Yeah AB - I can run with a fair bit of that - but some questions...
Can we teach graham to kick accurately? He has a massive boot on him. That won't matter if he goes to lock.
He goes alright. Ordinary for a halfback, okay for a 5/8th, great for a lock. I would prefer the 7 Carney, 6 Kelly, 13 Graham combination but I can see Flano going with the other.
Is AK going to be tough enough to handle 5/8? I have concerns about his ability to stay injury free. This worries me worse if he come off the bench.
I think so. He's as tall as Barrett and puts his body on the line. One broken leg doesn't make him fragile.
Will flanno let Gal play front row?
Probably not. But this is my team, not Flano's!!
Gallen playing prop would solve alot of problems for us although I would like Flanno to explain why he would like him there and Gal get the choice. I know that's not how it should work but I feel we owe that to Gal.
Explain it to him by all means, but don't let him choose. We're paying the bloke a mint and he plays where the coach tells him to, like every other player.
Mark- its not so much a question of whether Gal plays back row or prop, its about whether he's better in the ruck or on the fringe. He's clearly a much better player in the ruck- I doubt anyone would argue with that. But Smith is a 100% ruck player too, and not really a prop. To get Gal in the ruck, the best way to do it is to play him at prop- which is not in any way risky given his form there against the best props in the world. Gallen/Ross/Gibbs/Fifita would be one of the best prop rotations in the NRL. Smith/Bukuya or Frizell/Graham/Tupou/Taga would grow to be one of the best backrow groups in the comp. Where is the issue? Its just in this focus on Gal having to play wide.
As for wasting his talent... there's no reason he can't use his ball skills when he's in the middle of the park. He did that this year to great effect. The little tip-ons from Smith, Gal and Taga were hugely effective at getting each other one-on-one with their opposites and gaining a quick play the ball or even a linebreak. Also, I would bring Gibbs on for Smith and have Gal shift back to the backrow. He wouldn't be wasted at all- he would be the most valuable tight forward in the game. Who wouldn't want their No. 1 prop making 200m a game, especially when their others can back that up with 100m games and linebreak/LBAs (Fifita)?
As I said, I doubt Flano does it. But I think he should. It may not be ideal, but its simply the best formation for the players we have.
