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15 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Clearly these are judgment calls when people play across multiple competitions.  In my opinion he is one of the most dynamic middle forwards in the world and I believe he will prove that.  My concern at the moment is that Canterbury are not using him to his strengths but that can of course change.

Very true. To be fair, I believe he is as well although I am slightly disappointed with his start in the nrl.

I also believe that realistically it's tough to call someone who has only played super league one of the best player's at their respective positions in the world. That may be controversial but its just my opinion due to the disparity in quality of the two competitions.

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I’m not sure why Thompson is receiving any criticism for his performances. He looks lost/not knowing his role out there, which is a clear fault of the coaching staff and teammates. He’s running unconvincing dummy runs whilst they give the ball to plodder Tolman (@Dunbar, it’s not that difficult to spell, I wouldn’t want to call you racist 😉) . His defence hasn’t been as hard hitting as expected but that’s symptomatic of him not knowing his role. 

If I was to call on the situation, I reckon they planned to use him as an out and out prop but then Elliott got injured and it threw all their plans up in the air. 

I don’t think it’s anything to do with conditioning from coming over from here as his first NRL was probably his best.

FWIW I think Thompson can be an effective loose forward, but it’s not his best position 

Edited by DoubleD
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2 hours ago, AB90 said:

I also believe that realistically it's tough to call someone who has only played super league one of the best player's at their respective positions in the world. That may be controversial but its just my opinion due to the disparity in quality of the two competitions

while there is a clear disparity between the competitions, I am comfortable calling out the best players in Super League as being among the world's best in their positions.

The obvious example is James Roby. While he never played NRL, he has been the only 9 in the world to come close to Cam Smith for the last decade. 

For the last 10 years he has been head and shoulders above every other hoover in the NRL and part of the evidence is that he is head and shoulders above Hodgson who is seen as the #2 hooker over there in recent seasons.

I accept that there aren't many others but I would add Makinson and Walmsley to the list as well for example.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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I think we’re seeing what we knew , that Thompson is a prop . He’s an out n out dynamic ball carrier and metre eater . He’s not got a lot of strings to his bow , which just in mind I want from my lock . I don’t like this third prop 13 To me he looks out of position and he should be playing prop in a couple of stints where he just uses - or they use - his strengths of running hard , running fast and running direct . It’s criminal hes so often a decoy for inferior players . I’ll cut them some slack with Eliott’s injury but we’ll see longer term what gives

Edited by DavidM
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8 minutes ago, DavidM said:

I think we’re seeing what we knew , that Thompson is a prop . He’s an out n out dynamic ball carrier and metre eater . He’s not got a lot of strings to his bow , which just in mind I want from my lock . I don’t like this third prop 13 To me he looks out of position and he should be playing prop in a couple of stints where he just uses - or they use - his strengths of running hard , running fast and running direct . It’s criminal hes so often a decoy for inferior players . I’ll cut them some slack with Eliott’s injury but we’ll see longer term what gives

Maybe we will see that this week.  As an interchange player he can come of the bench and into the front row and put in a big shift of running that we are used to seeing.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

while there is a clear disparity between the competitions, I am comfortable calling out the best players in Super League as being among the world's best in their positions.

The obvious example is James Roby. While he never played NRL, he has been the only 9 in the world to come close to Cam Smith for the last decade. 

For the last 10 years he has been head and shoulders above every other hoover in the NRL and part of the evidence is that he is head and shoulders above Hodgson who is seen as the #2 hooker over there in recent seasons.

I accept that there aren't many others but I would add Makinson and Walmsley to the list as well for example.

Yes, there are some players however I still think it's a huge call to claim that the best players in SL are the best at their position in the world.

The best player in SL last year was Jackson Hastings. Would you consider him to be one of the best halves in the world? Top 20 maybe. Not close to the best in the world.

Lachlan Coote? Best fullback in SL but wouldn't be in the top 10 fullbacks in the world.

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9 minutes ago, AB90 said:

Yes, there are some players however I still think it's a huge call to claim that the best players in SL are the best at their position in the world.

The best player in SL last year was Jackson Hastings. Would you consider him to be one of the best halves in the world? Top 20 maybe. Not close to the best in the world.

Lachlan Coote? Best fullback in SL but wouldn't be in the top 10 fullbacks in the world.

Yes, I agree.  That's why I didn't name Coote or Hastings.

But would you rate Walmsley, Makinson and Roby as among the best in the world in their positions?

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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38 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Yes, I agree.  That's why I didn't name Coote or Hastings.

But would you rate Walmsley, Makinson and Roby as among the best in the world in their positions?

You may be right but i still think you can't categorically say they are without them playing in the competition where 90% of the best rugby league players on the planet play in.

No different to other sports. A basketball player that plays in the European League cannot be considered a top player unless he goes and proves himself in the NBA. A footballer that plays in the Scottish league cant be unless he goes to the Prem, Seria A etc.

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14 minutes ago, AB90 said:

You may be right but i still think you can't categorically say they are without them playing in the competition where 90% of the best rugby league players on the planet play in.

No different to other sports. A basketball player that plays in the European League cannot be considered a top player unless he goes and proves himself in the NBA. A footballer that plays in the Scottish league cant be unless he goes to the Prem, Seria A etc.

I understand what you are saying but I have seen enough players move between the comps and then of course meet in international matches to confidently say that in my opinion these three aee amongst the world's best. 

These things are all subjective of course. Half the time we can't agree who is the best in a position when they play in the same competition.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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1 minute ago, Dunbar said:

I understand what you are saying but I have seen enough players move between the comps and then of course meet in international matches to confidently say that in my opinion these three aee amongst the world's best. 

These things are all subjective of course. Half the time we can't agree who is the best in a position when they play in the same competition.

You are very knowledgeable I'll give you that. Agree to disagree then.

The 3 players you mentioned may be some of the best players at there position in the world. However, you agree me that Jackson Hastings (who was better than all of them in 2019) is not one the best halves in the world which surely means there is a chance that the 3 players you mentioned may not be as well.

If we go by international's, Tui Lolehea was arguably the best player in the world during 2019 and PNG have better prop fowards than Alex Walmsley.

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2 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Herbie Farnworth added to the England EPS.

If you’ve got Watch NRL, don’t miss the Matt Nable promo for Titans-Raiders on today’s NRL360. About 30 mins in. All about John Bateman. And Yorkshire...

I saw that . I bet he was a bit embarrassed if he saw it , that was a real eulogy !!

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16 minutes ago, Pulga said:

Williams clocked the fastest speed last round.

That's a great effort. Williams is showing that he has all the attributes of a world class half... great short kicking game, creative passing, strong running game and solid in defence.

I am delighted that he is having an excellent first season in the NRL.

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"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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On 19/08/2020 at 02:19, DavidM said:

I think we’re seeing what we knew , that Thompson is a prop . He’s an out n out dynamic ball carrier and metre eater . He’s not got a lot of strings to his bow , which just in mind I want from my lock . I don’t like this third prop 13 To me he looks out of position and he should be playing prop in a couple of stints where he just uses - or they use - his strengths of running hard , running fast and running direct . It’s criminal hes so often a decoy for inferior players . I’ll cut them some slack with Eliott’s injury but we’ll see longer term what gives

Totally agree, when I saw him in the WCC I couldn`t wait to see him come over here and do the same thing. On TV on the weekend I forgot he was out there until I saw him in the huddle after a try. 

I really expected him to be like how you describe in your second sentence in the Adrian Morley mould.

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How did Luke Thompson play this week? I didnt see the game or highlights, just saw his stats of 9 runs for 91 mètres, 25 tackles and one off load in 33 minutes, 

Did he play 13 or prop when he got onto the field? 

Edited by barnyia
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6 hours ago, barnyia said:

How did Luke Thompson play this week? I didnt see the game or highlights, just saw his stats of 9 runs for 91 mètres, 25 tackles and one off load in 33 minutes, 

Did he play 13 or prop when he got onto the field? 

He played off the bench with Jackson at 13 . He came on for a stint as prop , carried it in off restarts and a few other carries but although it was a marginal improvement it was still light years away from the Luke Thompson we saw here . He’s just peripheral to much 

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43 minutes ago, DavidM said:

He played off the bench with Jackson at 13 . He came on for a stint as prop , carried it in off restarts and a few other carries but although it was a marginal improvement it was still light years away from the Luke Thompson we saw here . He’s just peripheral to much 

Caught up with the game today and I agree with this assessment.

I just don't see him as an impact prop. He is not the biggest front rower and his strengths are his engine and leg speed and I just don't see the value of taking him off with 20 minutes left when he could start to find more yards in the middle and look to break the line.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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Just now, OMEGA said:

Strikes me that it’s an Ausie coach who thinks he knows better and is he’ll bent on reinventing Thompson despite seeing how good he is over here.

Or possibly, as Thompson was a signing by the Dean Pay regime, the new coach is using him grudgingly, just because there's nobody else available 'til Trent Barrett comes in and gets the cash to make his own signings next season.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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I suspect the bulldogs will move Aden Tolman on at the end of the year, and Thompson will have a much bigger role to play next year. They're too similar to play in the front row together. Also, remember Thompson didn't play for three months, spent two weeks in quarantine, then was straight out onto the field in a higher standard competition, playing with the bottom side. Of course he's not dominating straight away (neither Morley or Burgess did either). I think he's performing solidly and holding his own, which is really all that could be asked for right now. 

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54 minutes ago, ghost crayfish said:

I suspect the bulldogs will move Aden Tolman on at the end of the year, and Thompson will have a much bigger role to play next year. They're too similar to play in the front row together. Also, remember Thompson didn't play for three months, spent two weeks in quarantine, then was straight out onto the field in a higher standard competition, playing with the bottom side. Of course he's not dominating straight away (neither Morley or Burgess did either). I think he's performing solidly and holding his own, which is really all that could be asked for right now. 

Tolman and Thompson similar players? The only thing similar about them is the position they play and their hair colour. The former is a plodder whilst the latter is blockbuster 

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10 hours ago, DoubleD said:

Tolman and Thompson similar players? The only thing similar about them is the position they play and their hair colour. The former is a plodder whilst the latter is blockbuster 

They're both workers who are on the smaller side for props, run straight and don't offload. But sure, no similarity at all. There must be another reason the bulldogs coach doesn't start them together...

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