Penrith chose to keep the right fullback.
Yep Laurie has been really disappointing
@tiger5150 Agree Douhie is a centre but with have seen the Brooks Douhie combination and know that doesn’t work. So let’s give Hastings Douhie combo a go. I dream that Douhie can turn into a Joseph Manu but has not the speed. So centre or lock he must fill
Watching the game live:
1) Tuilagi bludges on the wing for the first 2 or 3 tackles each set
2) Kenny still seems to be carrying an injury. He still does all his work but it really slows him doen
3) I thought starford, tupou and Kepaoa were all promising. Keen for them to stay in first grade to see who keeps developing the fastest.
4) Matamua hasn’t had a great 2 games. Obviously cost us with the decoy and maybe didn’t cover the inside for the last Penrith try. Not sure if he should spend some time back in KOE or whether we persist with him in firsts to see how fast he learns. Tuilagi offers nothing so maybe we just keep blooding him.
5) Laurie is basically our only spark but he is still having very low impact. Not sure whether it’s just because he is too small or whether we are getting him the ball in the wrong spots. I’d be fascinated to hear Sheens view of what his long term viability is as a 1. Charlie Staines from wing had more impact on the game than Laurie from 1, maybe he is someone we should look at, at least he has some more size and has similar speed/agility.
6) having 3 playmakers worked ok but I’m not sure Hastings can stand up to the physicality of 13. With the lack of quality 7s in the comp (and the fact they get paid more!) suggests to me he will sign elsewhere
How Luke Brooks has made it this far in his NRL career is getting beyond me, I mean a halve back with no voice on the field that’ll do me…..
Hastings is a plodder
Saved a couple of tries, had some great touches and set up a try in a position he's played a total of... once. We need more plodders like him.
He's also head and shoulders the smartest footballer we have.
A particularly unfair and warped criticism of Hastings to call him a plodder I believe.He still played like a 7 and was in everything up to his ears,He’s playing amongst a lot of inexperience and tries his innards out leaving everything on the park every single,damned week and plays wounded.Courage personified.That ain’t no plodder!
Spot on V of R,we need more of his caliber out there,an absolute team player who plays for the team.
On the rookies:
Pole was solid again, he looks like he belongs at NRL level. He’s not a big prop but he’s compact with a good engine, footwork and aerobic ability.
Matamua looked a bit off the pace and positioning was out, that can happen when a rookie is thrown on late with the game on the line. He might be better suited to playing in the middle, he seemed to get dragged in there with Musgrove covering his spot on the edge at one stage. Kimmorly could simplify his role by playing him in the middle next time and just get him to tackle everything and carry the ball forward. I think that would be a better way of introducing him to NRL than playing him on an edge.
Tupou is a work in progress but he’s showing promise. He’s athletic and seems to be handling the physicality of this level. I haven’t got a gage on his top speed yet.
Hastings is a plodder
Saved a couple of tries, had some great touches and set up a try in a position he's played a total of... once. We need more plodders like him.
He's also head and shoulders the smartest footballer we have.
I thought his effort plays in the first half kept us in the game. I missed a chunk of the second half, didn’t see him being all that effective at the back end.
Winning is a habit, Penrith. Losing is also sadly a habit, WT.
Going ahead by 4 with 10 to go proved just too hard to hold. Really frustrating.
I think we should have taken the penalty goal attempt after the high tackle early in the 2nd half.
It was kickable, and would have made the score 12-12.
Maybe Emily Curtain needs to mentor our halves especially Luke. And very well done ladies!
I thought his effort plays in the first half kept us in the game. I missed a chunk of the second half, didn’t see him being all that effective at the back end.
We were getting belted by their forwards and he'd been worked to death.
Your chief playmaker shouldn't be your top tackler. For comparison, DCE this week made 16 tackles vs Hastings 42.
