Xander
Waterboy
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2019
- Messages
- 65
- Reaction score
- 58
It's been a positive 6 weeks in many ways, given the situation our club is in.
Seeing as though I'm kind of procrastinating at work, here is my take on the current squad set to face the Rabbitohs this week. 2020 - 2022 will continue to be our rebuilding phase but from what I've seen lately, things are looking up, in my opinion.
Open to discussion
COACH: Dean Pay - 4/10 - In my opinion, he doesn't have the ability to devise/refine/sharpen attacking plays or defensive structures. He doesn't appear to have the best method of getting the best out of players in a mentoring, guidance capacity. His sporadic roster changes but also the respect he brings as one of the Dogs' best 90's enforcers has led to the team bonding, working their asses off and turning up for each other and I believe that even though he isn't the best long term solution, he's actually getting some good out of the current players - not through his coaching wisdom but from a combination of indirect factors.
1: Dallin Watene Zelezniak - 9/10 - Brings organisation, aggression, attacking flair and body-on-the-line mentality that has filtered through to the rest of the squad since his arrival. The captain of the NZ team has been the main reason we are now 4 from our last 6, although several of our wins have eventuated from poor showings/key injuries in our opposition/s.
2: Nick Meaney - 6/10 - It's clear that his best position is fullback but he won't be there again now that we are all-in with DWZ. He has natural speed and appears to be quite fearless. He would do better following behind players who provide offloads more often as he is best in broken play. His defensive misreads have resulted in too many points scored on his wing.
3: Kerrod Holland - 5/10 - Mediocre in attack unless we are 20m out from the try-line which is where he seems to grow in stature and enter beast-mode. Same goes for his defence where he is quite sound until the opposition are 20m out from our try-line and his vision is poor. Misreads are too common and his defensive combination with Meaney is a blessing for opposition teams.
4: Will Hopoate - 8/10 - While he no longer has the speed that he used to have, he is generally very safe and comes through in tight situations almost always. He still has excellent footwork and almost always continues to make post-contact metres, regardless of whether he's had a chance to wind-up or not.
5: Reimis Smith - 7/10 - Fast, relatively safe under the high ball and a good supporter in broken play, he'd be almost 10/10 if he had some bulk and strength. One of several players that the Bulldogs should look to build the team around moving in to the future.
6: Jack Cogger - 6.5/10 - A good organiser with a kicking game that is on par with our other options in the halves. He appears to me to be a confidence player. When we are down a fair way on the scoreboard I feel he goes missing a bit. But when it's close, or we are in the lead, he seems to be a solid leader on the field. Has a few minor weaknesses in defense.
7: Lachlan Lewis - 6/10 - Has natural talent and outstanding defensive technique. Still desperately needs to develop a better understanding of reading the play and adapting to different situations. His short kicking game is excellent, while his long kicking game is poor. He doesn't appear to know how to exploit opponent's weak points. Despite this, he is another player the club should look to build around.
8: Aiden Tolman - 6/10 - The bloke is an absolute workhorse and always gives 100%. He always puts his hand up for hit-ups but doesn't have the ability to bend the defensive line back as he has no speed or stature. Happy to keep him in the team for leadership and work ethic but when we are within 30-40m of the opposition try-line, he needs to be completely uninvolved.
9: Michael Lichaa - 3/10 - Des Hasler stuffed this bloke up big time. He had immense potential but I've never seen a hooker for the Bulldogs constantly look so confused and lost. He is good at getting out of dummy half but lacks the forward vision to know what to do when he gets into space. He used to be tireless in defense but I've seen some frustrating low-effort misses from him in the past few weeks. He's got to be the first we let go. Hopefully for him a team that can bring out the best in him picks him up as he seems like a decent guy.
10: Dylan Napa - 6/10 - Earlier in the season I would have given this bloke a 2/10. He has definitely lost the sting that he once had in both hitting the ball up and also in making effective tackles. He continues to miss lots of tackles however over the last 2 months I've seen him stepping up in effort. He genuinely wants to be on the field as a Bulldog and I feel that he can find his best form next year.
11: Josh Jackson - 7.5/10 - He bleeds blue and white and is a legend both on and off the field. He has the same work ethic as Aiden Tolman with slightly more damaging running. When he hits his lines, he is still origin level. He just doesn't have the same players around him anymore though and it has affected his performances. Can always rely on him in both attack and defense but that's pretty much all he is now - reliable.
12: Corey Harawira-Naera - 8.5/10 - Has brought a breath of fresh air to the team and is another player the Bulldogs need to build around. Stinging in defense and an amazing line runner, he creates opportunities and brings some X factor to a team that doesn't really have an X factor player anymore. He loses a few points in my mind as he is prone to giving away a penalty at the worst time..
13: Chris Smith - 5/10 - Effort is always there with Smith, but I'm unsure how he's getting selected over some of the other locks we have available. He has some ball-playing ability, footwork and some stinging defense but he is quite honestly nothing special, in my opinion. We should be building our team around other players who have more potential.
14: Jeremy Marshall-King - 7/10 - Defense is rock solid and he probably has the most 'spark' out of everyone. He's broken the line on countless occasions but lacks the 'eyes-up' understanding of the game that Cook/Tedesco/Ponga etc appear to have. They get into the back field and a try almost always results. JMK is the personification of 'a chance gone begging'. Has to be a long term option off the bench.
15: Renouf Toomaga - 6.5/10 - Still a young guy working on building his confidence. He often looks like he doesn't think he deserves to be out there. I haven't seen anything I don't like from him and when he believes in himself and runs through brick walls he will be top shelf. Has a tendency to be lazy (or scared?) in defense but this guy will develop into an excellent asset to the Dogs.
16: Danny Fualalo - 6.5/10 - Probably the strongest runner of the ball in the team. He runs off the back fence every time and he bends the defense back further than anyone else. Needs to work on fitness to offer more minutes and while his offloads are handy, he needs to know when to try them as I've seen some dumb efforts that have handed over possession.
17: Raymond Faitala-Mariner - 6.5/10 - Was once one of the most underrated players in the team. Then he was one of the most over-rated players and now he is back at square one. Needs to cement his place in the team with consistency and effort. Each week is something different. Has incredible footwork, speed and is a very strong runner with a good offload. Needs to get rid of the dumb penalties, dropped balls and lack-of-focus in defense.
Everyone in this forum including myself are harsh critics but we are this way because we love our team!
Go the mighty Bulldogs!!!
Seeing as though I'm kind of procrastinating at work, here is my take on the current squad set to face the Rabbitohs this week. 2020 - 2022 will continue to be our rebuilding phase but from what I've seen lately, things are looking up, in my opinion.
Open to discussion
COACH: Dean Pay - 4/10 - In my opinion, he doesn't have the ability to devise/refine/sharpen attacking plays or defensive structures. He doesn't appear to have the best method of getting the best out of players in a mentoring, guidance capacity. His sporadic roster changes but also the respect he brings as one of the Dogs' best 90's enforcers has led to the team bonding, working their asses off and turning up for each other and I believe that even though he isn't the best long term solution, he's actually getting some good out of the current players - not through his coaching wisdom but from a combination of indirect factors.
1: Dallin Watene Zelezniak - 9/10 - Brings organisation, aggression, attacking flair and body-on-the-line mentality that has filtered through to the rest of the squad since his arrival. The captain of the NZ team has been the main reason we are now 4 from our last 6, although several of our wins have eventuated from poor showings/key injuries in our opposition/s.
2: Nick Meaney - 6/10 - It's clear that his best position is fullback but he won't be there again now that we are all-in with DWZ. He has natural speed and appears to be quite fearless. He would do better following behind players who provide offloads more often as he is best in broken play. His defensive misreads have resulted in too many points scored on his wing.
3: Kerrod Holland - 5/10 - Mediocre in attack unless we are 20m out from the try-line which is where he seems to grow in stature and enter beast-mode. Same goes for his defence where he is quite sound until the opposition are 20m out from our try-line and his vision is poor. Misreads are too common and his defensive combination with Meaney is a blessing for opposition teams.
4: Will Hopoate - 8/10 - While he no longer has the speed that he used to have, he is generally very safe and comes through in tight situations almost always. He still has excellent footwork and almost always continues to make post-contact metres, regardless of whether he's had a chance to wind-up or not.
5: Reimis Smith - 7/10 - Fast, relatively safe under the high ball and a good supporter in broken play, he'd be almost 10/10 if he had some bulk and strength. One of several players that the Bulldogs should look to build the team around moving in to the future.
6: Jack Cogger - 6.5/10 - A good organiser with a kicking game that is on par with our other options in the halves. He appears to me to be a confidence player. When we are down a fair way on the scoreboard I feel he goes missing a bit. But when it's close, or we are in the lead, he seems to be a solid leader on the field. Has a few minor weaknesses in defense.
7: Lachlan Lewis - 6/10 - Has natural talent and outstanding defensive technique. Still desperately needs to develop a better understanding of reading the play and adapting to different situations. His short kicking game is excellent, while his long kicking game is poor. He doesn't appear to know how to exploit opponent's weak points. Despite this, he is another player the club should look to build around.
8: Aiden Tolman - 6/10 - The bloke is an absolute workhorse and always gives 100%. He always puts his hand up for hit-ups but doesn't have the ability to bend the defensive line back as he has no speed or stature. Happy to keep him in the team for leadership and work ethic but when we are within 30-40m of the opposition try-line, he needs to be completely uninvolved.
9: Michael Lichaa - 3/10 - Des Hasler stuffed this bloke up big time. He had immense potential but I've never seen a hooker for the Bulldogs constantly look so confused and lost. He is good at getting out of dummy half but lacks the forward vision to know what to do when he gets into space. He used to be tireless in defense but I've seen some frustrating low-effort misses from him in the past few weeks. He's got to be the first we let go. Hopefully for him a team that can bring out the best in him picks him up as he seems like a decent guy.
10: Dylan Napa - 6/10 - Earlier in the season I would have given this bloke a 2/10. He has definitely lost the sting that he once had in both hitting the ball up and also in making effective tackles. He continues to miss lots of tackles however over the last 2 months I've seen him stepping up in effort. He genuinely wants to be on the field as a Bulldog and I feel that he can find his best form next year.
11: Josh Jackson - 7.5/10 - He bleeds blue and white and is a legend both on and off the field. He has the same work ethic as Aiden Tolman with slightly more damaging running. When he hits his lines, he is still origin level. He just doesn't have the same players around him anymore though and it has affected his performances. Can always rely on him in both attack and defense but that's pretty much all he is now - reliable.
12: Corey Harawira-Naera - 8.5/10 - Has brought a breath of fresh air to the team and is another player the Bulldogs need to build around. Stinging in defense and an amazing line runner, he creates opportunities and brings some X factor to a team that doesn't really have an X factor player anymore. He loses a few points in my mind as he is prone to giving away a penalty at the worst time..
13: Chris Smith - 5/10 - Effort is always there with Smith, but I'm unsure how he's getting selected over some of the other locks we have available. He has some ball-playing ability, footwork and some stinging defense but he is quite honestly nothing special, in my opinion. We should be building our team around other players who have more potential.
14: Jeremy Marshall-King - 7/10 - Defense is rock solid and he probably has the most 'spark' out of everyone. He's broken the line on countless occasions but lacks the 'eyes-up' understanding of the game that Cook/Tedesco/Ponga etc appear to have. They get into the back field and a try almost always results. JMK is the personification of 'a chance gone begging'. Has to be a long term option off the bench.
15: Renouf Toomaga - 6.5/10 - Still a young guy working on building his confidence. He often looks like he doesn't think he deserves to be out there. I haven't seen anything I don't like from him and when he believes in himself and runs through brick walls he will be top shelf. Has a tendency to be lazy (or scared?) in defense but this guy will develop into an excellent asset to the Dogs.
16: Danny Fualalo - 6.5/10 - Probably the strongest runner of the ball in the team. He runs off the back fence every time and he bends the defense back further than anyone else. Needs to work on fitness to offer more minutes and while his offloads are handy, he needs to know when to try them as I've seen some dumb efforts that have handed over possession.
17: Raymond Faitala-Mariner - 6.5/10 - Was once one of the most underrated players in the team. Then he was one of the most over-rated players and now he is back at square one. Needs to cement his place in the team with consistency and effort. Each week is something different. Has incredible footwork, speed and is a very strong runner with a good offload. Needs to get rid of the dumb penalties, dropped balls and lack-of-focus in defense.
Everyone in this forum including myself are harsh critics but we are this way because we love our team!
Go the mighty Bulldogs!!!
