2020 Pre Season and Trial Games

It was an interesting interview on a couple of fronts.

I don't think the fact that they will be playing a different up tempo style is unexpected, there are often shifts in style each new year as Club reflect on what was successful in the year past.

The results Canberra had this year with the quick shifts and up tempo will influence a lot of sides in this coming year.
 
That is closer to the Roosters style of play from last year then what the Storm do. The Roosters asked a lot of questions last year, resulting in one of the lowest completion rates in the comp, but they backed their defence and wore a lot of teams out.

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Lino looks like being fit for round 1.
That gives the coach a full range of options for the 5/8 position.
None of the 4 or 5 he has to choose from looks ideal.
 
Billy said:
Lino looks like being fit for round 1.
That gives the coach a full range of options for the 5/8 position.
None of the 4 or 5 he has to choose from looks ideal.
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As long as one of them jumps out of the ground during preseason or displays the skills the coach wants to take advantage of, we should be ok

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Imo Lino is the most skilled 1st grader out of them but Crossland could be a bolter . Lino has all the skills to be a good 5/8 or halfback but I like Watson there as well , it will be interesting to see who starts rd 1.
 
The up tempo style was also the kind of footy we were playing when we went on that winning streak last year. The problem was we didn't seem to have the fitness to sustain that for a full game and bit really fell away after origin.
 
I see Daniel Abraham spent a day shadowing the coaches and is coaching our Johns cup under 16s (the squad that plays country sides and is mostly under 15s), as well as working with the under 20s.
I watched the game last year where Brodie Jones went back to play for Cessnock against Macquarie and the matchup between Jones and Daniel Abraham was surprizingly even.
 
https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2020/01/02/20-stars-for-2020--jonah-pezet/
NSWRL article - part of the 20 stars for 2020 series. Jonah Pezet.
Huge wraps on the kid.
I watched him play under 16s in 2018 as a 14 year old and I thought the tall, skinny kid was just going to be a running 5/8 because he had a very good running game but not much of a passing and kicking game.
In 2019 he completely transformed to an organising half as good as Brock Lamb or Jock Madden, but still had a killer running game as well. He also kicked goals at over 80% I'd say.
After he led our under 16s to an easy title win, with the only loss for the season coming when Pezet was injured, he spent the rest of the season shadowing Scott Dureau as he coached under 20s, but was too young to play.
I think he is the only 16 year old named for the emerging blues, although there are many names I don't recognise, so maybe there are others.
He is basically a 15/16 year old who is about 6'1" and runs like an outside back while having as good a kicking and passing game as anyone I've seen at his age.
I watched the pasifica v NSW under 16s game and thought Pezet had a hand in every try. They say 5 try assists in that article, which is how I saw it. If the opposition in that game was a bit better, that would have been one of the best games ever from a 15 year old.
I expect him to play Flegg the day he turns 17.
 
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latest photos don't show too many of the players, but Huth, Saulo, Jones, Randall, Tuiala, Shibasaki and Lino have all survived the post christmas cut.
 
Billy said:
latest photos don't show too many of the players, but Huth, Saulo, Jones, Randall, Tuiala, Shibasaki and Lino have all survived the post christmas cut.
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Do you think Randall gets a Top 30 contract if/when Levi signs with Manly? I'm pretty sure he will

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Owey said:
Do you think Randall gets a Top 30 contract if/when Levi signs with Manly? I'm pretty sure he will

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They seem to be grooming Huth as our next option, but Huth has only played 4 games of reserve grade, all off the bench for less than 25 minutes and averages 15 fantasy points per game. On the other hand, Randall has played 3 seasons of reserve grade, often plays 80 minutes, and averages nearly 50 fantasy points.
Huth is a very clever dummy half, but he's never even had one good game of seniors yet.
I'd be very uncomfortable with us going into the season with just Brailey, Watson and Huth as hookers. One longterm injury and we'd be naming Huth in firstgrade without even knowing if he can play seniors at all.
 
Interesting thing about today's photos is that someone is laughing in nearly all of them.
Big change from before Christmas when they all looked like they were getting flogged.
 
Sounds like Watson will be used as an impact player at hooker or lock or both.
On paper, it sounds like the role he was born to play, but I don't think he has been that impressive off the bench when we have used him that way. He seems to need a bit of time on the field before he winds up instead of coming on and having instant impact like an Issac De Gois.
 
Billy said:
Sounds like Watson will be used as an impact player at hooker or lock or both.
On paper, it sounds like the role he was born to play, but I don't think he has been that impressive off the bench when we have used him that way. He seems to need a bit of time on the field before he winds up instead of coming on and having instant impact like an Issac De Gois.
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It means you carry two out and out middle forwards on the bench instead of three, a la Melbourne for the last half a dozen years. Watson gives you a more mobile defender in the middle and i don't think he let us down defensively when playing hooker last year. Plus he'll be hunting around the play the ball in close proximity to KP (in his new Teddy fullback role). Opposition middles will want to be on their game.

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