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Agree, he has stepped up from Flegg to NSW Cup no problem After watching him play lock on the weekend he was reminding me of a Pat Carrigan style player. Makes plenty of metres through the middle, is a workhorse in defence and has an offload to his game Hopefully he might debut at some stage...

Mal Creevey was one of my favourites back then. Loved watching him tear it up in reserve grade and would do the same when given the chance in first grade I have no doubt he would have been a star if he was the regular half-back in those Bulldogs teams but unfortunately for him he was always...

Skelton could be our "Brian To'o" style winger making 200 metres per game, and would be even harder than To'o to stop close to the tryline He really is becoming too good for NSW Cup and I hope he stays with us and gets his chance Addo Carr is now 28?? and he is starting to lose pace each year...

One other major thing that shows how much we have improved from is when we debuted players last year, they were like lambs going to the slaughter. They were coming into a team lacking confidence with no structure and everything was falling apart around them so these young guys had no chance to...

Yeah Barakat is very impressive. Have watched a few HM games and he has all the skills I think I heard the commentator on Saturday say that he has been signed to a 3 or 4 year deal at the club

How many years since we have won 2 games in a row? I can't remember the last time

Also what was interesting was when they were in a huddle after scoring a try, it was O'Neil who was doing all the talking. A great sign that he is a talker on the field and also a leader. Very excited for his future. Hopefully he bulks up a bit over the next couple of years

Yeah I think CC said he wanted to bring him on 10 mins earlier but then Critta and others were cramping up so he had to wait in case one of them had to come off instead

We wouldn't have scored that try if Hutch was on the field. Taaffe gave a nice pass and followed the ball and gave a great final pass to Chrichton...Hutch wouldn't have been there

Yeah me too. I forgot that feeling that your team is actually in with a chance of winning....haven't had that for the last 5 years

Correct. I saw glimpses of good things from Taaffe and thought that's definitely an improvement on Perham. But then Tracey played one game at fullback last week and he showed he is a quality NRL standard fullback and is our first choice for this year at least Our backline last week was humming...

Posted in another thread that he has been named on the bench for Ron Massey Cup team this week

Gus has said before that the team list given on Tuesday is just for the media and the actual team is picked after the captain's run the day before the game

Agree, plus we've got some absolute guns coming through the lower grades that are going to be in synch with culture and work ethic we are developing. No need for veterans on their last legs

Good move by the club. We need to make room for the young guns coming through. I'd expect players like Hoffman, Pelham, BBO, Knight, Tevano etc to be moved on as well to make room for for more Just watching the younger grades we have a wealth of talent coming through so want to make sure...

Avo who?? Xerri has so much more upside and will be an absolute weapon for us out wide Can't wait to see him put the moves on his opposition centre then run around the fullback to score It will happen

So impressed by tonights performance. With all those players out and the late changes we should have actually won the game We are building the culture from the ground up and it shows with all the new players that came into the team, we were still ultra competitive. We are still clunky in...

Addo Carr

Agree, if he could get some game time in the backrow in NSW Cup and adapts to it, he would be the perfect attacking weapon to come off the bench and would also cover any injury in the backs (which is happening nearly every week) I'd prefer to see him get a spot on the wing cause his yardage...

Yep, I am hoping for the same Hopefully once he is back to full fitness he can make an impact and will really add size and aggression to our pack Him and Hughes firing up front could be just what we are desperately searching for

Good to see Hughes using his size and showing some aggression. Yeah he sailed close to the wind but that's what your front rowers job is He made an impact with and without the ball and had his best game for us so far. Hopefully now the bar has been set for what is expected of him and he will...

Yeah I was thinking at the back end of the season getting Papalii into the 17 somewhere but if he is doing the business in NSW Cup I'd aim to have him in by mid season. Other teams play 18 year olds successfully and Papalii looks like he will be our first youngster to crack NRL. He would give...

Yeah , and they only showed 1 replay and said nothing about it. From the first shot it looked like a head clash but from the other angle his shoulder hits him flush in the face??

I wish we went after Tristan Sailor when he was off contract last year. He has more attacking ability than our combined spine

Why was Hughes left on the bench until the last 15 mins? Surely being a player down he should have been used more Give him 15 minutes before halftime and 15 minutes after halftime to get at least 30 mins out of him If we are only going to use him in the last 15 mins of the game when he won't...

Yeah I thought that was Mahoneys best game as a Bulldog. After watching the replay for the second time, he was tireless in defence in the middle with plenty of line speed, his kicking was great and he led the charge downfield, set up a try and was strong for the entire 80 mins

1. Kikau 2. Mahoney 3. Kiraz

He can't keep dropping contested bombs and give the opposition the ball that close to our line. That will hurt us We need someone more reliable...Tracey for me

I don't think Taafe has succesfully taken a contested bomb in all 3 games and it is definitely a weakness that we need to fix. We can't keep giving the ball back to the opposition so close to our line Taafe has enthusiasm and plenty of energy but he isn't contributing that much to the team and...

Yeah I heard that as well. That can only be a good thing if Critta can help get a good combination going Another thing I noticed a couple of times is when Kikau was getting aggressive in defence , Burton seemed to lift his intensity in defence as well and hit a bit harder Hopefully by having...

One piece of our front row puzzle now in place He will only get better

O'Neill doesn't have the size yet to handle first grade He would get run over defensively Give him a chance to develop and build himself up in NSW Cup for a year at least. He is still very young No more sacrificing young guys before they are ready. That's why we have recruited experience in...

100% in for Critta as captain We have a huge leadership void with no player being at the club more than a couple of years CC has known Critta since he was a teenager, he has seen him develop closely every season (except last season) and if he thinks he is the man for the job, I'm for it...

How good that this is our problem...either Hutch or Sexton I thought Hutch looked great in the first half...then Sexton looked just as good , if not better in the second half I'm happy to go with whoever CC thinks will benefit the team the most. This weeks trial will be really interesting in...

Unless Kiraz is definitely 100% fit I wouldn't risk him in this trial I think it was a reported back injury, so if any doubt , leave him out. We saw the difference when Kiraz was fully fit at the start of last year, he was awesome chewing up the metres for us coming out of our own end He was...

I really hope Isaac Mateeva-Booth eventually comes good. He potentially has the size to be a real weapon Along with Todd, Hipoi and Hughes we have a really good batch of young props coming through They will need a couple of years to keep bulking up but they are all showing promise at a young...

I think after Kikau and Preston we are a bit light on second rowers He is a big body and makes an impact Worth cosidering

I favour Tracey àfter what he showed he could do when he got an extended run at fullback with the Sharks last year when Kennedy was out But Taafe gets first crack and it's all about opportunity for him, so if he can improve on his game from last year...fantastic EIther way , I'm happy with...

Kiraz looks like he has put on some muscle Hopefully that will help him push out even more metres for us

Interesting Hutcho said something along the lines of he is trying to bring the best out of the people around him That's certainly a skill we haven't had in our team for a long time I thought Sexton would be the number 7 to start but Hutcho could be a smokey if he plays well in the trials...

Good question I guess first off he needs to get back on the field and show what he can do If he has another injury prone year I dare say he won't be re-signed as we have Todd, Hipoi and Matava-Booth coming through that could easily jump ahead of him. The good thing is that Gus is setting up...

But he is still taking up a Top 30 spot isn't he? If he hasn't come back to training by now surely Gus is trying to get him off the books Even if he did eventually come back he would be so far behind in fitness with no pre-season training he would be no value at all to us

Awesome....alot of kids get wraps early on and amount to nothing, but the talk and hype about Woods feels different Hope like hell this kid progresses how everyone expects him too If he does, we could have a special player on our hands

Really looking forward to this year and confident we will improve in alot of areas Our backline has plenty of depth and options and we will have plenty of attack out wide For starters, at fullback we are already talking about who will be our fullback out of Crichton, Tracey or Taaffe and all 3...

Tracey for me He looked really good when he filled in for Kennedy at the Sharks last year and is always an attacking threat. He also goes at everything 100 miles an hour and won't get man handled like I think Taafe will Crichton is too good of a centre to not play him there and importantly...

Steve Mortimer, Terry Lamb, Dave Gillespie and Dean Pay

Fricken hilarious Fricken hilarious

Yeah Schnog, or Shlong ore something like that...guy with a mullet was playing Qld Cup

You make a good point regarding Penrith using our blueprint just before they won their first premiership Let's not forget the Panthers recruited Chris Mortimer, Peter Kelly, Peter Tunks and Paul Dunn in the late 80's early 90's to bring some tough nuts and winning culture to the club just...

I hope Sharks as well. That might open up a few options for us Hamlin Uele, Hunt, Hazelton....signing AFB could see some movement with these guys I'm hoping we are going after Hamlin Uele anyway, as he is off contract in 2024

I'm backing Xerri to be in the centres sooner rather than later Kid was an elite junior and hit the NRL scene at a young age and looked a definite Origin player in the making Yes 4 years is a long time out, but he is still very young and I think he will hit his stride very quickly. And when...

I think Luai would turn into a Nico Hynes type halfback and I'd take that every day of the week

Agree....his defence at times was paper thin which put us under pressure time and time again Being a co captain I would have liked to see a bit more desperation and commitment in defence RFM as well never showed the effort or commitment of a leader Reed Mahoney on the other hand, you couldn't...

Quite possibly:) Always liked him at the Warriors and wished we had him at the Bulldogs He plays tough and we need those type of players He is only young and I think he will keep improving and really add some toughness to our pack

If we can't have both, I'd take AFB and sacrifice Kikau...although that leaves us thin in the 2nd row if Preston or Curran go down A metre eating alpha prop is way more important to us than a strike 2nd rower. AFB would make sure we don't get dominated up front like we have been over the past...

Assault

He is in gaol

where did you hear that?

For me, we need to go all out and make him our marquee million dollar man. He is in the top 4 props in the game with Haas, Tino and JFH He would make all the difference to our team and take us from also rans to a definite top 8 side Surely we have room in our cap for at least one, million...

I've read somewhere that Gus is very involved and hands on with the academy That's what makes me think the plan is for our next great halfback to come from within, as Gus has brought quite a few gun young halves into the juniors

Thanks for the training update:)

Absolutely, his defence was terrible at times last year. He is a big body and first thing he needs to do is really stiffen up his defence. Don't all the greats say get your defence right first and your attack comes off the back of that (or something like that:)

Forgetting all the off field drama with RFM...his on field performances alone last year showed he should be nowhere near the top He didn't contribute or make any impact whatsoever for us last year, and as the "Club Captain" he should have been making the biggest impact and trying his guts out

Tanner seemed like a goer but lacked the size to make an impact. Not what we need Wish him well at the Panthers

I thought Tracey was excellent at centre at first when filling in last year but then when he came in at fullback for the injured Kennedy he was just as good If we get him....I'd be playing him in either position in our starting 13. Really depends on how Crichton goes at fullback if that's...

Without doubt we need strengthening in the front row and I'm confident Gus will get us someone, but regardless of that I think we desperately need either Patolo, Hughes, Katoga or Famaasili (spelling??) to really have a breakout year and step up and actually make positive contributions to the...

Agree...it's now or never for him as a 5/8. This year he needs a "breakout" year at 5/8 which includes vast improvement in all facets of his game, especially his defence and ball playing (setting up outside players) We all know he can run (albeit not enough) and he definitely has a kicking...

That's it...for me we just have to trust Gus and CC and not get distracted by the "noise" the media makes up about it

With our obvious weakness at prop, and with what is off contract for 2025, I'm hoping we go hard for Hamlin-Uele from the Sharks. Big unit, aggressive, experienced, would be our alpha prop IF.....AFB becomes available next year we have to go all out and virtually make him an offer he can't...

I back Gus and CC 100% on whatever action they take with RFM They are the only ones who know the full story and no doubt they both will do the right thing by the club

Xerri...I'm backing him to hit the ground running from the first day of pre season and be in the centres come Round 1 Curran has alot of upside to develop into a potential representative player in the next couple of years as our team starts winning again

Yeah.... I know:) In my "dream" Luai turns into another Nico Hynes after switching to halfback and Burton finally gets his shit together:)

Dreams are free right? 2025 backline Papenhuysen Fox Crichton Xerri Kiraz Burton Luai ???

Winger for me Is great under the high ball, was averaging close to 200 metres per game ( i think) at the start of the year before injury and is a great finisher Could transition to centre if need be but he is definitely a bigger asset for us on the wing

Agree. If Gus can swing this and land us a prop ...as well as landing Safiti then we are back in business next year

I've always liked Curren. Good size, plays tough and has that bit of mongrel in him Hopefully he slots in at lock and can really develop into a consistent top notch NRL forward Makes our pack stronger

A couple of ways to look at this IF.....there are issues between the club and JAC and Gus and CC feel it would be better for the team to move him on, I'm on board Fox is a great finisher...BUT.....he makes minimal yardage coming out of our own end and his defence (or lack of) at times has...

Good signing. I think he has shown promise in his debut season and has huge potential

Hopefully Curren replaces Waddell...which is an upgrade

Wouldn't be surprised to see Hutchinson at 7 if he out performs Sexton in pre season and trials. He could be the calm steady experience at 7 we are looking for to help unlock Burton. Plus he is a big body defensively

I was at that game in '79 in the little stand next to the hill at the SCG. What a great game, what a great memory

Good luck to Flanno. Although he shit me to tears when he was our number 7, he just didn't have the skill set required as a 7 at NRL level But he had plenty of ticker and for the most part was defensively sound and he can't be accused of not putting in full effort each time he took the field...

Turpin is a tough little bugger and an experienced NRL standard hooker If Mahoney goes down injured in the first game (heaven forbid), we now have an established replacement With Nu Brown and Flanagan gone we had no backup at hooker. Now we do, and for me Turpin is a better player than Brown...

I would have liked to have kept Burns but looking back he seems injury prone. I don't think he strung more than 2 games together in a row before he was injured again. Just when he looked solid, he got injured again With Xerri and Crichton coming as well as young Semrani who I think is top 30...

Yep, at least there are some quality forwards available in 2025 and realistically we should be able to pick up 3 from the following list Fotuaika Hamlin Uele Jacob Safiti Lindsay Smith Coen Hess Kaloamatangi Jordan Riki Hudson Young

Experienced back up for the halves. Look at the hole we fell in this year in the halves Once Flanno was dropped we had KO, Rajab, Burto all fail until we got Sexton I think Sexton is in the box seat to make the position his but if for whatever reason there is a vacancy in the halves, at least...

I think this is the type of front rower signings we can expect for next year. On the cheap and looking for an opportunity Hopefully we can find a "Preston" like gem amongst them As long as he buys into our training, runs hard, tackles hard...good luck to him

Playing wise he isn't up to the standard we require Regardless of all the other stuff going on, he is a weak link in our roster and even if we have to kick in a bit of his salary to play at another club, so be it (it's not like we don't have plenty of cap room to accommodate this) I would...

I thought we at least showed more application to defence today....still totally unacceptable having 34 points scored , but compared to the past month we weren't as diabolical.....I guess that's something.....right....ahh who am I kidding...who cares:) Knight looked pretty solid in his opening...

Definitely some good prospects there I thought O'Neill, Papalii, looked pretty good Front rowers Todd and Hopoi looked strong and Johannson looked like a goer off the bench Todd was the dominant front rower on the field and Hopoi has good leg speed for a big guy. Hopefully these 2 can put on...

What a champion JMoz is....his radio buddy even said he has never heard him so passionate. I've said it before, I wish they get JMoz on the coaching staff as a defensive coach for the all the outside backs in the club. He was one of the best of the modern era

We have absolutely no stand out leaders in our team at present Burton.....forget it. Proved he is totally not up to it for a number of reasons. CC should definitely relinquish him of the duties in the off season. He just needs to fully concentrate on improving his game JAC...nope. Not...

Yeah I agree. CC mentioned the Jersey Flegg players in his press conference today saying these guys will be the future. I think that's why KO is playing Flegg now, hopefully to build combinations and spirit with guys like Papalii, Mazzone, O'Neill, Hopoi and Marshall etc so these guys can come...

He has looked much more comfortable at centre in NSW Cup and yesterday actually contributed something to the team when at centre He's not a fullback plain and simple, but a NSW Cup standard centre who if in the top 30 should be minimum wage and if injuries get desperate could fill in for a game...

I'd happily swap Burton for Mam, Deardon or Luai in '25 if Gus could make it happen

Yeah I've wondered the same thing. RFM... what's going on there? he has hardly been sighted since that story about him being shopped around, then he was named for the last 2 games but mysteriously didn't play either, reports he pulled a hammy in the warm up last week...did anyone actually see...

I think Taafe at 1 and Crichton in the centres We need Crichtons defence in the front line Penriths' right side defence got ripped apart against Parra because Crichton wasn't there. Cleary, Martin and To'o were still there on the right hand side and with Crichton it's nearly impregnable, but...

Hopefully there will be some movement of players "on contract" in the off season and we might be able to snag a good prop that way I'm thinking there could be an opportunity at Cronulla with Hamlin Uele coming off contract and they also have Rudolph, Hunt, Kaufusi and Hazelton in their...

Exactly..... I know most people think CC is a dud (and I agree some of his decisions seem crazy).... but lets not forget he knows what success looks like, he has worked within the Panthers system that has built from the bottom up and is now a powerhouse and nearly unbeatable Most of our players...

I'd be more than happy if Morrin developed into that player I think Preston's strength is his defence and if we happened to pick up another 2nd rower (eg Riki), I could see Preston in the 13 role which would really strengthen our defence in the middle Either way, hopefully we can strengthen...