LastRaider wrote: ↑March 5, 2019, 8:21 am
I can see why Para’s spine ranks better than ours. They have Gutho and Moses. We just have Hodgson.
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Moses is a negative. I would take sezer or any player over moses every day of the week.
Crazy... we all complain about our halves and winge about everyone else’s if they were to come to Canberra even though they would be a massive improvement.
Sezar will probably play 3 maybe 4 good games this year for us and that’s it
SeeBee101 wrote: ↑March 5, 2019, 11:29 am
I don't really rate the Warriors spine now that they have lost Johnson.
1. RTS
6. Green
7. Kerigan
9. Luke
RTS is easily their best player and green is solid, but Kerigan is an unknown youngster like Brown at the Eels and Luke is another year older.
Kerigan?
Nancy
Kerigan? Tell him he’s dreaming.
Sorry, wrong spelling, his name is Adam Keighran. Apparently it was a battle between him and Chanel Harris-Tavita and it looks like Keighran is the front runner after the trials.
The Rickman wrote: ↑March 5, 2019, 10:31 am
This discussion is all well and good, but I'm keen to see which spine everyone thinks is the twelfth best in the competition??
Cowboys.
Who do you think has the twelfth best spine in the competition The Rickman?
exrefhollywood wrote:our 3 current spine players took us to where the last two seasons????
given hodgson was injured, however we were rubbish.
until we get a decent half who can win/close a game out, we are with the suggested few
I think you’ll find the key difference is the fourth player in that spine is now gone, and rightfully so.
I like the look of the new spine, and once they gel I think they can be top shelf. The missing link now is fullback, but I’m quietly confident CNK will do the job.
So far this round there have been plenty of trash spines on display. Manly and the Bulldogs looked awful as expected but only the Storm and Bunnies have looked cohesive thus far.
Ponga defended well but his involvement in attack was limited. Their fullback and hooker are weak points.
Sharks lacked cohesion and although it is only round one, Johnson looked to me to be as interested in playing for the Sharks as he has looked at the Warriors the last few seasons.
Neither Nikorima or Milford have the tools to steer that side around.
Norman's kicking game was poor and Widdop is going to take a long time to get around the fullback position.
I honestly dont want rapana at the back we need him on the edge, what we need at the back is some one who safe u der the high ball, someon who can defend and someone who has a strong meter eat and we have that in charnze, we need rapana on the edge, you dont break one leg to make the other seam stronger when we have a bloke who can do that. Bj and rapa need to stay together
zim wrote: ↑March 18, 2019, 1:26 pm
Hoppa is a solid fullback if that's not where you want to spend big dollars but you need to compensate with quality in other spine positions.
I reckon a gullback like hoppa would suit the sharks style of play where as moylan would instantly make the dogs better. They should talk to each other
Not sure if Moylan would be happy with that move
I think the knights too if they want to keep Ponga at 5/8. You take away the randomness that is Connor Watson who more often than not comes up with a low percentage play or just gets in the way and replace him with someone that can catch a high ball and play a solid role.
Although hooker is probably the knights biggest long-term issue.
Actually what was I thinking the knights have Mason Lino in reserve grade. Just move Ponga back to fullback and play Lino at 5/8.
There's some quality off contract and moving into first grade in 2020.
Caleb Aekins and Ryan Papenhuyzen would be good fullbacks for any club.
Alexander Brimson, Jake Clifford and Code Walker will be off contract.
Brodie Croft and Mason Lino will be available.
zim wrote: ↑March 18, 2019, 2:08 pm
Actually what was I thinking the knights have Mason Lino in reserve grade. Just move Ponga back to fullback and play Lino at 5/8.
There's some quality off contract and moving into first grade in 2020.
Caleb Aekins and Ryan Papenhuyzen would be good fullbacks for any club.
Alexander Brimson, Jake Clifford and Code Walker will be off contract.
Brodie Croft and Mason Lino will be available.
zim wrote: ↑March 18, 2019, 2:08 pm
Actually what was I thinking the knights have Mason Lino in reserve grade. Just move Ponga back to fullback and play Lino at 5/8.
There's some quality off contract and moving into first grade in 2020.
Caleb Aekins and Ryan Papenhuyzen would be good fullbacks for any club.
Alexander Brimson, Jake Clifford and Code Walker will be off contract.
Brodie Croft and Mason Lino will be available.
9. English test rep
7. English test rep
6. Australian test rep
1. CNK...surely in line for a Kiwi jersey one day if Bailey Simonsson can snag a 9s rep jumper
Surely we're a top 4 spine next season, unlike this year?
Hodgson - still a top three hooker
G Williams - unknown quantity at this stage
Wighton - top six five-eighth
CNK - top eight fullback
Hodgo is the lock, that rating most likely won't change. With improvement Jack and CNK will go even higher than that, but could also just as easily go down (especially Jack). George we'll need to see play, but with the current crop on display I'd be surprised if he's below middle of the pack.
edwahu wrote: ↑October 9, 2019, 9:13 pm
I'd rate Hodgo #2 Hooker given he outpointed Smith and Cook head to head in the finals. Although it's a wash for top 3 in that position at the moment.
I could only have Munster and Keary ahead of Jack for 5/8th.
CNK the best of the rest behind the superstar fullbacks (Teddy, Turbo, RTS, Ponga).
It would be a 3rd or 4th spine overall with Sezer. Williams we can't really know but it's a weak position.
Not sure if CNK can be considered above the likes of Gutherson and Moylan. Two very different styles of player, as they're quality with the ball in hand. I've got him roughly around their level.
If I had to narrow it down more out of each of their current (i.e. this year) 16 rivals in each position
If it makes anyone happy, I switched on a replay of the Toronto/Featherstone game and after the first few seconds of silence, the bloke said "And it's a knock-on by McCrone".
Hodgo is proven to be one of the top hookers in the game. That's a lock.
Queries for 2020 come in the other positions. Williams is untested at NRL level but has class. Wighton and CNK were both top 5 in their positions for 2019. Key for them is to back up their 'rookie' seasons in those roles.
Logic says we have a top 4 spine. Just have to make sure it doesn't slip to middle of the pack.
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At worst we're going to have 3 players in our spine who are in the top 5 at their position... and if Georgey Boy is legit, maybe 4.
Our spine going into 2020 looks MUCH better than it did a week before kick off when Wighton and CNK were unknowns, Sezer with his very uneven form and Hodgo