Brits in the NRL

[hunsletgreenandgold]

15 minutes ago, Harrigan said:

Quick shout out to Ryan Sutton's start to the year. 200m at the weekend. Averaging 140m and 31 tackles a game so far and already dotted down for a try. He's making it very hard to bring Horsborough back into the team if he carries on like this. 

Feels like he's definitely made himself part of the 6 forwards rotation - Tapine, Papalii, Lui / Sutton, Soliola, James. 

Last season at a point he was definitely behind Horsburgh and even Guler. CHN will likely be the one to come into that 6 now he's available if Tapine is injured. Really pleased for Sutton though - went over there with the least fanfare and becoming a regular in one of the strongest packs in the NRL.

[OMEGA]

George Williams has been very poor in the game Vs Penrith this morning. Anonymous for the most part but he made some sloppy errors throughout the game. He did handle twice for Whitens try but threw a couple of forward passes, went behind his runner twice and threw a lazy intercept pass for Cleary’s try.

Whitehead was solid and threw a peach of a pass for Crokers try while Hodgson was busy achieving very little despite looking busy.

Best of the Brits was Sutton again, ran hard and often poking his shoulders through the tackle on a few occasions. He tackled everything that came his way and was dominant in almost all of his collisions.

Edited April 9, 2021 by OMEGA

[Dunbar]

Tom Burgess had a bit of a slow start this year but his contribution over the last couple of weeks has been excellent.  His running metres over the first five rounds has been 58, 109, 156, 181 and then 246 yesterday.

A bit of a mixed bag this morning for the Canberra quartet.  Sutton was good but not great while (as Omega says) George Williams wasn't as effective as he has been usually - far too much lateral movement for me, he is much more effective when he straightens up and either takes on the defence or bites into the line before moving the ball.

I try every week to see why people rave about Hodgson but I really do struggle.  All the talk is about whether his distribution is good enough but there are more worrying aspects of his game for me.  He is top of the missed tackle count in the NRL and every tackle he does make he loses yards.  Add to this his discipline is poor (he is joint second in penalties conceded).  He is seen as an integral part of the Canberra team and yet the Raiders have a better win record when he isn't playing than when he is!

Luke Thompson makes his 2021 bow tomorrow... a bit of a baptism of fire against the Storm but at least he is named to start at prop which will give him a chance to work hard and show his engine which is by far his strongest quality.  He is a top class long minutes forward who was used badly last year by the Bulldogs.  Maybe with Aiden Toleman gone he can be that key pack player that he should be given his quality.

[DoubleD]

Canberra looked good until CNK got ruled out. Whitehead going to centre, Croker wing and Rapana at full back really impacted them. Canberra were below par across the board. Hodgson was controlling the ruck and the game early doors but when the tide turned, no one from Canberra could stop the machine that are Penrith. 

Whitehead and Hodgson were the best of the Brits but Hodgson’s defence is becoming a concern and I think Wane will be most concerned about that 

[Dunbar]

Decent first game of the season for Luke Thompson this morning. Came off the bench and added some go forward in a team that was pretty soundly beaten... and got over for the Bulldogs first try.

I still think he needs to add a bit more urgency and sting in defence but he is by far the best forward ball carrier for the Bulldogs with his footwork and strength. 

Limped off with a few minutes to go with a hamstring injury so hope that's not too bad.

[slowdive]

What's the general consensus on George williams?  My impression, only having seen bits and pieces, is that he's a solid nrl performer but nothing more than that.  Is he likely to stay in the nrl?  I'd like to see him return and hopefully come back here a better player who can raise the standard back in SL

[Dunbar]

23 minutes ago, slowdive said:

What's the general consensus on George williams?  My impression, only having seen bits and pieces, is that he's a solid nrl performer but nothing more than that.  Is he likely to stay in the nrl?  I'd like to see him return and hopefully come back here a better player who can raise the standard back in SL

Bit of a funny one Williams.

Before he went over I said the following when asked by the Aussies how good he is...

"Very talented.  His short kicking game is very good as his his running. He also has a very decent passing game... always at the top end of the try assist stats.

His defence is always pretty good as well.

So you you would think he was a good all round half... well not quite as he hasn't got the organisational skills or communication to boss a game. He really needs an organisational half alongside him to shine."

In his first year his off the cuff style and skills earned plaudits but Ricky Stewart has said that he wants him to improve his game management and become more vocal.

He is perhaps achieving this a little more but I think he has lost something along the way as he is less dangerous this year and less of a running threat.  He will never be a Cooper Cronk and boss the game for 80 minutes and I guess the question is would he be a better player if allowed to play his natural game - I don't think Canberra can do this as Wighton is not a natural game manager either.

Will be very interesting to see how he kicks on for the rest of this year. 

[EastLondonMike]

Thought Thompson looked good in parts for the Bulldogs today, made some good yards and looked more up for it than I can recall. Also looked a bit bigger, but maybe that's just because I haven't seen him play for a while.

George Williams didn't really inject himself into the game for Canberra, he just seemed happy distributing and letting Wighton make the plays. Regardless he's still one of the better players at the Raiders, and think he's much more than just average in the NRL.

Also agree with Dunbar about Hodgson in defence. He seems to get bumped off far too regularly. Something that seems to be happening far more than I can recall.

[Farmduck]

Thompson came off early but it looked like a relatively minor hamstring. He was able to walk off without assistance so probably not major. His stats were good:

Played 59 minutes. 16 runs for 139m incl. 56m post-contact

[Dunbar]

23 hours ago, EastLondonMike said:

Thought Thompson looked good in parts for the Bulldogs today, made some good yards and looked more up for it than I can recall. Also looked a bit bigger, but maybe that's just because I haven't seen him play for a while.

I also thought Thompson looked bigger... particularly around his glutes and legs.

I remember Blocker Roach making a comment last year that Thompson looked strong up top but slim around the hips (which I agreed with).  That may have been due to lockdown and him only able to work with what he had for fitness.

But the Bulldogs conditioning team have obviously got his core strength up on last year and I think he will benefit from it.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Dunbar

[AB90]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

Bit of a funny one Williams.

Before he went over I said the following when asked by the Aussies how good he is...

"Very talented.  His short kicking game is very good as his his running. He also has a very decent passing game... always at the top end of the try assist stats.

His defence is always pretty good as well.

So you you would think he was a good all round half... well not quite as he hasn't got the organisational skills or communication to boss a game. He really needs an organisational half alongside him to shine."

In his first year his off the cuff style and skills earned plaudits but Ricky Stewart has said that he wants him to improve his game management and become more vocal.

He is perhaps achieving this a little more but I think he has lost something along the way as he is less dangerous this year and less of a running threat.  He will never be a Cooper Cronk and boss the game for 80 minutes and I guess the question is would he be a better player if allowed to play his natural game - I don't think Canberra can do this as Wighton is not a natural game manager either.

Will be very interesting to see how he kicks on for the rest of this year. 

It will be interesting.

The reality is he is still a very, very good NRL halfback.

Out of the 16 starting half backs (number 7's only) in the NRL I would probably rank him at number 4. With only Nathan Cleary,Jerome Hughes and Mitch Moses ahead of him.

I'd take Williams over very good halfbacks like Adam Reynolds, Daley Cherry-Evans, Mitch Pearce, Luke Brooks, Ash Taylor, Kodi Nikorima, Chad Townsend etc.

[DavidM]

I can see thompson making a mark this year now hes settled in and more conditioned to the nrl . There were decent signs there to begin with . Pity he couldnt land one on Munster’s chin , who again showed why i dislike him so much with ridiculous patting players on the head stuff - i hate that

[Manfred Mann]

On 16/02/2021 at 20:36, BrisbaneRhino said:

.

In terms of Brits my main interest this year will be watching Herbie Farnworth.  He could be a star, but I'm still not entirely sold on him.

I am sorry that you feel that way.

But I want you to know that Herbie Farnworth has the makings of a champion centre. The Australian TV commentators love him. It is only a matter of time before we start to think of Herbie in the same glowing terms that we previously thought of Sam Burgess, James Graham and John Bateman as NRL super stars.

[Dunbar]

10 minutes ago, DavidM said:

I can see thompson making a mark this year now hes settled in and more conditioned to the nrl . There were decent signs there to begin with . Pity he couldnt land one on Munster’s chin , who again showed why i dislike him so much with ridiculous patting players on the head stuff - i hate that

Couldn't agree more.  Players know that immediate red cards and bans will follow any punches thrown and so the Munster's of this world can go around winding people up knowing there will be no serious repercussions and they may 'win' a penalty or get a player binned or sent off.

I am not one to advocate bringing back all the biff of the old days, the game has moved on, but I can day dream of Munster patting the head of Mal Reilly and see where that got him!

[Faithful1865]

12 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Couldn't agree more.  Players know that immediate red cards and bans will follow any punches thrown and so the Munster's of this world can go around winding people up knowing there will be no serious repercussions and they may 'win' a penalty or get a player binned or sent off.

I am not one to advocate bringing back all the biff of the old days, the game has moved on, but I can day dream of Munster patting the head of Mal Reilly and see where that got him!

A & E I would suspect!!

[ghost crayfish]

On 10/04/2021 at 20:17, slowdive said:

What's the general consensus on George williams?  My impression, only having seen bits and pieces, is that he's a solid nrl performer but nothing more than that.  Is he likely to stay in the nrl?  I'd like to see him return and hopefully come back here a better player who can raise the standard back in SL

I think he's around 5th in terms of NRL halfbacks. Pretty good. Not a flashy superstar, but very good in defence, very good kicking game and when something opens up in front of him, a dangerous runner. If he could find a little more creativity with his ball playing, he'd be up with the top 3.

[DavidM]

15 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Couldn't agree more.  Players know that immediate red cards and bans will follow any punches thrown and so the Munster's of this world can go around winding people up knowing there will be no serious repercussions and they may 'win' a penalty or get a player binned or sent off.

I am not one to advocate bringing back all the biff of the old days, the game has moved on, but I can day dream of Munster patting the head of Mal Reilly and see where that got him!

What surprised me is he never called him out , not even a word , when everything came from that . Go out of your way to pat a poor bloke who’s missed a tackle on the head - in a struggling side anyway - then complain when it all kicks off before scarpering quick smart and two blokes get binned. Anyone tackles him mind and he’s moaning like crazy or waving his arms about at the ref . He’s well in the Melbourne tradition of going about things 

Edited April 11, 2021 by DavidM

[Clogiron]

1 hour ago, DavidM said:

What surprised me is he never called him out , not even a word , when everything came from that . Go out of your way to pat a poor bloke who’s missed a tackle on the head - in a struggling side anyway - then complain when it all kicks off before scarpering quick smart and two blokes get binned. Anyone tackles him mind and he’s moaning like crazy or waving his arms about at the ref . He’s well in the Melbourne tradition of going about things 

Ignoring that side of his game he's a really talented player capable of the extraordinary, but like so many of that ilk the rubbish comes with it. The Storm will never reign that in as it's part of their DNA and the media in Oz won't criticise him as he's a fabled Origin player. In the pre RL lite days it would have been sorted out on the field but now a few punches are regarded as a bad look for the game, putting families off etc but is running in and standing over someone abusing them or patting heads and pushing someone a better look that parents want to encourage in their children's behaviour?

[DavidM]

7 minutes ago, Clogiron said:

Ignoring that side of his game he's a really talented player capable of the extraordinary, but like so many of that ilk the rubbish comes with it. The Storm will never reign that in as it's part of their DNA and the media in Oz won't criticise him as he's a fabled Origin player. In the pre RL lite days it would have been sorted out on the field but now a few punches are regarded as a bad look for the game, putting families off etc but is running in and standing over someone abusing them or patting heads and pushing someone a better look that parents want to encourage in their children's behaviour?

Totally agree , since they scrubbed out the punch up there’s all kinds of rubbish like jumper grabbing ( I won’t let go till you let go ) ,synchronised standing around shouting at each other , wind up tactics , pushing each other ( open hand of course ) etc etc . At times it’s like football . There’s no real release valve so this can simmer for ages and it doesn’t look great for our game . It’s a physical battle , a man on man contest so if it needs it let them go toe to toe and get it sorted , and it would teach the wind up merchants a lesson . Was a sad day when we lost the punch up , I don’t care what folk say they loved it really 

Edited April 11, 2021 by DavidM

[The Rocket]

36 minutes ago, Clogiron said:

In the pre RL lite days it would have been sorted out on the field but now a few punches are regarded as a bad look for the game, putting families off etc but is running in and standing over someone abusing them or patting heads and pushing someone a better look that parents want to encourage in their children's behaviour?

I hate all that stuff as well, it puts us on the same level as soccer and afl. I don`t mind players sledging each other across the defensive line, that`s part of the mind games, but this in your face niggle really bugs me. I got a lot of satisfaction of couple of years ago when after being baited by Dylan Walker in his face half the game Curtis Scott just sat him on his ar-se. Walker had this lovely big shiner for the rest of the game and for about a week after, like a great big advert ` this is what happens to smart-***** `Scott got 2 weeks, almost worth it I reckon.

Edited April 11, 2021 by The Rocket

[BrisbaneRhino]

The patting on the head stuff is awful.  I also thought the Panthers guy should have been sin-binned for grabbing the Raiders sub as well. Unwarranted show boating just aimed at taking the mick.

Assuming nobody actually throws a punch following one of these melees started by someone being a git, why not penalise them rather than the third man in? The third man in "rule" worked in the days of punch ups, as it was generally them that escalated pushing and shoving into a full-on fight, but that just doesn't happen any more. I don't see why they should get penalised instead of the original instigator nowadays. 

[Tex Evans Thigh]

On 10/04/2021 at 08:17, Dunbar said:

I also thought Thompson looked bigger... particularly around his glutes and legs.

I remember Blocker Roach making a comment last year that Thompson looked strong up top but slim around the hips (which I agreed with).  That may have been due to lockdown and him only able to work with what he had for fitness.

But the Bulldogs conditioning team have obviously got his core strength up on last year and I think he will benefit from it.

Probably didnt help that he moved mid-season and had to train with baby weights in a hotel for 14 days then thrown into RL action. Nobody commented on his body shape before then either, when he was a MOS contender and good performer at international level. I think it was difficult for him to transition and now he's had a preseason he's ready to go. 

[Tex Evans Thigh]

On 10/04/2021 at 08:24, AB90 said:

It will be interesting.

The reality is he is still a very, very good NRL halfback.

Out of the 16 starting half backs (number 7's only) in the NRL I would probably rank him at number 4. With only Nathan Cleary,Jerome Hughes and Mitch Moses ahead of him.

I'd take Williams over very good halfbacks like Adam Reynolds, Daley Cherry-Evans, Mitch Pearce, Luke Brooks, Ash Taylor, Kodi Nikorima, Chad Townsend etc.

Good assessment, feels like hes in that Reynolds/Moses kind of area which is great. He's not a natural controlling half so that will always be lacking but he's doing very well and getting better.

[OMEGA]

23 hours ago, Dunbar said:

Couldn't agree more.  Players know that immediate red cards and bans will follow any punches thrown and so the Munster's of this world can go around winding people up knowing there will be no serious repercussions and they may 'win' a penalty or get a player binned or sent off.

I am not one to advocate bringing back all the biff of the old days, the game has moved on, but I can day dream of Munster patting the head of Mal Reilly and see where that got him!

Very good post and echoes my sentiments and exactly 

The threat of a red card for decking an opponent has allowed the modern game to have pseudo hard men populating it. The likes of Adam Milner, Ryan Bailey and co wouldn’t have lasted half a season in the days of Jim Mills, Paul Rose, Len Casey and Mike Nicholas. 

[DoubleD]

11 hours ago, BrisbaneRhino said:

The patting on the head stuff is awful.  I also thought the Panthers guy should have been sin-binned for grabbing the Raiders sub as well. Unwarranted show boating just aimed at taking the mick.

Assuming nobody actually throws a punch following one of these melees started by someone being a git, why not penalise them rather than the third man in? The third man in "rule" worked in the days of punch ups, as it was generally them that escalated pushing and shoving into a full-on fight, but that just doesn't happen any more. I don't see why they should get penalised instead of the original instigator nowadays. 

That did annoy me when Crichton did that, Tapine was just minding his own business. I was hoping he'd wallop him