Brits in the NRL

[Saint Toppy]

On 14/07/2022 at 19:24, graveyard johnny said:

don't  get the "basket case club" thing people banter about on here - both the dogs and the tigers are packed with great talent but are struggling because the top clubs are packed with immense talent - both the dogs and tigers would dominate SL easily with the players they have on their books - hardly "basket case?" 

They absolutely wouldn't. Aside from taking Thompson back and may Pangai Jnr I can't think of any other Dogs player i'd put in the Saints team over the current players we have

[DavidM]

10 hours ago, UTK said:

A telstra tracker leaderboard for this season so far came out in the media yesterday, Dom Young has registered the third highest speed in the NRL this season, Herbie hasn't managed to get inside the top 15 this season but was 6th last season.

Top 5 speeds in km/h: 

1. Jason Saab (37.4)
2. Stephen Crichton (37.4)
3. Dom Young (37.3)
4. Xavier Savage (36.7)
5. Kalyn Ponga (36.6)

Last years results for the season:

1. Josh Addo-Carr (38.1)
2. Jason Saab (38.0)
3. Xavier Coates (37.6)
4. Dom Young (37.4)
5. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (37.3)
6. Herbie Farnworth (36.7)

So people talk about The Foxx and Saab as being flyers but Dom is losing virtually nothing with both of them 

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, Saint Toppy said:

They absolutely wouldn't. Aside from taking Thompson back and may Pangai Jnr I can't think of any other Dogs player i'd put in the Saints team over the current players we have

So if Saints signed Foxx and Burton what would you say ?

[Scubby]

22 minutes ago, DavidM said:

So if Saints signed Foxx and Burton what would you say ?

David, you genuinely haven't got anything better on today because Toppy is in for the long haul on this! 

[Dallas Mead]

1 hour ago, Saint Toppy said:

They absolutely wouldn't. Aside from taking Thompson back and may Pangai Jnr I can't think of any other Dogs player i'd put in the Saints team over the current players we have

Just when you thought Saints’ delusion could not climb any higher…..

[Davo5]

42 minutes ago, DavidM said:

So if Saints signed Foxx and Burton what would you say ?

I can guess but it wouldn’t have any bearing on reality.

[StandOffHalf]

2 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

They absolutely wouldn't. Aside from taking Thompson back and may Pangai Jnr I can't think of any other Dogs player i'd put in the Saints team over the current players we have

Addo-Carr and perhaps Burton would strengthen Saints, but I mostly agree. It's a pretty weak Bulldogs squad.

[Saint Toppy]

24 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

Addo-Carr and perhaps Burton would strengthen Saints, but I mostly agree. It's a pretty weak Bulldogs squad.

Addo Carr of his Melbourne days absolutely, on current form, doubtful. He's been awful this year and has probably made more mistakes in this 1 season than in his entire time at the Storm.

As for Burton, I just dont get the hype. The Aussie commentators cream themselves every time he puts up a high kick but other than that I can't say i've been that impressed with him as a 6, though he does look a lot better as a centre.

[StandOffHalf]

48 minutes ago, Saint Toppy said:

Addo Carr of his Melbourne days absolutely, on current form, doubtful. He's been awful this year and has probably made more mistakes in this 1 season than in his entire time at the Storm.

As for Burton, I just dont get the hype. The Aussie commentators cream themselves every time he puts up a high kick but other than that I can't say i've been that impressed with him as a 6, though he does look a lot better as a centre.

I think those are fair criticisms.

Burton's torpedoing spirals are pretty amazing though!

[DavidM]

2 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

Addo Carr of his Melbourne days absolutely, on current form, doubtful. He's been awful this year and has probably made more mistakes in this 1 season than in his entire time at the Storm.

As for Burton, I just dont get the hype. The Aussie commentators cream themselves every time he puts up a high kick but other than that I can't say i've been that impressed with him as a 6, though he does look a lot better as a centre.

Maybe the Foxx has been in a polar opposite side , although that may be a total coincidence . And Burton is 22 a GF winner , Origin player and hes shown ( particularly in the centres strangely enough ) that he has a lot to his game over and above a huge bomb . And again , playing for the Dogs isnt helping both but theyre still proven quality 

Edited July 20, 2022 by DavidM

[graveyard johnny]

6 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

They absolutely wouldn't. Aside from taking Thompson back and may Pangai Jnr I can't think of any other Dogs player i'd put in the Saints team over the current players we have

this is the same dogs team that narrowly lost to souths at the weekend with a great display - the same dogs that off loaded a well past it hopoate to saints and the same saints that got destroyed by souths the last time they played? are these the same teams you talk of?

[StandOffHalf]

3 hours ago, graveyard johnny said:

this is the same dogs team that narrowly lost to souths at the weekend with a great display - the same dogs that off loaded a well past it hopoate to saints and the same saints that got destroyed by souths the last time they played? are these the same teams you talk of?

RL isn't generally a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors though.

Good on the Dogs for getting up for a game against their rivals (I didn't see the game).

Suggesting that they'd beats Saints because they ran Soufs close is a bit of a strange way to look at things IMO. Soufs are a different outfit to the one that beat Saints back then.

[graveyard johnny]

5 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

. Soufs are a different outfit to the one that beat Saints back then.

agreed- quite a few of that souths team were coming to the end of their careers 

[Davo5]

1 minute ago, graveyard johnny said:

agreed- quite a few of that souths team were coming to the end of their careers 

Not really,I was lucky enough to see them live twice that year,against Saints & Canterbury, in a memorable game at ANZ,they were missing Sam Burgess but for the first half of the season they were easily the best team in the NRL,with people talking about them going unbeaten.

[UTK]

On 20/07/2022 at 20:49, DavidM said:

So people talk about The Foxx and Saab as being flyers but Dom is losing virtually nothing with both of them 

His biggest problem at the moment is he lacks some acceleration compared to some of the others particularly when he has to turn around, but he's still lightning.

The numbers for rd 18 just came in and he clocked 38.0 km/h which means he takes top spot this year by a massive 0.6km/h and is 0.1km/h off Addo-Carrs top speed from the previous season.

I can't quite wrap my head around an 108kg/200cm tall kid being the fastest player in Rugby League, he's just an absolute freak of an athlete.

[Scubby]

I have loved Elliot Whitehead, he is one of my favourite players over the last decade, but he should be nowhere near the England squad this year. His form has fallen off a cliff and he suddenly looks all his age (will be 33 at the world cup).

His form may come back but he is a long way down the pecking order. So experienced but is the weak link for Canberra atm. Sometimes age and wear and tear just gets you. 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Scubby

[UTK]

19 minutes ago, Scubby said:

I have loved Elliot Whitehead, he is one of my favourite players over the last decade, but he should be nowhere near the England squad this year. His form has fallen off a cliff and he suddenly looks all his age (will be 33 at the world cup).

His form may come back but he is a long way down the pecking order. So experienced but is the weak link for Canberra atm. Sometimes age and wear and tear just gets you. 

Spot on, been a brilliant player for a long time and it's a shame that recent circumstances have robbed him of playing more tests but there's too many good options playing in SL to overlook now. Plenty of experienced heads still in the England 17 so balancing the experience/form lever does not work in his favour at the moment.

[GeordieSaint]

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

I have loved Elliot Whitehead, he is one of my favourite players over the last decade, but he should be nowhere near the England squad this year. His form has fallen off a cliff and he suddenly looks all his age (will be 33 at the world cup).

His form may come back but he is a long way down the pecking order. So experienced but is the weak link for Canberra atm. Sometimes age and wear and tear just gets you. 

Bateman and McMeeken? Or Batchelor pushing for a slot? Not sure on the latter; really good SL player but not sure he has the stretch potential for internationals. 

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

I have loved Elliot Whitehead, he is one of my favourite players over the last decade, but he should be nowhere near the England squad this year. His form has fallen off a cliff and he suddenly looks all his age (will be 33 at the world cup).

His form may come back but he is a long way down the pecking order. So experienced but is the weak link for Canberra atm. Sometimes age and wear and tear just gets you. 

Pretty quiet today then went off and CHN had a big impact .

[Scubby]

11 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Pretty quiet today then went off and CHN had a big impact .

I would have had him as an automatic selection and even pushing for captain a year or two ago. I have seen every Canberra game in 2022 and he just seems way off the pace. He was such a quick thinking player, always one step ahead and it's just not happening for him. Hope it is just a phase and he can come back but he isn't worth a place in the England squad on current form.

[graveyard johnny]

where was dom young in the knights team this weekend? injured? dropped?

[Dunbar]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

where was dom young in the knights team this weekend? injured? dropped?

Injured. The rib injury that forced him off last week.  Should be back next week.

[graveyard johnny]

3 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Injured. The rib injury that forced him off last week.  Should be back next week.

ok- they  were dreadful against the roosters 

[Dunbar]

7 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

ok- they  were dreadful against the roosters 

They were. 

No doubt Young wouldn't have made a difference to the score but as the Knights second highest ball carrier and highest tackle breaker this year, his carries would have helped a little... which the Roosters got in spades from Suaalii and Tupou, getting every set off on the front foot.

[The Rocket]

Headline in today`s Oz:

NRL 2022: Broncos star Herbie Farnworth makes miraculous recovery and set for finals.

The Broncos’ teetering premiership assault has received a huge boost with strike centre Herbie Farnworth making a stunning recovery from a serious bicep tear to be ready for the NRL finals.