2024 Round 9 v Sea Eagles: Teams and Previews *Teams p1

[Raidernation]

Hoppa, with his patented 'sit down' method of bomb taking will be a target. Turbo and Saab will not have to jump for the ball because Hoppa will already be on the ground.

Some saying earlier in the week that Ricky would not make 4 changes to the side and then - he did. Hoppa, Cotric, EW and Guler all in. But he WGD'd the change he should have made. After producing the hook last week for DL he rewards his performance by picking him in FG again??

The main issue I have with the Chevy situation is that he was not picked in NSW Cup. There was no mention of injury. If he is not injured then I would have had him back on the park to practice the lessons of the 3 NRL games he has played. Over coming the disappointment of not being selected is part of the growth cycle, but he can't show he can over come it, sitting on the sideline. I note there are 2 TBA's in the NSW Cup backline and the currently selected FB has played center earlier this year.

I disagree, he has played 3 weeks of football and been smashed and struggled in pretty much every facet of fullback play at NRL level. Giving him a lighter week but still training with the first grade squad before a bye is a really good decision. Then he can go back to NSW cup with things to work on and refreshed.

[T_R]

The team you pick when you want to lose 20 - 0 rather than 50 - 20.

Either way.

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Well we couldn’t score a point with last weeks team, I don’t see us scoring 20 with no team changes. To be honest I think this team is just as likely to lose 40 nil. No halfback plus a **** hooker = no points.

Oh, I'm not going to suggest for a moment they'd actually score 'em, but there's potential in that side for some individual moments.

This week's team are the poster kids for Ricky's Grindball (TM)

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[gangrenous]

Ah, sweet summer children who thought Levi would be replaced! He wasn’t even hooked, he was just subbed! Ricky put him back on the field.

[BadnMean]

People thinking Hoppa is not that bad a choice for fullback, do they watch other teams, or just the Raiders?? Every team has a strike fullback. All of them. Hoppa is not even a strike winger

With an already weak spine, this is devastating. I'll hope for some good metres and carries but I can't see us playing anything other than grindball. Very depressing to be here, when just not long ago we thought we were ushering in a new era of the (old) fast attacking green machine

Spot on. Even reserve FBs like Tristan Sailor, Trei Fuller, Armstrong, Jye Gray, Fa’alogo, Taine Tuapiki, Blaize Talagi are better than him and offer more strike.

Hell - **** Connor Treacy and Taaffe are even **** better. He’s the worst out of all 16 teams this week

If they don't have an elite all round FB, most teams put their best athlete there (or fastest most nimble athlete) or player with the most X factor. The FB gets the most ball. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the most opportunity to run at a broken line. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the opportunity to pick and choose his moments in attack- make that your most dangerous player.

It's hard to break down set defences of good teams (hence teams giving away 6 agains and penalties just to reset)- so a FB with some attacking chops maximises your rare opportunities when teams aren't quite set.

Ricky doesn't subscribe to that theory. He seems to want tough carries from that position. Hence Kris and Hoppa.

But it seems to me if you can't score, you're always under pressure in the game...

Anyway, Hoppa to score a double off Levi crash balls and both to make it until Ricky's annual round 10 crisis of confidence/ team meeting when the season is half in the toilet.

[dubby]

People thinking Hoppa is not that bad a choice for fullback, do they watch other teams, or just the Raiders?? Every team has a strike fullback. All of them. Hoppa is not even a strike winger

With an already weak spine, this is devastating. I'll hope for some good metres and carries but I can't see us playing anything other than grindball. Very depressing to be here, when just not long ago we thought we were ushering in a new era of the (old) fast attacking green machine

Spot on. Even reserve FBs like Tristan Sailor, Trei Fuller, Armstrong, Jye Gray, Fa’alogo, Taine Tuapiki, Blaize Talagi are better than him and offer more strike.

Hell - **** Connor Treacy and Taaffe are even **** better. He’s the worst out of all 16 teams this week

If they don't have an elite all round FB, most teams put their best athlete there (or fastest most nimble athlete) or player with the most X factor. The FB gets the most ball. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the most opportunity to run at a broken line. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the opportunity to pick and choose his moments in attack- make that your most dangerous player.

It's hard to break down set defences of good teams (hence teams giving away 6 agains and penalties just to reset)- so a FB with some attacking chops maximises your rare opportunities when teams aren't quite set.

Ricky doesn't subscribe to that theory. He seems to want tough carries from that position. Hence Kris and Hoppa.

But it seems to me if you can't score, you're always under pressure in the game...

Anyway, Hoppa to score a double off Levi crash balls and both to make it until Ricky's annual round 10 crisis of confidence/ team meeting when the season is half in the toilet.

Problem is, we lack that sort of player to begin with.

Chevy is not there yet. And he has been smashed from pillar to post in his few games. He needs a break.

Rapana is injured, and isn't going to last the season as fullback.

Cotric? Pass.

Schiller? No.

Hoppa. Nope.

Savage? He's a winger now. And probably going to be our best one in future, if he sort out some of his tendencies to lack urgency.

[julian87]

It’s amazing what 3 weeks can do. The super exciting prospect of watching the juniors in first grade has turned into perhaps the most depressing 1-17 I’ve ever encountered as a Raiders fan.

[julian87]

And that’s the worst spine I’ve ever seen named in first grade in the NRL era.

[Rickmando]

People thinking Hoppa is not that bad a choice for fullback, do they watch other teams, or just the Raiders?? Every team has a strike fullback. All of them. Hoppa is not even a strike winger

With an already weak spine, this is devastating. I'll hope for some good metres and carries but I can't see us playing anything other than grindball. Very depressing to be here, when just not long ago we thought we were ushering in a new era of the (old) fast attacking green machine

Spot on. Even reserve FBs like Tristan Sailor, Trei Fuller, Armstrong, Jye Gray, Fa’alogo, Taine Tuapiki, Blaize Talagi are better than him and offer more strike.

Hell - **** Connor Treacy and Taaffe are even **** better. He’s the worst out of all 16 teams this week

If they don't have an elite all round FB, most teams put their best athlete there (or fastest most nimble athlete) or player with the most X factor. The FB gets the most ball. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the most opportunity to run at a broken line. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the opportunity to pick and choose his moments in attack- make that your most dangerous player.

It's hard to break down set defences of good teams (hence teams giving away 6 agains and penalties just to reset)- so a FB with some attacking chops maximises your rare opportunities when teams aren't quite set.

Ricky doesn't subscribe to that theory. He seems to want tough carries from that position. Hence Kris and Hoppa.

But it seems to me if you can't score, you're always under pressure in the game...

Anyway, Hoppa to score a double off Levi crash balls and both to make it until Ricky's annual round 10 crisis of confidence/ team meeting when the season is half in the toilet.

Is that the same meeting where the players come to him with suggestions for coaching ideas?

[President Clinton]

And that’s the worst spine I’ve ever seen named in first grade in the NRL era.

In 2022 we played the bulldogs in round 9 with the following:

1. CNK
6. Matt Frawley
7. Brad Schneider
9. Adam Elliott

Real toss of the coin. Remembering that CNK was coping it from all angles on here.

FWIW I would have gone with:

1. Xavier Savage
6. Ethan Strange
7. Adam Cook / Kaeo Weekes
9. Zac Woolford

[samvucago]

People thinking Hoppa is not that bad a choice for fullback, do they watch other teams, or just the Raiders?? Every team has a strike fullback. All of them. Hoppa is not even a strike winger

With an already weak spine, this is devastating. I'll hope for some good metres and carries but I can't see us playing anything other than grindball. Very depressing to be here, when just not long ago we thought we were ushering in a new era of the (old) fast attacking green machine

Hoppa ain’t playing fullback.
Kris will be fullback.
Cotric in centres.
Hoppa to wing.
Another Rocky Masterclass in smokescreens.

[Mickey_Raider]

We have one relative strength which is our forward pack. I say relative because not infrequently they leave their superiority on paper and don’t show up.

But anyway, insofar as we have any area of strength, it is our forward pack.

The only hooker who has proven to be able to get the forward pack rolling consistently is Woolford. He is the only guy who looks like a trained hooker who has any synergy whatsoever with his pack.

And even though he is no Cam Smith, he is the only guy we have that has this.

Instead we go with the two worst hookers in the comp.

For a one off game I am not as fussed about the other changes at this stage. Going with the boring or experienced changes is quite predictable for Ricky but coming off last week you can understand them. Give me 4 days and I will likely be raging about Hoppa again but for the time being my main preoccupation is elsewhere.

Because hooker thing is beyond cooked.

[President Clinton]

People thinking Hoppa is not that bad a choice for fullback, do they watch other teams, or just the Raiders?? Every team has a strike fullback. All of them. Hoppa is not even a strike winger

With an already weak spine, this is devastating. I'll hope for some good metres and carries but I can't see us playing anything other than grindball. Very depressing to be here, when just not long ago we thought we were ushering in a new era of the (old) fast attacking green machine

Hoppa ain’t playing fullback.
Kris will be fullback.
Cotric in centres.
Hoppa to wing.
Another Rocky Masterclass in smokescreens.

Honestly, I hope there is some last minute shuffling. Kris or Savage to fullback. Woolford to hooker.

Something has to change after we laid an egg at home.

[BadnMean]

Is that the same meeting where the players come to him with suggestions for coaching ideas?

That's the one.

And then Ricky tells us the pack has taken charge of their own start/bench options and there's an article about how he's mellowed.

[Azza]

Christ we stink.

[julian87]

And that’s the worst spine I’ve ever seen named in first grade in the NRL era.

In 2022 we played the bulldogs in round 9 with the following:

1. CNK
6. Matt Frawley
7. Brad Schneider
9. Adam Elliott

Real toss of the coin.

That’s only a toss of the coin on a two headed coin.

[hrundi89]

I live on the Northern Beaches.

Was looking forward to the game at Brookie regardless of outcome.

Just found out my son's Under 15s Gold game is at Cherrybrook at the same time.

Ah well...

[Hong Kong Raider]

People thinking Hoppa is not that bad a choice for fullback, do they watch other teams, or just the Raiders?? Every team has a strike fullback. All of them. Hoppa is not even a strike winger

With an already weak spine, this is devastating. I'll hope for some good metres and carries but I can't see us playing anything other than grindball. Very depressing to be here, when just not long ago we thought we were ushering in a new era of the (old) fast attacking green machine

Spot on. Even reserve FBs like Tristan Sailor, Trei Fuller, Armstrong, Jye Gray, Fa’alogo, Taine Tuapiki, Blaize Talagi are better than him and offer more strike.

Hell - **** Connor Treacy and Taaffe are even **** better. He’s the worst out of all 16 teams this week

If they don't have an elite all round FB, most teams put their best athlete there (or fastest most nimble athlete) or player with the most X factor. The FB gets the most ball. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the most opportunity to run at a broken line. Make that your most dangerous player. Your FB gets the opportunity to pick and choose his moments in attack- make that your most dangerous player.

It's hard to break down set defences of good teams (hence teams giving away 6 agains and penalties just to reset)- so a FB with some attacking chops maximises your rare opportunities when teams aren't quite set.

Ricky doesn't subscribe to that theory. He seems to want tough carries from that position. Hence Kris and Hoppa.

But it seems to me if you can't score, you're always under pressure in the game...

Anyway, Hoppa to score a double off Levi crash balls and both to make it until Ricky's annual round 10 crisis of confidence/ team meeting when the season is half in the toilet.

Problem is, we lack that sort of player to begin with.

Chevy is not there yet. And he has been smashed from pillar to post in his few games. He needs a break.

Rapana is injured, and isn't going to last the season as fullback.

Cotric? Pass.

Schiller? No.

Hoppa. Nope.

Savage? He's a winger now. And probably going to be our best one in future, if he sort out some of his tendencies to lack urgency.

That's his problem too with recruitment. Tell me, which NRL club would give Hoppa another two year deal ? Which NRL club would sign Levi ? We started this season with a reluctant 35 year old FB who hasn't played in that position for some time. Who will retire next year.

Other clubs go to the UK and look at rugby union to supplement their talent.

I also don't buy the restrictive and narrow thinking that "Savage is only a winger now". He was a good FB in 2022, and with his increased confidence this year, why not try him this week when we are resting Chevy? He's our most instinctive player that can create something - and the one player that the opposition don't want at FB this week.

[Botman]

And that’s the worst spine I’ve ever seen named in first grade in the NRL era.

In 2022 we played the bulldogs in round 9 with the following:

1. CNK
6. Matt Frawley
7. Brad Schneider
9. Adam Elliott

Real toss of the coin.

That’s only a toss of the coin on a two headed coin.

Agreed, its not close.
Id have Strange over Frawley on talent and potential alone and i think he's already shown more game breaking ability than the steady hand of Frawls, however

CNK comfortably clears Hoppa.
Schneider is no great shakes but id take him at half over Weekes
Elliott stinks and he's a miles better player than Levi

[Botman]

I live on the Northern Beaches.

Was looking forward to the game at Brookie regardless of outcome.

Just found out my son's Under 15s Gold game is at Cherrybrook at the same time.

Ah well...

Any chance you can live stream your sons game so i can get in on this excuse too?

[julian87]

And that’s the worst spine I’ve ever seen named in first grade in the NRL era.

In 2022 we played the bulldogs in round 9 with the following:

1. CNK
6. Matt Frawley
7. Brad Schneider
9. Adam Elliott

Real toss of the coin.

That’s only a toss of the coin on a two headed coin.

Agreed, its not close.
Id have Strange over Frawley on talent and potential alone and i think he's already shown more game breaking ability than the steady hand of Frawls, however

CNK comfortably clears Hoppa.
Schneider is no great shakes but id take him at half over Weekes
Elliott stinks and he's a miles better player than Levi

And even though Strange > Frawley. We’re now desperately missing Frawley (immediate future wise).

You just can’t roll out two incredibly inexperienced blokes who are arguably better centres than five-eighths considering the make up of the rest of the team. You probably couldn’t even do it with a prime Smith-Slater in the other 2 slots.

If Cook is deemed not good enough (even he is a project 7) the club has to move to find a genuine 7 for the foreseeable future because the current set up is only going to hurt our good juniors imo.

And I’ll add to that: until it happens Puru has to play lock to get into first receiver. Even though we’ve just had 40 put on us twice and Smithies is a better defender you can’t have him distributing with Strange and Weekes in the halves.

The realists here didn’t expect to be close to the 8. But you can’t just settle for 12+ weeks of rudderless floggings because the brains trust never bothered to sign a back up half. Not when you’ve got prop forwards in reserve grade that other teams would take in an instant. I understand you don’t want to hinder the future to band aid the present but I don’t think it’s a tenable situation otherwise.

The scary thing is there are only 2 blokes across the entire second tier of rugby league in Australia who are genuine halfbacks with any semblance of experience and talent.

[-TW-]

I live on the Northern Beaches.

Was looking forward to the game at Brookie regardless of outcome.

Just found out my son's Under 15s Gold game is at Cherrybrook at the same time.

Ah well...

Any chance you can live stream your sons game so i can get in on this excuse too?

Ditto.

Get a kayo stream going

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[The Nickman]

We have one relative strength which is our forward pack. I say relative because not infrequently they leave their superiority on paper and don’t show up.

But anyway, insofar as we have any area of strength, it is our forward pack.

The only hooker who has proven to be able to get the forward pack rolling consistently is Woolford. He is the only guy who looks like a trained hooker who has any synergy whatsoever with his pack.

And even though he is no Cam Smith, he is the only guy we have that has this.

Instead we go with the two worst hookers in the comp.

For a one off game I am not as fussed about the other changes at this stage. Going with the boring or experienced changes is quite predictable for Ricky but coming off last week you can understand them. Give me 4 days and I will likely be raging about Hoppa again but for the time being my main preoccupation is elsewhere.

Because hooker thing is beyond cooked.

Yeah, this is how I miserably feel about our season too.

This is just the Glenn Buttriss era all over again. Your hooker is so fundamentally important to everything, to have a guy that's just ok, or even worse, flat out stinks, just prevents the rest of the team getting on any kind of a roll.

Woolford isn't a superstar, but he at least got our forwards on a roll. Danny Levi doesn't do that, and Starling is even worse.

I could genuinely deal with every other change the coach had made, if he'd just tried to make an attempt to address our dummy half woes. Instead, he's completely cooked the team due to what I can only assume is some form of pride issue.

[President Clinton]

What a **** disaster.

Stuart has been at the helm for 10 years and we’ve reached the ‘not playing to win’ stage.

No backup halfback on the books, four hookers in the squad and all of them combined don’t even make a standard NRL number 9.

And about 50 props.

At least Seb’s a footballer.

[RedRaider]

Hoppa, with his patented 'sit down' method of bomb taking will be a target. Turbo and Saab will not have to jump for the ball because Hoppa will already be on the ground.

Some saying earlier in the week that Ricky would not make 4 changes to the side and then - he did. Hoppa, Cotric, EW and Guler all in. But he WGD'd the change he should have made. After producing the hook last week for DL he rewards his performance by picking him in FG again??

The main issue I have with the Chevy situation is that he was not picked in NSW Cup. There was no mention of injury. If he is not injured then I would have had him back on the park to practice the lessons of the 3 NRL games he has played. Over coming the disappointment of not being selected is part of the growth cycle, but he can't show he can over come it, sitting on the sideline. I note there are 2 TBA's in the NSW Cup backline and the currently selected FB has played center earlier this year.

I disagree, he has played 3 weeks of football and been smashed and struggled in pretty much every facet of fullback play at NRL level. Giving him a lighter week but still training with the first grade squad before a bye is a really good decision. Then he can go back to NSW cup with things to work on and refreshed.

Both NRL and NSW Cup Raider sides have the bye in Round 10. This will mean 2 weeks of no football for Chevy if the current selections stand. If he is not injured, I would look to play him in NSW Cup this week. I didn't think Chevy was smashed against the Sharks. The team was but he wasn't. I would like to see him back on the bike this week in NSW Cup if he is not injured.

[Botman]

And I’ll add to that: until it happens Puru has to play lock to get into first receiver. Even though we’ve just had 40 put on us twice and Smithies is a better defender you can’t have him distributing with Strange and Weekes in the halves.

mentioned that exact thing last night as being someone i think we need to do.
I think having a guy like Puru play first receiver, which is a role he's pretty comfortable with and has played before, would allow Strange and Weekes to play a more natural game.
Puru's not going to help you in the kicking game so we'd have to eat **** on that, but he is our best option imo to distribute and take control of the middle third organisation

The roster construction issues from last year have come to the fore again. The club has gone into the last 2 seasons with unacceptable levels of depth at certain positions.

[Rickmando]

Hoppa, with his patented 'sit down' method of bomb taking will be a target. Turbo and Saab will not have to jump for the ball because Hoppa will already be on the ground.

Some saying earlier in the week that Ricky would not make 4 changes to the side and then - he did. Hoppa, Cotric, EW and Guler all in. But he WGD'd the change he should have made. After producing the hook last week for DL he rewards his performance by picking him in FG again??

The main issue I have with the Chevy situation is that he was not picked in NSW Cup. There was no mention of injury. If he is not injured then I would have had him back on the park to practice the lessons of the 3 NRL games he has played. Over coming the disappointment of not being selected is part of the growth cycle, but he can't show he can over come it, sitting on the sideline. I note there are 2 TBA's in the NSW Cup backline and the currently selected FB has played center earlier this year.

I disagree, he has played 3 weeks of football and been smashed and struggled in pretty much every facet of fullback play at NRL level. Giving him a lighter week but still training with the first grade squad before a bye is a really good decision. Then he can go back to NSW cup with things to work on and refreshed.

Both NRL and NSW Cup Raider sides have the bye in Round 10. This will mean 2 weeks of no football for Chevy if the current selections stand. If he is not injured, I would look to play him in NSW Cup this week. I didn't think Chevy was smashed against the Sharks. The team was but he wasn't. I would like to see him back on the bike this week in NSW Cup if he is not injured.

Exactly right Red.

If Chevy doesn’t have some kind of specific injury that rest/rehab is required for, he should be playing football.

Just like all 18 year old footballers want to do every weekend. They don’t want (or need) to be “managed”.

This reeks of Rick galaxy-braining it, once again beating his own drum about how much he “cares” etc, trying to make out like he’s some type of benevolent father figure rather than a football coach.

Here’s a novel idea Rick - let footballers play football! And take the emotion out of it and stop overstating your role in all of this. Seen and not heard, etc etc

[Rickmando]

And I’ll add to that: until it happens Puru has to play lock to get into first receiver. Even though we’ve just had 40 put on us twice and Smithies is a better defender you can’t have him distributing with Strange and Weekes in the halves.

mentioned that exact thing last night as being someone i think we need to do.
I think having a guy like Puru play first receiver, which is a role he's pretty comfortable with and has played before, would allow Strange and Weekes to play a more natural game.
Puru's not going to help you in the kicking game so we'd have to eat **** on that, but he is our best option imo to distribute and take control of the middle third organisation

The roster construction issues from last year have come to the fore again. The club has gone into the last 2 seasons with unacceptable levels of depth at certain positions.

Smithies is shaping up to me like a roster clogger, potentially blocking Puru’s run at first grade.

He’s a stat accumulator in defence, and ineffective with the ball. I’m calling now, he doesn’t ever look like being a difference maker, or even a tone-setter.

Smithies gets a bit more runway while he can still cite acclimatisation to the NRL as a factor. But gee he looks to me like one of these players that is a luxury in a good side (which we are not) and a ceiling-lowerer in a bad side (which we are).

[Bay53]

Looking at the incident honestly, i'd be furious if a raiders player missed a game for what DCE did in that tackle
But i still wish they threw the **** book at him.

Agree. But it is also rubbish that some teams appeals actually get heard whilst ours (Horse as an example) just get double downed on.

We all know what’s happening here. Unconscious bias, which the NRL does nothing about.

Yes that Horse one was a disgrace. Even the nrl prosecutor was all about ‘DCE the statesman, ambassador for the game’ etc.
Anyone who thinks unconscious bias doesn’t happen across many facets of the game in some way is in fairyland.
Like the discrepancy this year about which clubs could count the all stars game for suspension for their players. Joke.

You have just shown us all that you have no idea how the judiciary system works. DCE got his charge downgraded from a grade 2 to a grade 1. He was still found guilty.

Horsburgh went to the judiciary trying to get off a Grade 1 charge. He failed so was also found guilty of a grade 1 charge. The difference was this was Corey's third offence that season hence the much higher penalty.

[The Nickman]

Looking at the incident honestly, i'd be furious if a raiders player missed a game for what DCE did in that tackle
But i still wish they threw the **** book at him.

Agree. But it is also rubbish that some teams appeals actually get heard whilst ours (Horse as an example) just get double downed on.

We all know what’s happening here. Unconscious bias, which the NRL does nothing about.

Yes that Horse one was a disgrace. Even the nrl prosecutor was all about ‘DCE the statesman, ambassador for the game’ etc.
Anyone who thinks unconscious bias doesn’t happen across many facets of the game in some way is in fairyland.
Like the discrepancy this year about which clubs could count the all stars game for suspension for their players. Joke.

You have just shown us all that you have no idea how the judiciary system works. DCE got his charge downgraded from a grade 2 to a grade 1. He was still found guilty.

Horsburgh went to the judiciary trying to get off a Grade 1 charge. He failed so was also found guilty of a grade 1 charge. The difference was this was Corey's third offence that season hence the much higher penalty.

Don't bring facts into this discussion, mate. The NRL hates us, that's all you need to know.

[Dylan’s Raiders]

I feel like the only valid complaint is Danny Levi’s selection. Because of the short turn around, they are likely to only have the one session so I’m assuming that played a part but my god I want him out of the team.

Xavier Savage trained at fullback as recently as this off season and has been quoted on two different occasions saying he wasn’t up to it. We can see him developing as a good winger, the calls for him to suddenly be developed as a fullback are knee jerk reactions imo.

It was either Guler or Hola in and by all reports, Guler has improved in cup so again that’s fine and I was probably Guler’s harshest critic at the beginning of the season.

I wasn’t aware of Schiller’s defensive issues prior to this season but my god they are there. I know Tapine missed the tackle on Hazelton but if Schiller makes the first tackle as he should, the try isn’t scored. I think it was Nikora or Wilton or run past him (no fend - they let him get a good grab) and as the second rower is trying to beat Chevy, Schiller comes back from behind makes the tackle but allows the quick play the ball. This isn’t an isolated incident - it’s not just his reads in defence but his contact and effort is poor.

Adam Cook cannot be selected - he is on a train and trial (however I dare say NRL would allow special dispensation given Jamal injury and Troy’s death) Any call to drop Kaeo is outrageous. I said this after the game, we looked so fatigued against the sharks and the forwards were beat in attack and defence every single set. There is nothing a halfback can do based on that platform.

The club has identified its three key players for the future in Stewart, Strange and Sanders. It’s very difficult to get a backup spine player from another club and get them to move to Canberra to be a backup player. Fans constantly say poor roster management but again, a lot more goes into it. I guarantee if you offered Trai Fuller for example a one year deal last year to be backup fullback, he would have said no - he can continue doing that at Redcliffe.

I had zero issues going into the season with a combo of:

Halfback: Jamal Fogarty/Troy Dargen
Fullback: Jordan Rapana/Chevy Stewart

Unfortunately, our two most important players were injured early in the season. My point is, fans harp on about being excited for the youth and willing to put up with short term pain but majority of you are not.

It’s a marathon not a sprint.

[The Nickman]

Most of us are more than happy to put with the short term pain of blooding youth, it's in fact the continued disgusting selections around 9 and 14 that have most of us furious right now.

- I wouldn't have dropped Chevy, outside of 25min against the Broncos he's been solid
- I'm happy with Crotic coming in for Schiller
- I'm happy with Whitehead coming back into the side
- The 9/14 situation is an absolutely disgusting debarkle that ruins any chance of our forwards ever getting on a roll

[Dylan’s Raiders]

Chevy has been fantastic and I thought Sunday has quite well rounded from him. He is also a child whose bones only stopped growing probably 6 months ago. So letting him have two weeks off now, get Rapana in after the bye and Chevy will come in again throughout the season, I have no issues with this.

The 9 and 14 is mind boggling. I went to the broncos game and was watching Starling on the bench - he was up and about chomping at the bit to get on from the 20th minute and I just thought to myself “sit down mate, you will come on with 15 to go” and it’s wild. Why have him at all and that’s the Puru merit.

Again, I want Levi out for Woolford out but I won’t die on this hill because I don’t like any number 9 at the club - we need to recruit.

[Seiffert82]

The team you pick when you want to lose 20 - 0 rather than 50 - 20.

Either way.

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Well we couldn’t score a point with last weeks team, I don’t see us scoring 20 with no team changes. To be honest I think this team is just as likely to lose 40 nil. No halfback plus a **** hooker = no points.

Yeah, I'm not sure where Stewart, Schiller and Sasagi are generating the 20 points from.

Levi is the one genuinely awful selection, and probably Starling.

I'd like to think hopoate is only there because Rapana is busted. Whether people like it or not, Cotric and Whitehead are better players than Schiller and Sasagi.

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[UncleDrew]

Has anyone thought about Weekes at 9?

[Green Taipan]

We have one relative strength which is our forward pack. I say relative because not infrequently they leave their superiority on paper and don’t show up.

But anyway, insofar as we have any area of strength, it is our forward pack.

The only hooker who has proven to be able to get the forward pack rolling consistently is Woolford. He is the only guy who looks like a trained hooker who has any synergy whatsoever with his pack.

And even though he is no Cam Smith, he is the only guy we have that has this.

Instead we go with the two worst hookers in the comp.

For a one off game I am not as fussed about the other changes at this stage. Going with the boring or experienced changes is quite predictable for Ricky but coming off last week you can understand them. Give me 4 days and I will likely be raging about Hoppa again but for the time being my main preoccupation is elsewhere.

Because hooker thing is beyond cooked.

Yeah, this is how I miserably feel about our season too.

This is just the Glenn Buttriss era all over again. Your hooker is so fundamentally important to everything, to have a guy that's just ok, or even worse, flat out stinks, just prevents the rest of the team getting on any kind of a roll.

Woolford isn't a superstar, but he at least got our forwards on a roll. Danny Levi doesn't do that, and Starling is even worse.

I could genuinely deal with every other change the coach had made, if he'd just tried to make an attempt to address our dummy half woes. Instead, he's completely cooked the team due to what I can only assume is some form of pride issue.

"Pride", that's Stuart's biggest flaw along with infallibility.