News D-Day arrives as Bulldogs set to ‘blow Panthers out of water’ with Burton offer

[blue & white blood]

Have to agree with this. Hoppa won't be playing fullback. Not on the wing. Is he out long-term centre? No. So if a better, younger, quicker centre comes up I think the club will go for him.

Thankyou, Tassie Devil that's what I'm tryin to say.

 

[blue & white blood]

who wins between the ears and thats hoppa.
when we get burton at 6, hoppa plays centre with averillo at 1, cant find a spot for Meaney at full strength, just IMO. Okunbur on the wing with DWZ/Smith

Great Idea & we can pay JAC $700K to sit on the bench or better still we can play him in the NSW cup.

 

[Tassie Devil]

who wins between the ears and thats hoppa.
when we get burton at 6, hoppa plays centre with averillo at 1, cant find a spot for Meaney at full strength, just IMO. Okunbur on the wing with DWZ/Smith

Think it's more about long-term planning. Hoppa may do ok in the centres for one year, bit for much longer? He's not the quickest now, and we need speed in the backline.

If a centre comes up this year or the next we'll sign him and hoppa won't be extended. So ... Why play him now when he's not in the long-term future of the club?

Sign up a decent centre imo and let him go

 

[Bulldogs09]

Agree with Steve.

That said if addo carr comes and I hope badly he does

Backline healthy for me is

Jac (unless Jake demands it in the off season)
Okonbor (won’t be for half a year, so Dwz gets a chance to fix his head
Cotric
Hoppa
Meaney

Think r smith goes if we get addo carr with him.

Otherwise if addo carr doesn’t come its

Jake hopefully
Dwz(Meaney if he flops again)
Cotric
Hoppa
R smith

That’s saying jac doesn’t come and okonbor is out for a while. Also assuming Jake clicks at fullback...

 

[DogsOfWar1704]

Schoupp will take over centre when hoppa leaves in 2022

 

[Bulldogsteve]

Great Idea & we can pay JAC $700K to sit on the bench or better still we can play him in the NSW cup.

what a stupid comment, obviously this is without JAC, it is increasing unlikely we will sign him.
what you dont realise is the experience and defensive toughness that Hoppa brings to the team. If JAC was signed at fullback then Averillo would play wing and Hoppa centre

 

[Bulldogsteve]

Schoupp will take over centre when hoppa leaves in 2022

he may do but he has to prove himself self yet against men.

 

[blue & white blood]

Schoupp will take over centre when hoppa leaves in 2022

Yes! But in the meanie time if JAC does come and he plays fullback and Hoppa plays in the Center what doe do with Averillo????

 

[Phalangist]

Like I said It's just my opinion, and you may be right, time will tell, But tell me if we do end up signing JAC & Burton where would you play Hoppa? If JAC goes to fullback and Burton to 5/8, Cotric in the centers where would you play Averillo if Hoppa take up the other center spot ? keep in mind that Meanie is a Speedster and belongs on the wing. Your only option would be put Hoppa as a center and Averillo on as the other winger. I feel Averillo's Talent would be wasted as a winger.

barrett said it himself, jac could play on the wing and roam around like Blacklock used too.

hoppa will be in the starting side and as a back.

 

[Tassie Devil]

barrett said it himself, jac could play on the wing and roam around like Blacklock used too.

hoppa will be in the starting side and as a back.

I don't think JAC coming or not has any connection to whether Hoppa starts at centre or not. At this stage I'd say he's nailed on to be playing the first game at centre.

However, what I would say is that if the club can bring in a younger, quicker centre in place of Hoppa they'll do so. Whether that happens, no one knows at this stage?

 

[blue & white blood]

what a stupid comment, obviously this is without JAC, it is increasing unlikely we will sign him.
what you dont realise is the experience and defensive toughness that Hoppa brings to the team. If JAC was signed at fullback then Averillo would play wing and Hoppa centre

What do you mean Stupid comment? you mentioned "Burton" in your post and we haven't signed him yet either, so really I'ts all Hypothetical at the moment and we are trying to establish the best way to arrange the team should we be fortunate enough to have JAC & Burton sign & It's just my opinion on what I would like to see happen to our team

 

[blue & white blood]

What do you mean Stupid comment? you mentioned "Burton" in your post and we haven't signed him yet either, so really I'ts all Hypothetical at the moment and we are trying to establish the best way to arrange the team should we be fortunate enough to have JAC & Burton sign & It's just my opinion on what I would like to see happen to our team

what a stupid comment, obviously this is without JAC, it is increasing unlikely we will sign him.
what you dont realise is the experience and defensive toughness that Hoppa brings to the team. If JAC was signed at fullback then Averillo would play wing and Hoppa centre

What a ridiculous comment, as much as I love Hoppa as a player, the " defensive toughness' you talk about was not really there at the end of this season when he came back from injury, and especially in that game against Penrith. And while you are on your high horse about "Denfensive Toughness" who better than Tolman & Lewis in defense, but the game is changing & finally the direction of our team is changing, I think TBas, is moving away from the defensive "dogs of war" to the offensive "Entertainers " so he will be looking at speed and fitness and unfortunately Hoppa is to slow. That is just MY OPINION.!!!!

 

[DogsOfWar1704]

he may do but he has to prove himself self yet against men.

Full year of Cc will hopefully get him going. Looks good in juniors, reminds me of bradman best. No point paying overs for a young centre when we have a potential fun only a year or so off that will be on min wage

 

[Cujo]

Yes! But in the meanie time if JAC does come and he plays fullback and Hoppa plays in the Center what doe do with Averillo????

What a great problem to have!!
Decent veteran, great prospects & international weapons!!
Though looks less & less likely that JAC is headed here..

 

[Bulldogsteve]

What a ridiculous comment, as much as I love Hoppa as a player, the " defensive toughness' you talk about was not really there at the end of this season when he came back from injury, and especially in that game against Penrith. And while you are on your high horse about "Denfensive Toughness" who better than Tolman & Lewis in defense, but the game is changing & finally the direction of our team is changing, I think TBas, is moving away from the defensive "dogs of war" to the offensive "Entertainers " so he will be looking at speed and fitness and unfortunately Hoppa is to slow. That is just MY OPINION.!!!!

You let yourself down, Lewis has been exposed defensively and missed more tackles than all the other halves this year

 

[a dogs life]

who wins between the ears and thats hoppa.
when we get burton at 6, hoppa plays centre with averillo at 1, cant find a spot for Meaney at full strength, just IMO. Okunbur on the wing with DWZ/Smith

Suspect that’ll be very close to how it plays out. Hoppa may not have the pace of the younger guys but he is a classy footballer and will play a very important role in our 3/4 line.

 

[blue & white blood]

You let yourself down, Lewis has been exposed defensively and missed more tackles than all the other halves this year

No not really, But you would make one hell of a Journalist, out of that whole post you took the only bit where I mentioned Lewis and changed the point of the debate around but while on the topic "Lewis " probably did more tackling than any other half this year, tackling well above his body weight just ask Sam Burgess, but his defense was not in question his attack was as with Tolman. that is why I bought them up that's what I'm trying to say about Hoppa and his loss of pace, Hypothetically if JAC hopefully joins the dogs at fullback and makes a bust up the field during a game who is most likely going to be running with him in support? , Meanie, Cotric, Okunbur, Averillo or Hoppa ? like wise in defense an opposition player has busted through our line , out of all the players I've mentioned who is the least likely to run him down. all the experience & toughness in defense will not make up for speed in those situations. this is why we missed out on the wooden spoon by a whisker this year because we lacked speed in our attack, and this is what we are building up for Now.
P.s - Just My OPINION

 

[Ant2611]

I just think if they resigned averillo and get burton ado car where does averillo even play

Averillo at 5/8 Burton in the Centres....Seems logical to me.....

 

[Tassie Devil]

Averillo at 5/8 Burton in the Centres....Seems logical to me.....

So Burton would leave the Panthers because he wants to play in the halves, only to be shifted to play in the centre position? A position he's never played before.

Completely logical to me ...

 

[Vlasnik]

There is an old saying Pay a man enough and he will walk bare foot into hell. $500,000 should be enough to entice Burton to sign with the Dogs and call the kennel his new home. Hopefully the deal will get done today.