Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 12:00 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

According to todays League Weekly Chase to Salford is a done deal.

Our "in the know" posters have said that Chase had agreed terms, but the deal is yet to be signed- perhaps waiting for a compensation package for Salford to be finalised...

We will continue to hope until Friday's announcment, when we're told that Josh Perry has resigned as player

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 12:25 pm  

As good a goal kicker as he is, I think the last 2 games have shown that we cannot risk bringing him in as our first choice halfback. Yes, neither of them were his fault, but I think we need someone who is made of sterner stuff there.

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 12:45 pm  

Carlos Alberto wrote:

As good a goal kicker as he is, I think the last 2 games have shown that we cannot risk bringing him in as our first choice halfback. Yes, neither of them were his fault, but I think we need someone who is made of sterner stuff there.

Absolutely ridiculous. Being hit late in consecutive games cannot be seen as a negative against the player. You said yourself that it wasn't his fault. Would Danny Brought have come off any better from those 2 challenges?

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:16 pm  

His butter fingers and lack of taking on the line are more of a worry for me.

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:58 pm  

O'Brien has come in and done a job this year but next year we will have Walsh to do the organising and kicking , and is currently one of the best in the NRL at that role.
For me we need a 6 who can take on the line a bit to complement Walsh . Whilst it would be nice to sign a 6 , I think

1 Swift
6 Lomax
7 Walsh
Could be interesting.

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 2:22 pm  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

Absolutely ridiculous. Being hit late in consecutive games cannot be seen as a negative against the player. You said yourself that it wasn't his fault. Would Danny Brought have come off any better from those 2 challenges?

You know, Carlos isn't by himself on this. Whilst I'm not saying we should allow players to be hit late from behind, three times this season I've seen O'Brien not finish a match because he's been clattered, only to feature again in the next weekly round.

Now, obvioulsy anyone who takes the field in a SL match has a certain level of bravery not to be criticised, but could it be that if it had happened to Lomax or Wilkin, Smith or Tomkins, Briers or Myler, we may not be scraping them onto a stretcher every week? O'Brien has commented on twitter about his own glass jaw.
As other posters have pointed out, he also does little to protect himself once the ball has gone (you'd think he have learned).

I know its not nice to post negetive stuff about a guy who's getting creamed everyweek for the red vee, but it doesn't mean that its not a valid point.

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 2:23 pm  

yogi bear wrote:

O'Brien has come in and done a job this year but next year we will have Walsh to do the organising and kicking , and is currently one of the best in the NRL at that role.
For me we need a 6 who can take on the line a bit to complement Walsh . Whilst it would be nice to sign a 6 , I think

1 Swift
6 Lomax
7 Walsh
Could be interesting.

Pipe dream but I'd rather:

1. Lomax
2. Makinson
3. Percival
4. Turner
5. Swift
6. Wheeler
7. Walsh

Love the look of that back line, but we won't get Wheeler on the pitch. I still think we should sign a 6 rather than playing Lomax there.

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 2:35 pm  

FearTheVee wrote:

Pipe dream but I'd rather:

1. Lomax
2. Makinson
3. Percival
4. Turner
5. Swift
6. Wheeler
7. Walsh

Love the look of that back line, but we won't get Wheeler on the pitch. I still think we should sign a 6 rather than playing Lomax there.

Lomax, whilst looking a little jaded for a couple of weeks, has been wonderful at #1. Obvioulsy for the time being, we want to keep him there.

However, the latest trend has been to move your star playmaker to full back. This makes the most of their talent as they're generally getting more space to attack. Tomkins, Lomax, Hanbury and even the likes of Sneyd and Gaskell at Salford have seen this move bear fruit.
Now, go back a few years and the move generally happened the other way round. Players like Lockyer, Henry Paul and of late Gareth Widdop were introduce to senior rugby as a fullback (where they have more time on the ball, more space to run in etc), before moving to #6 as their game developed.

Given that we're all having a Swift love in ATM and he wants to be a full back, would it be better for the team to see
#1 Swift
#6 Lomax
#7 Walsh
as our triangle (Assuming we haven't signed Chase )?

Lomax's development stuttered when he was stuck at 1st receiver with no one else to help take resposibility. Playing 2nd receiver outside Walsh may be the ideal situation to see him rekindle his halfback role?

The problem is, if Walsh gets injured again, we're back to square 1.

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 4:34 pm  

I would have thought Charnock is the way to go next season and O'Brien is just doing a holding position at 6.
Sure I,ve read somewhere Danny Yates is being released....can anybody confirm this,

Re: GOB : Mon Aug 05, 2013 4:41 pm  

Judder Man wrote:

I would have thought Charnock is the way to go next season and O'Brien is just doing a holding position at 6.
Sure I,ve read somewhere Danny Yates is being released....can anybody confirm this,

I hope not, he's a decent player is Yates.