Beejay wrote: ↑December 29, 2019, 6:01 pm
I went on the record early. I like him. I think he has all the skills.
In particular for our team, great short kicking game, and short and long pass which gets mixed up with a strong running game.
As I've previously mentioned, it will really come down to the mental side. How hungry, how determined, how focused he is on the improvements he's going to need to make and the pressure he's going to be under in the NRL.
That's the impossible thing to predict as a person that has only watched his games on TV. And it's probably the most important thing.
He has played in 4 grand finals and won 2, and played for his country and he's only 25, so I'm backing him in.
I'm with you JB. I like the signing, and like the potential.
As for the 'held back' behind Widdop and Hastings, Bennett isn't 1 for admitting a mistake. Watch the 10-15mins of game time he did get, yes, a couple of errors, but he was more dangerous in that time than 4 games of the other 2
Sezer has always been an above-average defender for a half. Nowhere in Wighton's class as a hitter, but he generally sticks his tackles and rarely gets brushed off. He does concede ground though and, like all halves, relies heavily on the help of his inside man.
I don't know what to expect from G Williams. Wikipedia tells me that 1.83m and 90kgs he's a similar build to Sezer and 5cm taller and 5kg heavier than Sam Williams. He's about the same build as Cleary. I suspect with more advanced training in the NRL, he has the physical attributes to be quite solid in defence.
As has been discussed, he really only needs to be average in defence to be an overall improvement for our team. If he defends on the right in replacing Sezer, I think his biggest challenge will be locking down a combo with whoever his centre is; Leilua or Scott. Bateman is hard working and aggressive, he should look after him on the inside.
Last edited by Seiffert82 on December 29, 2019, 11:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 29, 2019, 9:02 pm
Wikipedia tells me that 1.83m and 90kgs he's a similar build to Sezer and 5cm taller and 5kg heavier than Sam Williams. He's about the same build as Cleary. I suspect with more advanced training in the NRL, he has the physical attributes to be quite solid in defence.
It would shock me if he is really 6 foot after watching him on the field for Wigan.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 29, 2019, 9:02 pm
Wikipedia tells me that 1.83m and 90kgs he's a similar build to Sezer and 5cm taller and 5kg heavier than Sam Williams. He's about the same build as Cleary. I suspect with more advanced training in the NRL, he has the physical attributes to be quite solid in defence.
It would shock me if he is really 6 foot after watching him on the field for Wigan.
In a solid, well drilled defensive unit, players on an individual basis should almost be interchangeable whilst still maintaining the integrity of the unit. That is the entire point of the whole thing.
Sam Williams did the same preseason as Sezer.
Sezer was a better defender.
End of story.
That has nothing to do with anything.
You’re stating our defence was better last year because the team focused on it in preseason and tackled as a unit. That’s 100% true.
It is also true that Sammy did the SAME preseason, focused on it and tackled within the same unit - and was a weaker defender and that ultimately led to Sezer regaining his spot.
Thinking that sezer is NOT a better than average defender is simply misguided. And I think we are better off without the bloke as he had continuously failed to deliver over his time here. But he was definitely one of the better defensive halves in the comp.
And our defence with Sam in it this year was far better than it was at any point last year. See the point I'm trying to make?
I'm not saying Sezer is a weak defender and I don't think I've ever said that. I'm saying he's well overrated given the kind of praise thrown towards him here - he is not amongst the top defensive halfbacks, and no metric backs that up as it would if he were. Think this stems from fans being unable to find other facets of his game to praise, so it all gets channelled into one of the few things he's decent at. He is, obviously, still better than Williams in that regard.
A few days before:
"This myth of Aidan Sezer being a brilliant defender just keeps on growing and growing"
Everyone is laughing at you ...again, just give up eh, Sezer has gone, he was a very good player for us in the finals. Accept it, you still have an ounce of credibility.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 30, 2019, 5:09 pm
I suspect Williams will be tested early. If I'm an opposition coach, I'm definitely targeting Bateman-Williams-Leilua over Whitehead-Wighton-Croker.
Both Bateman and Leilua are susceptible to jamming in under pressure. Williams will have to work hard on those combos.
100% ... it's going to be trial by fire. Typically english halves have come here and been ordinary with ball in hand utterly dreadful defenders. We're going to know 8-10 weeks into this season whether he's going to be able to stand up to that...
and maybe that doesnt mean he's good immediately, but ill be looking for incremental improvements. By week 10, we should have a feel for what we have in this guy...health permitted,
I think he'll be right. He was recommended by the other English lads and I'm confident they will do everything in their power to make him succeed. He honestly doesn't need to do too much as there is plenty of quality around him but he does need to organise the side (game management) a little better than Sezer and a good short kicking game.
I'm looking forward to seeing Bateman run off him, from the little I've seen of him he seems quite creative.
Time will tell. Statistically speaking, it's not much good if he improves our attack by 4 points a game while conceding an extra 4 per game in defence. Sam Williams can probably do that for us.
It's obviously more complicated than that though. It's about game management and getting the best out of the backline. I also suspect all the Pommy lads will work hard to ensure they all succeed. It's a good culture to have.
After we made the Grand Final, there will be a lot of pressure on Williams to step in and succeed. Not sure if the broader fanbase will give him 10 weeks to find his feet.
I'm not too concerned about what he's going to do in the weekly grind of the NRL season. If we don't make it to the pointy end of the season next year it won't be because of George Williams.
I want to see what he's going to do in the pivotal moments when we need someone with the right ability to stand up and take the bull by the horns. When, for example, we've got loads of possession in a Grand Final, but struggling to make anything of it. That to me is exactly the player we've been lacking.
The small cameo in his last test gave me a glimpse into what he may be like in those certain situations; what I saw was someone who won't sit back and wait for someone around him to make something happen, he'll take that onus on himself.
Still not sure what to expect from Williams, but given it's currently 10 degrees in Wigan I'm pretty damn sure he won't be particularly ready for the horrible conditions he's about to land in over here.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 1:39 pm
Still not sure what to expect from Williams, but given it's currently 10 degrees in Wigan I'm pretty damn sure he won't be particularly ready for the horrible conditions he's about to land in over here.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 1:39 pm
Still not sure what to expect from Williams, but given it's currently 10 degrees in Wigan I'm pretty damn sure he won't be particularly ready for the horrible conditions he's about to land in over here.
Exactly why he should be here acclimatising
Not sure anyone needs to acclimatise to bushfires and getting lungs full of smoke. Hopefully he's safe at home enjoying time with his family and staying fit in the gym.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 1:39 pm
Still not sure what to expect from Williams, but given it's currently 10 degrees in Wigan I'm pretty damn sure he won't be particularly ready for the horrible conditions he's about to land in over here.
Exactly why he should be here acclimatising
Not sure anyone needs to acclimatise to bushfires and getting lungs full of smoke. Hopefully he's safe at home enjoying time with his family and staying fit in the gym.
Didn’t GW have an amazing run the last ESL season with forced drop outs? In a country with six meter in goal areas! The one area we seem to have struggled in the last 5 seasons or so. That with his Wighton-like running style, I think we are about to see a really strong, direct attacking spine unlike any other team in the competition.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 1:39 pm
Still not sure what to expect from Williams, but given it's currently 10 degrees in Wigan I'm pretty damn sure he won't be particularly ready for the horrible conditions he's about to land in over here.
Exactly why he should be here acclimatising
Not sure anyone needs to acclimatise to bushfires and getting lungs full of smoke. Hopefully he's safe at home enjoying time with his family and staying fit in the gym.
Heat. The other stuff is irrelevant
Irrelevant my ****. Why don't you throw on some sneakers and head outside for a run. Yeah, didn't think so.
CrabLord wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 8:26 pm
Literally just joined the forum to say this.
Didn’t GW have an amazing run the last ESL season with forced drop outs? In a country with six meter in goal areas! The one area we seem to have struggled in the last 5 seasons or so. That with his Wighton-like running style, I think we are about to see a really strong, direct attacking spine unlike any other team in the competition.
Seiffert82 wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 1:39 pm
Still not sure what to expect from Williams, but given it's currently 10 degrees in Wigan I'm pretty damn sure he won't be particularly ready for the horrible conditions he's about to land in over here.
Exactly why he should be here acclimatising
Not sure anyone needs to acclimatise to bushfires and getting lungs full of smoke. Hopefully he's safe at home enjoying time with his family and staying fit in the gym.
Heat. The other stuff is irrelevant
Irrelevant my ****. Why don't you throw on some sneakers and head outside for a run. Yeah, didn't think so.
sprintman wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 1:44 pm
Exactly why he should be here acclimatising
Not sure anyone needs to acclimatise to bushfires and getting lungs full of smoke. Hopefully he's safe at home enjoying time with his family and staying fit in the gym.
Heat. The other stuff is irrelevant
Irrelevant my ****. Why don't you throw on some sneakers and head outside for a run. Yeah, didn't think so.
Sent from my SM-G570F using Tapatalk
Have you been a ***** cranium all your life?
We've had unsafe air quality levels in Canberra for the past three weeks. He is better off training or relaxing where he is champ. How did your run go?
Not sure anyone needs to acclimatise to bushfires and getting lungs full of smoke. Hopefully he's safe at home enjoying time with his family and staying fit in the gym.
Heat. The other stuff is irrelevant
Irrelevant my ****. Why don't you throw on some sneakers and head outside for a run. Yeah, didn't think so.
Sent from my SM-G570F using Tapatalk
Have you been a ***** cranium all your life?
Unsafe air quality levels are registered at 200PM2.5. Today Canberra has reached 3000 in places.
There’s no serious training going on in this break, and even if there was a plan to it would be called off. I went running in around 300pm2.5 a few weeks ago, and had an aching chest for 2 days.
There are far more issues at play than ‘heat’.
And no - Before you ask, I haven’t been a **** cranium all my life either, I just turn it on when I feel like it.
Not sure anyone needs to acclimatise to bushfires and getting lungs full of smoke. Hopefully he's safe at home enjoying time with his family and staying fit in the gym.
Heat. The other stuff is irrelevant
Irrelevant my ****. Why don't you throw on some sneakers and head outside for a run. Yeah, didn't think so.
Sent from my SM-G570F using Tapatalk
Have you been a ***** cranium all your life?
Unsafe air quality levels are registered at 200PM2.5. Today Canberra has reached 3000 in places.
There’s no serious training going on in this break, and even if there was a plan to it would be called off. I went running in around 300pm2.5 a few weeks ago, and had an aching chest for 2 days.
There are far more issues at play than ‘heat’.
And no - Before you ask, I haven’t been a **** cranium all my life either, I just turn it on when I feel like it.
CrabLord wrote:Literally just joined the forum to say this.
Didn’t GW have an amazing run the last ESL season with forced drop outs? In a country with six meter in goal areas! The one area we seem to have struggled in the last 5 seasons or so. That with his Wighton-like running style, I think we are about to see a really strong, direct attacking spine unlike any other team in the competition.
If Georgie Boy can help Hodgo force a few more line dropouts and also find the grass on his clearing kicks, then that will certainly be a good start. Hopefully he brings with him a ton of confidence from his successful stint in the ESL.
CrabLord wrote: ↑December 31, 2019, 8:26 pm
Literally just joined the forum to say this.
Didn’t GW have an amazing run the last ESL season with forced drop outs? In a country with six meter in goal areas! The one area we seem to have struggled in the last 5 seasons or so. That with his Wighton-like running style, I think we are about to see a really strong, direct attacking spine unlike any other team in the competition.
Welcome Lord of Crabs.
I didn’t see the ESL finals but really glad to hear that. I’m a fan of his running game and had hoped he was a dangerous short kicker, so that’s about the quality I wanted to hear about.
I'm not sure we'll see George kick long much - that's seems to be reserved for Hodgson and especially Wighton, given the size of his boot.
His short kicking game does seem to be a real strength, but he'll need to adapt to the faster defensive lines and getting closed down quickly. That's the difference, if time wasn't constricted these players could probably execute most things they want to.