Cesare6t9
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Has to be Isaac Gordon, or Todd Carney
Fullback discussions in the wake of the Nathan Gardner knee injury
- Thread starter Murphy
- Start date
I reckon it should be Wright. When he was brought to the club it was originally as a highly rated junior centre/five eighth but he has played most of his fg career out of position on the wing. I know he hasnt set the world on fire so far but being put on the wing means he is less involved in games than he was used too and maybe it has dented his confidence a bit. With his injury last year it has disrupted his devolpment and confidence a bit more.
I reckon he would have the skill set to play at fullback. He is athletic and strong enough and when he went back to nsw cup he was playing at five eighth so he obviously has some ball playing talent and he seems pretty comfertable defending and returning kicks.
Playing at fullback has a lot more responsibility than playing wing so if he is picked there maybe that showing of faith from the coach from being selected there would give him a shot of confidence. Plus he would be more involved in the game which might suit him a bit more than being on the wing. So i think he would be worth trialing at fullback for a few weeks to see how he goes.
I reckon he would have the skill set to play at fullback. He is athletic and strong enough and when he went back to nsw cup he was playing at five eighth so he obviously has some ball playing talent and he seems pretty comfertable defending and returning kicks.
Playing at fullback has a lot more responsibility than playing wing so if he is picked there maybe that showing of faith from the coach from being selected there would give him a shot of confidence. Plus he would be more involved in the game which might suit him a bit more than being on the wing. So i think he would be worth trialing at fullback for a few weeks to see how he goes.
Matty C of the Shire
Great White
Don't want to change carney at fullback, happy to leave him at 5/8 and maybe gets Williams as fullback
Tiger Shark
Jaws
Good post.
He was at fullback for the televised NSW cup game a few weeks ago and I thought he went well, made some crucial tackles, was sniffing around the forwards alot and really kepty busy. Sure he's not the fastests player but he'll be much better defensively than Gardner if you ask me.
sharks2010
Dribbler
Correct there must off been a reason wright was sent back to nsw cup as fullback instead of wing. If mills is fit the logical thing to do is put wright at full back and mills back to his wing
Murphy
Great White
pickard has had a full pre season with the first grade squad i would love to see him get a crack,watching him week after week he'd be a better option at fullback than wright, brings me nightmares of the game against cowboys last year
Um, here ...
You didn't say he's as good, but you implied that Inglis to fullback was a venture into the unknown like Graham would be. The situations are not similar in any way. One is a guy who always played fullback until he played FG and the other is a guy who has never played fullback and has just found a niche in the back row. I guess I could have posted "the Inglis situation and thw Graham situation are not comparable" but you know what I mean.
... and while I appreciate the complements, the fact of the matter is that you asked a question - and I answered it. Chances are someone was going to give you an answer you didn't like. Remember, we're all Sharkies fans. We're supposed to get along
Got that right - I refrained.
Seen this logic elsewhere and I disagree. Surely Wright played fullback in reserves because Mills was preferred in first grade and Wright was the best fullback option in reserves- the best mix of skills and experience?
I'm a fan of Matt Wright and I expect him to be named at fullback tomorrow but I've been disappointed in his form this year. He hasn't developed any sort of dynamism in his game. Though he's got great hands and ball skills he just doesn't have the pace to do the job at NRL level IMO. We will miss Gardner's speed badly.
There's 4-5 games and a bye before Stapleton and Gordon are ready. I doubt we'll have the same fullback for that period. Some people have thrown Pickard about as a potential challenger for Gards' spot on a permanent basis- there's an opportunity for him over the next month if he's good enough.
I agree with your preference.
Gardner got promoted in similar circumstances, so why not?
Definate no to Todd. Ike might be able to handle it for a game or too, but he'd get owned after that imo.
I posted before I read this AB - the more I think about it, it should be Pickerd. Against the eels (although it bothers me when a useless side gets beaten before they play us) is the perfect time to trial him.
Yeah mate, I'm really okay with whatever Flano does. Haven't seen enough of Pickard this year to say either way. TBH, I'm not confident either way.
I'm actually really hoping that Tyrone Peachey gets a debut this week in place of Taufua or Tagataese who both played very few minutes on Saturday. By all accounts Peachey is in form, its a home game, the team is playing well, we could use the extra utility value if Carney has to go to fullback at some stage and an extra ballplayer might help cover the loss of Gardner's x-factor...
Doubt we see it, but debuts for two local juniors on a Sunday arvo at home could be good. When would be the last time that happened?
I'm actually really hoping that Tyrone Peachey gets a debut this week in place of Taufua or Tagataese who both played very few minutes on Saturday. By all accounts Peachey is in form, its a home game, the team is playing well, we could use the extra utility value if Carney has to go to fullback at some stage and an extra ballplayer might help cover the loss of Gardner's x-factor...
Doubt we see it, but debuts for two local juniors on a Sunday arvo at home could be good. When would be the last time that happened?
Mr Wright
Jaws
I'd give either Pickerd/Wright have to be fullback. Keep Hotdog on the wing and bring in Mills on the other. When Ike is ready to go I expect him to come in at fullback though. That's unless Pickerd/Wright play out of their skins and make the position their own.
There is a lot of similarity between Gards and Pickerd IMO. Both pacy, small fullbacks who are very strong for their size. Pickerd runs better lines and will chime into the backline better but Gards has better footwork and is more x-factor. If Flano had the balls to play Gards I see no reason why he can't play Pickerd. Out of all the options mentioned I reckon Pickerd has more points in him. He is a try scorer who will be coming into a team that has conceded more tries than they have scored.
sharks2010
Dribbler
It was Ricky who played Gards
evertonshark
Jaws
I agree with those who say Pickerd should play fullback this week, you'd rather him debut against Parra than against a team like the storm. Matty Wright let some bombs bounce the other night he really should have tried to catch so it wouldn't fill me with confidence if he was moved to fullback, i would like to see him get a run in the centres though at some stage this season.
Mate, I predict we won't see Peach this year and he will be snapped up by another team. I know everyone is getting caught up in the Flanagan hype but IMO he is making some backwards moves as far as playing blokes like Taufua and Tagatese in front of Friz and Peachey. Just my opinion but we have to be the oldest team in the comp and the pathway to firsts is being blocked by players of similar styles who just are not making much impact.
Why even play Taga if you are going to play him tight as a prop. Wasted.
Cesare6t9
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Put Peach There!
Even though im a massive fan of Pickard i dont think he is ready yet (i hope im wrong though). Ive seen the 20's a few times this year and plenty of them last year and hes been one of our best players over that time but his positioning and decision making especially in defence can be pretty erratic even for toyota cup level. At fg level most teams would be able to exploit this pretty easily. If he was going to debut anytime this year (especially at fullback) the eels would be a good game to do so cause they are pretty ordinary this year and i doubt that they would be clinical enough to exploit his inexperience. Id be happier if he was left in toyota cup to continue devolping his game there and maybe even NSW cup next year before he gets brought up to fg.