General Your 2025 team

[doeeyedwarrior]

this video says it all about the TMM vs Boyd debate:
View: https://youtu.be/A34iwbhfT7k?feature=shared

This guy gets it

 

[Ref]

Hannah Boyd does not have a massive long kick on him.
About the same as Metcalf.

Don’t know how TMM can be overlooked by any of my fellow posters given how lethal he was last year when NOT paired with SJ.
The exception was the South’s win.

Every other club would start him if it was a choice between him and Boyd.

 

[Wrighty]

Hannah Boyd does not have a massive long kick on him.
About the same as Metcalf.

Don’t know how TMM can be overlooked my any of my fellow posters given how lethal he was last year when NOT paired with SJ.
The exception was the South’s win.

Every other club would start him if it was a choice between him and Boyd.

Boyd is an elite goal kicker and an elite drop goal kicker. These two skills or the lack of them lost us 5 games last year and had we won those 5 games we would have been in the play offs. I am not going to say Boyd equals the playoffs because then you trade off having less tries scored with him. But there are no trade offs with defence. He is just as good as TMM and CHT just doesn't flatten people like those two do.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Whether the coach want TMM as his main man, is the big question for me?

We all saw what TMM could do. But it was unstructured, off the cuff play. Does he have the ability to implement a game plan? Play within structure, which is a big thing for Webster?

The comments about TMM not being where he was supposed to be with SJ; not hearing calls because of the noise; Webster seeming surprised at his success; bringing SJ back at the earliest possible opportunity and TMM not signed beyond this year seems to indicate Webster sees TMM as depth?

 

[WA Warrior]

Hannah Boyd does not have a massive long kick on him.
About the same as Metcalf.

Don’t know how TMM can be overlooked by any of my fellow posters given how lethal he was last year when NOT paired with SJ.
The exception was the South’s win.

Every other club would start him if it was a choice between him and Boyd.

I don’t know how you can be so certain with TMM.
He had a golden patch last year totally agree but he’s been in the NRL since 2016.
4-5 games over 8 years gives me a little caution. He’s been a 6 the majority of his career.
I have no issue him starting at 7 but I do think TMM and Metcalf are too similar.
Said it many times I’m happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Ref]

Boyd is an elite goal kicker and an elite drop goal kicker. These two skills or the lack of them lost us 5 games last year and had we won those 5 games we would have been in the play offs. I am not going to say Boyd equals the playoffs because then you trade off having less tries scored with him. But there are no trade offs with defence. He is just as good as TMM and CHT just doesn't flatten people like those two do.

I have watched him plenty.
His goal kicking is decent and he has kicked the odd dropped goal.
His defence is about what you expect for a half. Ordinary.
The word almost would describe his attacking and general play.
Almost looks likely in multiple facets without quite delivering.
Handy man to have and who knows the almost might change to can.
But behind TMM and Metcalf for mine as a 7 option and def not a 6.

 

[Ref]

Whether the coach want TMM as his main man, is the big question for me?

We all saw what TMM could do. But it was unstructured, off the cuff play. Does he have the ability to implement a game plan? Play within structure, which is a big thing for Webster?

The comments about TMM not being where he was supposed to be with SJ; not hearing calls because of the noise; Webster seeming surprised at his success; bringing SJ back at the earliest possible opportunity and TMM not signed beyond this year seems to indicate Webster sees TMM as depth?

 

[Ref]

For sure there has to be a certain amount of structure but it is the variation and ad lib attack that is required to break defences.
Over structured play stifled our attack last year. We were too robotic and TMM was the antithesis of this and it worked.
He deserves first dibs for mine.

 

[Canonball]

This guy gets it

Yeah, It's TMM and LM first up for me - the only thing that holds them back is the combination, and decision making, working to a pattern - in that respect the service from dh and lock play is important too - if they can click and complement on lead runners or out the back plays (and having them consistently disguised) then there should be no reason that can't be our guys for a couple of seasons .... TMM's run-pass is very strong, I just think he needs reps in a consistent squad... I'm not too concerned with the kick metres, you can get that from Tauapiki too ... I'd go:

TT
DWZ
Ali
CNK
RTS
LM
TMM

JFH
Egan
Barnett
Capewell
Ford
Vaimauga

Walker
Clark
Ale
Halasima

 

[Ref]

Yeah, It's TMM and LM first up for me - the only thing that holds them back is the combination, and decision making, working to a pattern - in that respect the service from dh and lock play is important too - if they can click and complement on lead runners or out the back plays (and having them consistently disguised) then there should be no reason that can't be our guys for a couple of seasons .... TMM's run-pass is very strong, I just think he needs reps in a consistent squad... I'm not too concerned with the kick metres, you can get that from Tauapiki too ... I'd go:

TT
DWZ
Ali
CNK
RTS
LM
TMM

JFH
Egan
Barnett
Capewell
Ford
Vaimauga

Walker
Clark
Ale
Halasima

I like your team. It’s pretty much mine except I had Niukore in the 17 instead of Ford with Ford as my 18th man and I had 3 players bracketed at one centre position Pompey/CNK/Berry.
Ali has the other locked in.

 

[doeeyedwarrior]

Boyd is an elite goal kicker and an elite drop goal kicker. These two skills or the lack of them lost us 5 games last year and had we won those 5 games we would have been in the play offs. I am not going to say Boyd equals the playoffs because then you trade off having less tries scored with him. But there are no trade offs with defence. He is just as good as TMM and CHT just doesn't flatten people like those two do.

But we will score less tries with him at 7 imo and his goal kicking/drop goals will not come into contention. With a stacked back line and game breaking 2nd rowers he barely registered in try assists and line break assists.

I know that's harsh and he might thrive in the Warriors system but for me, before a ball has been kicked TMM and LM have more runs on the board.

I genuinely believe TMM has all the attributes to be elite, hopefully this year he does it consistently

 

[Canonball]

I like your team. It’s pretty much mine except I had Niukore in the 17 instead of Ford with Ford as my 18th man and I had 3 players bracketed at one centre position Pompey/CNK/Berry.
Ali has the other locked in.

Yep, I'd go that way too - the trust in Niukore has waned tho, I've really really wanted to, cos the guy can roll when he gets going - hoping he has a turn around (as a front rower)

 

[Wrighty]

But we will score less tries with him at 7 imo and his goal kicking/drop goals will not come into contention. With a stacked back line and game breaking 2nd rowers he barely registered in try assists and line break assists.

I know that's harsh and he might thrive in the Warriors system but for me, before a ball has been kicked TMM and LM have more runs on the board.

I genuinely believe TMM has all the attributes to be elite, hopefully this year he does it consistently

I think and have always have thought, and I said so when we signed him, that TMM is a bad signing. I said he was much of muchness in ability with CHT and Luke Metcalf and would lead to selection confusion and a confusing pecking order amongst the halves. You should have a clear pecking order All the other NRL teams except basket case teams like us have a clear pecking order for their halves. This was not such a critical issue with SJ being in the form of his life in 2023 when we could have paired a demented mule with him at standoff and it wouldn't have mattered since SJ was going to demand the ball every single play during the whole match. Now that SJ is gone the accquistion of TMM further stands out as the wrong move.
We should not have acquired him in the first place. We are going into 2025 with a manage by committee approach to our halves. We are throwing 4 barely NRL standard halves at the situation and hoping two of them have a good year. We should have gone all out this off season not to sign Tananh Boyd to sign one clearly a cut above TMM/CHT/Metcalf. Even if we had to examine every single super league half and look at every single 18 year prospect for the next Galvin.
TMM and CHT should be depth halves playing in NSW cup and getting in 8-12 games per year much like Daine Laurie does for the Panthers at fullback because TMM/CHT/Daine Laurie are all cut from the same cloth. The panthers a premiership team plays their version of TMM (Laurie) in NSW cup most of the year.
But here we are and faced with TMM vs Boyd.

We all know the answer? Start with either of them. If it is TMM I don't mind. If it is Boyd I don't mind because you can bet by Game 5 we will be going to our first drop half for a game due to injury based on how injury prone Metcalf and TMM and CHT are. Webster is correct we need all 4 to get through the season. I am relaxed about who starts game one. I personally would go Boyd as we lost many games due to goal kicking and non ability to do drop kicks in golden point. I personally never want to lose that way again. We aren't going to win the premiership but I would like to pick how we lose this year for the benefit of my mental health and I felt chronically depressed watching CHT miss kicks right out in front of the sticks last year and missing goober attempts at drop goals right in front of the posts.

 

[Worried2Death]

I wonder with Healey joining and a couple of good dummy halves in nsw cup, whether Lussick could be seen as a lock moving forward? By all accounts the fittest in the team judging by preseasons and can handle big bodies in the middle. Would certainly speed things up, and Walker off the bench

Doubt Lussick is a lock, his hitups in the middle in that injury-plagued game last year were a joke

 

[Noitall]

Doubt Lussick is a lock, his hitups in the middle in that injury-plagued game last year were a joke

Although Walker has more weight behind him, it’s not his strong suit either at lock to be making hit ups, but there for his ball playing

 

[Worried2Death]

Although Walker has more weight behind him, it’s not his strong suit either at lock to be making hit ups, but there for his ball playing

Yeah Freddy's too slight, was being picked up and carried back 10 metres every hitup. He can't just distribute at lock like a hooker without taking any carries at this level.

 

[Noitall]

Yeah Freddy's too slight, was being picked up and carried back 10 metres every hitup. He can't just distribute at lock like a hooker without taking any carries.

I do agree with you, but to be devils advocate sounds like there’s potential for CHT to shift in that direction and not much between the two in stature. As I mentioned earlier, I’d just love for the bench hooker as cover for Egan to add more for the times last year Egan finished the game and the bench hooker not used

 

[Worried2Death]

I do agree with you, but to be devils advocate sounds like there’s potential for CHT to shift in that direction and not much between the two in stature. As I mentioned earlier, I’d just love for the bench hooker as cover for Egan to add more for the times last year Egan finished the game and the bench hooker not used

I've decided I'm all in on Ale getting first crack at 13, not tall but a solid unit, good pass selection, agile, I notice he has very good lateral movement that Frank is always banging on about on here, jumps from side to side like an 80's spacies game

 

[Noitall]

I've decided I'm all in on Ale getting first crack at 13, not tall but a solid unit, good pass selection, agile, I notice he has very good lateral movement that Frank is always banging on about on here, jumps from side to side like an 80's spacies game

I could get onboard with that