Official NRL 2006 Thread

[Buddhmaster]

Simon, do you even watch anybody other than the Broncos and the Raiders? In all seriousness, you are amazingly biased and unknowledgable for someone who considers himself such a huge "rugby league fan".

Cooper has been in fairly good form the second half of this season and I think has proven himself to be more of a class player than Hodges over a longer period of time.

By the way, the Dragons by 13+ prediction wasn't serious. The Cooper comment was though.

He said himself he couldn't really get into the league while the bloody soccer World Cup was being played.

I reckon the Dragons can win and I really hope they do. So much promise at the beginning of the season could all come to nothing.

 

[Simon]

i pretty much watch 4-5 games a week. I usually avoid watching Panthers, Souths and mainly the "boring" games each week...

id like to know what comments ive made to be called unknowledgable, Cooper is a fairly good player, you dont play rep footy if you aren't, but this season he's been left in the shade by Gasnier, Hodges and Inglis.

 

[Simon]

ill accept being called biased though, im as critical as anyone about the Broncos but i always think they can win, it's called being a supporter.
I have a soft spot for the Raiders, living in Canberra most of my life and knowing a few players that have played for them over time kinda means i do. Most people wrote them off at the start of the season but they have been wrong, they've done amazingly well to finish 7th and given their record they are a chance of going further.

Call me biased if you want but find me a supporter who isnt...

 

[Mister Wright]

ill accept being called biased though, im as critical as anyone about the Broncos but i always think they can win, it's called being a supporter.
I have a soft spot for the Raiders, living in Canberra most of my life and knowing a few players that have played for them over time kinda means i do. Most people wrote them off at the start of the season but they have been wrong, they've done amazingly well to finish 7th and given their record they are a chance of going further.

Call me biased if you want but find me a supporter who isnt...

I think the main reason for Canberra's success is because they have the best coach in the NRL. Given the lack of 'star' players and the conditions in Canberra they do remarkably well, and I think most of that goes to Elliot and Shifcofske. This is the Raiders real last chance for a while if you ask me. They are losing a lot of talent at the end of the year and will go through a rebuilding stage.

 

[Burpey]

Elliot's good, but not super-coach material in my opinion. They've got some class players in Schifcofske, Smith, and Woolford who lead the team superbly. Add to that the fact that almost all of the other players are playing nearly the best they humanly can, and that's the reason they made the eight.

 

[Simon]

they have been in a rebuilding stage for 5 years, in 2001 Matthew Elliott was appointed and outlayed a 5 year plan in which this is the last, considering they came 8th that year can you say he's been all the successful?

I dont think they really counted on losing Schifcofske for next season but thats unlucky, Neil Henry will be a good coach and they will do probably about as well as this year. Michael Dobson is coming back from Wigan, so they will have a real halfback.

They probably will have the best young forward pack in the NRL in 2007, but they probably wont be at their best until 2009. id imagine it will look something like 8 Miller 9 Withers 10 Logan 11 Learoyd Lahrs 12 Costigan 13 Tongue Res 14 Weyman 15 Tilse 16 Bickerstaff with other guys like Kahler, Thurling, Williams and Lomu...

 

[Simon]

Elliot's good, but not super-coach material in my opinion. They've got some class players in Schifcofske, Smith, and Woolford who lead the team superbly. Add to that the fact that almost all of the other players are playing nearly the best they humanly can, and that's the reason they made the eight.

one thing they have that most teams dont is that they dont really have any weak links. While they dont have superstars it means they can have solid players in every position. If you look at a lot of teams they were competing for the 8 like Cronulla, Nth Qld, Penrith and Tigers they have some internationals and origin players but also some players that arent up to first grade standard around them. the Salary cap doesnt allow for teams like that who pay a lot for their stars to have other really good players around them...

If you put Craig Gower and say Carl Webb in the Raiders team on their currently salary ud see canberra losing 4 or 5 players to afford them and have to put in 3 Premier League players in their place. They have been smart in the past few years and they are continuing to do it.

 

[Simon]

The first players in the Australian train on squad have been announced, a few surprises...
Luke O'Donnell, Johnathan Thurston, Carl Webb (North Queensland), Steve Price (NZ Warriors), Craig Gower, Luke Priddis, Craig Stapleton, Trent Waterhouse, Rhys Wesser (Penrith), Paul Gallen (Cronulla), Craig Fitzgibbon, Chris Flannery, Amos Roberts, Anthony Tupou (Sydney Roosters), Nathan Merritt (South Sydney) Robbie Farah, Scott Prince (Wests Tigers).

Merritt and Stapleton

 

[ash chaulk]

amos roberts big big big suprise

 

[Simon]

amos roberts big big big suprise

not really, given that there isnt that many great wingers in the NRL, he wont make the final squad though...

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Roberts is fair gun though, the only player to really play well this season at the Roosters.

 

[Simon]

Roberts is fair gun though, the only player to really play well this season at the Roosters.

he was awful when he was at fullback, Tupou deserves his spot hes been pretty good and Fitzgibbons form has improved in the last 6 weeks...

 

[Simon]

23 man squad, i think
Greg Inglis, Matt King, Justin Hodges, Mark Gasnier, Eric Grothe, Darren Lockyer (cap), Johnathon Thurston, Steve Price, Cameron Smith, Petero Civoniceva, Willie Mason, Luke O'Donnell, Nathan Hindmarsh, Luke Bailey, Mark O'Meley, Shaun Berrigan, Ryan Hoffman, Andrew Ryan, Carl Webb, Brent Kite, Steve Menzies, Matt Cooper, Matt Orford/Cooper Cronk,

 

[ash chaulk]

no way not brent kite

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Topou improved this season, for sure. Fitzy's a good player and always deserves his rep spots. (Y)

 

[Simon]

no way not brent kite

Kite has been outstanding in the last 2 months, hes pretty much a certainty for mine...

 

[howardj]

Gasnier > Hodges > Cooper

All exceptional players though.

Gasnier's magic however.

 

[Simon]

Gasnier is fantastic but he has a habit of picking on poor teams and not putting in his best against the best sides... I think he will set the finals alight if Dragons get a run going...

IMO he'll also be better for Barrett leaving...

 

[Nate]

Raiders for the Premiership.

 

[Burpey]

Gasnier better not play five-eighth next season. Hornby and Head in the halves, Gasnier stays at right centre. I'm sure we can find a young bloke for fullback, one of the Morris boys would be my pick. Otherwise, Dean Young could try his hand at five-eighth, though I don't think he has a long-term future as a playmaker.