Opposed session v tigers

grunta

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https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/13...webs-in-opposed-session-against-wests-tigers/

Chris Kennedy NRL.com Reporter
Wed 13 Feb 2019, 06:01 PM

Canterbury coach Dean Pay got his first look at a revamped Bulldogs squad under match conditions in an in-house opposed session against Wests Tigers on Tuesday.

Winger Marcelo Montoya (torn hamstring) played his first competitive field session in seven months while centre Kerrod Holland (ankle surgery) was still on limited duties.

In good news for Bulldogs fans, star half Kieran Foran (toe) hasn't missed a beat over the off-season after missing most of 2018.

Holland said while the real indicator of what the 2019 team will look like will come in the upcoming Bega trial against Canberra, it was good to be back under game conditions.

"We had a bit of an opposed session against the [Wests] Tigers yesterday [Tuesday], just in-house and then we play the Raiders next week at Bega ... [positions are] all for grabs," he said.

"It was good just to play against someone you haven't been playing against for the last eight or 10 weeks in pre-season."

Holland is hoping to maintain his own right edge combination with winger Reimis Smith after the pair dominated in the team's late-season form spike but admits with the likes of Christian Crichton and Nick Meaney inbound and Morgan Harper and Jayden Okunbor rising through the tanks, backline spots will be at a premium.

However, the pair were separated in the opposed session, with Smith moved in one spot to right centre and Holland on the left with Crichton and Marcelo Montoya on the flanks.

"We saw two different teams, it was a mix and match of players," he added.

"I was limited with my ankle and couldn't play too much. [In] The Bega trial we'll see more of where the positions are going to be."

The end-of-season ankle cleanout kept Holland in the rehab group until after the Christmas break.

"I'm coming back from injury with my ankle. I wasn't on the field before Christmas ... I had surgery on both ankles in September, a week after our last game I had them cleaned out," he said.

With both Michael Lichaa and Jeremy Marshall-King and a few up-and-comers all running at dummy-half in the session, Holland hopes his days as a bench hooker are over.

"One thing I'm trying to do is stay out wide and not in the middle. It's a bit tough in the middle," he laughed.

"Hopefully I can stay out wider, it's where I've been training in the pre-season."

Montoya also welcomed Tuesday's hit-out. He hasn't played since tearing a hamstring in the Intrust Super Premiership in round 17, the game after being dropped by Pay following a patch of form he now describes as "flat".

"Dean spoke to me and said there's positions up for grabs and whoever trains the hardest will get a shot," Montoya said.

"I think last year I was a bit flat, it was hard for me to get that feel again on the footy field but this year I'm looking forward to focusing hard on myself and playing some good footy.

"[The opposed session] was actually really good. I hadn't been on a footy field in six or seven months in a game sense. It was good to get out there and mix it up with the boys and have a bit of fun.

He had a run on both the left and right flanks as the teams switched around, he said.

"I'll play anywhere. This year's been really good, we've had the footy in our hands a lot more and we're learning a lot more off the coaching staff and off the players as well."
 
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Spoonman84

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I’m glad they had this I think they need as much practice together as they can get with so many new combos over the field.
 

Mr Invisible

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Wouldn't this give the Tigers and glimpse of how we are going to play in 2019? Or are we not considering them a threat?
 

grunta

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I’m glad they had this I think they need as much practice together as they can get with so many new combos over the field.
Would like to know who won! I know its only an opposed session... a heads up from the club or a team list sheet would have been nice!
 

Spoonman84

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Would like to know who won! I know its only an opposed session... a heads up from the club or a team list sheet would have been nice!
I’m not sure if they would even keep score.
 

Mr Invisible

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So looks like the backline was:

1. Hoppa/Meaney
2. Crichton
3. R Smith
4. Holland (still partly injured)
5. Montoya

Not sure I agree with that lineup.
 

Kempsey Dog

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So looks like the backline was:

1. Hoppa/Meaney
2. Crichton
3. R Smith
4. Holland (still partly injured)
5. Montoya

Not sure I agree with that lineup.
would be a shit backline and gives us zero benefit moving forward
 

KiwiDog7

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Smith and Holland surely get first crack together as that was one of the few shining moments in a bleak season of 2018
 

c-b-b

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Montoya, fmd, Pay seems to love the bloke. I doubt Smith would have seen any game time last year if Montoya wasn't injured.

I really hope the strongest 5 are picked in the backline.
 

Valley Viking

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Montoya, fmd, Pay seems to love the bloke. I doubt Smith would have seen any game time last year if Montoya wasn't injured.

I really hope the strongest 5 are picked in the backline.
Pay dropped Montoya after the 1st Dragons game last year, where he had a shocker. Brett Morris’s missus went into labour the following week against the Titans so Pay had to bring him back in the side but as soon as B Moz was back he fucked off Montoya to ISP where he got injured in the first game.
 

Heckler

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If you're reading this Nab, does this suffice as a trial?
Regards D.Pay G.O.A.T.

Just joshing around buddy.
 

c-b-b

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Pay dropped Montoya after the 1st Dragons game last year, where he had a shocker. Brett Morris’s missus went into labour the following week against the Titans so Pay had to bring him back in the side but as soon as B Moz was back he fucked off Montoya to ISP where he got injured in the first game.
That was round 13 or 14 from memory so he got given alot of time.
 

KiwiDog7

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That was round 13 or 14 from memory so he got given alot of time.
Yes, Pay gave Montoya every opportunity in the world last season

Ironically his best game was his last game v Knights at centre before he got dropped then injured in ISP
 

Valley Viking

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Yeah Pay gave him a lot of time, maybe he was copping pressure at the time as Montoya was our only Canterbury junior in the team but he should’ve dropped him sooner as it was plain as day how shit he was playing.
 
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