Official THE RUMOUR MILL - Player Signings/Transfers ONLY!!!!

[Paul C]

Breaking news, Matt Moylan, Ezra Mam swap on in Sharks Broncos trade talks

BS

 

[Tiger Shark]

BS

Nothing gets passed you

 

[Sparkles]

There is more to it than this… but since you asked

Simplest way to think of attack is to break it in to 1) yardage sets from continuous play, 2) yardage sets from a set start, and 3) good ball sets.

The most common set in a game is #1, and that is where your back 5 is key. Back rowers too, but later in the set.

#2 is less common, but also super important. A good example of this is a set after points. Play 1 is 20 out in the middle, your hooker is in play, and your middles are heavily involved.

For #3 it’s more important that your middles run the right lines and get to the right areas than make metres. Find space, get a quick ptb and run decoys.

From a RL PoV you can win with lots of combos. Given the Sharks current cattle and the injuries though, it’s hard to fault the coach. The shift to more mobile forwards later in the game is a league-wide thing. Fitz has shown since day 1 that he will go with bigger bodies early but after the 20th minute he will give the effort players the keys to the kingdom.

That's an interesting way to look at it, Cheers Burgo. I suppose you get to those goals in different ways depending on your cattle.

Would you say Melbourne (maybe last year's version) play to a different structure? The seem to be more opportunistic and run plays on any tackle they think there's opportunity.

The cattle makes a big difference to the plan, for sure.... Like how Haas has been used in short stints for max damage. Not many teams have that option.

 

[Sparkles]

Just need our current forwards to play to their potentials and be consistent. Just think if Hunt, Uele and Williams found form

Not many plans work without that, definitely

 

[BurgoShark]

That's an interesting way to look at it, Cheers Burgo. I suppose you get to those goals in different ways depending on your cattle.

Would you say Melbourne (maybe last year's version) play to a different structure? The seem to be more opportunistic and run plays on any tackle they think there's opportunity.

The cattle makes a big difference to the plan, for sure.... Like how Haas has been used in short stints for max damage. Not many teams have that option.

Lots of teams are opportunistic, and lots of teams (including the Sharks) will shift out of their own end to get away from compressed defence. I was moreso saying that the back 5 involvement is critical in the way every team moves the ball upfield, especially on those sets that start in your own end off a kick or diving on a loose ball etc.

Your forwards become much more involved when the set begins farther upfield or from a rehearsed play (tap, handover, scrum, kick off).

I always laugh when some commentator says “look at that forward, he is out on his feet. It’s tackle 3 and he hasn’t even made it back yet”. All forwards are coached to walk back, and all back 5 players are told that their job is to get the ball back to where the forwards are.

Sharks back 5 is up there with the best handful of teams at this. Panthers are the standard. Dylan Edwards is a machine. You could use him as an instructional video for how fullbacks should play in their own end.

 

[BurgoShark]

The way the back 5 plays is also another good reason why using "metres" as a stat to compare players across teams is flawed. Some fullbacks like Edwards and Tedesco are going to be leaned on as ball runners coming out of trouble. Smaller guys like Kennedy, Papenhuyzen, and Walsh definitely are more likely to be the passer or the decoy in those situations... and those teams all have players in the 3/4's who are big enough to be middle forwards. Looking at a stat sheet and saying Teddy had a better game than Kennedy because of the metres is not a fair comparison, given the different way the fullbacks are used by their coaches.

 

[Sevshark]

Was just having a look at stats on a couple of players in NSW cup I've been following, really wish NSWRL would work out a streaming deal so I could watch more of the games.

Niwhai's twin Hohepa has been great for the raiders, would love to steal him if they don't hurry up and sign him.

Eddie Blacker at Panthers would obviously be a good pick-up as well if we can make it happen.

Kurtis Morrin at the dogs has been pretty impressive too, was good against the Cows in first grade a few weeks ago as well.

 

[Six Again]

All the leaks stopped with BWB avoiding the forums

As for Wighton, release every player we have and pay him whatever he wants to play in the halves for us so we can finally shift Nicho to centre and start winning some games

Lots of teams are opportunistic, and lots of teams (including the Sharks) will shift out of their own end to get away from compressed defence. I was moreso saying that the back 5 involvement is critical in the way every team moves the ball upfield, especially on those sets that start in your own end off a kick or diving on a loose ball etc.

Your forwards become much more involved when the set begins farther upfield or from a rehearsed play (tap, handover, scrum, kick off).

I always laugh when some commentator says “look at that forward, he is out on his feet. It’s tackle 3 and he hasn’t even made it back yet”. All forwards are coached to walk back, and all back 5 players are told that their job is to get the ball back to where the forwards are.

Sharks back 5 is up there with the best handful of teams at this. Panthers are the standard. Dylan Edwards is a machine. You could use him as an instructional video for how fullbacks should play in their own end.

Appreciate your insight Burgo but I do feel our plays 1-3 out of our end are increasingly very predicable for the opposition & more so than many of the other teams .

 

[HaroldBishop]

Appreciate your insight Burgo but I do feel our plays 1-3 out of our end are increasingly very predicable for the opposition & more so than many of the other teams .

I don't see much difference between what we do and most others do?

 

[Sevshark]

Appreciate your insight Burgo but I do feel our plays 1-3 out of our end are increasingly very predicable for the opposition & more so than many of the other teams .

I understand what you're saying six but I'd argue that every teams 1-3 from their own end is predictable, exact replicas even.

 

[BurgoShark]

Appreciate your insight Burgo but I do feel our plays 1-3 out of our end are increasingly very predicable for the opposition & more so than many of the other teams .

I understand what you're saying six but I'd argue that every teams 1-3 from their own end is predictable, exact replicas even.

Yeah. For the most part all teams do the same thing, and all defences compress and up their line speed to try and bash the back 5. The Sharks play the same as everyone else. They just have 3/4 who all all good at making metres.

You do see teams occasionally bring something a little different, but again that is based on cattle. The Titans went through a period where they would shift 3 passes wide on play 1 coming off kick returned - but that was based on Anthony Don being a former half, and knowing he could handle it. I don’t think they’d want Sami and AKP throwing consecutive 10m passes on play 1.

 

[Sir Chadley]

The only other time you would see a difference is if a team is chasing quick points or it’s the last set or so of the game where they’re trying to win it.

 

[Sparkles]

The only other time you would see a difference is if a team is chasing quick points or it’s the last set or so of the game where they’re trying to win it.

See, I think Melbourne have a slightly different mindset. Most teams don't accept the risk of moving the ball around on early sets, but they seem confident enough to do it if they think there's opportunity. Maybe that's cattle again - Munster is your classic 'eyes up' player, and Hughes and Paps can play that style well also. I think we could do it a little more. We give up some size but have pretty good 'skill' players across the park

 

[BurgoShark]

See, I think Melbourne have a slightly different mindset. Most teams don't accept the risk of moving the ball around on early sets, but they seem confident enough to do it if they think there's opportunity. Maybe that's cattle again - Munster is your classic 'eyes up' player, and Hughes and Paps can play that style well also. I think we could do it a little more. We give up some size but have pretty good 'skill' players across the park

Do you mean shifting from inside their own 20, or on early tackles? Or both?

 

[Sparkles]

Do you mean shifting from inside their own 20, or on early tackles? Or both?

Either or really. But it feels like they move it around more on early tackles coming out of their end thab most. All very scientific, I know!

 

[Frenzy]

Signed straight off a 7 month rehab? That'd be something.
If it's true, maybe there's word he's been overtaken by Stonestreet, Iro and Dykes

The contract is dependent on a medical review, which is smart from Catalans. That's from the Catalans Insta account. He should be alright though as he got through last week pretty well.

He'll be the 4th ex Rooster there and his good mate Adam Keighran is one of them

 

[Sevshark]

The contract is dependent on a medical review, which is smart from Catalans. That's from the Catalans Insta account. He should be alright though as he got through last week pretty well.

He'll be the 4th ex Rooster there and his good mate Adam Keighran is one of them

I know him and his wife a little, opportunity to live in france/Europe would have been the biggest sell.

 

[Frenzy]

I know him and his wife a little, opportunity to live in france/Europe would have been the biggest sell.

I'm happy for him. He's my favourite non regular after Tricky

 

[Proud Shark]

No substance to it, but Buzz put out an article about the repercussions at souths if they sign Wighton. Given they have a lot of big contracts already, it's not unlikely some value might slip through.

Liam Knight could do a job for us in the middle, will probably come cheap ish given his relationship with Toby too. Off contract at the end of the year.

Arrow and Tatola are both signed up for 2024 but would be decent options if they needed to create some cap space. Arrow has been wasted on the edge, and I think you could get for value to play in the middle. Tatola they'd be unlikely to let go but would make a huge impact to our middle.

 

[Frenzy]

As much as I know this will get poo pooed I'd rather have Tom Burgess in context of what we all think we need.

Round	Minutes	Runs	Metres	Post Contact Metres
1	45	16	173	61
2	35	13	114	50
3	53	17	149	37
4	44	19	158	71
5	54	23	218	79
6	49	17	163	60
7	36	12	124	46
8	32	11	95	30