Opinion Who do you think will have a breakout year for the Bulldogs???

[Spoonman84]

I don't see why not, in his few games in reserves he outperformed Harper easily and showed genuine pace and ability with the ball in hand. Tommy Talau probably would've spent most the year in Flegg with us yet he made his NRL debut with the Tigers this year and is set to start the season in the 13. Our club and some of our fanbase is so fearful of promoting youth.

Look at Reimis Smith as a prime example debuted in 2016 showed that he could at least handle it then goes back to reggies for close to the 2 years.

 

[Spoonman84]

Interesting point you raise - but there has to be reasons other than 'fear'. I'm not afraid of promoting anyone if they can handle the job - I guess the trick is not expecting too much too soon and blowing the confidence of the young fellas. Fair step up from reggies to NRL level not to be overstated. I guess it has to happen at some point.

Is the blowing the confidence thing that big of a deal? If they struggle in NRL they go back to reggies and at least the know what they have to improve on. If their confidence gets dented that much there's a good chance they were never going to make it in the first place.

I think the biggest reason we haven't seen too many players below 20 get a start is just the fact we haven't had players good enough in the system. It will be interesting to see if Pay changes that now we look like we will.

 

[Natboy]

Look at Reimis Smith as a prime example debuted in 2016 showed that he could at least handle it then goes back to reggies for close to the 2 years.

True but wasn’t his injury pretty serious as well?

 

[Spoonman84]

True but wasn’t his injury pretty serious as well?

From memory he suffered that in the back end of the 2017 so he didn't miss that many games but yeah it would have played a roll in it.

 

[NPC83]

Here we are screaming out for a centre and we had Tommy Taulau not so long ago.... smh..

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Interesting point you raise - but there has to be reasons other than 'fear'. I'm not afraid of promoting anyone if they can handle the job - I guess the trick is not expecting too much too soon and blowing the confidence of the young fellas. Fair step up from reggies to NRL level not to be overstated. I guess it has to happen at some point.

Another reason would be that certain players are going to get the chance to cement to spot first regardless of how anyone else is performing. It's as if there's this invisible que and players are stuck there serving time and waiting for injury to hit to get the opportunity.

For me it's simple, Averillo has massive wraps on him and the skills he has are things we greatly lack in the top squad. Our inability to score points is what needs to be addressed and bringing in a speedster that's a genuine ball runner and doubles as a centre/option is a no brainer. It's not as if players ahead of him are nailing the position and not making errors anyway.

Smith to centre just feels like a waste of time right now imo, we had all last season to give it a run yet Pay is considering it now when wingers are potentially going to be key with the new contested kick rule? We just feel so far off the pace with team selections and creating pathways for players.

 

[DinkumDog]

Is the blowing the confidence thing that big of a deal? If they struggle in NRL they go back to reggies and at least the know what they have to improve on. If their confidence gets dented that much there's a good chance they were never going to make it in the first place.

I think the biggest reason we haven't seen too many players below 20 get a start is just the fact we haven't had players good enough in the system. It will be interesting to see if Pay changes that now we look like we will.

Good point and I agree lack of focus on junior development in recent years prior to 2018/2019 has caused a ripple effect as to why we've been thin in depth in a number of positions. That's slowly changing now and you're probably right in the sense that if they're not going to make it at NRL level, it's better to find that out sooner rather than later. One problem for coaches these days is that the competition is so tight outside say the clearly top 2 or 3 teams, if you get your selections wrong it doesn't take long for you to tumble down the ladder after a few losses as we saw in 2019. A bit of a balancing act.

 

[DinkumDog]

Another reason would be that certain players are going to get the chance to cement to spot first regardless of how anyone else is performing. It's as if there's this invisible que and players are stuck there serving time and waiting for injury to hit to get the opportunity.

For me it's simple, Averillo has massive wraps on him and the skills he has are things we greatly lack in the top squad. Our inability to score points is what needs to be addressed and bringing in a speedster that's a genuine ball runner and doubles as a centre/option is a no brainer. It's not as if players ahead of him are nailing the position and not making errors anyway.

Smith to centre just feels like a waste of time right now imo, we had all last season to give it a run yet Pay is considering it now when wingers are potentially going to be key with the new contested kick rule? We just feel so far off the pace with team selections and creating pathways for players.

I agree not moving Smith to centre - for mine he's a winger. He had a frustrating year in 2019 because he didn't see enough ball because we didn't have the quality feeding it to him. It's also why as good as he is, I don't really see JAC fitting in to the bigger picture right now.
Pay has probably 10 games to determine if he will coach us beyond 2020 - so he's going to have to get these calls right fairly early and/or be bold and not stick with the Holland/Montoya type selections from Round 1.
Would be interesting to know from pre-season so far what's standing out as to who is earning those positions. Anyone capable of being a fly on the wall??

 

[Spoonman84]

Smith to centre just feels like a waste of time right now imo, we had all last season to give it a run yet Pay is considering it now when wingers are potentially going to be key with the new contested kick rule? We just feel so far off the pace with team selections and creating pathways for players.

I don't really get moving Reimis to centre either with a bit more work he could become one of the best wingers in the game. He has to go looking for more ball and the team has to give him more ball.

Moving him to centre is just another thing that could go wrong we know he can perform on the wing and what happens if he gets exposed early next year? A major back line reshuffle will have to happen.

 

[bradyk]

I don't really get moving Reimis to centre either with a bit more work he could become one of the best wingers in the game. He has to go looking for more ball and the team has to give him more ball.

Moving him to centre is just another thing that could go wrong we know he can perform on the wing and what happens if he gets exposed early next year? A major back line reshuffle will have to happen.

So then we sacrifice Okunbor and play Montoya or Holland in the Centres. I think Harper or Averillo are a long shot of being there. I don't want to see Montoya or Holland play for us (unless injuries) again tbh. If we're going to sign a Centre for 2021 then moving Reimis to Centre for one season might hinder his progress on the Wing. If we sign a Centre (e.g. Leilua) for next season then we avoid this situation.

 

[Shire Dog]

I feel as though Lewis and Cogger are probably the more settled halves pairing, but we all know that we desperately need some points. So we need some creativity, some unpredictability, and this is why I think Wakeham needs to be given a shot.
But who knows who it will be. Imagine if it was Wakeham and Averilo. Lol

From a fan point of of view it’s all a big guessing game as far as selections
go
I just don’t want Pay to persist with a particular player for half a season if their not really performing or showing genuine improvement
We have enough bench guys and juniors on our roster next year,no need to put up with mediocre players for too long
Give them a shot

 

[Spoonman84]

So then we sacrifice Okunbor and play Montoya or Holland in the Centres. I think Harper or Averillo are a long shot of being there. I don't want to see Montoya or Holland play for us (unless injuries) again tbh. If we're going to sign a Centre for 2021 then moving Reimis to Centre for one season might hinder his progress on the Wing. If we sign a Centre (e.g. Leilua) for next season then we avoid this situation.

I’d much rather give Averillo or Harper a run at centre then move Reimis and let Okonbur and Meaney fight it out for the other wing spot. It probably won’t happen but that’s what I’d like to see.

 

[Sandra's Bollocks]

I think people are overly critical of him in this regard. The whole team failed to sparkle in attack this year. Now I know the halves are meant to create, but there are always other factors. Lack of confidence from losing so often, forwards not getting the ascendancy, and yes, not great attack from the halves. And before Marley mentions his usual rhetoric of making excuses for him, these are just realities, and with a big off season we could see a vastly improved attacking game by Lewis. Lets hope so anyway.

Damn right I'm going to be critical. Every single half or 5/8 that's won a premiership in the last decade at least, isn't a known defensive player. At most they were average, which is why it's important to have players inside them that can do the job of cleaning up.
Yes there's other factors such as confidence (which I believe he has a lot of anyway) but even low confidence doesn't last for very long. At this point in time he hasn't got much to offer in regards to options imo.

But like you and many others, I hope his attack does improve.

 

[Shire Dog]

Here we are screaming out for a centre and we had Tommy Taulau not so long ago.... smh..

Definitely seems weird to think that our club flicked him then ends up playing top grade perhaps at the tigers next season
To be honest I don’t know the finer details behind his departure
But have read people’s praises about Mr Tualau several times
Could come back to bite

 

[NPC83]

Definitely seems weird to think that our club flicked him then ends up playing top grade perhaps at the tigers next season
To be honest I don’t know the finer details behind his departure
But have read people’s praises about Mr Tualau several times
Could come back to bite

Maybe somebody here knows the full story. I was told from a friend that knows Willie that Tommy had a falling out with somebody at the club and wanted to leave.

 

[DinkumDog]

Definitely seems weird to think that our club flicked him then ends up playing top grade perhaps at the tigers next season
To be honest I don’t know the finer details behind his departure
But have read people’s praises about Mr Tualau several times
Could come back to bite

'Finer details' I think is it. I'm quite sure the club wasn't willing to let top talent walk unless for good reason.
Could come back to bite - we'll have to see - hopefully not.

 

[Spoonman84]

Maybe somebody here knows the full story. I was told from a friend that knows Willie that Tommy had a falling out with somebody at the club and wanted to leave.

Willie had a falling out too he got his nose out of joint when he was over looked for a coaching role with the Flegg team. I’d be surprised if his other boys stay with the club.

 

[flamebouyant]

I don't see why not, in his few games in reserves he outperformed Harper easily and showed genuine pace and ability with the ball in hand. Tommy Talau probably would've spent most the year in Flegg with us yet he made his NRL debut with the Tigers this year and is set to start the season in the 13. Our club and some of our fanbase is so fearful of promoting youth.

I guess we will just have to see how he progresses.

 

[flamebouyant]

Willie had a falling out too he got his nose out of joint when he was over looked for a coaching role with the Flegg team. I’d be surprised if his other boys stay with the club.

Interesting. Didnt realise he was an aspiring coach. Bit silly to move your kids on for these reasons though.

 

[flamebouyant]

From memory he suffered that in the back end of the 2017 so he didn't miss that many games but yeah it would have played a roll in it.

I'm pretty sure he was out for most of the 2018 season. It was a very serious break.