs were the better of the two teams while the strongest NRL sides were out there. I don’t see it any different this week.
Result: Bulldogs by enough (8-16).
Plus follow The Greenhouse on Facebook: The Greenhouse Forum and Twitter: @TheGHRaiders
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Why Matt Sucks:
This is why Matt sucks.Jeremy Marshall-King > Aidan Sezer
Luke Bateman > Adam Elliott
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Fair go, WMS. I'll give you the Bateman one, but everyone beats Sezer on current form.
Ata Mariota’s #1 fan. Bless his cotton socks.
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
This is why Finchy sucks
-
The Nickman
- Mal Meninga
- Posts: 51208
- Joined: June 25, 2012, 9:53 am
- Favourite Player: Hodgo
- Location: Rockhampton, Central Queensland
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Haha you make a valid point!Finchy wrote:Fair go, Nickman, fair go.
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Matt, do you still think Cotric is having a 'second year syndrome'?
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
@RedRaider,
Yep. I didnt see a better player at fullback the other night compared to the rookie winger last yr.
His 2 highlights were putting Rapa away after collecting a kick from the in goal and flattening Foran after Foran made a linebreak. Both I've seen Jack do.
The highlight that wont be remembered is the 1 time he chimed into the backline and Whitey spilt his lollies.
The kid is class. Has a good head on his shoulders. He is big, strong, fast and powerful. However, a ball player he isnt. Which means i cant see him excel at fullback. Id like to see him at centre. While ive been very hesitant to move Croker, at some point his apprenticeship must advance. Perhaps they need to start mixing it up a bit.
I suspect Ricky will continue to play him at fullback, if Jack is out, but Id rather Abbey.
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Matt, second year syndrome is where the outstanding promise of Year 1, falls away in Year 2. I don't think that could be said of Nick Cotric.
This was the 19 year olds first match in the No1. As plenty have said on here, he mostly played center in his formative years. Yet here he was at short notice playing fullback in First Grade. I thought he handled it extremely well. Sure it's a different skill set in the No1 compared to wing but he just looked comfortable in the role. It has taken Wighton some years to develop a serviceable passing game. I'd like to see Nick stay in the No1.
This was the 19 year olds first match in the No1. As plenty have said on here, he mostly played center in his formative years. Yet here he was at short notice playing fullback in First Grade. I thought he handled it extremely well. Sure it's a different skill set in the No1 compared to wing but he just looked comfortable in the role. It has taken Wighton some years to develop a serviceable passing game. I'd like to see Nick stay in the No1.
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
He played a lot of fullback in juniors.
Sent from my iPad using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
We gave Jack two years to develop at fullback and are potentially looking at not having him anymore. With our cap problems currently I don't see why we aren't extending the same luxury of time to Cotric.
Have to remember as well Wighton was a late withdrawal from the side and I doubt Cotric is fullback training each and every single week. He filled in well on short notice.
He could be anything but he needs the chance. Also, if everyone was happy with Jack at the back well Jack played centres primarily as well.
Give Cotric a chance
Sent from my iPhone using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
Have to remember as well Wighton was a late withdrawal from the side and I doubt Cotric is fullback training each and every single week. He filled in well on short notice.
He could be anything but he needs the chance. Also, if everyone was happy with Jack at the back well Jack played centres primarily as well.
Give Cotric a chance
Sent from my iPhone using The Greenhouse mobile app powered by Tapatalk
-
Matt
- Don Furner
- Posts: 38872
- Joined: May 18, 2010, 4:17 pm
- Favourite Player: Time for the new breed Savage, Mooney, Timoko
- Location: Canberra
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Matt’s Match-ups Rd 6: Raiders V Parramatta Eels
You know what’s going on by now, let's have a look.
Eels V Raiders
Clinton Gutherson 1. Jack Wighton
George Jennings 2. Nick Cotric
Michael Jennings 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Kirisome Auva’a 4. Joseph Leilua
Bevan French 5. Jordan Rapana
Corey Norman 6. Blake Austin
Mitchell Moses 7. Aidan Sezer
Peni Terepo 8. Sia Soliola
Kaysa Pritchard 9. Siliva Havili
Tim Mannah © 10. Junior Paulo
Manu Ma’u 11. Joe Tapine
Tony Williams 12. Elliott Whitehead
Tepai Moeroa 13. Luke Bateman
Interchange
Beau Scott © 14. Ata Hingano
Kenny Edwards 15. Shannon Boyd
Daniel Alvaro 16. Josh Papalii
Kane Evans 17. Dunamis Lui
Extended Bench
Will Smith 18. Liam Knight
David Gower 19. Michael Oldfield
Suaia Matagi 20. Brad Abbey
Josh Hoffman 21. Jack Murchie
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)
Match-ups:
Fullbacks:
Jack Wighton has been named to play this week, a week after the birth of his second child, and less than 24 hours before his court hearing on Wednesday morning. He was exceptional in his four games, and Clint Gutherson is returning 8 months after an ACL injury. As this is his first game back, he loses the skin via the injury rule.
Wingers:
Jordan Rapana hasn’t been as prolific in 2018 as he has been the previous two years, and bar one run of 90m, he was mostly unseen against the Dogs. Rapana still only has one try in 2018, but two try assists. He is only averaging 111m a game, which is well down on his 146m a game career average. Josh Hoffman has actually got three tries in a winless side for 2018. However, after he dropped one with the line wide open, it cost him a try, his spot in the top grade, and most importantly the skin. Oh… but he isn’t playing this week, you’re right, but Bevan French is replacing him, and he is returning from injury. He is another that loses the skin under the injury rule.
I’m still not totally convinced Nick Cotric isn’t having second year syndrome, but he filled in more than admirably for Wighton last week. Interestingly, Cotric ‘ironed out’ Foran after he made a line break, which was very Wighton-esque. His best highlight for the match led to the opening try, when he picked up a kick in his own in goal, crabbed across field and linked up with Rapana who ran 90m down field, with Leilua scoring on the next play. However, George Jennings has been one of the Eels' better players in what has been a terrible start to the year. In his two games he has run for 240m and scored two tries. What more can you ask from a winger in a losing side? And why do 'successful wingers in a poor side' feel familiar?
Centres:
I was impressed with Jarrod Croker’s game against the Sea Eagles, calling it his best game for 2018. Well, he certainly topped that against the Dogs. He scored a double, ironically playing on the wing after Michael Oldfield failed an HIA. He was also surprisingly safe under the high ball. It was certainly a game where the skipper stepped up his performance when the team needed it. We had the Morris twins on one opposing flank last week. Now Michael Jennings makes up an all Jennings flank this week for the Eels. Jennings has a long list of career achievements, but 2018 isn’t going to be one. He hasn’t scored a try in 2018, and averages less than 75m per game - which is surprising given he averages three tackle breaks a game
Joseph Leilua easily had his best game of the year against the Dogs. He scored two tries, making two line breaks in the process, and ran for 118m, busting four tackles in the process. Kirisome Auva’a has had a reasonable start to the year, with 463m in total, 10 tackle busts and a pair of line breaks to match his tries. However, eight missed tackles, six errors and two penalties will not win you too many favours in a losing side.
Halves:
Sam Williams has suffered a MCL strain and will sit out the next month or so. He and Aidan Sezer were combining beautifully before he caught a trailing leg from Elliott Whitehead. Sezer moves into halfback, while Blake Austin replaces Sezer at five eighth. Aidan Sezer had one of his best two performances in the win over the Dogs, and certainly the best since his debut game - the other great performance. His kicking was pinpoint, and I can only hope that will continue. As this is Austin’s return game from two weeks in exile, he loses the skin.
There is lots of speculation that Corey Norman’s days at Parramatta might be up. This is due to apparent in fighting at the Eels, especially in the halves, which would certainly explain their 0-5 start to the year. Norman and Mitch Moses are not gelling well at all in 2018. Neither half is setting the world on fire at the moment, and are lucky to get an even split of the skins.
Prop:
Sia Soliola was inspirational against the Dogs last Thursday night. He led the defensive line forward all night long, and put on a few massive shots. He also showed his versatility, starting at prop, before moving to the edge, and even centre. However, despite moving wider in attack, he and Dunamis Lui regularly switched defensively so that he could lead the line. Peni Terepo has replaced Daniel Alvaro in the starting role, after two impactful games off to the bench for the Eels in successive weeks. He made 92m and 32 tackles last week against the Tigers, and 103m and 26 tackles last week against the Panthers. Pretty good numbers in a side that is getting beaten through the middle.
Junior Paulo, like all the Raiders' forwards, were forced to play massive minutes against the Dogs due to the number of HIA’s that the Raiders suffered in the game. It didn’t seem to hinder Paulo, who pumped out 153m. This is the sort of performance that will keep him Ricky’s good graces. If I'm brutally honest, I'm not sure what Tim Mannah gives the Eels anymore? I also suspect he will lose his ‘Frontrowers Union’ card, after a pin point grubber that got a repeat set on the weekend. He starts the game and is still struggling to play more than 30 minutes. Very strange for a captain.
Shannon Boyd was super impressive on the weekend. There are always questions about about his motor and ability to move laterally, given his size. Well, having been forced to play big minutes, he proved plenty of people wrong... regularly making covering and scramble tackles. Boyd made 28 tackles in all, missing only two. He also ran for 120m. Kenny Edwards is a massive reason why the Eels are in a hole at the moment. A very skilful and powerful player, but can be really stupid. He is a penalty and error magnet; in three games, he has seven missed tackles, two errors and three penalties.
Dunamis Lui is proving to be an unsung hero in this Raiders team. He produced 162m and 26 tackles on the weekend. I’m a little surprised to see he registered seven missed tackles against the Dogs, but given the extra minutes and positional changes, it can be forgiven. I still believe he had a great game. Kane Evans was a trumpeted signing for the Eels, but it hasn’t quite translated to the field. No impact at all.
Josh Papalii gets a recall this week, after a week at Mounties, where I believe he really put in, making 180m. However, he is lined up against Daniel Alvaro, who along with Nathan Brown, have been two of the Eels' best this year. Alvaro has run for 427m and made 166 tackles, while only missing five.
Hooker/utility:
Siliva Havili had to play 78 minutes on the weekend because Ata Hingano was knocked out in the first defensive set after joining the fray. He just kept turning up in defence, and his service from dummy half was quality.
Kaysa Pritchard is a very tough young player, but toughness only gets you so far. I think playing all the 80 minutes makes him too tired to run from dummy half and run support plays. I believe that is his strength and he isn’t providing it. He is also prone to injuries and HIA’s. Beau Scott... another club captain without a role. What’s going on at the Eels?
Backrow:
Joe Tapine had a monster game against the Dogs. Only 89m, but I bet that Dogs felt ever one of those 35 tackles. Manu Ma’u doesn’t look the enforcer he has been in previous years... not running tough lines or making big tackles.
Elliott Whitehead... I can’t say enough superlatives about this guy. He is on fire at the moment, and he added five eighth and half, admittedly for all of three minutes, to his list of positions played this past week. Tony ‘T-Rex’ Williams… dinosaurs are extinct, so should his career be.
Luke Bateman was very good defending the middle on the weekend. The extra minutes weren't an issue for Bateman, but lets face it, he was lucky Nathan Brown is injured this week, because that skin wouldn't have been close. Tepai Moeroa is not the second coming of Nathan Hindmarsh. He is another Eels player who is an injury/HIA walking. He does have a good game in him, but mostly he goes unnoticed.
Result
The tally is Eels 4 and Raiders 13. I’m a little worried about this one. There are a few injury affected skins, so that sways the tally a little. At the end of the day, it is only one win that separates these two teams. However, the Eels mentally look shot at the moment, and hopefully the Raiders have a leg up after a win.
Result: Raiders by enough win (by 8-14).
Plus follow The Greenhouse on Facebook: The Greenhouse Forum and Twitter: @TheGHRaiders
You know what’s going on by now, let's have a look.
Eels V Raiders
Clinton Gutherson 1. Jack Wighton
George Jennings 2. Nick Cotric
Michael Jennings 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Kirisome Auva’a 4. Joseph Leilua
Bevan French 5. Jordan Rapana
Corey Norman 6. Blake Austin
Mitchell Moses 7. Aidan Sezer
Peni Terepo 8. Sia Soliola
Kaysa Pritchard 9. Siliva Havili
Tim Mannah © 10. Junior Paulo
Manu Ma’u 11. Joe Tapine
Tony Williams 12. Elliott Whitehead
Tepai Moeroa 13. Luke Bateman
Interchange
Beau Scott © 14. Ata Hingano
Kenny Edwards 15. Shannon Boyd
Daniel Alvaro 16. Josh Papalii
Kane Evans 17. Dunamis Lui
Extended Bench
Will Smith 18. Liam Knight
David Gower 19. Michael Oldfield
Suaia Matagi 20. Brad Abbey
Josh Hoffman 21. Jack Murchie
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)
Match-ups:
Fullbacks:
Jack Wighton has been named to play this week, a week after the birth of his second child, and less than 24 hours before his court hearing on Wednesday morning. He was exceptional in his four games, and Clint Gutherson is returning 8 months after an ACL injury. As this is his first game back, he loses the skin via the injury rule.
Wingers:
Jordan Rapana hasn’t been as prolific in 2018 as he has been the previous two years, and bar one run of 90m, he was mostly unseen against the Dogs. Rapana still only has one try in 2018, but two try assists. He is only averaging 111m a game, which is well down on his 146m a game career average. Josh Hoffman has actually got three tries in a winless side for 2018. However, after he dropped one with the line wide open, it cost him a try, his spot in the top grade, and most importantly the skin. Oh… but he isn’t playing this week, you’re right, but Bevan French is replacing him, and he is returning from injury. He is another that loses the skin under the injury rule.
I’m still not totally convinced Nick Cotric isn’t having second year syndrome, but he filled in more than admirably for Wighton last week. Interestingly, Cotric ‘ironed out’ Foran after he made a line break, which was very Wighton-esque. His best highlight for the match led to the opening try, when he picked up a kick in his own in goal, crabbed across field and linked up with Rapana who ran 90m down field, with Leilua scoring on the next play. However, George Jennings has been one of the Eels' better players in what has been a terrible start to the year. In his two games he has run for 240m and scored two tries. What more can you ask from a winger in a losing side? And why do 'successful wingers in a poor side' feel familiar?
Centres:
I was impressed with Jarrod Croker’s game against the Sea Eagles, calling it his best game for 2018. Well, he certainly topped that against the Dogs. He scored a double, ironically playing on the wing after Michael Oldfield failed an HIA. He was also surprisingly safe under the high ball. It was certainly a game where the skipper stepped up his performance when the team needed it. We had the Morris twins on one opposing flank last week. Now Michael Jennings makes up an all Jennings flank this week for the Eels. Jennings has a long list of career achievements, but 2018 isn’t going to be one. He hasn’t scored a try in 2018, and averages less than 75m per game - which is surprising given he averages three tackle breaks a game
Joseph Leilua easily had his best game of the year against the Dogs. He scored two tries, making two line breaks in the process, and ran for 118m, busting four tackles in the process. Kirisome Auva’a has had a reasonable start to the year, with 463m in total, 10 tackle busts and a pair of line breaks to match his tries. However, eight missed tackles, six errors and two penalties will not win you too many favours in a losing side.
Halves:
Sam Williams has suffered a MCL strain and will sit out the next month or so. He and Aidan Sezer were combining beautifully before he caught a trailing leg from Elliott Whitehead. Sezer moves into halfback, while Blake Austin replaces Sezer at five eighth. Aidan Sezer had one of his best two performances in the win over the Dogs, and certainly the best since his debut game - the other great performance. His kicking was pinpoint, and I can only hope that will continue. As this is Austin’s return game from two weeks in exile, he loses the skin.
There is lots of speculation that Corey Norman’s days at Parramatta might be up. This is due to apparent in fighting at the Eels, especially in the halves, which would certainly explain their 0-5 start to the year. Norman and Mitch Moses are not gelling well at all in 2018. Neither half is setting the world on fire at the moment, and are lucky to get an even split of the skins.
Prop:
Sia Soliola was inspirational against the Dogs last Thursday night. He led the defensive line forward all night long, and put on a few massive shots. He also showed his versatility, starting at prop, before moving to the edge, and even centre. However, despite moving wider in attack, he and Dunamis Lui regularly switched defensively so that he could lead the line. Peni Terepo has replaced Daniel Alvaro in the starting role, after two impactful games off to the bench for the Eels in successive weeks. He made 92m and 32 tackles last week against the Tigers, and 103m and 26 tackles last week against the Panthers. Pretty good numbers in a side that is getting beaten through the middle.
Junior Paulo, like all the Raiders' forwards, were forced to play massive minutes against the Dogs due to the number of HIA’s that the Raiders suffered in the game. It didn’t seem to hinder Paulo, who pumped out 153m. This is the sort of performance that will keep him Ricky’s good graces. If I'm brutally honest, I'm not sure what Tim Mannah gives the Eels anymore? I also suspect he will lose his ‘Frontrowers Union’ card, after a pin point grubber that got a repeat set on the weekend. He starts the game and is still struggling to play more than 30 minutes. Very strange for a captain.
Shannon Boyd was super impressive on the weekend. There are always questions about about his motor and ability to move laterally, given his size. Well, having been forced to play big minutes, he proved plenty of people wrong... regularly making covering and scramble tackles. Boyd made 28 tackles in all, missing only two. He also ran for 120m. Kenny Edwards is a massive reason why the Eels are in a hole at the moment. A very skilful and powerful player, but can be really stupid. He is a penalty and error magnet; in three games, he has seven missed tackles, two errors and three penalties.
Dunamis Lui is proving to be an unsung hero in this Raiders team. He produced 162m and 26 tackles on the weekend. I’m a little surprised to see he registered seven missed tackles against the Dogs, but given the extra minutes and positional changes, it can be forgiven. I still believe he had a great game. Kane Evans was a trumpeted signing for the Eels, but it hasn’t quite translated to the field. No impact at all.
Josh Papalii gets a recall this week, after a week at Mounties, where I believe he really put in, making 180m. However, he is lined up against Daniel Alvaro, who along with Nathan Brown, have been two of the Eels' best this year. Alvaro has run for 427m and made 166 tackles, while only missing five.
Hooker/utility:
Siliva Havili had to play 78 minutes on the weekend because Ata Hingano was knocked out in the first defensive set after joining the fray. He just kept turning up in defence, and his service from dummy half was quality.
Kaysa Pritchard is a very tough young player, but toughness only gets you so far. I think playing all the 80 minutes makes him too tired to run from dummy half and run support plays. I believe that is his strength and he isn’t providing it. He is also prone to injuries and HIA’s. Beau Scott... another club captain without a role. What’s going on at the Eels?
Backrow:
Joe Tapine had a monster game against the Dogs. Only 89m, but I bet that Dogs felt ever one of those 35 tackles. Manu Ma’u doesn’t look the enforcer he has been in previous years... not running tough lines or making big tackles.
Elliott Whitehead... I can’t say enough superlatives about this guy. He is on fire at the moment, and he added five eighth and half, admittedly for all of three minutes, to his list of positions played this past week. Tony ‘T-Rex’ Williams… dinosaurs are extinct, so should his career be.
Luke Bateman was very good defending the middle on the weekend. The extra minutes weren't an issue for Bateman, but lets face it, he was lucky Nathan Brown is injured this week, because that skin wouldn't have been close. Tepai Moeroa is not the second coming of Nathan Hindmarsh. He is another Eels player who is an injury/HIA walking. He does have a good game in him, but mostly he goes unnoticed.
Result
The tally is Eels 4 and Raiders 13. I’m a little worried about this one. There are a few injury affected skins, so that sways the tally a little. At the end of the day, it is only one win that separates these two teams. However, the Eels mentally look shot at the moment, and hopefully the Raiders have a leg up after a win.
Result: Raiders by enough win (by 8-14).
Plus follow The Greenhouse on Facebook: The Greenhouse Forum and Twitter: @TheGHRaiders
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
Why Matt Sucks:
This is why Matt sucks.04/04/18: Jeremy Marshall-King > Aidan Sezer
11/04/18: Aidan Sezer > Mitchell Moses
Daniel Alvaro > Josh Papalii
-
boydy80
- Simon Woolford
- Posts: 445
- Joined: March 6, 2015, 10:33 am
- Favourite Player: Jack Wighton
- Location: Victoria
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
I really think this is a danger game for us. Only last week we were looking like the Eels. If we're over confident, and the Eels decide this is there game to lift, all that good work will be undone.
Long time creeper....... First time poster
-
boydy80
- Simon Woolford
- Posts: 445
- Joined: March 6, 2015, 10:33 am
- Favourite Player: Jack Wighton
- Location: Victoria
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
I really think this is a danger game for us. Only last week we were looking like the Eels. If we're over confident, and the Eels decide this is there game to lift, all that good work will be undone. However, great skins Matt 
Long time creeper....... First time poster
-
edwahu
Re: Matt's Match-ups 2018
If they turn up to this game overconfident I will lose what little I have left.