General Changes To Vodafone Warriors For Away Game Against Gold Coast

[edguy_old]

lets just hope the titans get over confident and take us lightly ...
and some of our players realise they are playing on borrowed time

 

[2big2strong_old]

Ivan Cleary's the new Nathan Brown. Too familiar with the players to make the hard calls. The team named stinks, our weakness is our halves, not the bench.

 

[TheBigHitter_old]

Ivan Cleary's the new Nathan Brown. Too familiar with the players to make the hard calls. The team named stinks, our weakness is our halves, not the bench.

we dont have any halves to replace them with you dill

I have to admit after the hiding we copped I wanted changes, but lets be honest we dont really have better options.

We lost 6 games on the trot last year and Cleary stuck with the team. I trust Cleary and I think its easy to make knee jerk decisions but at the end of the day do you really think its going to make much difference.

We lost against the cowboys because we made too many mistakes, simple as that, when you arent getting possesion or field position your halves are going to struggle unless they are Thurston or Lockyer and even then If the cowboys werent making 15m every hit up and playing the ball as fast as you do in touch he wouldnt of looked so shit hot either

 

[Esoj_old]

I know some of you don't like him on here but I am glad that crockett is getting a chance in the top grade again. his tryscoring ability is impressive and his defence while not spectacular is no worse than ah van's. it will be also good to see shortland on again as he caught the eye in his brief appearances in top grade so far.

last week it was definintely the halves letting the team down. there was good go forward but the 5th tackle option was woeful from both witt and rovelli on multiple occassions. I thought they couldn't play any worse than the manly game a couple weeks back where they had no go forward but they managed to top that somehow.

quite frankly for the halves situation this year we have almost 0 options and unless someone is picked up in the off season it will be the same situation next year. the contract lengths for guys like rovelli witt fien etc don't run out until end of next year or the one after. short term hohaia is probably the only option since fien and henderson are working well in tandem at hooker. not sure what to do with ravs maybe he could come off the bench and play a bit of hooker since he has a superb running game and is a good support runner. it did look like cleary was thinking of something at one stage because fien and henderson were both on the field for a lenthy period last week. witt I don't know about , I think he would go a lot better with a decent 7 alongside him and on the plus side his goal kicking is still in good shape.

so after going on about our halves situation this will sound crazy but I think it is viable. with this team we have pace to burn so either outflanking or getting in behind the titans would be my game plan. tate,crockett and shortland have plenty of speed and using that against the titians seems like a good strategy and best use of our resources. the halves may not be able to provide what is needed for this to work perfectly every time but a guy like tate doesn't need much to create a potential try and crockett knows how to score them with young shortland seemingly to have a natural gift of knowing the good lines to run in.

 

[G_Rovelli]

Didn't think there was going to be that drastic a change to be honest. Maybe at home it might have, but who knows. A shame as it probably was needed but lets what happens, hopefully it isn't all bad

 

[G_Rovelli]

we dont have any halves to replace them with you dill

I have to admit after the hiding we copped I wanted changes, but lets be honest we dont really have better options.

We lost 6 games on the trot last year and Cleary stuck with the team. I trust Cleary and I think its easy to make knee jerk decisions but at the end of the day do you really think its going to make much difference.

We lost against the cowboys because we made too many mistakes, simple as that, when you arent getting possesion or field position your halves are going to struggle unless they are Thurston or Lockyer and even then If the cowboys werent making 15m every hit up and playing the ball as fast as you do in touch he wouldnt of looked so shit hot either

It definitely came down to over reaction. For sure Witt and Rovelli were pretty ordinary, rather more than ordinary but unless there is something way better you just have to stick to it even when it drives you crazy

 

[Joe 90_old]

While i agree lack of direction from our halves is definitely a problem. I cant see it being fixed this season. Contrary to statements made, let's hope Scurrah and co are actively seeking a quality number 7 (i see the Sharks have picked up Tupou. I hope we dont leave it too late entering the recruitment market).

A couple of areas are concerning me more than the halfback dilemma at the moment. Good thing is, there fixable, and i think it's time to concentrate on what we do have control of.
Firstly, turnovers and penalties. There killing us. Due to stupid errors in our own half, we're gifting teams field position to attack our line time and time again. Dont know what skill work was done during the off-season, but catching and holding on to the ball skills, leave a lot to be desired.
Also we're the most penalized team in the comp. Not ref bias imo, but lack of discipline ( fitness may also play a part here). It's just energy sapping having to defend set after set, and these areas need to be improved so we're getting our fair share of ball.

Secondly our defence. It's shite! Conceded the most points in the comp. Obviously linked to the aforementioned turnover's and penalties issue's, but we're doing ourselves no favour's with, at times, non existent marker defence, a line that doesn't know wether to up and in or slide, and bad individual reads which leave our outside's stranded.
Defence is about attitude they say. Well it's also about structure, and both these things will need to improve for us to get parity.

Rovelli and Witt imo, are offering about as much as they did last year. What has changed is our defence was a lot better, and we had Pricey leading the way gaining yards. Concentrate on these and we should be there or thereabouts. I hope the boys look at the Titan's match as a great oppertunity to get back on track. Go the Warriors!

 

[Wiki_old]

IMO good to see Crockett back!

Really? I nearly cried when I saw his name mentioned in the team.

Solomona has far more x factor not to mention scoring a huge load of tries this year and last.

Didn't he and Fai top score for the Lions last year?

 

[JustinKings_old]

Crockett shouldn't be back until his off field dramas be fully dealt with and finished. Only then should he be considered. Locke along with Solomona should be brought in. Locke scored 2 tries last weekend, one going the length of the field. He's inform as well as Solomona. I'd rather give an inform youngster a chance on the wing rather than Crockett who needs to get his off field dramas sorted.

I don't see why Sonny Fai isn't brought in? I mean if they want to give him more game time, then put him in the starting lineup and stick with him. But no, they had to bring in boring and predictable Koopu. Koopu just does a similar job of what Swaan does. Koopu lacks confidence, so he should be dropped to the Vulcans to get his confidence back.

Both Swaan and Koopu are past it now. They've had their time in the NRL which is increasingly becoming too much for them. They've both had good careers, but it's time for them to both move onto the UK Super League.
They should both be proud of what they've achieved and can leave with their heads held high. It's time to start with the exciting and talented Fai who has been very patient and needs more game time in first grade to start showcasing his skills. There's no point in using guys who are past it.

 

[KeepingTheFaith_old]

I really hope Price re-signs. Looking at our pack we've already got three guys who are certain to depart and are passed their best. I'd rather not see a handful of rookies thrown into the cooker first up next year. If we lose Price too then we're going to have some serious depth issues.

 

[Wiki_old]

Crockett shouldn't be back until his off field dramas be fully dealt with and finished. Only then should he be considered. Locke along with Solomona should be brought in. Locke scored 2 tries last weekend, one going the length of the field. He's inform as well as Solomona. I'd rather give an inform youngster a chance on the wing rather than Crockett who needs to get his off field dramas sorted.

Yeah, Locke is a superstar in the making. Do you think its too early to bring him in? I'm torn.

What else did you hear about the U20? Or did you manage to catch it somehow?

 

[Mone_old]

The biggest thing still I believe is Witt or Rovelli has to go and I think they should start new combinations right now, Hiho 7 Witt 6, Ravs 7 Ropati 6, Fien 7 Witt 6, anything but why wait any longer, if we get a quality half next season good but we should try something.
Heres something I noticed,
Half combinations.
Storm:
1998 Kimorley , Hill
1999 Kimorley , Anderson, Premiers

Broncos:
1999 Walters , Walker
2000 Walters , Ikin, Premiers

Newcastle:
2000 Johns , Johns
2001 Johns , Rudder, Premiers

Roosters:
2001 Green , Fittler
2002 Wing , Fittler, Premiers

Penrith:
2002 Gower , Girdler
2003 Gower , Campbell, Premiers

Bulldogs:
2003 and 2004 Sherwin , Anasta Premiers 2004

Tigers:
2004 Prince , Wilson
2005 Prince , Marshall, Premiers

Broncos:
2005 Seymour , Lockyer
2006 Perry , Lockyer, Premiers

Storm:
2006 Cronk , Hill
2007 Cronk , Inglis, Premiers

Since superleague only the Bulldogs have been premiers using the same half 5/8 combination the year before, sometimes thats all it takes is to have a change in those positions, another thing about it is that they all had at least one of the previous years halves there.
The Rovelli/Witt combination has run its course and should be changed.
Who was Anderson before he teamed up with Kimorley?
Rudder was a hooker before winning at 5/8 with Johns.
Same with Wing.
Campbell was a hooker fullback before he went to Penrith.
Marshall played 7 games in 04 3 at centre.
In 05 Perry hadnt been a regular first grader.
Inglis was a fullback centre.
We have no other options? There are always options.

 

[Jesbass_old]

Crockett shouldn't be back until his off field dramas be fully dealt with and finished. Only then should he be considered. Locke along with Solomona should be brought in. Locke scored 2 tries last weekend, one going the length of the field. He's inform as well as Solomona. I'd rather give an inform youngster a chance on the wing rather than Crockett who needs to get his off field dramas sorted.

JK, are you saying that in terms of for his own sake, (so that he isn't distracted by his off field court case), or for the sake of the team? I suppose they both go hand in hand, but I imagine you're leaning more one way than the other?

 

[Joe 90_old]

The biggest thing still I believe is Witt or Rovelli has to go and I think they should start new combinations right now, Hiho 7 Witt 6, Ravs 7 Ropati 6, Fien 7 Witt 6, anything but why wait any longer, if we get a quality half next season good but we should try something..

Hiho's found his niche. He's performing well where he is. He cant be expected to jump straight into the 7 spot and immediately provide that direction that's been missing. This was proven when he was dropped to the Lions last year playing halfback. Couldn't dominate at that level. Kicking and option taking not up to par. Then again on the Kiwi's tour. Couldn't grasp the oppertunity there (albeit no one could). Not to say he couldn't of become a good halfback had he been given the time to develop that Rovelli has. (it's funny Mone. Last year i can remember debating Hohaia's virtue's as a halfback with you. At that time i was all for it, and you we're against it big time. Funny how we've come a complete roundabout!)

Fien at halfback is the only real alternative imo, and i'd be happy to see that. However, still dont think we could go all the way with him, but an improvement on Rovelli, but a stop-gap nonetheless until a quality signing comes along.

 

[Mone_old]

Yeah I was just sort of using him as an example to demonstrate that we do have options, some people say all we have is Witt/Rovelli but it is really not the case. I cant stand Cleary's attitude on the situation I think he will just ride it till the wheels fall off.

 

[Skinny_Ravs82]

I'm going to have to go with JK on the Crockett thing. I just don't think it's wise...but hey, whom am I to say what's right or wrong? As long as we win, I'm not going to care who is on the park! lol

 

[Skinny_Ravs82]

While i agree lack of direction from our halves is definitely a problem. I cant see it being fixed this season. Contrary to statements made, let's hope Scurrah and co are actively seeking a quality number 7 (i see the Sharks have picked up Tupou. I hope we dont leave it too late entering the recruitment market).

A couple of areas are concerning me more than the halfback dilemma at the moment. Good thing is, there fixable, and i think it's time to concentrate on what we do have control of.
Firstly, turnovers and penalties. There killing us. Due to stupid errors in our own half, we're gifting teams field position to attack our line time and time again. Dont know what skill work was done during the off-season, but catching and holding on to the ball skills, leave a lot to be desired.
Also we're the most penalized team in the comp. Not ref bias imo, but lack of discipline ( fitness may also play a part here). It's just energy sapping having to defend set after set, and these areas need to be improved so we're getting our fair share of ball.

Secondly our defence. It's shite! Conceded the most points in the comp. Obviously linked to the aforementioned turnover's and penalties issue's, but we're doing ourselves no favour's with, at times, non existent marker defence, a line that doesn't know wether to up and in or slide, and bad individual reads which leave our outside's stranded.
Defence is about attitude they say. Well it's also about structure, and both these things will need to improve for us to get parity.

Rovelli and Witt imo, are offering about as much as they did last year. What has changed is our defence was a lot better, and we had Pricey leading the way gaining yards. Concentrate on these and we should be there or thereabouts. I hope the boys look at the Titan's match as a great oppertunity to get back on track. Go the Warriors!

Right you are Joe, the thing that is bugging me most (apart from the very obvious) is our discipline. I don't know what it is, maybe individuals making wrong decisions at the wrong time but we get pinged a hell of a alot. We really need to play smarter then that. Sure the opposition will milk it at times but if we do things right and make the right choices and not get carried away on defense it could go a long way to helping us spend less time defending then we need to

 

[TheBigHitter_old]

While i agree lack of direction from our halves is definitely a problem. I cant see it being fixed this season. Contrary to statements made, let's hope Scurrah and co are actively seeking a quality number 7 (i see the Sharks have picked up Tupou. I hope we dont leave it too late entering the recruitment market).

A couple of areas are concerning me more than the halfback dilemma at the moment. Good thing is, there fixable, and i think it's time to concentrate on what we do have control of.
Firstly, turnovers and penalties. There killing us. Due to stupid errors in our own half, we're gifting teams field position to attack our line time and time again. Dont know what skill work was done during the off-season, but catching and holding on to the ball skills, leave a lot to be desired.
Also we're the most penalized team in the comp. Not ref bias imo, but lack of discipline ( fitness may also play a part here). It's just energy sapping having to defend set after set, and these areas need to be improved so we're getting our fair share of ball.

Secondly our defence. It's shite! Conceded the most points in the comp. Obviously linked to the aforementioned turnover's and penalties issue's, but we're doing ourselves no favour's with, at times, non existent marker defence, a line that doesn't know wether to up and in or slide, and bad individual reads which leave our outside's stranded.
Defence is about attitude they say. Well it's also about structure, and both these things will need to improve for us to get parity.

Rovelli and Witt imo, are offering about as much as they did last year. What has changed is our defence was a lot better, and we had Pricey leading the way gaining yards. Concentrate on these and we should be there or thereabouts. I hope the boys look at the Titan's match as a great oppertunity to get back on track. Go the Warriors!

This post is probably the most intelligent post I have read on here. You have hit the nail on the head.

 

[Kav_old]

Hes marking Matt Peterson who has scored 4 tries in 2 games.

That should change when he plays us I'm hoping :cheer2:

I think (hope) Vatuvei will mark Peterson.

Kav

 

[kingdamo_old]

I don't see why Sonny Fai isn't brought in? I mean if they want to give him more game time, then put him in the starting lineup and stick with him. But no, they had to bring in boring and predictable Koopu. Koopu just does a similar job of what Swaan does. Koopu lacks confidence, so he should be dropped to the Vulcans to get his confidence back.

Koopu doesn't exactly lack confidence mate, hes been having some good games with the Vulcans. Well from what I have heard anyways :der: