(Archived) THE RUMOUR MILL - Player Movement

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Rumour 9 News

Tug of war between Sharks and Raiders

Cronulla and Canberra are fighting a two-way battle for giant young prop Tom Hazelton.

A 22-year-old from Goulburn, Hazelton has played the last couple of seasons for the Sharks' feeder club Newtown.

At 198 cm and 114 kilos, Hazelton is the ideal size for the modern day front-rower and was a standout in the NSW Cup before COVID brought the competition to a halt.

The prop played a couple of first grade trials for the Sharks at the start of the year and just missed getting graded.

But now Canberra are showing interest, they may miss out on the big man
Looks like a real prototype forward for todays game. Big but with some speed and can move pretty well. I hope we hang on to him
 

bort

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I'm pretty interested to see JB at ballplaying lock as well. If he can get a few kilos on I think he'll be really good in that 1st/2nd receiver style role. And he'll actually be able to run the ball a bit without fear of being the only hooker at the club
You talking about Knights or know something we don't know about recruitment?
 

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FML... BB. OK?
OK!

But also I don't expect him to ever be on as the lock but could definitely see him and Cameron MickEnnis doing a little bit of a 'job share' where you'll often see one at hooker and one at first/second receiver depending on who was closer to the play the ball.
Another good potential energy saver for Blayke on top of actually having some strong defenders around him.
 

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OK!

But also I don't expect him to ever be on as the lock but could definitely see him and Cameron MickEnnis doing a little bit of a 'job share' where you'll often see one at hooker and one at first/second receiver depending on who was closer to the play the ball.
Another good potential energy saver for Blayke on top of actually having some strong defenders around him.
Yeah, would only see them switch for 10-15 mins max through the game, but I think it'd be enough.
I probably just want Blayke involved more... I think he has a lot more to offer than what's possibly being asked of him in his role/our structure.
 
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I must be the only one who isn't overly impressed with McInnes. I know he hasn't played for a while but I can't remember him being a world beater.
 
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I must be the only one who isn't overly impressed with McInnes. I know he hasn't played for a while but I can't remember him being a world beater.
You're not alone, and I have been beating this drum every time someone picks him at hooker. He is no attacking dynamo at 9. I do think 13 will suit him much better though. He is a fantastic defender which is absolutely what we need.
 

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McInnes ruck D is terrific.Ours is awful.He will be an asset.Throw Finuncane in the mix with him and our middle D is vastly improved
McInnes is a good buy
 
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You're not alone, and I have been beating this drum every time someone picks him at hooker. He is no attacking dynamo at 9. I do think 13 will suit him much better though. He is a fantastic defender which is absolutely what we need.
Glad to hear I'm not alone PS. Yes, I think 13 will be the best spot for him but even though I started out as a fan, BB has not really impressed me at 9 this year at all. Hopefully if he has a pack that will go forward more than this years, he might look a bit better.
 

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If McInnes ends up in 9 it’s because Brailey isn’t going well and that’s bad for us.

If he’s in 13 means we’re sweet at hooker.

Excited about him more because of how badly we need a player with his skills rather than because he is a world beater.
Averaged most tackles in NRL in 2020 54.3 per game for 2.0 ineffective
He may not be a top meter making forward but he supports a lot and does decoys a lot which also makes it easier for everyone else to make meters.
He’s a leader and a hard worker.
 
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You're not alone, and I have been beating this drum every time someone picks him at hooker. He is no attacking dynamo at 9. I do think 13 will suit him much better though. He is a fantastic defender which is absolutely what we need.
People aren't picking him at 9 to be an attacking dynamo, they're picking him because he's probably the best defensive player in the comp and then will free up Blayke to hopefully offer more in attack as he's not forced to tackle for 80 mins. Then he can shift to 13 once Blayke comes on.

Whether we start McInnes or start Blayke I think it's a great idea

Plus the way the game is going the 80 minute hooker seems to be long gone.
 

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If McInnes ends up in 9 it’s because Brailey isn’t going well and that’s bad for us.

If he’s in 13 means we’re sweet at hooker.

Excited about him more because of how badly we need a player with his skills rather than because he is a world beater.
Averaged most tackles in NRL in 2020 54.3 per game for 2.0 ineffective
He may not be a top meter making forward but he supports a lot and does decoys a lot which also makes it easier for everyone else to make meters.
He’s a leader and a hard worker.
I think too that people see him as being a great type of player for this new style of 13 we're hearing so much about. He is tough enough to play in the middle but has the smarts and ball skills to distribute, like your Gavin Miller's... they're back in style, baby!
 
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People aren't picking him at 9 to be an attacking dynamo, they're picking him because he's probably the best defensive player in the comp and then will free up Blayke to hopefully offer more in attack as he's not forced to tackle for 80 mins. Then he can shift to 13 once Blayke comes on.

Whether we start McInnes or start Blayke I think it's a great idea

Plus the way the game is going the 80 minute hooker seems to be long gone.
I appreciate this, but I think if Blayke isn't good enough to start, we should be going in another direction.
The teams really succeeding with two hookers have two good hookers, like Melbourne and Canberra. If McInnes was great at 9 this would be awesome. I think the panthers and cowboys have looked worse when Api/Robson go off, and haven't necessarily seen increased impact on them returning.

I think there aren't many good hookers in the game more than I think the game has gone past the 80 minute hooker. Mahoney is a good example of someone who has flourished this year playing 80.

I think you start with your best side, and right now that is Brailey, McInnes and Finucane on together.
 

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People aren't picking him at 9 to be an attacking dynamo, they're picking him because he's probably the best defensive player in the comp and then will free up Blayke to hopefully offer more in attack as he's not forced to tackle for 80 mins. Then he can shift to 13 once Blayke comes on.

Whether we start McInnes or start Blayke I think it's a great idea

Plus the way the game is going the 80 minute hooker seems to be long gone.
This I agree with. Having a hooker who can either be a good all round utility or shift into lock seems to be the way the game is going. Need the increased speed. I like the Idea of Brailey playing 60 minutes. I think he would tear teams apart if he came on in the 20 minute mark and was told to run the ball more.

We really need two more quality forwards to go top 4. if we could sign T sims with him being able to play middle and edge and a top tier prop would be perfect.
 

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I appreciate this, but I think if Blayke isn't good enough to start, we should be going in another direction.
The teams really succeeding with two hookers have two good hookers, like Melbourne and Canberra. If McInnes was great at 9 this would be awesome. I think the panthers and cowboys have looked worse when Api/Robson go off, and haven't necessarily seen increased impact on them returning.

I think there aren't many good hookers in the game more than I think the game has gone past the 80 minute hooker. Mahoney is a good example of someone who has flourished this year playing 80.

I think you start with your best side, and right now that is Brailey, McInnes and Finucane on together.

Maybe pick and choose your opponents for this strat but I do think there is value to switching into the following line up pre-game and just pounding for 20 minutes

8 prop
13 McInnes
15 prop
17 Talakai
12 Graham
10 Finucane

Looks ****in ugly on the team sheet admittedly...

After 20 bring off a prop for Brailey and shuffle McInnes to lock and Dale to prop. Another 5-10 take off other prop and Talakai.
Also can always just leave Nikora/Wilton starting instead of starting Talakai.

Take Graham's name out for Sims if you really wanna fantasise. Hell, call it 8 Klemmer/JWH/Haas if you want too
 

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McInnes is a great defender, but he's also surprisingly fast and full of energy. He'll be great at making inroads up the middle and generating quick PTBs.

I expect him to be many of our's favourite player by the end of the season.
 
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