Tigers Vs Sharks trial, 20th February

Paul C

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Random thoughts. A Fifita must be really dumb. How else can he forget that his main task is to play the bloo6y ball properly. Its not hard! Bird had a shocker and cannot possibly play fullback in front of Barba who looked safe and exciting all at once. Val was off. I love the Nathan Long impersonator. Maloney needs time to gel, his goalkicking will win a few games. Townsend is better than I expected. Taga was good again. I really hate Flanno and I'm gonna have a stroke at some time during the season because he is a fu7kwit who has got no idea. He didn't do anything tonight, but I think he will pick Bird as 1 and thats enough to worry me.
 

Blix

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Barba looked good, bird was horrible tonight...

Have watched both trials closely for maloney, have seen nothing besides a couple of long kicks last week and goal kicking that are any good...

He ran to the line a few times tonight with decent space and got both chopped down and held up. Yet people say he looked good...I don't get it!

Townsends kicking was far better and his defence was good as well...yet no one will mention him, no doubt
 

Tatus

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Barba looked good, bird was horrible tonight...

Have watched both trials closely for maloney, have seen nothing besides a couple of long kicks last week and goal kicking that are any good...

He ran to the line a few times tonight with decent space and got both chopped down and held up. Yet people say he looked good...I don't get it!

Townsends kicking was far better and his defence was good as well...yet no one will mention him, no doubt

Chad was the better half tonight for mine. Was very impressed with his defence too. Very happy to have him back
 
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Barba looked good, bird was horrible tonight...

Have watched both trials closely for maloney, have seen nothing besides a couple of long kicks last week and goal kicking that are any good...

He ran to the line a few times tonight with decent space and got both chopped down and held up. Yet people say he looked good...I don't get it!

Townsends kicking was far better and his defence was good as well...yet no one will mention him, no doubt
He over calls gal, and tells him what he wants done, that is priceless when the pressure is on.
 

egg

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Didn't get to watch it or read comments yet ..Did Lutes do anything or should Bird be right centre ( Beale left ) ?
 

Blix

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1. Jack Bird- Crap game, loads of mistakes at fullback, and whilst looks like he has potential at centre dropped the ball at crucial times, bombed a few chances.

2. Valentine Holmes, good game, besides a singular bad drop, nearly scored the winning try however bird dropped it inside him

3. Gerard Beale, a few good touches, good defensively, has definitely beefed up

4. Ricky Leutele, quite game but not bad

5. Sosaia Feki , not highly involved, but a feki like tough game

6. James Maloney , good goal kicking, not many passes, a couple of runs, maybe one max two general play kicks, I am hoping I am wrong but I have always thought this guy goes missing (for example last year when Pearce got injured Hastings came in and supposedly Maloney was to be a dominant half, he hardly even touched the ball, my thoughts alone, last time I said this about a player was ayshford, when I got proper flamed but look how crap he ended up....anyway time will tell)

7. Chad Townsend , was the dominant general play kicker with some quality kicks, looked decent running the ball and good defensively, good game for sure

8. Sam Tagataese, good when he was on, didn't seem to play enough minutes

9. Michael Ennis, yep massive difference when he is on, quality

10. Andrew Fifita , started off restrained, but as the game got close the pressure fried his brain and he started with the stupid play of the balls and penalties, was lucky not to give away more penalties

11. Luke Lewis, good whilst on

12. Wade Graham, good whilst on

13. Paul Gallen , good whilst on

Interchange

16 Jayson Bukuya, seemed to get more minutes, was more highly involved , no doubt as gal and others were off, still seems mobile and strong

18 Joseph Paulo, didn't see much of him, disappointing after his quality game last week

19 Ben Barba, a couple of good takes and a quality break, looks mobile and fit! Split them open, was definitely better then bird tonight

21 Matt Prior, not as highly involved as normal

22 David Fifita, much more consistent then his brother......

23 Chris Heighington, not as highly involved as normal, similar to a number of the other forwards, maybe due to the increased defensive workload due to a massive amount of penalties against cronulla
 

sharkyboy

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Paulo was awesome mate. Think he almost played the full 80. Strong runs and didn't see him miss a tackle
 

HaroldBishop

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1. Jack Bird- Crap game, loads of mistakes at fullback, and whilst looks like he has potential at centre dropped the ball at crucial times, bombed a few chances.

2. Valentine Holmes, good game, besides a singular bad drop, nearly scored the winning try however bird dropped it inside him

3. Gerard Beale, a few good touches, good defensively, has definitely beefed up

4. Ricky Leutele, quite game but not bad

5. Sosaia Feki , not highly involved, but a feki like tough game

6. James Maloney , good goal kicking, not many passes, a couple of runs, maybe one max two general play kicks, I am hoping I am wrong but I have always thought this guy goes missing (for example last year when Pearce got injured Hastings came in and supposedly Maloney was to be a dominant half, he hardly even touched the ball, my thoughts alone, last time I said this about a player was ayshford, when I got proper flamed but look how crap he ended up....anyway time will tell)

7. Chad Townsend , was the dominant general play kicker with some quality kicks, looked decent running the ball and good defensively, good game for sure

8. Sam Tagataese, good when he was on, didn't seem to play enough minutes

9. Michael Ennis, yep massive difference when he is on, quality

10. Andrew Fifita , started off restrained, but as the game got close the pressure fried his brain and he started with the stupid play of the balls and penalties, was lucky not to give away more penalties

11. Luke Lewis, good whilst on

12. Wade Graham, good whilst on

13. Paul Gallen , good whilst on

Interchange

16 Jayson Bukuya, seemed to get more minutes, was more highly involved , no doubt as gal and others were off, still seems mobile and strong

18 Joseph Paulo, didn't see much of him, disappointing after his quality game last week

19 Ben Barba, a couple of good takes and a quality break, looks mobile and fit! Split them open, was definitely better then bird tonight

21 Matt Prior, not as highly involved as normal

22 David Fifita, much more consistent then his brother......

23 Chris Heighington, not as highly involved as normal, similar to a number of the other forwards, maybe due to the increased defensive workload due to a massive amount of penalties against cronulla

Cheers blix. :good:
 

CrankyShark

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I wasn't able to watch the game, as a genuine rule I loathe trying to judge form based on trial performances anyway. It is interesting to note that the overwhelming majority thought Bird had a poor game though. And it sounds like Fifita still has discipline issues re playing the ball.
 

sharkyboy

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Didn't get to see the whole game as I was sneakily watching at work so I saw a good 50-60 minutes. Here's my thoughts on the squad.

1. Bird - not a great game. Needs to be in the centers. Looked better there and defense was better out wide. Made a crucial error at the end. Was limping pretty bad at one stage but must have been a cork as he played on and told the trainer to piss off haha

2. Feki - combined well in attack with Ricky and made a really nice run only to be cut down by tedesco otherwise would have scored. Typical good performance from him.

3. Beale - didn't see too much of him, but looked stronger and quicker. Got benched at half time I think.

4. Ricky - not as bad as last week. Typical strong runs but should be dropped for bird. Couple of nice link ups with Maloney and put feki away twice for line breaks

5. Val - quieter game but still a freak of a player. Didn't get monstered like he usually has been and looks bigger and quicker.

6. Maloney - nowhere near as bad as some people are saying. Good kicking game, good passing and vision and linked up with Chad a few times which was really nice to see. Fantastic goal kicker.

7. Townsend - set for a big year. Steered us around the park, great running game and defense was robbo like. Some great attacking kicks as well. So impressed with him. Made a try saving one on one tackle on a big second rower on our try line.

8. Taga - missed pretty much most of his stint but he scored a try and couple of big runs again. Will start in the front row again this year. Watch out opposition.

9. Ennis - what else can you say? The guy is a master. Great defense, good kicks and a typical try assist for lewy with a nice kick in behind for a try. Gonna have another great year.

10. Fifita - unstoppable when he ran hard and straight. If he keeps his head screwed on he will make origin again this year. Just cut out the stupid penalties please.

11. Lewis - good D and should play 50 mins this year and we will get a good year out of him.

12. Graham - monster as usual. Love this bloke. Never stops trying

13. Gal - wasn't on for long and got cut out a lot of the play but looked fresh

Interchange

14. Boogie - strong. Will be good coming off the bench this year if he gets picked. Hard to wrap up when he runs hard

15. Paulo - reallllllly impressed. Played nearly the whole game I think and he looked as good as he did at the end of the game as when he started. Great runs and solid defense. Should be on the bench round 1.

16. Barba - freak. Made a beautiful run only for it to be ruined by bird and was barking like a mad dog sorting out our defense line. Simple HAS to be our fullback.

17. Prior - worked hard. Played most of the first half and typical of him. Would be unlucky to miss out on a bench spot.

18. D Fifita - will be in first grade. Runs straight and hard and good D.

19. Heino - looked better than I thought he would. Hits the line hard and pumps the legs all day.

20. Brown - **** off please. Worst on ground.

21. Mcquilrick - seriously this guy is good. If ennis goes down we are in safe hands and I have him ahead of Nu.
 
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Didn't get to see the whole game as I was sneakily watching at work so I saw a good 50-60 minutes. Here's my thoughts on the squad.

1. Bird - not a great game. Needs to be in the centers. Looked better there and defense was better out wide. Made a crucial error at the end. Was limping pretty bad at one stage but must have been a cork as he played on and told the trainer to piss off haha

2. Feki - combined well in attack with Ricky and made a really nice run only to be cut down by tedesco otherwise would have scored. Typical good performance from him.

3. Beale - didn't see too much of him, but looked stronger and quicker. Got benched at half time I think.

4. Ricky - not as bad as last week. Typical strong runs but should be dropped for bird. Couple of nice link ups with Maloney and put feki away twice for line breaks

5. Val - quieter game but still a freak of a player. Didn't get monstered like he usually has been and looks bigger and quicker.

6. Maloney - nowhere near as bad as some people are saying. Good kicking game, good passing and vision and linked up with Chad a few times which was really nice to see. Fantastic goal kicker.

7. Townsend - set for a big year. Steered us around the park, great running game and defense was robbo like. Some great attacking kicks as well. So impressed with him. Made a try saving one on one tackle on a big second rower on our try line.

8. Taga - missed pretty much most of his stint but he scored a try and couple of big runs again. Will start in the front row again this year. Watch out opposition.

9. Ennis - what else can you say? The guy is a master. Great defense, good kicks and a typical try assist for lewy with a nice kick in behind for a try. Gonna have another great year.

10. Fifita - unstoppable when he ran hard and straight. If he keeps his head screwed on he will make origin again this year. Just cut out the stupid penalties please.

11. Lewis - good D and should play 50 mins this year and we will get a good year out of him.

12. Graham - monster as usual. Love this bloke. Never stops trying

13. Gal - wasn't on for long and got cut out a lot of the play but looked fresh

Interchange

14. Boogie - strong. Will be good coming off the bench this year if he gets picked. Hard to wrap up when he runs hard

15. Paulo - reallllllly impressed. Played nearly the whole game I think and he looked as good as he did at the end of the game as when he started. Great runs and solid defense. Should be on the bench round 1.

16. Barba - freak. Made a beautiful run only for it to be ruined by bird and was barking like a mad dog sorting out our defense line. Simple HAS to be our fullback.

17. Prior - worked hard. Played most of the first half and typical of him. Would be unlucky to miss out on a bench spot.

18. D Fifita - will be in first grade. Runs straight and hard and good D.

19. Heino - looked better than I thought he would. Hits the line hard and pumps the legs all day.

20. Brown - **** off please. Worst on ground.

21. Mcquilrick - seriously this guy is good. If ennis goes down we are in safe hands and I have him ahead of Nu.

Nice summary mate, agree with you about Paulo, I had him as depth at best but he runs strong like Toops and can offload.
For those who have issues with Maloney, don't stress, he will be a great player for us. Apart from being able to kick goals from anywhere he's cool under pressure and when he and Chad really gel we'll start seeing even more improvement. Most importantly, he seems to be a strong enough player to keep Gal out of the backline. That's gotta be worth heaps.

I didn't see the Barba break, but I saw enough of Bird in the first half to know fullback isn't his spot. Yes he scored two tries but one was from a spilled bomb, just happened to be in the right place.
 

sharkyboy

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Nice summary mate, agree with you about Paulo, I had him as depth at best but he runs strong like Toops and can offload.
For those who have issues with Maloney, don't stress, he will be a great player for us. Apart from being able to kick goals from anywhere he's cool under pressure and when he and Chad really gel we'll start seeing even more improvement. Most importantly, he seems to be a strong enough player to keep Gal out of the backline. That's gotta be worth heaps.

I didn't see the Barba break, but I saw enough of Bird in the first half to know fullback isn't his spot. Yes he scored two tries but one was from a spilled bomb, just happened to be in the right place.

Thanks mate. And birds other try was at center funnily enough haha
 

fitz

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1. Jack Bird- Crap game, loads of mistakes at fullback, and whilst looks like he has potential at centre dropped the ball at crucial times, bombed a few chances.

2. Valentine Holmes, good game, besides a singular bad drop, nearly scored the winning try however bird dropped it inside him

3. Gerard Beale, a few good touches, good defensively, has definitely beefed up

4. Ricky Leutele, quite game but not bad

5. Sosaia Feki , not highly involved, but a feki like tough game

6. James Maloney , good goal kicking, not many passes, a couple of runs, maybe one max two general play kicks, I am hoping I am wrong but I have always thought this guy goes missing (for example last year when Pearce got injured Hastings came in and supposedly Maloney was to be a dominant half, he hardly even touched the ball, my thoughts alone, last time I said this about a player was ayshford, when I got proper flamed but look how crap he ended up....anyway time will tell)

7. Chad Townsend , was the dominant general play kicker with some quality kicks, looked decent running the ball and good defensively, good game for sure

8. Sam Tagataese, good when he was on, didn't seem to play enough minutes

9. Michael Ennis, yep massive difference when he is on, quality

10. Andrew Fifita , started off restrained, but as the game got close the pressure fried his brain and he started with the stupid play of the balls and penalties, was lucky not to give away more penalties

11. Luke Lewis, good whilst on


12. Wade Graham, good whilst on

13. Paul Gallen , good whilst on

Interchange

16 Jayson Bukuya, seemed to get more minutes, was more highly involved , no doubt as gal and others were off, still seems mobile and strong

18 Joseph Paulo, didn't see much of him, disappointing after his quality game last week

19 Ben Barba, a couple of good takes and a quality break, looks mobile and fit! Split them open, was definitely better then bird tonight

21 Matt Prior, not as highly involved as normal

22 David Fifita, much more consistent then his brother......

23 Chris Heighington, not as highly involved as normal, similar to a number of the other forwards, maybe due to the increased defensive workload due to a massive amount of penalties against cronulla

Wasn't actually expecting him to show tonight - has a bad lergy and should be at home resting up with a bowl of chicken soup and cuddling his expectant missus.
 
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