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Xerri may even play this week if the Fox ain’t fit. I say that because there is no way Taaffe plays fullback on Good Friday. He is too much of a liability under the high ball at the moment. Fox comes straight back onto left wing if fit. The question then is does Tracey go to fullback or does...

I only caught the last 10 minutes but geez Lipoi Hopoi’s stats really pop. 18 runs for 221 metres, 109 metres of which were post-contact metres. Was he really that good or are they empty-type stats? It does also say that 53 of those metres were from a kick-return, but still. Sent from my...

Is that Fanu Seve mate? Looks very light on feet for a big man based on the little film I have seen. Sent from my iPhone using The Kennel mobile app

Mann stifled our attack in the last 15 minutes by taking hit ups on tackle 4. Brought back Tolman vibes. It is his duty as the ball-playing lock to shift the ball in those situations.

Taffe should never see first grade unless there is a plethora of injuries.

Bit over all the talk about our weak middles. It is what it is. So long as the middles hold up defensively we can be competitive. A lot of teams rely on their wingers and centres for yardage (Cronulla, St George) and we should do the same. Forwards can conserve their energy for defence.

[emoji23]. Wearing light blue Hoka sneakers. They stand out like dogs balls [emoji23].

First AGM today. If you see a tall baldy bloke on his own wearing last year’s polo, come say goodaye [emoji23].

It may also mean we are all in for Luai. I think Burton’s contract is tradeable if too much money ends up being invested in 2 halves. Someone will definitely take him for close to his contract amount.

Surely dropping out for AFB means we are getting Terrell May.

This doesn’t make sense. Why release Averillo if we end up signing Tracey?

No way would I vote for anyone else.

This has to happen. As someone mentioned on here, he played in the front row coming through in the lower grades. He is the only one capable on our current roster that can become our forward leader with his defence, and the forward leader must play in the middle. A lot of edge players move to...

The Football Club is community owned. The Leagues Club would never have existed if not for the Football Club.

Anyone else see Averillo push Brimson for that last tackle instead of actually trying to tackle him?

My guess is Topine.

Why did the ref go upstairs for Edwards discretion and why didn’t he go upstairs straight after Preston no try? Inconsistency does my head in.

Good pick up. That would mean that Quai-Ward is #850, because if Skelton debuted today then Sexton would have been #850 based on alphabetical order.

Personally I think the training intensity that CC has brought with him has just burnt the players out.

Brooks looks like going to Cowboys, who would have to release Townsend to make it happen. Maybe Townsend for 2 years.

Apparently Brooks is going to Cowboys, who will then release Townsend. So maybe Townsend for 2 years. Don’t know where the props are gonna come from. Maybe Hame Sele one of them.

Good on him. Hopefully makes him a more consistent player for us at club level. I think Ciraldo cottoned on to something today by starting Hughes and moving TPJ to lock. TPJ is not a first tackle prop. Need him taking the 3rd, 4th or 5th carry like Taumalolo.

Hame Sele is looking really really good tonight. Was it not reported that we are looking to sign him?

Taniela Paseka is a free agent on 1 November. I would get in his managers ear and tell him not to sign an extension with Manly before then and say that we will give him X amount good dollars on 1 November.

Apparently Daniel Saifiti has become available. But would still need 1, if not 2, quality middles.

No thanks to Walker. But we can help them by taking Jai Arrow off their hands.

Pretty sure Mahoney was playing lock. The reshuffle was Reynolds to halfback, Flanagan to hooker and Mahoney to lock. Reynolds did not play in the middle yesterday.

He should be playing fullback.

I have only been a member for 2 years, just confirming I can attend but not vote right?

This is just Paul Crawley trying to stick it to us again. This time by trying to inflate Burton’s market.

I’m a big fan of George Williams too. Apparently he just didn’t like Canberra and wanted to move to a Sydney club.

It’s in the Wollongong Crown Street shopping centre down here. Can tell from the background.

100%. That is how I interpreted it as well.

Milperra Colts junior. Left his club for more opportunities. Where have I heard that before.

Was actually a good player but injuries took a hold of him- Barwick had established a reputation as a powerful kicker in open play but was going nowhere with the Bulldogs until he followed coach Phil Gould to Penrith in 1990. There he developed into a rock-solid fullback with a devastating...

Fact: your 1991 premiership winning fullback was Greg Barwick, a Bulldogs junior that Gould took with him.

Posts like this make me laugh. They obviously come from millennials or even younger people or simply those that suffer from recency bias. You look at history and you see Wests poach Gillespie, Farrar, Langmack and Thomas from us in 1991. Then you look at Parramatta poach Jason Smith, Dymock...

Yeah the concern is we don’t have many big bodies of the Vaughan type. Waddell’s defence and line speed is actually very good. Early on in the year he also surprised with leg drive and post-contact metres. We can probably get away with him as an interchange middle, but definitely not starting...

Fair.

I think he might play in the middle next year. We need props and he is probably better suited in the middle. RFM and Kikau will obviously be the edge forwards.

So the cap is expected to go up to $10.5m for next year but teams have been told to operate under $9.4m? How shambolic. Everyone’s roster is pretty much set for next year so how will teams spend an extra $1.1 million next year if the cap does go up by that much? This is way to simplistic but IF...

TPJ has been good this year aside from these last 2 games. Remember, he single-handedly set the tone in the sun against Parra and that win was the turning point of our season. Let’s go back to Round 1 remember and we all thought that his discipline would cost us very dearly, but thankfully...

TPJ to take Vaughan’s spot next year as starting prop and as the tackle one hit-up prop. None of this ball playing before the line by him. He just needs a simple job of running hard and as straight as he can. Still need 2 or 3 really strong forwards. We were outmuscled today. Cowboys also a...

I agree that his defence is a major concern and has been since the day he got here. His line speed has gotten better but it’s just the contact that is no good. The other issue is that we need a tackle one prop. Vaughan has been excellent as our tackle one prop this year. We saw what happened in...

He should have backed himself and not signed with an ESL Club so early. An ESL contract would have always been there for him even as late as August. Technically, he is still the incumbent Test prop after all (albeit the last Test Australia played was at the end of 2019).

Ciraldo was Barrett’s assistant when they coached the Panthers under 20s back in the day. I reckon Ciraldo would have been calling Barrett a lot lately in making this decision to try and find out where it all went wrong for Barrett.

Absolute thuggery on Burton. He simply tried getting onside twice in the one play and was knocked over twice by QLD grubs. First Ponga was the instigator who changed his line to knock him over. Then Gagai knocks Burton over a second time because he thought Burton was the instigator the first time.

Gutted he only got a fine instead of a suspension.

Anyone. He can’t possibly be chosen next week, surely. Give BBO his shot. Even ZDC, he ran deep into the line as first receiver on the right edge in the last 5 mins and the shape he created looked better than anything I have ever seen Flanagan do.

Agree. Look at what Frawley and Clune did against us. Just waltz through our line. Flanagan has done ZERO in 10 weeks, except for a cut-out pass to Naden for a try on Good Friday.

100 percent. Just give us some good freggin shape on the right edge like at least once a game!

How many games has Flanagan had this year? 9 or 10? He has not fired a shot! Not a single shot. Maybe give him that cut-out pass to Naden on Good Friday as the only shot he has fired! Can anyone think of another shot he has fired in the last 10 weeks? I don’t include him backing up Dufty for a...

https://www.foxsports.com.au/video/league/nrl/ricky-slaps-ennis-in-hilarious-exchange!826031

I reckon the Ennis as assistant coach thing really has some substance. He is really close to Ricky Stuart (Stuart slapped him on live TV 2 weeks ago). Both ex-Bulldogs. Wouldn’t be surprised if Stuart is our man. I think he has run his race in Canberra with that core group.

Wouldn’t he then come off the books if medically retired? Meaning it would be a low risk.

Totally agree. The last 2 weeks, 2 journeyman halves on $120k each with limited running games (Frawley and Clune) have carved us up the middle for game winning tries. Flanagan could NEVER EVER do such a thing when they play off him!!

Flanagan has to go, with BBO in. BBO has to be given his chance now. I would spell Dufty but I don’t know who would take his place. I would also spell Naden or Okunbor for Kiraz. Tskrikis has to play ahead of Patolo too. Probably too early for Morrin and Alamoti. Can’t blood too many...

The prick cost us Thurston too!

Can he play fullback?

Can he play fullback?

Max King 2 year extension.

Could have been worse than those 3!

I think Ricky Stuart will be the next coach of the Bulldogs.

To me, he is just a bad ref, period. The 6 again calls in the lead-up to the ‘warning’ were pedantic. Why did he feel as though he needed to generate more speed into the contest? Why back himself into a corner so early by giving a ‘warning’. So frustrating. Souths gave away 2 six agains in a...

Averillo in the centres….Barrett is just looking for points and guys that can play ad lib off second phase off-loads. It’s probably our only chance.

Forwards all good. Except for Vaughan’s hands the first 20 (he wouldn’t drop a pair of BBQ tongs). Thompson - the Jai Arrow role from last year suits him to a tee (on after 20 and play 60 min straight with his leg speed [emoji108]).

Agree. BBO just looks like a halfback the way he moves. Calm. Relaxed. Also gets his kicks away very quickly which is important.

Thanks for the update mate. Was it being streamed today? I don’t think it was unless I missed the memo lol.

Obsessed with the Mortimer brothers. My name is Steve, my brother’s name is Chris. I begged and begged my parents to have another baby (told them it had to be a boy) so we could call him Peter. Peter was not forthcoming so I kept asking them how we get another baby. They said take 20 cents...

Round 1 my guess: Dufty JAC Naden Burns (hear me out) Schoupp or Okunbor (hear me out) Burton BBO Jackson TPJ Hetherington Thompson JMK Vaughan Res: Avo (Benji, Dylan Walker type role - a roaming 13 then running 13 in last 10 minutes of game. Obviously backup 9 too) Ava RFM Patolo 2...

True. That’s the only way it could work. Dogs would have to pay a lot of Cotric’s contract, and that would make Raiders happy to pay more of Hodgson’s contract. Then maybe Parra can fit Hodgson in by releasing Mahoney.

I can’t see this merry-go round including Hodgson (and therefore Mahoney) movements in 2022. This is because there is no way Parra would have the space to pay Hodgson in 2022 (Mahoney’s salary alone won’t be enough space). Remember, the Tigers weren’t willing to chip in much for Hodgson’s 2022...

We do play Penrith the week before Origin 1. So that’s a positive as they will be missing 6 players like last year.

No one asked him about ethan bullemor. He plays prop, lock and back row. Haven’t seen anything official from Manly so could be him.

That’s how I interpreted it too. I think the club doesn’t want to do him harm financially because he actually took a pay cut just last year and could have got more money elsewhere but stayed with us.

Yep. Looks like they are trying to save him the embarrassment of being sacked / make sure he finds a club before being sacked. They will come out and say that the best thing for him is to leave Sydney I am guessing. So Cowboys, Canberra or Storm.

If they are gonna bring an old half in on minimum wage it would be Josh Reynolds. He is homesick and only has 1 year left on his Hull deal.

First of all, physically he is short of the mark. Bad miss for Titans first try and he got trampled over at least 3 other times. The other really bad basic thing with him is his kicking game. No variety. He only has an end to end half-bomb. Terrible.

And BBO.

Exactly!

100% agree with this take! Thompson does not dominate anything in attach or defence. He is on way way too much money as well. We need to offload him ASAP. Hetherington is an interchange forward, not a starting prop.

And Petero Civonaciva.

More touches. More carries. More impact for the team.

Said this on other thread too - the club should develop Alamoti as an edge back rower from now. Will get way more out of him that way.

He is a beast! The club should look to develop him as an edge back rower. We would get more out of him that way. He is no shorter than Isaiah Papali’i and Talakai.

I live in Wollongong and can tell you that both Vaughn and Dufty only live a few blocks away from Barrett. They can all car pool lol so Baz can keep a closer eye on them that way. Also, one of Baz’s best mates is Mary McGregor. So obviously Baz would have got all the first hand background...

Also agree. You rely on the defence of your frontline, not fullback. So long as he communicates and directs the line in front of him well, and his positional play is good, I am all for Duffy. We see week after week the value of well thrown cut-out passes and he can throw them! He can get...

The short defensive line and line speed worked v Penrith first half, dragons all game and Parra first half. It turned into a shitshow with Topine, Flanagan, Manu and T Katoa last week. The whole edge needs to work together. The line was way way too short and too slow making decisions to come...

I don’t think it was based on him ‘missing tackles’ because they went around, not through, that edge. Agree Jackson should be one edge.

Yep, and I also saw Topine defend on an edge last week. Who else do you put there?

To be fair, after last week, I think this decision is purely defence based. Manly carved us up, particularly on the left edge. Elliott, Doorey and Smith are all out and he clearly doesn’t trust Topine defensively on an edge in first grade yet. Personally, I would have had Jackson back on the...

Yep pretty clear Wakeham, Waddell and Katoa got fined 1% of their salary. Not sure how they worked Napa and Schoup out. Maybe they capped Napa’s fine at $5k and maybe the felt sorry for Schoup because he is on a development contract.

Come November 1st they will do what we done last November, and that is target gun players off-contract at the end of 2022. They will go for Brandon Smith, Villiame Kikau, Mo Fotuaika and Isaiah Papali’i. A lot of our players are also off contract at the end of 2023 and next year I can also see...

I think it’s more of a case that we don’t want to spend any more big money on backs (I.e. Johnson) unless we offload DWZ.

Finally that makes some sense. We take on BJ just to free up a roster spot for Tigers to take DWZ. We don’t extend BJ. If that’s the case and we get off half of DWZ’s contract next year then I would be happy with that.

None of it then makes sense (ie. there will be no offsetting of salaries next year if our club willingly extends Leilua). I don’t even know why this is even called a ‘swap’ when BJ is not under contract for next year? The swap figures for this year would be of low materiality when you factor in...

I doubt he would play in the second row for us. You would assume that, as a part of the swap, that BJ will pick up his player option for next year (whatever that amount is). At first I was a hard no on this but am starting to come around a bit. We literally have no centres on the roster for...

I would target Fletcher Baker from the Roosters. We need some size on an edge and he can play middle too. Would be hard to prize from the Roosters though as they don’t often lose good young players. Surprised he is still unsigned.

We need to make this happen. Will take a lot of pressure off Barrett and will obviously help with recruitment and development.

Agree. Luai was not even looking at the ball. Doorey was trying to make a play for the ball and not Luai. Should have been play on and then sin bin or penalty try.