I can't trust Burns' mobility, bloke is like a traffic cone. I also doubt we've got Xerri penciled in for anywhere yet, who knows what he will actually be like once he gets back to playing footy. Hoppa missed only two years and he didn't really return as the same player.
Beats 0 from 10
Another unknown is whether have can play at the same or similar level,without performance enhancers. Either way, i reckon we would have got him cheap.
Burns is a defensive liability imo too
Strongly agree, Averillo and Flanagan are currently on their last year of their contract. If they don't perform and play like rubbish, we may possibly have Moses and Crichton coming.
I‘m not a bit concerned about timing, the preseason up to the Xmas break is all about establishing base line fitness and endurance which they didn’t need since they were playing and training at the World Cup. The cohesive, positional and team work really kicks in after the break, working on offence and defence structures and running plays. Plus those 2 have the bonus of working together and with CC for a long time at Penrith, so they know a lot about each other.
(See my subsequent reply post for further clarification
)
They will have had over 500 hours of training together by the time the season starts, if CC has what it takes then it will show up pretty quickly. Mahony will have thrown ~10,000 passes in training, everyone will know what to expect. I'm not anticipating any real clunkiness in attack, defence is what will take time, players trusting those inside and outside of them.(See my subsequent reply post for further clarification
Not worried about Kiks or Burton....just those around them and how they will adjust and cope.
We all hope we hit the ground running but that might be a stretch so early on when we have what amounts to an underperforming 7 and 1 (at this stage from what we've previously seen)....and a forward pack adjusting to Reed's service they haven't encountered before and skills...better to be realistic on how successful we will be early on and therefore be able to sustain momentum into the season.
Of course we'd all love to have immediate success. But that might be a stretch early on.
Hope it pans out like you anticipate TT.
this could be very true, and no matter how good a half you are you need 12 other players to make that shine and make those outcomes happen and this year we have a team of winners and champs instead of plodders and money wasters around flanno so this team roster could really help boost his game as well as his confidence and tbh i hope he does as it prevent our money on him being wasted and we gain a great player,, also not having tbagz lowering his confidence may also help as he did improve alot last year ill give him that
"no matter how good a half you are you need 12 other players to make that shine and make those outcomes happen" 100%.
Agree on Burns. Can’t really play him on the wing either I feel he would be an easier target for opposition there. Does he play on the left edge? Having Kikau now might make it easier for our left edge centre in defence.
It’s a totally different game in 2023. You can’t win a comp without an excellent half.
Whoa there...Kiraz too.
Not really. He’s not a winger. There’s some ‘reports’ of him training at fullback. So no, his position is not solidified but yes he will be there.
Yep he will be in FG, I hope he gets a crack at centre.
Nah, only half agree. Yes, you need an excellent half, game has changed but the basics are still the same. Any team from any era need a decent forward pack to be competitive and ultimately win a premiership, without it you're just making up the numbers as they still lay the platform for the backs to do their job.
8. King [Rock]
