Official Dale Finucane

[Western Sharkie]

We love milestone games...

 

[bort]

If we start struggling we can quickly celebrate Jack Williams 101st at halftime to get the boys back on track

 

[Sparkles]

At this stage I would be keeping Oregon starting with BHU, and have bench as:
Rudolf
Williams
Hazelton
Hunt < but he needs to be more controlled with his offloads

I was pretty happy with Oregon last night. Not a lot of runs, but they were effective.

I genuinely don't mind that he's looking for the offload. He's able to get himself in position to do it. But if that's happening it's got to be part of the plan, and it didn't look like a plan against the Warriors. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Kennedy sniffing around Hunt and tearing the defensive line to shreds after taking an offload.

 

[bort]

I genuinely don't mind that he's looking for the offload. He's able to get himself in position to do it. But if that's happening it's got to be part of the plan, and it didn't look like a plan against the Warriors. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Kennedy sniffing around Hunt and tearing the defensive line to shreds after taking an offload.

Yeah, for 1, don’t offload just for the sake of it, look where you’re offloading. But for 2, Hunt will try for offloads, Blayke and Will stay awake to that

 

[HaroldBishop]

Yeah, for 1, don’t offload just for the sake of it, look where you’re offloading. But for 2, Hunt will try for offloads, Blayke and Will stay awake to that

I think also don't loop it up when you have your back turned, gives the opposition more time to intercept.

 

[Sparkles]

Yeah, for 1, don’t offload just for the sake of it, look where you’re offloading. But for 2, Hunt will try for offloads, Blayke and Will stay awake to that

The really weird part was Hunt seemed to look around first, especially on the second offload. There was a moment where his head and arm were poking out and he was trying to find someone... then threw it straight to someone... on the other team. I guess being put back on the bench means that wasn't Fitz directive!

 

[bort]

The really weird part was Hunt seemed to look around first, especially on the second offload. There was a moment where his head and arm were poking out and he was trying to find someone... then threw it straight to someone... on the other team. I guess being put back on the bench means that wasn't Fitz directive!

Hunt "Who should I try to offload to?

Fitz "Anyone, I don't care, just make sure it's catchable"

Hunt "Ah, okay..."

 

[BurgoShark]

Hunt "Who should I try to offload to?

Fitz "Anyone, I don't care, just make sure it's catchable"

Hunt "Ah, okay..."

Front rowers aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. Fitz will learn to be more specific next time.

 

[Thresher]

No passing to the opposition unless it's at about 80kph & directed at their head.

 

[bort]

No passing to the opposition unless it's at about 80kph & directed at their head.

That’d be a send off for Royce
He only gets to be the victim of cheap shots

 

[Gumby]

Hopefully he turns up this week

 

[Gards]

I don't think Hunt has been demoted, it's just that he is back in his normal position as a benchy cause Rudolf is more fit.

Oregon made alot of tackles so can understand him staying on as a starter.

Now that I think about it, those offloads were definitely Blayke Braileys fault

 

[bort]

I don't think Hunt has been demoted, it's just that he is back in his normal position as a benchy cause Rudolf is more fit.

Oregon made alot of tackles so can understand him staying on as a starter.

Now that I think about it, those offloads were definitely Blayke Braileys fault

Fkn cabbage

On Hunt, if he looked sharp at training I’d probably even move him back into the start.
Tell him you’ve trained well, go prove to everyone last weeks mistakes were a 1 off.
And Toeby played well off the bench.

 

[BurgoShark]

It was just the error with Dale. Everything else he did was quality.

The problem is that when the team only has the ball for five minutes when a player is on the field, and he makes one error in that five minutes, it doesn’t give him much opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of the fans.

Kaufusi made an error. Williams made an error, Katoa made an error, Ramien made an error. Nicho made 2. Nikora gave uo two penalties, Trindall gave up 3, and Brailey, McInnes and Hazelton all made glaring defensive errors… but for the most part everyone agrees those guys played well. The difference was that they all got plenty of opportunity with the ball to do other good stuff to make up for it.

It’s not great that a benchie comes on and drops it on his first touch, but it doesn’t mean he is ready for the scrap heap. McInnes did that twice last year.

 

[BurgoShark]

I don't think Hunt has been demoted, it's just that he is back in his normal position as a benchy cause Rudolf is more fit.

Oregon made alot of tackles so can understand him staying on as a starter.

This is the way I see it. There was a short term starting jersey available for one of those two guys, but by round 6 the starters will be Toby and BHU. Could be that Dale is starting by then too.

People read way too much into round 1 lineups and minutes. It’s a long season and coaches have plans for managing every player, especially guys returning from injuries or guys who you know you’ll be needing for big minutes at the back end of the year. The blokes on NRL 360 are losing their minds over JT3 playing only 22 minutes in a game the Cowboys were lapping the opposition.

Does anyone seriously believe that in a tight game in round 25 that Sam McIntyre is going to play twice as much as Taumalolo?

 

[HaroldBishop]

This is the way I see it. There was a short term starting jersey available for one of those two guys, but by round 6 the starters will be Toby and BHU. Could be that Dale is starting by then too.

People read way too much into round 1 lineups and minutes. It’s a long season and coaches have plans for managing every player. The blokes on NRL 360 are losing their minds over JT3 playing only 22 minutes in a game the Cowboys were lapping the opposition.

You're losing your mind for watching that ****.

 

[andrew's_sharks]

This is the way I see it. There was a short term starting jersey available for one of those two guys, but by round 6 the starters will be Toby and BHU. Could be that Dale is starting by then too.

People read way too much into round 1 lineups and minutes. It’s a long season and coaches have plans for managing every player, especially guys returning from injuries or guys who you know you’ll be needing for big minutes at the back end of the year. The blokes on NRL 360 are losing their minds over JT3 playing only 22 minutes in a game the Cowboys were lapping the opposition.

Does anyone seriously believe that in a tight game in round 25 that Sam McIntyre is going to play twice as much as Taumalolo?

Yep, its a long season and keep your key players healthy or help them get fit/healthy the right way.

 

[HaroldBishop]

 

[HaroldBishop]

More than once, often after Dale Finucane has arrived home late from an away game, his wife Maddie has woken in fright the next morning at the latest Frankenstein zipper holding his forehead together.

Finucane, with cauliflower ears for a simpler time and at least a stitch for all 249 NRL games he has played, gears up for number 250 this week.

Away from the game he is more than handy with a guitar, a doting dad to two boys and growing increasingly skilful with a microphone in hand.

But when the Deep Heat hits the nostrils and studs clatter on Shark Park concrete?

“When you see it, it’s uncomfortable sometimes,” coach Craig Fitzgibbon says of Finucane’s famed training intensity.

“He just won’t relent sometimes. Some days you watch him training and think ‘my gosh, is he unhinged? Is he crazy? Or is this just who he is?’

“He’s the most humble, unassuming, nice guy and just prepares on the red line all the time… His brakes don’t work.”

Finucane’s bull-at-a-gate training approach has endured since he first arrived at Canterbury, Cronulla’s opponents on Friday. Back then the boy from Bega answered to ‘Kaos’, shared an apartment with Josh Jackson and ate his breakfast in the shower so he wouldn’t be late for training.

Stocks in Elastoplast have never been as healthy as when Finucane is plastering himself together in tape, to the point where playing through endless knocks have raised two questions: not only if he will play on beyond his current 2025 contract, but see it out.

“I had a biceps rupture midway through last year which held me back a little bit,” Finucane says, neglecting to mention he played on with that ruptured biceps against Manly last year before surgery ended his season.

“The body feels good, I’ve got this year and next year under contract and I’m not looking to much further forward than this week and the upcoming games.

“If I’m [still] passionate about playing and the body’s feeling good then I’ll play as long as I can.”

For Fitzgibbon and Cronulla, his signing in 2022 on a four-year deal worth about $2.5 million has been regarded as critical even while the ink was still drying.

The contract’s front-loading – Finucane will earn a little more than $300,000 next year – left the Sharks with cap space to sign Addin Fonua-Blake for about $1 million a season from 2025.

And in Finucane and co-captain Cameron McInnes, Cronulla have two of the NRL’s toughest and most committed players to lead a squad Fitzgibbon believes is ready to hit its sweet spot.

“Dale’s recruitment to the club has changed the way a lot of players think about their preparation, and the way a lot of players think about how you approach a game,” Fitzgibbon says.

“He just does not have a day off on that. That’s the sort of player that our younger guys have looked up to and they marvel at a guy, still 250 games deep, with no shortcuts.

“I sit in my office and the way he charges through the door to the stadium, he even walks in with intensity here.”

Around the clubs: Penrith prop Fisher-Harris cleared of serious injury

James Fisher-Harris was on the field for just 24 minutes of Penrith’s win over Parramatta on Friday night but the picture appears a lot rosier after scans showed no significant damage.

www.smh.com.au

 

[HaroldBishop]