The pre-season thread - 2022

I agree and think Jones would be a good lock.
What options do we have at lock?
This is how I'd rank them.

1.Barnett
2.Jones
3.Randall
4.Sasagi
5.Crossland
6.Mann

Rankings could oviously change depending on how the young guys develop in the off season.

I personally think in the modern game Sue is a prop and not a lock.
For me I think Barnett will play Lock and could come on and play lock.

1. Kalyn Ponga
2. Dane Gagai
3. Enari Tuala
4. Bradman Best
5. Hymel Hunt
6. Jake Clifford
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Jacob Saifiti
9. Jayden Brailey
10. Daniel Saifiti
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Lachlan Fitzgibbion
13. Mitch Barnett

14. Kurt Mann
15. David Klemmer
16. Sauaso Sue
17. Brodie Jones

I think if we sign a forward Jones could be out of the 17.
 
For me I think Barnett will play Lock and could come on and play lock.

1. Kalyn Ponga
2. Dane Gagai
3. Enari Tuala
4. Bradman Best
5. Hymel Hunt
6. Jake Clifford
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Jacob Saifiti
9. Jayden Brailey
10. Daniel Saifiti
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Lachlan Fitzgibbion
13. Mitch Barnett

14. Kurt Mann
15. David Klemmer
16. Sauaso Sue
17. Brodie Jones

I think if we sign a forward Jones could be out of the 17.
gags will definitely play right centre
 
Jones is seriously over rated by many on here. He gives it his all but he is a stock standard fringe player.
 
Jones is seriously over rated by many on here. He gives it his all but he is a stock standard fringe player.
No I'm with Billy, he has shown a heap more skill coming through then he has been able to show in fg so far. Give him a position and game time, he has plenty more to show.
 
Not so much easily whelmed, the kid was a former Australian school boy who never got a look in under Brown in spite of being consistently one of our best in reggies, tough and creative. I just wanted to see him get an opportunity. Now my hope is that Obi gives him more game time. I have seen plenty in him as a footballer in reggies, I'd like the coaching staff and himself to have the confidence to bring that to the top grade. Under the new rules, I think he could be incredibly effective as a 13, like top notch effective.
 
Not so much easily whelmed, the kid was a former Australian school boy who never got a look in under Brown in spite of being consistently one of our best in reggies, tough and creative. I just wanted to see him get an opportunity. Now my hope is that Obi gives him more game time. I have seen plenty in him as a footballer in reggies, I'd like the coaching staff and himself to have the confidence to bring that to the top grade. Under the new rules, I think he could be incredibly effective as a 13, like top notch effective.
Schoolboys and Reggies aint anything like NRL as you should know. Some of the best talents never make NRL you can't compare a player on how well they played in lower grades only in top grade.
 
Yes, absolutely, seen plenty who look good in the juniors but don't make it. But this guy did two things that stand out that I like to see from a reggie. First, I have seen him play very well week in, week out in a side that was consistently being soundly beaten and absolutely try his guts out. Second, he displayed some real skill and guile with the ball in his hands. He reminded me of Bill Peden in reggies a fair bit, and Billy didn't play first grade until he was 24. Similarly, with both i was wondering if the coaches were seeing what I was and would they ever get a chance? Billy didn't let anyone down once he got there though.
 
Shane Flanagan was commentating one of our last games and Jones was going well, and he said it was no surprise because Jones had been the best of his agegroup in the juniors - which is true. He only ever played 1 game of under 20s as a fill in for a semi final game, because he was straight into reserve grade at 18.
Brown didn't rate him and I thought he'd given up trying after 3 years of reserve grade, and missing a whole year with stress fractures from over training didn't help.
I was surprised when O'Brien gave him another chance, and so was he from what he's said.
 
Schoolboys and Reggies aint anything like NRL as you should know. Some of the best talents never make NRL you can't compare a player on how well they played in lower grades only in top grade.
I think that is Owey's point, though...he needs to be given the opportunity to know he's got the pre-season and the first 8-10 rounds to settle into the squad with some surety, build combinations and confidence before we will know whether he can take the step up...

For mine, I'm not sure whether he will or won't lift to the challenge? I have liked some of the glimpses of talent that are there but I want to see sustained development and consistency, as well as an ability to deliver that for 65-80 minutes. As Slots has pointed out, the benchmark for NRL quality locks is very high.

I honestly don't believe Barnett is a lock though and think he is best suited to the second row/middle forward...but unless Brodie can step up and bring more value, he is not going to push Barnett out of that position..
 
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Schoolboys and Reggies aint anything like NRL as you should know. Some of the best talents never make NRL you can't compare a player on how well they played in lower grades only in top grade.
You still have to get an opportunity in your preferred position to show anything. The whole part of juniors is identifying talent........then give them an opportunity in NRL to showcase the confidence people put in them. It's easier for outside backs and halves to shine as they are the ones with eyeballs plastered to what they are doing in juniors. You just never know who will grow or who will ponder.
 
What's your point? That Jones is half the player of any of those guys?
If we want to be mixing it up with the best teams it won't be with a team of blokes with training wheels on.

The only strategy I can see working, is to get a good group of young talent and bring them all through together.

Hope they build as a tight squad that trust eachother's and love playing together.

Add to these a few key positions like we have with NP and Brailey, good forward pack and solid halves.

I can see this working with KP partnering Clifford in the halves and bringing Hodgson through at FB to have a good mix of youth in the backline and established forwards.
 
20 years ago, when we talked about the team's spine, it was 1, 6, 7, 9, 13 and players like Ben Kennedy, Brad Clyde and others had the role of doing what was needed on the day.
They could do a mountain of defensive work, if that was what was needed.
They could get busy in attack, if that was what was needed.
They could even move into dummy half or play as first receiver if they had to.
It's pretty much gone back to that - after a decade or 2 where locks just became an extra prop.
The perfect lock would be someone who can turn their hand to anything.
Sadly, we all know it's going to be Kurt Mann next year.
 
20 years ago, when we talked about the team's spine, it was 1, 6, 7, 9, 13 and players like Ben Kennedy, Brad Clyde and others had the role of doing what was needed on the day.
They could do a mountain of defensive work, if that was what was needed.
They could get busy in attack, if that was what was needed.
They could even move into dummy half or play as first receiver if they had to.
It's pretty much gone back to that - after a decade or 2 where locks just became an extra prop.
The perfect lock would be someone who can turn their hand to anything.
Sadly, we all know it's going to be Kurt Mann next year.
Please not Mann at 13
 
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