Pick Your Team Warriors v Titans - [Round 21, 2025]

[BangBro's (still banging)]

At this point, I don't really know.

On the one hand:

We seem to be rolling from injury to injury, our right edge is horrendous and it seems like we've been clutching games all season.

On the other hand:

We've been winning despite the fact that we seem to be rolling from injury to injury, our right edge is horrendous and we've had to clutch most of our wins this season.

I'm not quite sure, as I feel like we've only seen one 'power' game out of this team this season: the sharks.

Even then, people say the sharks were shit at that point.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I think we need to try get the second faze play going a bit more. We are so much more dangerous when Vaimauga and clark start offloading, and leka.

 

[jonesy101]

I said we would win 13 plus against Panthers and we lost
I said we would win 13 plus vs Knights and we nearly lost
Therefore I say we will win 13 plus vs Titans

Roulette wheel has to come up Red eventually.

OK, so it's golden point extra time draw this week.

 

[Dannevegas]

Could toeava do the job?

Hes been 18th man last two weeks, could he get that right centre spot?

I think Fatialofa’s outplayed Eddie by a fair margin this year. Also think Eddie’s too slow to be centre. Capewell gets away with it because of his defensive reads. But as we saw yesterday if you’re too slow you’re gonna get burnt

 

[steakncheese]

‘He was right’: Support for Hasler as names of players who copped all-time spray are revealed

‘He was right’: Support for Hasler as names of players who copped all-time spray are revealed

www.foxsports.com.au

Dragged out of the showers for a Des rant too. Could go either way, they might tank it to get rid of him?

Thing is he had already addressed the team, but the board came in so he wanted to show them he’s in charge the idiot

 

[Fowardpass]

The way Capes was benched [?... was he? wasn't at centre anyway] at the end of last night's game is probably an indication of where changes will be ... we had TMM on the left and pompey had moved to the right to fix the defence ... so we will have a new centre I think, personally I'd put Leka there to get him into space, preferably on the left with Rog ... Otherwise it's a straight swap of Ali in for Capes ... FB Idk, TT is a good defender, CNK on the other hand does exactly what is asked of him every game ... I'd move Marata into the front row as well

Unfortunately TM ain’t setting the world alight in the utility role
Like Dylan Walker did
TT too small
Cuts back in all the time
Never tries to gas it
With open pastures in front of him
I keep preaching Healey
Webster ain’t listening
If we brutally honest
We were pretty ordinary until Lekas magic
In Knights game

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Even then, people say the sharks were shit at that point.

Sure.

2023 seemed like close enough.
2024 seemed like close, but no cigar.

This year has been all over the place. Like, it doesn't feel like we have done much differently, but we've had that extra 5% required to win games all year.

I don't think we're threatening the teams above us, but I also don't think we've played anywhere close to our potential.

It's been a funny old year....

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

I said we would win 13 plus against Panthers and we lost
I said we would win 13 plus vs Knights and we nearly lost
Therefore I say we will win 13 plus vs Titans

Roulette wheel has to come up Red eventually.

Maybe you should just stop gambling...

 

[Noitall]

Off the sharks forum





Des Hasler will coach his 500th game this weekend and then step down as Titans head coach. Arthur is who they want for next season and the nrl is stepping in to assist getting this over the line. It’s been rumoured that the titans will go through a complete overhaul in their coaching department with hopes the selected group can finally turn them into a powerhouse club.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

Des coaching for his career this week. These lower tier teams are as dangerous as coming up against a peer top 4 side. They are all playing for their lives now. Can't slack off this week or the Anzac Day debacle from last year will be revived. Same side except Ali in for Capes who pushes back into second row.

 

[sup42]

Where has the notion that Halasima can seamlessly shift to Centre come from?
From the records I can find he played solely Second Row in the Dean Bell Cup in 2022 and Lock in a Future Warriors Selection that same year, the '23 SG Ball season at Lock, only 1 out of his 30 appearances in NSW Cup has been at Centre and 20'ish minutes on debut, when he had moments of brilliance on attack but didn't excel defensively.
There's absolutely no need to burden him with a new role

I would never imagine he could transition seamlessly to Center.

He could do it though, but he would need coaching and time.

Personally I prefer he stays in the forwards. But I would like to have seen him have a go at Center purely out of interest.

 

[CWC]

Notice how we went really lateral in the first half, and snubbed 2 tries didnt help

Second half we bullied them through the middle and should have nailed the easy field goals or penalties. CHT got shoved in touch by playing sideways like first half

Just play through them this week esp with no Tino, that’s the best way to shut down their speedsters

 

[Assyrian-Warrior]

I don’t care who starts. I just want revenge for last season’s drubbing!

 

[CWC]

Question?

Does anyone here think we can go a other level come finals?

Other teams are starting runs and others may be peaking already, like the Raiders for example.

Is it okay that we are coasting along without looking great and maybe we lift come finals time? Or is this just us and we are lucky to be where we are?

Metcalf turned into a legit dally m player about 2 months in so we’ll probably have to redo that with Boyd again, and maybe we’ll click and shock teams and ourselves in the finals before they figure us out lol, 3 games of purple patch and it’s done

 

[Naynay]

Metcalf turned into a legit dally m player about 2 months in so we’ll probably have to redo that with Boyd again, and maybe we’ll click and shock teams and ourselves in the finals before they figure us out lol, 3 games of purple patch and it’s done

He did but at the moment the game has moved away from organised halves like Boyd (Jamal this year being the exception) so its hard to say.

I do think there is more potential here and really any of the top 6 are a chance this year.

Raiders have been scrapping by bottom teams recently until the eels (and even then parra gave up at the end) as has everyone really. If we go out in straight sets in finals after finishing top 4 i would say the season is still a success given injuries to barrnet and metcalf.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

He did but at the moment the game has moved away from organised halves like Boyd (Jamal this year being the exception) so its hard to say.

I do think there is more potential here and really any of the top 6 are a chance this year.

Raiders have been scrapping by bottom teams recently until the eels (and even then parra gave up at the end) as has everyone really. If we go out in straight sets in finals after finishing top 4 i would say the season is still a success given injuries to barrnet and metcalf.

Has it?
Cleary
Hughes
Reynolds
Moses
Fogarty
Sexton (until 2 weeks ago)
DCE

I would consider all of the above organising halves.
The last 6 finals have largely had one or two of the above players in their team leading them around, with 2019 Raiders having Sezer, and Roosters having Cronk.

 

[roguei]

Has it?
Cleary
Hughes
Reynolds
Moses
Fogarty
Sexton (until 2 weeks ago)
DCE

I would consider all of the above organising halves.
The last 6 finals have largely had one or two of the above players in their team leading them around, with 2019 Raiders having Sezer, and Roosters having Cronk.

Oooo, i do love this topic!

I don't think you could ever call Hughes a organizing half. He is the poster boy for a running half.

Cleary had to turn into a running half to win the latest final. Going for over 200m. But he also ran for 135m on avarage in 2023, adn 100m for 2024.

Moses when playing at his best in 2024 for state of origin was a running half. He ran more than laui in both of those games.

Source for thinking on above here:

A interview with gus where he was talking about morden day halves. Where he said:
"The Storm play with three fullbacks: Munster, Hughes, and Paps... Cleary and Luai ran for over 200 meters in that final game. They had to run the ball to make meters. They had to run the ball to make their plays. It wasn't Cleary's playmaking that won it; it was their physicality... Origin Game 3 had two tries at the end, both from Luai and Moses running the ball like fullbacks." - Very condenced non nauced version of about 5 mins linked above.


Now i get Fogarty, Sexton and Reynolds as they 100% are tradtional havles. I'd still aruge DCE is the prefect middle ground, where he seems to do both.

Metcalf has said many times that he looks to moses as the closest to the style he is going for. With DCE second and hughes 3rd.


I'd say 6 of the last finals have been won by running halves. Cleary winning 4 of the 6. 1 of the 6 being hughes. I truely do think the future is in running halves. But this is NRL, anyone can win. Nor is this an attack on boyd or a petition for him to change his style. There will always be room for traditonal halves.

 

[Boston Boy]

If Tannah Boyd can't kick those goals, then we may as well put TMM in the team who is a better defender and ball player!
I know Boyd has a much better long kicking game, but we lack some spark and zip in attack now. Newcastle aren't that great defensively. I think we saw the real T Boyd and I would seriously be watching our attack and defense and asking whether TMM needs to be in the starting side. Tannah Boyd and DWZ on the same side defending is suicide. We are almost guaranteed to give away 3-4 tries a game, it would have been 5-6 had the knights not bombed those line breaks. I hope Webby has a plan B.

 

[ninj]

Sure.

2023 seemed like close enough.
2024 seemed like close, but no cigar.

This year has been all over the place. Like, it doesn't feel like we have done much differently, but we've had that extra 5% required to win games all year.

I don't think we're threatening the teams above us, but I also don't think we've played anywhere close to our potential.

It's been a funny old year....

Like the Baseball NY Yankee HOF Lefty Gomez said, Rather be lucky than good

 

[MrFrankWhite]

If Tannah Boyd can't kick those goals, then we may as well put TMM in the team who is a better defender and ball player!
I know Boyd has a much better long kicking game, but we lack some spark and zip in attack now. Newcastle aren't that great defensively. I think we saw the real T Boyd and I would seriously be watching our attack and defense and asking whether TMM needs to be in the starting side. Tannah Boyd and DWZ on the same side defending is suicide. We are almost guaranteed to give away 3-4 tries a game, it would have been 5-6 had the knights not bombed those line breaks. I hope Webby has a plan B.

TMM is like the 4th string half at the club. Its not going to happen.