Official ROUND 1 | Bulldogs vs Eels | Discussion thread 5:30pm @ CommBank Stadium

[flamebouyant]

Poor bloke, that was brutal.

He got knocked out in his tigers trial debut as well!

 

[flamebouyant]

Nice avatar bro. Liquid Swords is epic

One of the classics! Also Raekwon, Only built for Cuban linx.

 

[Bob dog]

Think parra are going to roll us up the middle unfortunately

Chop their legs out and play them on the edge, Paulo and Gillard are big but you can quick zip them.
Addo Carr and Critta hat trick

 

[piggy]

That’s a competitive team and Eels aren’t as strong as the last few years . Have to put them away

Sexton should be playing 7

 

[Dognacious]

Good team on paper. Cohesion might be biggest issue. This is when Ciraldo needs to step up

 

[silva]

Our back 5 is far superior we can win it there just need to match them in the middle and spine needs to step up

 

[piggy]

Who's marking up against Morgan Harper ? Hopefully Xerri is a late inclusion and Kiraz gets pushed to the wing.

Don’t know about Kiraz in the centres

 

[bcmf]

Only ciraldo will manage to fucking pick a utility player over a specialist half

andddd taafe. FMD.

 

[piggy]

This Eels side is very beatable , I haven’t really feared playing Parra since prime Hayne even though our past 7 years have been shit

I think the eels are stronger in the halves

 

[_G-Dog_]

Id have Sexton at 7 and Xerri in there..

 

[Bulldog1966]

burton will be goal kicking for the time being don't think crighton is 100% to do goal kicking just yet and Taaffe is terrible at them

And..Burton is decent anyway I dunno why he gets potted for that as well lol

 

[Suave]

Eels halves and front rowers are superior but their backline doesn’t really worry me. It is a winnable game though if we minimise errors and get quality ball to our strike players.

Team selected is predictable if you were paying any attention to the trials. What’s interesting is it seems Ciraldo used them more as a means to get game time and combinations going for the team he already had in mind. Rather than letting individual performances sway him too much. So Taafe at 1, Hutchison at 7, Salmon at 13, etc were already more or less set.

 

[chemdog]

And..Burton is decent anyway I dunno why he gets potted for that as well lol

he was kicking them pretty good end of last season but I dont mind if they switch it around during the season with crighton

 

[Mr Shhh]

Grandpa Hutchinson hope he doesn’t trip over his walker, moved like a sloth that’s had a stroke… also hope they have the ambulance ready for Grandpa’s hospital passes

There is nothing on earth that moves slower than a sloth that’s had a stroke. Sexy Toby would be my no. 7

 

[dogzofwar]

Is Knight playing for anyone on the weekend?

Playing with danika only by the looks of it

 

[dogbone]

Would like to see Skelton at centre in reserves. We have no depth there and i think he is better suited to that position to utilise his skills. He should be there now with an eye towards playing as an edge backrower in a couple years time.

Kiraz for me is an out and out winger. Great under the high ball and can finish in the corner when required.

Xerri will come into the team sooner rather than later. I like Wilson but he is a genuine backup style player. Or the type of player you have when the rest of the backing are all reps taking up all the salary cap. We're not there yet.

I guess the question remains as to where Tracey will play. I doubt he walks straight into first grade from his injury but I also don't think we bought him to play reserves.

 

[piggy]

Id have Sexton at 7 and Xerri in there..

Sexton unlocks Burton…he is a genuine half who offers more spark…as Anastasia said in NRL 360 tonightHUTCHINSON hardly runs the ball and is so slow that the defence basically double mark his outside men. I just don’t get what Ciraldo sees in Hutchinson….we can all see Sexton offers more points and plays more direct for the team…if he has picked Hutchinson for his defence then that is pathetic

 

[piggy]

Would like to see Skelton at centre in reserves. We have no depth there and i think he is better suited to that position to utilise his skills. He should be there now with an eye towards playing as an edge backrower in a couple years time.

Kiraz for me is an out and out winger. Great under the high ball and can finish in the corner when required.

Xerri will come into the team sooner rather than later. I like Wilson but he is a genuine backup style player. Or the type of player you have when the rest of the backing are all reps taking up all the salary cap. We're not there yet.

I guess the question remains as to where Tracey will play. I doubt he walks straight into first grade from his injury but I also don't think we bought him to play reserves.

Again Ciraldo picks kiraz in the centres when he is a winger….Ciraldos team selections really worry me and it’s only round 1

 

[dogbone]

I'll add this, if I was going to play Xerri I wouldn't have named him either. Avoids alot of press this way. And Kiraz coming back to the wing after missing the trials makes alot more sense.

 

[dogbone]

Again Ciraldo picks kiraz in the centres when he is a winger….Ciraldos team selections really worry me and it’s only round 1

Lets wait and see. He does have a habbit of running out with a different team to the one that was named. Someone mentioned earlier that he seemingly used the trials to build combinations on selections he was already decided on rather than as a selection trial. If that holds true, I reckon Xerri plays.