seeing as i have not been giving my input in recent weeks here is my take on the players atm
Stapleton- a lot of the reason we have had a few wins imo. good positioning, safe hands and explosive running. no coincidence him and porter starting saw us win 4 straight.
Fergie- at the start of the year he did little to impress me but i was excited to see a new face in a dull backline. since his move to the wing has been a revelation and scored some brilliant tries. also gives us a good option for kicks on both sides.
Wright- tbh wright does little to draw my attention, which is both good and bad. he does some good runs but makes some mistakes and in general you dont see a lot of him. probably lucky theres really nobody to replace him.
Brown- started his career impressively but since then has shown real up and down form. i believe his best position is center and he should be here. his form fluctuates between solid first grader and fringe first grader and theres really nothing to get excited about by what hes shown us this year.
Covell- an asset under kicks both in attack and defense what covell lacks in speed he makes up for in other areas, his spacial awareness, palm and kicking (in game and for goal). any dip in form could see him in big trouble especially if simmons is in good form, although we know ricky doesnt like to drop players.
Barrett- provides us heaps more options as well as bringing experience. need him in the team if we are to keep moving up the ladder as theres only so long we will be able to keep competing with just one half.
Porter- buster? crap. green? crap. porter? hallelujah! yet to show much of a running game but displays strong passing and defence and exceptional kicking. i think ive seen him do one bad kick. porter has gone from a no name to a vital part of our team. ****ing awesome.
Snowden & Douglas- its just easier to lump these two together. every week they come up with a mountain of hitups, for good meters, and more than their fair share of tackles. both get extensive game time as replacement options just cant make up for them. both, however, are also prone to the odd mistake. extra credit must go to douglas for his ability to cover at backrow and never miss a game.
Hughes- probably doesnt deserve this second shot in the team but has taken with both hands. unfortunately those hands are way to slow due to his age and the increased pace of the game. does bring some experience and work some smart plays as well as defending strongly but ideally would be outed for Caine.
Williams- everyone knows the Wombat is both a hard worker and effective in both attack and defence. performed admirably in the centers when required, although i dont believe he should have spent so much time there. now hes asked to play 5/8. ridiculous imo and part of the reason we lost to the roosters, taking nothing from williams but he is a backrower who can cover center, certainly no 5/8. we will struggles to win without 2 established halves.
Tupou- our best buy of the season, toops has a hand in most of our attacking plays (often the final one) and earns us valuable meters with line breaks and offloads. throws in the odd big hit every now and again just to show hes not a one dimensional player.
Gallen- an inspirational, standout player. the heart and soul of cronulla. gives 120% every time he plays and is a monster in attack and defence. occasionally guilty of trying too hard, however, i believe gallen does much more good than harm. gallen, however, is injured. gallen should not be playing. neither for nsw not Cronulla. against the roosters Gallens right arm hung useless by his side, directly costing us a try. as good as gallen is i dont believe having him play one armed for the rest of the season is a better option than someone else replacing him for a two or three weeks. ive heard the injury is bone bruising and if this is the case it wont get better unless he rests it.
Vea- similarly to his head geared team mate Vea has come from nowhere to firmly get a grip on a first grade jersey. whilst he may be in and out of the starting side i dont expect him to be dropped from the team.
Mannah- another young, hard working prop mannah is capable off the bench but has nothing on Snowden and Douglas. with those two as role models though and a bit more experience that should change.
Millington- always moving in and out of the side millo seems dependable enough. certainly earned himself a few weeks with that double against the broncos.
Seu Seu- our best hooker by far imo. quick, clean service, good runs and can hit well above his weight. was capable last year and has really stepped up this year. unfortunately still no de gois.
Pomeroy- ricky stuart is using poms appropriately in regards to what hes being given. pomeroy is hard running, strong and agile enough to provide some major impact off the bench running wide and running off offloads. pomeroys handling has always been suspect at best and is atrocious atm, nowhere near good enough to be starting or playing center.
should get another chance at 1sts: Caine
could get another chance at 1sts: Simmons, Goodwin, Norrie, Seymour, Selmes, Bukuya, Afamasaga
should not get another chance at 1sts: Taulapapa, Donnelly, Green
Stapleton- a lot of the reason we have had a few wins imo. good positioning, safe hands and explosive running. no coincidence him and porter starting saw us win 4 straight.
Fergie- at the start of the year he did little to impress me but i was excited to see a new face in a dull backline. since his move to the wing has been a revelation and scored some brilliant tries. also gives us a good option for kicks on both sides.
Wright- tbh wright does little to draw my attention, which is both good and bad. he does some good runs but makes some mistakes and in general you dont see a lot of him. probably lucky theres really nobody to replace him.
Brown- started his career impressively but since then has shown real up and down form. i believe his best position is center and he should be here. his form fluctuates between solid first grader and fringe first grader and theres really nothing to get excited about by what hes shown us this year.
Covell- an asset under kicks both in attack and defense what covell lacks in speed he makes up for in other areas, his spacial awareness, palm and kicking (in game and for goal). any dip in form could see him in big trouble especially if simmons is in good form, although we know ricky doesnt like to drop players.
Barrett- provides us heaps more options as well as bringing experience. need him in the team if we are to keep moving up the ladder as theres only so long we will be able to keep competing with just one half.
Porter- buster? crap. green? crap. porter? hallelujah! yet to show much of a running game but displays strong passing and defence and exceptional kicking. i think ive seen him do one bad kick. porter has gone from a no name to a vital part of our team. ****ing awesome.
Snowden & Douglas- its just easier to lump these two together. every week they come up with a mountain of hitups, for good meters, and more than their fair share of tackles. both get extensive game time as replacement options just cant make up for them. both, however, are also prone to the odd mistake. extra credit must go to douglas for his ability to cover at backrow and never miss a game.
Hughes- probably doesnt deserve this second shot in the team but has taken with both hands. unfortunately those hands are way to slow due to his age and the increased pace of the game. does bring some experience and work some smart plays as well as defending strongly but ideally would be outed for Caine.
Williams- everyone knows the Wombat is both a hard worker and effective in both attack and defence. performed admirably in the centers when required, although i dont believe he should have spent so much time there. now hes asked to play 5/8. ridiculous imo and part of the reason we lost to the roosters, taking nothing from williams but he is a backrower who can cover center, certainly no 5/8. we will struggles to win without 2 established halves.
Tupou- our best buy of the season, toops has a hand in most of our attacking plays (often the final one) and earns us valuable meters with line breaks and offloads. throws in the odd big hit every now and again just to show hes not a one dimensional player.
Gallen- an inspirational, standout player. the heart and soul of cronulla. gives 120% every time he plays and is a monster in attack and defence. occasionally guilty of trying too hard, however, i believe gallen does much more good than harm. gallen, however, is injured. gallen should not be playing. neither for nsw not Cronulla. against the roosters Gallens right arm hung useless by his side, directly costing us a try. as good as gallen is i dont believe having him play one armed for the rest of the season is a better option than someone else replacing him for a two or three weeks. ive heard the injury is bone bruising and if this is the case it wont get better unless he rests it.
Vea- similarly to his head geared team mate Vea has come from nowhere to firmly get a grip on a first grade jersey. whilst he may be in and out of the starting side i dont expect him to be dropped from the team.
Mannah- another young, hard working prop mannah is capable off the bench but has nothing on Snowden and Douglas. with those two as role models though and a bit more experience that should change.
Millington- always moving in and out of the side millo seems dependable enough. certainly earned himself a few weeks with that double against the broncos.
Seu Seu- our best hooker by far imo. quick, clean service, good runs and can hit well above his weight. was capable last year and has really stepped up this year. unfortunately still no de gois.
Pomeroy- ricky stuart is using poms appropriately in regards to what hes being given. pomeroy is hard running, strong and agile enough to provide some major impact off the bench running wide and running off offloads. pomeroys handling has always been suspect at best and is atrocious atm, nowhere near good enough to be starting or playing center.
should get another chance at 1sts: Caine
could get another chance at 1sts: Simmons, Goodwin, Norrie, Seymour, Selmes, Bukuya, Afamasaga
should not get another chance at 1sts: Taulapapa, Donnelly, Green
