Predicted Round 1 team

Sparkles

Jaws
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Our wingers are fine with a handy 3rd option to boot.
Don't think fine will cut it mate. We'll need them all to go to another level this year.

But I'm sure they're training the house down so should work out
 

bort

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Our wingers are fine with a handy 3rd option to boot.
Katoa, Ronaldo, Ikavalu, Tracey, Hiroti and then you get to the kids. It’s no Tupou and Morris but it’s plenty solid even assuming someone between 2-4 goes to centre.
Think we are fine here.
Katoa for 20+ tries
 

Sevshark

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I was at the Raiders & Bulldogs games & also at trial against Bulldogs where Hiroti had a shocker.

He certainly wasn't our worst in early part of the season & certainly couldn't be blamed for that terrible team performance against the Bulldogs.

I also saw him make two big effort plays against the Dragons ( first one got him suspended when he stopped a certain try ) & the last one got us close enough for Chad to kick the field goal ( that was just after he had knocked on in our 20 m ). Helping us beat the Dragons gets him extra brownie points in my eyes.

Am I related to Hiroti , no - just was trying to make the point I don't think Ronaldo is the certainty to make the 17 that he may have been whenever he was fit to play last year .
Fitz has already said in an interview that Ronaldo has been the player he's most impressed with so I think you scratch this theory mate
 

Rob

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Hiroti is weak for his size, he really lacks strength.
He gets dominated in attack & defence.
I can accept him as back up on his bare passable football skills but not with how his body was last year.
Needs a massive off season in the gym if he is any chance of getting a game.
I have him behind a few jrs at best.
 

sharkboy18

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1. Kennedy
2. Katoa
3. Jesse Ramien/Tracey
4. Matt Ikuvalu/Ronaldo
5. ronaldo/Ikuvalu
6. Hynes
7. Trindall

8. Finucane
9. Brailey
10. Rudolph
11. Williams
12. Graham
13. McInnes

14. Moylan/Tracey
15. Uele
16. Talakai
17. Wilton/Nikora

18. Tolman
19. Fifita
20. Hunt
21. Pele/Miller/Berrell/Metcalf
 
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sharkboy18

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If I've forgotten anyone major let me know, this season either way it was a tough squad to pick when we've got a few players who can play in numerous positions.
 

bort

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You think Tracey could beat out Ramien but isn’t in the running for the other spot?
I’d be pretty surprised to see anyone but Ramien (provided healthy) at right centre personally.

I don’t know if you missed them but Hiroti/Metcalf/JT I think are the only top 30 players you left out, if you want to put them anywhere
 

sharkboy18

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You think Tracey could beat out Ramien but isn’t in the running for the other spot?
I’d be pretty surprised to see anyone but Ramien (provided healthy) at right centre personally.

I don’t know if you missed them but Hiroti/Metcalf/JT I think are the only top 30 players you left out, if you want to put them anywhere
It's pretty hard to include every top 30 player considering there are only a maximum of 21 places available, 17 if reserves aren't included. Ramien no doubt has 1 centre position but considering Ikuvalu is with us now, both himself & Mulitalo can battle it out for the other side imo. Tracey is lucky he is a utility & can play in a lot of positions. It will be pretty hard to leave him out of the 17 but we can fit him in any of the backline & utility position.

Hiroti is a bit behind our current back 5 & Metcalf as much as I think he has very good potential in the future he can't be expected to be in our 1-17 considering the depth we have in our current top 30. JT I presume you mean Jenson Taumoepeau is probably the same as Hiroti sorry mate. This is a public fans forum aswell & not everyone will have the same opinion unfortunately.
 

bort

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Not arguing your opinion (well, maybe a little if you thought Tracey was beating Ramien for a centre spot because that’d surprise me a lot).
You named 25 of our 28 rostered top 30 players and said sorry if you missed anyone so I just noted who the options you hadn’t used were. You ended up adding one of them.

Personally I’d also be surprised to see Williams starting on an edge and only one of Wilton/Nikora in the 21. I’d probably try and convert Talakai to a permanent edge before Williams I think.
But as you said, people will have mixed opinions.
 

Thresher

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Hiroti is weak for his size, he really lacks strength.
He gets dominated in attack & defence.
I can accept him as back up on his bare passable football skills but not with how his body was last year.
Needs a massive off season in the gym if he is any chance of getting a game.
I have him behind a few jrs at best.
He was running the ball up with more determination and power than a lot of our forwards last year. I think his major weakness is his lack of coordination and natural footy nous.
 

sharkboy18

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Not arguing your opinion (well, maybe a little if you thought Tracey was beating Ramien for a centre spot because that’d surprise me a lot).
You named 25 of our 28 rostered top 30 players and said sorry if you missed anyone so I just noted who the options you hadn’t used were. You ended up adding one of them.

Personally I’d also be surprised to see Williams starting on an edge and only one of Wilton/Nikora in the 21. I’d probably try and convert Talakai to a permanent edge before Williams I think.
But as you said, people will have mixed opinions.
All good mate, regarding Williams & Talakai, will Williams be able to be converted into a prop? He's a pretty big strong guy tbf. Onto Talakai, I think for now he'd be much better coming off the bench to make some impact later when others are getting tired. The same goes for Uele, I like Uele but I don't think he'll be quite fit enough to start, some players are just better impact players imo.

Nikora has probably lost a bit of his ability unfortunately, he was a very good ball playing edge player running into holes on his day & probably still does have the ability but for now I think unfortunately Wilton has probably taken his spot in the 17, probably start the season at Newtown I'd say. No way would Tracey take Ramiens spot in the starting centre spot. The left side was difficult to pick considering we've got Ikuvalu now aswell, both those 2 could probably work well together & one will be centre, other as the winger.
 

Tatus

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Hiroti is weak for his size, he really lacks strength.
He gets dominated in attack & defence.
I can accept him as back up on his bare passable football skills but not with how his body was last year.
Needs a massive off season in the gym if he is any chance of getting a game.
I have him behind a few jrs at best.
I see that as a confidence thing. The first couple games I saw him I wasn’t impressed, but he improved. I’m still not impressed, but happy to give him time to developers as depth. The first grade wrestle and effort can catch a few young fellas out, but I do think he has what it takes physically to at least contribute
 

Blair

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Repeat Repeat, Finucane at Prop in cover only.
You don’t put Dale in prop?

I’m gonna assume you’d want him at lock, but that would leave out McInnes - unless Brailey went to the bench.

I think our best squad is having them all start, which leave Finucane at prop. He’s not the biggest prop, but he does a job there. He’s taller and heavier than James Fisher Harris for example.

We do need a big bopper , so hopefully either Pele or Hunt are playing well enough to be on the bench.
 

stormshark

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Yes Connundrum, he has to be in obviously, i just dont see him as starting FR.Agree Hunt in the 17 somewhere, and i'd like to see Tollman in there also, but if Mcinness and Dale get the right middle support, i think we can plug that leaky area this yr, injuries aside, without him.
 

HaroldBishop

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Yes Connundrum, he has to be in obviously, i just dont see him as starting FR.Agree Hunt in the 17 somewhere, and i'd like to see Tollman in there also, but if Mcinness and Dale get the right middle support, i think we can plug that leaky area this yr, injuries aside, without him.
Tolman shouldn't be there if everyone is fit.
 
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bort

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Could be an option to run a left side of Ronnie and Ikuvalu where one is centre one is wing but they swap around at time for different looks. Both centres converted to wing for NRL. I do think both have some strengths that work best as wingers but rather than having one strictly wing and one centre maybe they can work together.
Puts Katoa and Ramien on right edge possibly working with Hynes
 

Sparkles

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Nikora has probably lost a bit of his ability unfortunately, he was a very good ball playing edge player running into holes on his day & probably still does have the ability but for now I think unfortunately Wilton has probably taken his spot in the 17, probably start the season at Newtown I'd say.
Yeah, Nikora seems to better suit structured play, where he came time his runs. Feels like he disappears a bit in 'eyes up footy' which I'd expect will be even more our preferred style with Nicho in the halves
 

Thresher

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Yeah, Nikora seems to better suit structured play, where he came time his runs. Feels like he disappears a bit in 'eyes up footy' which I'd expect will be even more our preferred style with Nicho in the halves
Eyes up footy puts him in a gap

Set structure gets him crunched because the opposition knows the lines he'll run from set plays.
 
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