Finals Week 1 vs ??? at ???

I’m quite pessimistic and disillusioned by it all at the moment if I’m being honest.

My heart dropped when we lost the Dylan’s in that game, it picked up when they still managed to find a bit of success but mostly died vs Manly and then was completely killed off last weekend. Losing Saf and the Tank is just exactly the last thing we needed at this point in the season.

Football is as much a game of luck as it is skill. Can have all the skills in the world but if Lady Luck is disinterested then it doesn’t seem to matter what they’ll try. Often feels like this club has a curse on it.

Sorry to be that guy! I hate those guys!😆😰
 
As someone once said, a lot of things have to go right to win a premiership.
Not much has gone right for us.
I didn't expect it at the start of the year, but a fully fit team would have been some chance this year, but we are just trying to get some finals experience for next year now.
I think we are still a chance to win our first final.
 
Lynchyknight said:
If Francis is out I would like to see ESL start and keep Friz on prop rotation and cant on bench
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Its interesting.
Holbrook sees these guys at training, games etc.
Must like what he sees with Cant. Holbrook hasn’t really made any crazy bad decisions this year - or at least he has runs on the “trust me” board. Whereas, AOB was in negative in the end. So I guess I’m happy with whichever way Holbrook goes and trust he’s put a lot of thought into it.

Feel like Cant had some decent games in 24/25, but I don’t think he’s really played that level this season. Maybe those around have just gone up a level.

Maybe he’s in the 24/25 Croker boat of not really having a role, just playing whenever and wherever required.

Either way, hopefully we get whoever, running lots of reps this week at edge. If Manu passes his fitness somehow - great, but it’s a big risk.

I think ESL is out this week with HIA so we could get a decent look at him and Cant and Frizz doing the reps.

A lot depends on Mooney. If Mooney in doubt we definitely need Frizz backing up the Middle.
 
Mooney came off right in front of me on the weekend and was holding his wrist looking in a bit of discomfort. I thought it was wrist rather than shoulder, but he holding his arm very still so makes sense. Have we had any update on the injury and layoff time yet?
 
I knew we should have rested players, just had a feeling we were going to cop injuries.

On the flip side, has this made the team battle hardened and ready for finals.
 
JOJO82 said:
I knew we should have rested players, just had a feeling we were going to cop injuries.

On the flip side, has this made the team battle hardened and ready for finals.
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Resting was still wrong we likely would have had 2 crap performances in a row which is no way to go into a finals series.
 
JOJO82 said:
I knew we should have rested players, just had a feeling we were going to cop injuries.

On the flip side, has this made the team battle hardened and ready for finals.
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I was on the fence about resting players. I’d have happily seen maybe Ponga, Croker and anybody else with soft tissue strains given a breather or managed minutes. But I can’t say Safs and Manu would’ve been on my list.


Who would you have rested, out of curiosity?

Nobody would’ve rested Safs - needed match fitness - maybe managed minutes - but getting sent off in the opening 15 minutes wasn’t on many bingo cards.

Manu missed round 25 with concussion, resting in 26 means he doesn’t play footy for a month.
 
We're a red-hot chance against Souths even without Francis and Mooney. Crossland, Friz and Dom back, forwards looking skinny but we'll still put on plenty of points.

KP
Dom
Gags
Best
Marz
Sharpe
Sandon
Hopwood
Crossland
Crouch
McEwen
Friz
Croker

Graham
Cant
Saulo
Jones
ESL
Hunt
 
Go take a look at Souths line up. With Tallis Duncan back, their team sheet looks very, very strong. They could go all the way, particularly with Bennett, as master of finals.

We'll be without maybe half a dozen of our best players, away from home, and if players like Manu, Mooney and Crossland do play they'll be playing injured. And Ponga is hardly playing his best footy.
 
Vagabond89 said:
Channel 7 is reporting that Knights and Rabbitohs elimination final will likely be played on the Friday night due to scheduling and team turnaround times.
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There's also a bit of talk too that if they get a home final, Souths may play it at Allianz Stadium... Which would be wayyyyy better
 
It'd take an exceptional team to win the comp from 5-8 now, the week off is so massive. Souths are absolutely not good enough IMO. A prelim is their absolute ceiling and I guarantee you they will look almost dead from fatigue by the 55th minute in that game. Their defence isn't even close to good enough to pull it off, the fatigue kicks in and all your little vulnerabilities become gaping holes. If I was a betting man, if they do make a prelim, I would bet on them getting absolutely pieced up. 48-10, that sort of margin.

If Penrith beat Brisbane in the prelim last year I would have backed them to grind it out and limp over the line against Melbourne in the grand final, but even then I don't think you guarantee them getting up for a fourth elimination game in a row. Ultimately even Penrith faded out badly in the last 15 minutes against Brisbane sans Carrigan. The week off won. It's so hard.

The team that wins from outside the top four - it will happen eventually - will have to have a lot of guys who are young -> early prime, and either be a team that has also recently won the comp and knows how to get it done, or otherwise some sort of lightning in a bottle team like the 2009 Eels.
 
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