The Halfback Conundrum

Which potential halfback, available from November 1, should the club make the #1 priority?

  • Ben Hunt

    Votes: 7 11.9%

  • Braydon Trindall

    Votes: 8 13.6%

  • Jonah Pezet

    Votes: 27 45.8%

  • Sam Walker

    Votes: 3 5.1%

  • Daniel Atkinson

    Votes: 3 5.1%

  • Lachlan Ilias

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • None of the above - Stick by Jack Cogger and continue to nurture kids currently in the system

    Votes: 6 10.2%

  • Other (comment with their name)

    Votes: 1 1.7%

  • Ronald Volkman

    Votes: 1 1.7%

  • Toby Sexton

    Votes: 3 5.1%
  • Total voters
    59
Warbs said:
I still say we need a quality 7. Yes, I've heard all the talk of modern games not needing the traditional 7, but answer this one question, When has AOB's Gameplans ever worked before. He's only had 6 years, or 7 to get it right. I stopped counting after 2. I like Fletcher in the 6, KP in the 1, but I don't see Brown doing halfback stuff. He's proved that before. He's a running 6 who drifts in and out of games. Is that what we want in our "half"?
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I do agree that if we keep going with AOB ball and wanting to grind the opposition we more of a “halfback” with a good kicking game.

You can tell he was trained at the Storm and then the Roosters where the one common denominator was Cooper Cronk.

Like you said though his game plans haven’t worked since he arrived. We had a “traditional” 7 with Pearce and tbh our attack still wasn’t great.

I’m hoping we might finally move away from that.

In well coached systems though a traditional 7 isn’t essential. Storm, Bulldogs, Penrith (recent years) aren’t good sides just because Hughes, Sexton and Cleary are leading the team. They’re good because they’re excellently coached and everyone knows their role within the structure. It helps that Hughes and Cleary are great players so when they need to go out of the system to make something happen they can, but they have less individual impact on the general play than what is made out. There’s a reason people are suddenly calling for us to sign Sexton, he’s made to look good within that structure.

I should have clarified in my original post that a traditional halfback isn’t essential in the modern game if you’re well coached and have good structures. That’s obviously not us, but I also wouldnt be happy with us making recruitment decisions around plans to play more AOB ball.
 
I honestly think people just want to fit a narrative.

Let’s look at it from black and white facts.

The year Dylan brown played 7 (2024) was the same year Luai played a vast majority at 7 at Penrith. Now the commentators and “experts” claimed Luai stood up in the absence of Cleary.

No one mentions the fact that Dylan actually beats him for tries, try assists, lines engaged, line break assists and line break involvements.

For some reason to the commentators and “experts” Dyl was considered a failure at 7, but Luai passes?.

Is Dyl and elite 7? No
Can he be? Yes

The man is 24 years old, if he got those stats “without trying/being good” if he knuckles down and puts everything into it, there is no reason he couldn’t be a world class 7.

He was also in a worst team, had no training at halfback for 4 or so years, and had to re-learn on the job as he was thrown into it when Moses went down.


This year he had a coach that didn’t want to play him 7, this much is obvious when you watch those games, he wants to play in a strict structure and wanted the actual halfback (the one wearing the 7) to take control and let Dyl pick his moments to run, this is why he doesn’t try to control games when Moses isn’t there, that isnt his job. Funny enough when Moses came back Ryles looked to have eased the strictness of the plan as he probably trusted Moses as a halfback to fill in the gaps (he did) and that freed up Dyl since the strictness was toned down.

So it’s interesting

Not bad in my book. And a direct upgrade on what we have.
 
Yep Luai in a team dominating field position and keeping opposition to between 0 and 20 points conceded every game vs Brown playing for a team getting killed in yardage and conceding 30+ per game... that was the real difference between them.
 
Hughes gone, Wishart probably goes to half and he maybe snags a bench spot.

Further proof great move by him to stay at Storm.
 
If you're talking Pezet he might actually snag that Storm starting spot I think.

Even if not he's a million miles closer to playing in a GF than by signing with the Knights.
 
Gees, I don't think Pezet being the halfback disqualifies the Storm from playing the gf, I think slots original premise is spot on.
 
Owey said:
Gees, I don't think Pezet being the halfback disqualifies the Storm from playing the gf, I think slots original premise is spot on.
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But is it?

I mean who actually cares that you’re close to a GF? He isn’t playing in it, won’t get recognised for it, won’t get a ring, when people look back at the team no Pezet will be there.

So what? He should stay there because he can brag about being a reserve grader for a team that makes the grand final? Grand finals only matter individually if you actually played in them other wise you’re just a faceless name like many reserve graders that played behind a first grade team.

So if Melbourne win the grand final I want everyone to celebrate Jonah for his massive contribution to the reserve grade side.

With no offence I actually think it’s a stupid argument to make “yeah stay in Melbourne because while you won’t actually win a ring you’ll at least be close, rather than set up a legacy and financial future because at least you’ll be close to a grand final as a reserve grader”.
 
slotmachine said:
Time will tell but he'll be playing in the finals while the knights are off getting bad tattoos in Bali.
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Hughes was re-signing, no?

In all honesty, I suspect he prefers to hide in that system. Its pretty comfortable. And you're right, free finals each year with fridge involvement/minimal pressure or stress
 
KPGreatness said:
But is it?

I mean who actually cares that you’re close to a GF? He isn’t playing in it, won’t get recognised for it, won’t get a ring, when people look back at the team no Pezet will be there.

So what? He should stay there because he can brag about being a reserve grader for a team that makes the grand final? Grand finals only matter individually if you actually played in them other wise you’re just a faceless name like many reserve graders that played behind a first grade team.

So if Melbourne win the grand final I want everyone to celebrate Jonah for his massive contribution to the reserve grade side.

With no offence I actually think it’s a stupid argument to make “yeah stay in Melbourne because while you won’t actually win a ring you’ll at least be close, rather than set up a legacy and financial future because at least you’ll be close to a grand final as a reserve grader”.
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Yes.

The Storm will go close to playing in the grand final this year, the Knights will not. With Hughes down, Pezet is closer to the match day squad, ie closer to playing in a grand final. Dunno how that can be argued against. No comment from me at all on whether Pezet should have stayed or gone, but I agree with Slots premise.
 
If Pezet ever gets chucked the keys to the car he'll go OK.
Been an organising half since he was 14, but hasn't got to do it in firstgrade yet.
His defence might let them down.
 
Pezet couldn't have known Hughes was going to get injured when he re-signed. I mean he is going to get injured at some point I guess, but when Hughes recovers Pezet goes back to playing in reserve grade in front of nobody.

If Pezet wants to spend half his career in reserves he made the right choice. If Pezet is happy cruising and less stress while he banks lower wages than he could be making elsewhere good luck to him.
 
Kurriboy said:
Pezet couldn't have known Hughes was going to get injured when he re-signed. I mean he is going to get injured at some point I guess, but when Hughes recovers Pezet goes back to playing in reserve grade in front of nobody.

If Pezet wants to spend half his career in reserves he made the right choice. If Pezet is happy cruising and less stress while he banks lower wages than he could be making elsewhere good luck to him.
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I get what you mean, if that’s what he’s happy with, then more power to him.
I also think, if he’s as good as people say (I don’t even know what he looks like without knowing how he plays), it’s a real wasted career. Fair enough, he’d have only wasted it with us anyway, we aren’t making top 4 any time soon, but someone decent would have been onto him.
 
Just reading the posts from the Parra supporters about Matthew Hunter before we signed him and they think he is a great 1/2 , 5/8 coming through . They said there reserve grade wasn't doing well about mid ladder until he came in and they went ahead in leaps and bounds. I think he will be 21 when he gets here so maybe they just bought the 1/2 back we will need and Brown stays at 6 but if Ponga stays what do we do with Sharpe.
 
Ethan said:
Just reading the posts from the Parra supporters about Matthew Hunter before we signed him and they think he is a great 1/2 , 5/8 coming through . They said there reserve grade wasn't doing well about mid ladder until he came in and they went ahead in leaps and bounds. I think he will be 21 when he gets here so maybe they just bought the 1/2 back we will need and Brown stays at 6 but if Ponga stays what do we do with Sharpe.
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Hunter isn’t a halfback, only played 6

I think he’s just being brought in as depth

Remember we did sign Lykhan King-togia but he ended up backflipping in the cooling period
 
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