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Roar Rookie
Joined June 2018
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NRL, AFL and cricket tragic who supports the Raiders, Crows and the Australian cricket team. I've been following sport for over 50 years.
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Jeez I reckon the Sharks backline is quality – apart from Kennedy at FB who is a defensive weakness – Katoa, Ramien, Iro, Mulitalo and Talakai as back up is about as good as it can get. Plus Stonestreet seems to be getting a lot of love on here.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Sharks - Star recruit puts Cronulla in title contention, rising star set to miss starting spot
Yes – but a lot those points scored and good D was against lesser opponents in the bottom 6 i,e, the flat track bullies syndrome. They look good when they are flogging weaker teams. They did beat the Storm in Melbourne if I recall. But were flogged by the Storm and the Panthers in the finals.
Still think the Sharkies will be top 4.
Nicho is the elephant in the room.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Sharks - Star recruit puts Cronulla in title contention, rising star set to miss starting spot
Brandon Smith is an interesting quandary. He’s definitely not a starting hooker attracting marquee money like 900K. He’s a bench back up hooker or lock at best on maybe 550K. He played that role for years at the Storm which should be telling us something.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Roosters - Halves, centres, pack, bench on long list of problem areas for Robinson
Yeah – there I always hope. Forlorn as it may be. Life is always full of surprises
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Big call with the Titans and Dolphins jimmmy – Broncos yeah. Madge will have them focussed. Souths and Raiders to grab the other two spots. But then again I’m biased.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Set up for a great season with lots of clubs expected to be on the improve.
Someone has to go backwards. I expect the Roosters to be one of them, the Cowboys and maybe the Knights. Will be a real battle for positions 6, 7 and 8.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Made the prelims in 2016, 2019 and 2020 – and once into a GF in 2019. He inherited a basket case in 2014.
Hasn’t finished lower than 10th since 2014. Went from 15th in 2014 to 2nd in 2016. But this was followed by two disappointing seasons in 2017 and 2018 when they finished 10th. Wasted opportunities and Ricky’s coaching has to take some responsibility for this. I remember when they didn’t know how to close out close games. They lost about 8 by six points or less in one season.
Just in the 8 or on the edge of the 8 in 2022, 2023 and 2024,
They’ve been on a bit of a rebuild since 2021 with lots of experience leaving. Young, Tapine, Starling, Papalii, Horsburgh, Guler and Kris are the only ones left from 2021. Happens to most clubs mind you.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Well Sticky’s been contracted long term (until 2029?) so he has time to develop the younguns. Whereas Flanno has to keep the wolves at bay hence the investment in experience in the hope they can crack the 8 at least. Fascinating differences really.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Funny – I remember when the Raiders had a real rivalry with the Panthers around that time – and then all of a sudden they took off and left everyone for dead. Its a remarkable story that probably on a few saw coming. I reckon Gus could see it but he had the falling out with Ivan before he could enjoy it. Guess there was only room for one at the top.
Got to give Ricky credit for taking a punt on the younguns. Will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Guess he had to try something when his love interest in David Fifita and others got rejected.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Liked your first two paras. Hopefully the new blokes turn out a bit better than solid.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
31 years to be precise. Just under half of my life.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Sounds familiar – Jack W?
I think it could work in time. Strange is going to have to mix up his own running with the ball – which is his default go to – with setting up others. Needs to keep the opposition guessing what you are going to do.
Supporters will have to patient – which we aren’t.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Raiders could finish anywhere between 14th and 6th. Bookies have us coming second last – in front of the Dragons. Both teams will be in the mix for the bottom of the 8 for mine. I like the Dragons recruitment of Gutho, Cook and Holmes.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Pretty much summed it up Albo – as did The Roar writer.
Getting a quality number 9 is the key objective. There is a young Queenslander Owen Pattie who is being groomed for that position. He won the 2024 NSWRL Jersey Flegg Cup Player of the Year in 2024 from 15 appearances and later played 12 games of NSW Cup where he impressed. Having missed out on Danny Walker at Warrington I think the club might be pinning their hopes on his development.
Could be the case that they have spine of Weekes, Strange, Sanders and Pattie at some stage which is very inexpereinced but exciting at the same time.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Raiders - Ricky rejigs roster with young talent but key spine positions up for grabs
Good game to watch. But I thought the captain of the Strikers Matthew Short got it wrong by trying to be too defensive in that last over.
He obviously instructed Henry Thornton to bowl wide of off stump to make it hard to score but these tactics were never going to result in a wicket and it gave the Sixers the easy runs that they needed to win.
If he had asked Thornton to bowl a few more well directed yorkers I reckon the Strikers would have got home as he was bowling to lower order batsmen – not the top 6. A couple of wickets could have won them the match.
‘It got pretty tight’: Smith sizzles again as Sixers claim top spot after Strikers thriller
Fair enough. I didn’t know.
Is Boland in the best team now … and who misses out? Six burning questions Australia must answer before the Ashes
Hugh Weibgen scored a brilliant century against England in that U19 World Cup. Think I saw him playing a T20 game for the Sydney Thunder. Not sure if he is in the NSW shield squad.
Is Boland in the best team now … and who misses out? Six burning questions Australia must answer before the Ashes
I think it might be a bit early for Green at 3. Prefer him coming in at 5 or 6.
Is Boland in the best team now … and who misses out? Six burning questions Australia must answer before the Ashes
If Marnus continues to perform poorly it may be time to shift Smith and Head up to 3 and 4 followed by Green at 5 and Webster at 6.
Or they could try McSweeney at 3 or 4 and choose between Green and Webster at 6.
Longer term the main issue is who replaces Khawaja. Are the selectors done with Harris, Bancroft and Renshaw and are they may be looking for another newbie to open? Its a big call to have Konstas and another inexperienced batsman open the batting hence the decision to stick with Khawaja for now. Will be interesting to see how this pans out. I reckon the selections for the squad going to Sri Lanka were pretty sound.
Is Boland in the best team now … and who misses out? Six burning questions Australia must answer before the Ashes
Rod Marsh
Malcolm Conn: Webster and Konstas bring the spirit the Aussies desperately need to rejuvenate line-up
Maybe at 3 or 4 in time
Malcolm Conn: Webster and Konstas bring the spirit the Aussies desperately need to rejuvenate line-up
Excellent
Malcolm Conn: Webster and Konstas bring the spirit the Aussies desperately need to rejuvenate line-up
Harsh.
Malcolm Conn: Webster and Konstas bring the spirit the Aussies desperately need to rejuvenate line-up
Would hate to see Renshaw scratching around out there again. Same goes for Harris and Bancroft. They’ve had their chances.
Malcolm Conn: Webster and Konstas bring the spirit the Aussies desperately need to rejuvenate line-up
Are the Raiders weaker opposition? Well the Raiders are definitely in the start of a rebuild. No shame to put them somewhere in the middle of the NRL distribution – not contenders and not complete basket cases. They did pretty well in 2024 given the inexperience. But very inconsistent. The 40-0 flogging by the Sharks at home was one of the worst.
The Sharks results against the Raiders in 2024 were a bit of an aberration. The Sharks have won the past 3 between the two clubs and the Raiders the previous 9 in a row.
The two teams have had some great tussles over the past ten to fifteen years – before the Raiders’ 9 win streak there wasn’t much between them. I seem to recall you used to regularly beat us in Canberra and we would beat you at Shark Park for some reason. But the Raiders were definitely on the end of a couple of hidings last year.
When the Sharks attack is on they are very very good. Wish the Raiders had similar attacking structures.
Round 1 Predicted Teams: Sharks - Star recruit puts Cronulla in title contention, rising star set to miss starting spot