Matt's Match-ups 2019

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Botman
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Botman »

simo wrote: August 20, 2019, 11:12 am Braith anasta praised munster for a rubbish kick on the 3rd/4th that went into touch while we were a man down. I thought it was rubbish and impatient
I had a very heavy sigh of relief when he kicked that. Rapana had it well and truly covered even if it did stay in play.
It wasnt quite Jack Wighton kicking on tackle 3 down the throat of the storm fullback, or that woeful bomb attempt by Sezer that landed in row G, but it wasnt too far off them in terms of what was required at the time for their respective teams and it's execution.

Dreadful kick. Anasta is a **** ****.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Northern Raider »

PigRickman wrote: August 20, 2019, 11:30 am
simo wrote: August 20, 2019, 11:12 am Braith anasta praised munster for a rubbish kick on the 3rd/4th that went into touch while we were a man down. I thought it was rubbish and impatient
I had a very heavy sigh of relief when he kicked that. Rapana had it well and truly covered even if it did stay in play.
It wasnt quite Jack Wighton kicking on tackle 3 down the throat of the storm fullback, or that woeful bomb attempt by Sezer that landed in row G, but it wasnt too far off them in terms of what was required at the time for their respective teams and it's execution.

Dreadful kick. Anasta is a **** ****.
Haha, yeah I'd forgotten that one. That play by Munster was a massive win for the Raiders. :lol:

Those 2 kicks by Wighton and Sezer for user very poor too. To be fair though our kicking game was pretty solid outside of that. Wighton, Sezer and Hodgo all did a decent job. Sezer in particular put up some wicked spiral bombs. Didn't even know he had it in his repertoire. Wonder if he's had some coaching in that area.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Botman »

Yeah i was happy with the kicking game over all... there was one from Hodgson, another attempted 40/20 across his body, that Hughes cut off beautifully... i think that was a play or two before the strip. It was a great kick and a great play from Hughes.

The storm kicked extremely well too, over all the kicking games were very good, with those 3 kicks being incredibly bad outliers haha
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Matt »

Matt’s Match-ups Rd 23: Raiders V Sea Eagles

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Sea Eagles V Raiders

Tom Trbojevic 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Jorge Taufua 2. Nick Cotric
Brendan Elliot 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Moses Suli 4. Joseph Leilua
Reuben Garrick 5. Jordan Rapana
Dylan Walker 6. Jack Wighton
Daly Cherry-Evans © 7. Aidan Sezer
Addin Fonua-Blake 8. Josh Papalii
Api Koroisau 9. Josh Hodgson ©
Martin Taupau 10. Sia Soliola
Joel Thompson 11. John Bateman
Jack Gosiewski 12. Elliott Whitehead
Jake Trbojevic 13. Ryan Sutton

Interchange
Manase Fainu 14. Bailey Simonsson
Corey Waddell 15. Dunamis Lui
Morgan Boyle 16. Corey Horsburgh
Taniela Paeska 17. Hudson Young

Extended Bench
Lachlan Croker 18. Sam Williams
Tevita Funa 19. Siliva Havili
Sean Keppie 20. Emre Guler
Llyod Perrett 21. Michael Oldfield

#- Skins altered to pair like skins.
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)

Match-ups:

Fullbacks:
There are a few elite fullbacks in the competition. Tom Trbojevic is one. In ten games this year, he has five tries, eight assists and averages over 200m a game. He's had only a single loss in 2019. For all that Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad has done, and all the plaudits he deserves, he isn’t in that class yet.

Wingers:
Nick Cotric has three tries, two assists and averages 100m a game. He was hooked with 13 minutes to go for Bailey Simmonson. Cotric has had a disrupted year. He started on the left wing, moved to right centre, was suspended, returned to right centre - and is now back to the left wing. I feel like his confidence is way down. Receiving a horrible pass from Hodgson against the Storm, that ended in Vunivalu’s arms, wouldn’t have helped. Jorge Taufua has eight tries, one assist and averages 128m a game. He is putting in a good experienced winger’s shift this year.

Jordan Rapana suffered a finger or wrist injury during the game. But he soldiered on, and scored in the corner to get the Raiders within four points of the Storm. But Reuben Garrick has been a sensation in his rookie year. Garrick has 15 tries, two assists and averages 109m a game.

Centres:
Jason Croker scored try 122 on the weekend, despite not pulling on a jersey since 2009 - while Jarrod Croker apparently picked up the other ten points. Talk about hitting a nerve. I can’t stand when professionals in the game get this stuff wrong. Brendan Elliot has proved to be a very handy replacement player for Manly this year, filling in for Tom Trbojevic earlier in the year - and now Brad Parker in the centres. He has also been the bench utility in a few games too. Last week he ran for 158m, with two-line breaks and eight tackle busts. That’s a great week, but one-week form guides aren’t the go here.

Joseph Leilua made a solid return from injury against the Storm, and even lasted the full game. He looked a little rusty but didn’t look off the pace. I think he improved Rapana’s game a little too. Moses Suli cuts a similar figure to Joey - and seems to have had similar issues with regards to weight and commitment early in his career. This season he has four tries, three assists and averages 120m a game from only 11 carries. I think Joey needs another week or two to really compete in this skin position.

Halves:
Jack Wighton hasn’t played ball player much in the last fortnight, with the Roosters and Storm defenses forcing him to run the ball. However, if your five-eighth runs for over 170m two weeks running, against he two best teams in the competition, then I’d say he is making them pay another way. Dylan Walker ran for 160m and scored a try in last week's rout of the Tigers. He has run for over 100m twice more in the past five weeks, but he isn’t adding what Wighton is in 2019.

He cops a lot of flak, but Daly Cherry-Evans is the best halfback in the competition in 2019. He is the main reason Manly have been in the hunt for the top four, producing 17 try assists. Aidan Sezer has been in good form, and played a part in the unbelievable win against the Storm, but he isn’t influencing a game like DCE.

Prop:
My first instinct was to just say: "Josh Papalii stamped his dominance at prop with a match winning try against the Storm, skin over." However, it is not at all that clear. Addin Fonua-Blake has been in beast mode in 2019. People believe his partner is the better of the two props, however, after comparing their statistics you might be surprised. Fonua-Blake is averaging 165m from 15 carries, three tackle busts, two offloads and 24 tackles a game. This isn’t an easy skin at all, because Fonua-Blake's statistics are simply terrific. I very nearly went with a drawn skin - and this is much closer than Raiders fans might expect at face value. But, given the class of Papalii that I mentioned in the first sentence... I've called this a win for Papa.

Sia Soliola is the heart and soul of this Raiders team, no doubt. He was felled by a Cameron Munster cannonball tackle last week and carried on. He isn’t Marty Taupau though. Taupau averages 153m a from 16 carries, three tackle busts, two offloads and 28 tackles a game. That’s serious output.

Corey Waddell averages 83m and 21 tackles a game and is having a decent rookie season. Dunamis Lui just edges his statistics with 84m a game and 23 tackles.

I believe Corey Horsburgh was the best player on the ground against the Storm. In 49 minutes he made 167m, including 64m after contact, and made 21 tackles without a miss. The rookie took it to an all international front row and came out on top. Morgan Boyle has had a couple of concussion issues in recent weeks. He was a mid-season transfer, and almost immediately joined the bench. He doesn’t play big minutes, so his output is low too.

Hooker/utility:
I like Api Koroisau, but he isn’t even the best hooker in his team, let alone in the English Cam Smith’s class. Josh Hodgson may have been rocks and diamonds against the Storm, but with a victory against the best side in the competition, a 40/20 kick and a hand in a couple of tries, it is not a tough choice here.

Bailey Simonsson played 13 minutes against the Storm, at the expense of Nick Cotric, which was a little strange. He is lucky to have his ears still attached after Cam Smith attempted to twist them off. Manase Fainu has a bit of early Issac Luke mixed with Damien Cook about his work. He is a run first hooker like Luke was, and has that off the mark speed of Cook. I can only assume seniority is the reason Hasler persists with Fainu off the bench.

Backrow:
John Bateman continues to prove why he is the best edge backrower in the competition. In combination with Elliott Whitehead, they have become one of the best edge forward duos in the game. Both are tough as nails and lead the defensive line. Both ran for over 100m and made more than 30 tackles against the Storm. Whitehead also produced the classy offload for "Jason" Croker’s try.

Joseph Tapine’s temper has again come into the spotlight. He let himself and the team down in the middle of the first half against the Storm. Nelson Asofa-Solomona baited him in a scrum and Tapine obliged - and it resulted in a sin bin. He cant afford to do this, and was very lucky that the Raiders won. He eventually succumbed to a rib injury, which has ruled him out for one to two weeks. Ryan Sutton has been promoted from the bench to fill in for him. In thirty odd minutes, Sutton made 98m and 14 tackles against the Storm. However, Jake Trbojevic is a top three lock, played Origin, and dominated. Jake averages 130m and 43 tackles in his 80 minutes a week. WOW!

Hudson Young has replaced Sutton on the bench, meaning Taniela Paeska gets an easy "not playing" skin.

Result
The tally is Sea Eagles nine and Raiders eight. Third versus fourth, split skins, seems about right. Only one try separated these teams earlier this year, and most will agree the Raiders blew it. Both teams have beaten the Storm in recent weeks too. So this is a contest between two of the form teams in the competition. Surely the home field advantage is the difference, especially with the boost of beating the Storm last week.

Result: Raiders at home (by 4-8).

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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by zim »

Matt wrote: August 20, 2019, 8:06 pm Centres:
Jason Croker ......
Oh my. Was that rabs call?
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Matt »

zim wrote: August 20, 2019, 10:05 pm
Matt wrote: August 20, 2019, 8:06 pm Centres:
Jason Croker ......
Oh my. Was that rabs call?
The Bunker. But I'm sure Rabs would have done the same.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by zim »

Matt wrote: August 20, 2019, 8:06 pm ...In thirty odd minutes, Sutton made 98m and 14(sic 18) tackles against the Storm...
Great numbers for a guy that has the "reputation" of giving no impact off the bench.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by greeneyed »

This isn't good... I agree with all the skins this week.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by -TW- »

This disappoints me nothing to argue about EXCEPT Hodgson didn't get credited with the 40/20 as Hughes gumbied and booted it over the sideline

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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

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I think you're doing a great job Matt...
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by The Nickman »

-PJ- wrote:I think you're doing a great job Matt...
PJ, that’s mean!
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Matt »

Matt’s Match-ups Rd 24: Raiders V Sharks

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Sharks V Raiders

Josh Dugan 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Sione Katoa 2. Bailey Simonsson
Bronson Xerri 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Josh Morris 4. Nick Cotric
Ronaldo Mulitalo 5. Jordan Rapana
Shaun Johnson 6. Jack Wighton
Chad Townsend 7. Aidan Sezer
Aaron Woods 8. Josh Papalii
Jayden Brailey 9. Josh Hodgson ©
Matt Prior 10. Sia Soliola
Briton Nikora 11. John Bateman
Wade Graham 12. Elliott Whitehead
Paul Gallen © 13. Ryan Sutton

Interchange
Kurt Capewell 14. Siliva Havili
Braden Hamlin-Uele 15. Dunamis Lui
Andrew Fifita 16. Corey Horsbough
Jayson Bukuya 17. Hudson Young

Extended Bench
Billy Magoulias 18. Sam Williams
Blayke Brailey 19. Emre Guler
Kyle Flanagan 20. Michael Oldfield
Matt Moylan 21. Tom Starling

#- Skins altered to pair like skins.
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)

Match-ups:

Fullbacks:
Josh Dugan was the heir who couldn’t rule, while Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad is the nobody who became king. Dugan has been switching between centre, wing and fullback this year. The last week and a half he has been at fullback covering for Matt Moylan. Dugan has passed 100m gained in his past three games, and dived on a kick for a try last week. It been a while since Nicoll-Klokstad scored, but he has Dugan covered for metres gained over the same period. This is a tight skin, but I'll edge it Nicoll-Klokstad’s way - because this is not a one week deal, and Dugan only has one game at fullback recently.

Wingers:
With Nick Cotric’s switch to the centres to cover Joey Leilua, Bailey Simmonson comes off the bench into the starting side. In recent weeks he has replaced Cotric for 13 minutes and then Jordan Rapana for his 15 minute HIA. He is opposite another fill-in, Sione Katoa, who replaces the injured Sosaia Feki. Injury skin rules apply here.

Jordan Rapana looked like he enjoyed having Leilua back with him on the weekend. His no-look flick pass said it all. Leipana was about to come to life again... c'est la vie. Ronaldo Mulitalo has three tries and an assist in his three games this year, including one last week and a massive 168m. However, this is no one week game.

Centres:
Jarrod Croker scored all of the Raiders points last week. He also came up with three decisive tackles, at least two of which were try saving. Bronson Xerri has to be in the running for rookie of the year, with 12 tries and six assists. He's averaged over 120m and four tackle busts a game. I find it really hard not to give the rookie serious credit, with a draw, but I can’t overlook how well the Raiders skipper has performed in recent weeks - with five tries in three weeks and 38 total points.

Joey Leilua had one of his trademark brain snaps last weekend, and has found himself suspended for dropping knees into Reuben Garrick's back. So, Nick Cotric again takes Leilua's place in the centres. His form hasn’t been good, while Josh Morris has turned back the clock and is in great try scoring touch.

Halves:
Jack Wighton has been in great touch against these top sides, but can’t buy a try. He has run for over 470m in the past three weeks. He's been cut down centimetres out three times - and been denied over the line twice. Shaun Johnson has had all sorts of issues in 2019... hamstring injuries, groin injuries, goal kicking yips... and has lacked confidence to run the ball. The turning point was the Test against the Tongans, where he was man of the match. He has had eight try assists and 529m in the past six games. The main difference between these two players at the moment is that Johnson’s efforts are winning. That is why he gets the skin.

Aidan Sezer versus Chad Townsend isn’t even close. Townsend has three more tries, eight more assists, nine more line break assists, 14 more forced drop outs, 11 more offloads, and averages over 20 kick metres more a game.

Prop:
Aaron Woods has been solid this year, even earning himself a starting role over Andrew Fifita. However, as I have mentioned ad nauseam in the past few weeks, Josh Papalii is the best prop in the game. He produced 172m, 29 tackles, four offloads, and a line break assist last week.

Sia Soliola was inspiring on Sunday. Every single time he carried the ball, he bent the line. He ran for 133 tough metres and made 23 tackles. His early offload should have led to greater things, but Hodgson dropped the ball - thinking of the pass that needed to be made, rather than catching the ball. Matt Prior has been starting, but is not playing his usual big minutes this season, following the rise of Braden Hamlin-Uele. Last week's 47 minutes was the most he has played since Round 7. As you can imagine, this has had an effect on his output this season.

Dunamis Lui has been playing his role, but this season we have seen him moved to the bench in favor of Soliola - and now he is losing minutes to Horsburgh. Lui now faces "mini Fifita", Braden Hamlin-Uele. The Raiders had to face three big guys in Taupau, Fonua-Blake and Pasaeka last week and did a reasonable job. They get Woods, Fifita and Uele this week. Uele is a young wrecking ball prop, with great agility for his size. Uele has four tries this year and is showing that he could be a top tier prop in the not so distant future.

Corey Horsburgh was again strong through the middle third of the game last weekend. Horsburgh pumped out 121m, 22 tackles and two offloads in just 33 minutes. Andrew Fifita has been struggling with suspensions and a knee injury in recent weeks. However, after a week off, he returned last week with a bang, pumping out 199m, 12 tackle busts, and 23 tackles.

Hooker/utility:
Josh Hodgson been a bit rocks and diamonds in the past few weeks. He bombed a try in the first minute on Sunday - dropping a Sia Soliola offload, while looking at Leipana standing in 20 metres of open space outside Jorge Taufua. He also threw the game defining intercept last week, but he is still better than Jayden Brailey. Brailey is a tackle bot who has been tasked with providing quick ball to his halves.

Kurt Capewell has held down a utility role for a few weeks now, and with all the injuries in the Sharks outside backs of late, he has been very handy. Another to benefit from Leilua’s suspension is Siliva Havili, returning to the side this week after a fortnight in reserve grade. Injury/not playing rules apply to this skin.

Backrow:
Briton Nikora is a very promising young edge forward. However, with Wade Graham's return, he isn’t seeing as much ball on his edge, even with Johnson firing. John Bateman continues to prove he is one of the best backrowers in the competition, even if last weekend he was a little quiet by his standards.

Elliott Whitehead again pulled off a magic offload to Croker for a try on Sunday. It was basically the same play as the previous week - with the main difference being that Croker had to leap over him to get to the line. His output was a long way down on last week. He faces off against Wade Graham this week, who is possibly the form edge player in the league. His impact on the Sharks since returning from his two injuries has been huge. He is a big reason why the Cronullas has had a late surge to the finals. It will be interesting to see if the Sharks pair him with Morris or Xerri this week. I think Graham and Xerri together are dynamic.

Ryan Sutton started last week, given Joe Tapine’s absence, and Sutton will retain that place this week. He is a better player with bigger minutes and last week showed that. He delivered 114m and 31 tackles in 54 minutes. However, he goes up against Paul Gallen in his last game at Shark Park. Gallen has pumped out metres for fun in the last fortnight, with over 200 against the Dragons and over 170 last week. Pretty easy choice here, even if I don’t like it.

Hudson Young was very good in his return to the NRL. He played aggressively and direct. He even showed some good touch with the draw and pass for Croker's second try. Jayson Bukuya returns to the NRL in place of former Raiders junior Jack Williams. Injury/not playing rules apply to this skin.

Result
The tally is Sharks seven and Raiders 10. I am a little worried about this week, because while the Sharks have been a little scratchy and inconsistent, they still have plenty of experience and firepower at their disposal. They also have the home ground advantage to go with Gallen’s last game there. However, the Raiders have only lost one away game on the opposition's home soil this season – Magic Round versus the Roosters and Eels in Darwin were away losses, but were not on home soil.

Result: Raiders to ruin Gallen’s party (by 2-6).

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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by -PJ- »

I think you're doing a great job Matt...
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by gerg »

Johnson has been garbage all year.

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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

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gergreg wrote: August 27, 2019, 8:27 pm Johnson has been garbage all year.

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MOTM in the NZ vs Tonga Test and 8 try assists in 6 games says otherwise.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

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Matt’s Match-ups Rd 25: Raiders V Warriors

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Warriors V Raiders

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck © 1. Bailey Simonsson
David Fusitu'a 2. Michael Oldfield
Adam Pompey 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Blake Ayshford 4. Nick Cotric
Ken Maumalo 5. Sebastian Kris
Kodi Nikorima 6. Jack Wighton
Blake Green 7. Aidan Sezer
Agnatius Paasi 8. Josh Papalii
Issac Luke 9. Josh Hodgson ©
Leeson Ah Mau 10. Dunamis Lui
Adam Blair 11. Hudson Young
Isaiah Papali'i 12. Elliott Whitehead
Jazz Tevaga 13. Ryan Sutton

Interchange
Adam Keighran 17. vs 14. Siliva Havili
Bunty Afoa 15. Emre Guler
Ligi Sao 16. Corey Horsburgh
# Lachlan Burr 14. vs 17. JJ Collins

Extended Bench
Josh Curran 18. Sam Williams
Not Named 19. Joseph Tapine
Taane Milne 20. Jordan Rapana
Hayze Perham 21. Tom Starling
Leivaha Pulu 22. Not Named

Skins altered to pair like skins.
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)

Match-ups:

Fullbacks:
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is one of very few Warriors who can hold their head high for season 2019, and he was one of the Warriors' best last week in a heavily beaten side. Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad has just signed a new deal, keeping him in Canberra until 2023, but has also earned a week off. Bailey Simmonson replaces him at fullback. Simmonson continues to put in Rapana-esque like performances. Lots of carries for lots of metres, and safe as houses. He took 23 carries for 186m last week, which is a huge work rate. He doesn’t beat RTS.

Wingers:
David Fusitu'a only played his first match back from a long-term injury and was in a heavily beaten side, no chance for the skin. Michael Oldfield hasn’t played for weeks, so the injury/not playing rule applies for Fusitu'a.

Jordan Rapana looked better on the weekend, but as for most of the season, he looks off. His short kick off on the weekend worked a treat though. He too has earned a week off, with Sebastian Kris getting another game in the NRL. Ken Maumalo is second on the try scoring list and the metre eater list. These statistics for a winger will win him a skin every time.

Centres:
Jarrod Croker made the decisive play last week - with a huge run from his own in goal, turning defence into attack, and resulting in the Raiders' second try. The other thing he did was get both his conversion attempts - in a game defined by the ability of the kickers, all types, putting the ball between the posts. Peta Hiku is out with a shoulder injury and is replaced by Adam Pompey. Pompey was a late inclusion last week, but I think I’ll still apply the injury/not playing rule.

Nick Cotric showed glimpses of good form in the last couple of weeks. He had a couple big runs in Round 23, busting tackles because he was running hard and directly. On Sunday, it was more of the same, scoring a try and passing 100m gained along the way - something he has only done four times since Round 6. He's done it twice in the past four weeks. Patrick Herbert is also out injured, so he is replaced by Blake Ayshford. This is another skin determined by the injury/ not playing rule.

Halves:
Jack Wighton didn't have a great game against the Sharks. In fact, it was easily his worst game for the past month. However, Kodi Nikorima hasn’t been that great either, and his team has been badly beaten over the past month. So, referring to the past month, and year as a whole, this is a no contest.

I’ll keep the battle of the No. 7’s brief. Aidan Sezer is three field goals better than Blake Green.

Prop:
Josh Papalii is better than every other prop in the competition, no point making this a talking point, sorry Agnatius Paasi.

Dunamis Lui got his starting spot back last week. He didn’t start well. However, I feel it was a tactical move to match Soliola with Fifita and Uele. He played for 44 minutes, producing 60m and 24 tackles. That’s poor. Ryan Sutton did more in about half the time. Lui averages 82m and 23 tackles a game. Leeson Ah Mau was the big buy prop for the Warriors this year, and was supposed to lead the Warriors' go forward. However, I don't believe he has been any better than an average NRL starting prop this year. He averages 110m and 29 tackles a game.

Sia Soliola cost Corey Horsburgh the "off the nuddie run" try on the weekend, but he was still given the week off. Emre Guler replaces him. With Bunty Afoa returning from injury, this is a draw due to the injury/not playing rule.

Corey Horsburgh has made the transition from promising rookie, to quality youngster in the past couple of weeks. He is coming off the bench and dominating the middle third - which has been no mean feat given the big names and the big bodies he has faced in recent weeks. Players like, Waerea-Hargreaves, Bromwich, Asofa-Solomona, Kamikamica, Taupau, Fonua Blake, Paseka, Fifita, Woods, and Hamin-Uele, would all have 10kgs plus on him. Most would have 100 games on him. Yet, he has taken it all in his stride, and put the pressure straight back on them. That has been super impressive from the young man, even more so, because he has curbed and focused his aggression. It’s a no contest for poor Ligi Sao.

Hooker/utility:
Josh Hodgson has had a strange "rocks and diamonds" influence in recent weeks. We are seeing both in games, but the diamonds are outweighing the rocks. He's been making key plays at key times, to win the Raiders games. Issac Luke is a shadow of the player he was - and is injury prone. Luke is no longer in the elite class. To be honest, I feel like the longer he plays the more he damages his legacy.

Siliva Havili only played ten minutes on the weekend, despite the game going to golden point. That’s still more than Adam Keighran, who hasn’t played for a couple of weeks. This is yet another injury/not playing skin.

Backrow:
Adam Blair has been poor for years. It is not surprising Warriors fans have been calling for his head. Against the Rabbitohs earlier this year, Blair made two runs for 17m in 80 minutes. Hudson Young replaces John Bateman in the backrow. Like Corey Horsburgh, he has transitioned from promising rookie to quality youngster. In the past two weeks he has played direct and tough, pumping out 129m and 41 tackles. However, he best heed the spray he received a split second after the halftime siren sounded. Rookies don’t take quick taps, especially with 30 seconds on the clock.

Elliott Whitehead continues to be the unsung hero on the left edge. His defensive efforts each week should not be understated. We have often seen his ball playing ability, but no one takes note of the defence. He made 40 tackles on the weekend with three misses. Isaiah Papali'I is a solid youngster, but he is not in Whitehead's class.

Ryan Sutton only played 26 minutes against the Sharks and started at lock. However, as previously mentioned, he produced more than Lui, in half the time. I mentioned last week that it seemed like Lui was losing minutes to Horsburgh. Now it seems Sutton is losing minutes to Hudson Young. Jazz Tevaga continues to be the Warriors' tackle bot. He cleans up so much around the middle for them. Without him, things could be so much worse for the Warriors. Tevaga averages 83m and 39 tackles a game and is a pocket dynamo.

Lachlan Burr has arguably been the Warriors best forward in 2019. So an injury/not playing rule skin doesn’t do him justice against JJ Collins, who is in line to play NRL game number two for the Raiders.

Result
The tally is Warriors six and Raiders 10 and one draw. The resting policy for this week has actually evened this up a little. I still expect the Raiders to run riot this week. They will probably keep it a little simpler this week, with Nicoll-Klokstad, Soliola, Bateman and Rapana all earning a week off.

Result: Raiders to ruin riot (by 18+).

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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by -PJ- »

I think you're doing a great job Matt...
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by zim »

Nice write up. Would be much more comfortable if Oldfield and Cotric were on the wings. Can't see Kris handling the aerial battle against either winger.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by greeneyed »

I’m not at all sure that the skins should favour the Raiders. We’ve had a lot of disruption to the team due to resting.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by reptar »

-PJ- wrote:I think you're doing a great job Matt...
It looks suspiciously like a segment, to me...
Gina Riley: Oh, come on, John. That’s a bit old hat, the corrupt IOC delegate.
John Clarke: Old hat? Gina, in the scientific world when they see that something is happening again and again and again, repeatedly, they don’t call it old hat. They call it a pattern.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by gerg »

Matt wrote:
gergreg wrote: August 27, 2019, 8:27 pm Johnson has been garbage all year.

Sent from my SM-G570F using Tapatalk
MOTM in the NZ vs Tonga Test and 8 try assists in 6 games says otherwise.
Sorry Matt, only just saw this. He was garbage on the weekend.

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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Northern Raider »

Very disappointed Matt. You had some awesome opportunities for major trolling this week and you've blown it. :(
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Matt »

Northern Raider wrote: September 4, 2019, 8:41 am Very disappointed Matt. You had some awesome opportunities for major trolling this week and you've blown it. :(
:roflmao
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Matt »

gergreg wrote: September 4, 2019, 7:59 am
Matt wrote:
gergreg wrote: August 27, 2019, 8:27 pm Johnson has been garbage all year.

Sent from my SM-G570F using Tapatalk
MOTM in the NZ vs Tonga Test and 8 try assists in 6 games says otherwise.
Sorry Matt, only just saw this. He was garbage on the weekend.

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ummm... he didnt play. So not sure that id say he was garbage.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Northern Raider »

Matt wrote: September 4, 2019, 9:31 am
gergreg wrote: September 4, 2019, 7:59 am
Matt wrote:
gergreg wrote: August 27, 2019, 8:27 pm Johnson has been garbage all year.

Sent from my SM-G570F using Tapatalk
MOTM in the NZ vs Tonga Test and 8 try assists in 6 games says otherwise.
Sorry Matt, only just saw this. He was garbage on the weekend.

Sent from my SM-G570F using Tapatalk
ummm... he didnt play. So not sure that id say he was garbage.
Fair go Matt
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by The Nickman »

Yeah, that's a pretty big ***by there, Matty old boy.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Turt »

Matt wrote: September 3, 2019, 7:42 pm Matt’s Match-ups Rd 25: Raiders V Warriors

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Warriors V Raiders


Centres:
Jason Croker made the decisive play last week - with a huge run from his own in goal, turning defence into attack, and resulting in the Raiders' second try. The other thing he did was get both his conversion attempts - in a game defined by the ability of the kickers, all types, putting the ball between the posts. Peta Hiku is out with a shoulder injury and is replaced by Adam Pompey. Pompey was a late inclusion last week, but I think I’ll still apply the injury/not playing rule.
I thought Jason Croker retired.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Matt »

Turt wrote: September 5, 2019, 10:44 am
Matt wrote: September 3, 2019, 7:42 pm Matt’s Match-ups Rd 25: Raiders V Warriors

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Warriors V Raiders


Centres:
Jason Croker made the decisive play last week - with a huge run from his own in goal, turning defence into attack, and resulting in the Raiders' second try. The other thing he did was get both his conversion attempts - in a game defined by the ability of the kickers, all types, putting the ball between the posts. Peta Hiku is out with a shoulder injury and is replaced by Adam Pompey. Pompey was a late inclusion last week, but I think I’ll still apply the injury/not playing rule.
I thought Jason Croker retired.
running joke mate
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by Matt »

Matt’s Match-ups Finals Week 1: Raiders V Storm

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Storm V Raiders

Ryan Papenhuyzen 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Suliasi Vunivalu 2. Nick Cotric
Will Chambers 3. Jarrod Croker ©
Justin Olam 4. Joseph Leilua
Josh Addo-Carr 5. Jordan Rapana
Cameron Munster 6. Jack Wighton
Jahrome Hughes 7. Aidan Sezer
Jesse Bromwich 8. Josh Papalii
Cameron Smith © 9. Josh Hodgson ©
Nelson Asofa-Solomona 10. Sia Soliola
Felise Kaufusi 11. John Bateman
Kenneath Bromwich 12. Elliott Whitehead
Dale Finucane 13. Joseph Tapine

Interchange
Brandon Smith 14. Bailey Simonsson
Tui Kamikamica 15. Dunamis Lui
Max King 16. Corey Horsbough
Joe Stimson 17. Ryan Sutton

Extended Bench
Curtis Scott 18. Sam Williams
Tino Faasuameleaui 19. Emre Guler
Brodie Croft 20. Siliva Havili
Tom Eisenhuth 21. Hudson Young

#- Skins altered to pair like skins.
(Bolded players are the winners of the skin. The extended bench is excluded.)

Match-ups:

Fullbacks:
In the latter part of this season Ryan Papenhuyzen forced his way into the starting side, meaning Jahrome Hughes is pushed to the halves. While Hughes has the better ball skills, Papenhuyzen, a Tigers junior, has a Slater/Tedesco vibe about his play. He is super quick, has an ability to break a tackle or make a man miss, and can find the line. However, in the season as a whole there are only a couple of fullbacks who have been better than Charnze Nicholl-Klokstad, and they are some of the greats of the modern game.

Wingers:
Suliasi Vunivalu’s try scoring feats have escaped him in 2019. He has also made some terrible errors in recent weeks. Nick Cotric hasn’t had the best of seasons either, but in recent weeks, playing in the centres, he has started to look like the ball runner we remember from the past couple of seasons. I'll edge it his way this week.

Jordan Rapana has had a patchy year, with injuries, regular change of centre partner and contract drama all playing their part this year. However, we only need him to be on song once or twice in the next couple of weeks and who knows what might come. I think Josh Addo-Carr’s form has also been a little patchy since Origin, however, I think he has had a better year than Jordy.

Centres:
In my opinion, the only thing Jarrod Croker has done wrong this year, is have a goal kicking percentage that is sub 80 per cent. Last week was the first time this year than his kicking cost the Raiders a game, but to be fair, I’m not sure the Raiders played well enough to win - nor did they have the right attitude. Will Chambers has had a couple of trips to the sin bin this year, and that grubbiness is enough for me to pass him over... but his output isn’t that great either, with Croker having him well covered.

Joey Leilua returned from an 11 week neck injury that could have ended is career, let alone season - only to have a brain fart and spend two more weeks on the sidelines. Leiula can provide the X-factor you need to win a tight game, and maybe, just maybe a premiership. You must gamble on him throwing rocks, in hope he produces a couple of diamonds instead. Justin Olam is an all-effort centre. He has really come on in the latter part of the year, and become one of the Storm's better attacking weapons. I have loads of time for this Kumul. The passion and enjoyment he brings to even game is infectious. This is a suspension skin to Olam.

Halves:
Jack Wighton and Cameron Munster have been two of the best halves all season. It is very hard to split them. Munster is carrying a dodgy shoulder, while Wighton’s form has dipped. I'll edge to Munster, as his season has been better, with the Storm being minor premiers.

As mentioned above, Jahrome Hughes has lost his job as the team's fullback, but held his spot in the 17, with a move to the halves. I think that the Raiders will also play two five-eighths, who work off the back of the No. 9 next year. However, Jahrome Hughes isn’t a game changer in the halves for the Storm. His shift is a ‘safe move’. Aidan Sezer has certainly been among the Raiders' best in recent weeks, so he holds this skin.

Prop:
Jesse Bromwich was the benchmark for props for a long time, and he is still among the top players in his position. Josh Papalii is now the current benchmark. This has been Papalii's best season in the NRL by some margin.

Sia Soliola has been a massive part of the Raiders' success this season. His influence and experience is invaluable, and his output has been very good. Nelson Asofa-Solomona might have some discipline issues, but his on field impact can’t be understated. He is one of the best impact props in the game, and he has done it all year. This is a really tight skin. Asofa-Solomona averages 20m more a game, while Soliola averages two more tackles a game, which are equal game efforts. It's the extra impact that Asofa-Solomona adds with offloads and tackle busts that makes the smallest of difference between the two.

Dunamis Lui has to get back to running hard, tackling often and keeping it simple. In recent weeks he has tried to add some of the more flamboyant actions to his game and they have been blowing up in his face. He is usually a solid forward. Tui Kamikamica has had a solid season, but his statistics aren't close to Lui’s, and work rate in the middle third of the game is too important.

Corey Horsburgh has a question mark over his fitness, with a calf injury. He was one of very few players who performed in last week’s loss. He has become an integral part of the Canberra team, and is now the third best prop at the club, in my opinion. Max King was a mid-season transfer from the Titans, but in the last three weeks he has built up his minutes and impact for the Storm. I talked up King a lot in my scouting thread last year, so I’m not surprised King is proving a good buy under Bellamy's tutelage.

Hooker/utility:
Josh Hodgson and Cam Smith are still the best two hookers in the competition, I’m not going to try and split them.

Bailey Simonsson had a very good weekend deputising for the rested Nicholl-Klokstad. The 70m run he made - admittedly taking advantage of a Warriors defender who fell over - was exciting. I expected him to play a very similar style to his rested team mate, and he didn’t disappoint. We are very lucky to have found two extremely promising outside backs. Brandon Smith was rested last week, but the two weeks before that he ran for 109m and 136m. Smith is a bulldozer, and has had a great year for the Storm. His influence for the Storm outweighs the talent of Simmonson.

Backrow:
John Bateman is the best edge backrower in the NRL. Felise Kaufusi is a very good player in his own right, but like Bromwich versus Papalii, this isn’t a contest.

Kenny Bromwich and Elliott Whitehead. It is difficult to pick a winner in that match-up. Both players have been exceptional this year. Bromwich's output is marginally better than Whitehead's and Bromwhich has more tries. But how do you ignore the intangibles that Whitehead brings, like the bat back for the Seb Kris try last week? I’m going to call it a tie between the two internationals.

Joe Tapine is back after a couple of weeks off with a rib injury. This is an injury skin, but Dale Funicane is one of the most underrated players in the competition. Finucane would have won anyway. He is straight out of the Bradley Clyde mould. He is the first man back for carries, he shows up defensively, and is always making scramble tackles. He isn’t the ball player or speedster Clyde was, but has the heart and determination about his play. His Blues jumpers were well earned this year.

Ryan Sutton is close to re-signing with the club after what has been a reasonably successful switch from the ESL to the NRL. He has proved to be an above average middle forward, still with some upside. He still has a bit to learn, but he is a top 17 player at any club. Joe Stimson played last week against the Cowboys, but barely featured. This is basically an injury/not playing skin for Sutton.


Result
The tally is Storm five and Raiders nine, plus a pair of draws. The Raiders may have found a way to win against all odds the last time they were in Melbourne - but make no mistake, if the Raiders are in the same hole this week, expect the Storm to nail the coffin shut. It is exceptionally rare for a team to beat the Storm twice in a season, let alone twice in Melbourne. The skins might not reflect it, but the Raiders have a massive mountain to climb. The Raiders are now a different team to the one that turned out in the past couple of seasons... and I can’t decide if the moment will be too big or not…

Result: Safe bet says the Storm will be too experienced and grind out a win (by 4-8).

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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by -PJ- »

I think you're doing a great job Matt..
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by The Nickman »

Wait, how has Matt picked guys who didn’t play last week?
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by greeneyed »

I think four skins could/should swing in favour of the Storm or at least be draws. Smith should definitely win the skin. Storm should take No. 2. Not convinced on No. 7 or No. 15.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by zim »

The Rickman wrote: September 10, 2019, 8:52 pm Wait, how has Matt picked guys who didn’t play last week?
Can you do us a favour and lower those eye brows? .....and the other one.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by reptar »

-PJ- wrote:I think you're doing a great job Matt..
Segment good, son.
Gina Riley: Oh, come on, John. That’s a bit old hat, the corrupt IOC delegate.
John Clarke: Old hat? Gina, in the scientific world when they see that something is happening again and again and again, repeatedly, they don’t call it old hat. They call it a pattern.
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Re: Matt's Match-ups 2019

Post by RedRaider »

We are all Hodgo fans Matt, but to have him even with Smith ... Smith has four roles: Captain, chief play maker, goal kicker and Ref. Hodgo has only two of those.
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