2015 Trials Thread

I thought Dragons were hard done by with the first no try decision. It was sent up as try and you couldn't say there was conclusive evidence that he was short.. They would have had to see a clear view of the ball short of the line and no angle showed it. But, that's footy I guess.

I thought the game was a poor one. It was riddled with errors. Whenever a team would get on the front foot and gain momentum, they would let the other team off with silly errors, bad passes or just bad choices in attack.

 
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I actually thought Dragons should have played a bit more direct. They were trying to go around the Rabbitohs too much.

Whenever they played a bit more direct and then spread it, they found some space and nearly scored a couple of tries. They didn't do that enough.
 
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My notes from the Charity Shield

- It was a dour grinding game as Super Freak posted above and summarised it well. Didn't have great expectations though but it's great to have some footy back.

- South Sydney put in a sloppy performance and struggled to complete sets anywhere on the field in the first half but lifted their game in the second but still struggled. TBF though they weren't at full strength and were without Inglis and their halves and whenever you play without 3 of your spine players you will struggle.

- St George-Illawarra weren't great but were encouraging as their bench players looked enthusiastic and eager to get involved. Paul McGregor was upbeat post match about the performance of his younger players. They defended well and looked dangerous when Widdop/Marshall and Dugan were on.

- Benji Marshall will be the spearhead of the Dragons attack this year. He is their most dangerous attacking player and he played well tonight. If he wasn't taken off the Dragons could've won.

- Josh Dugan went off with an injured knee that hyperextended but it isn't serious and he will be back by Round 1 and will possibly play in England.

- The 10 referees made some good calls (Nightingale no try as an example) but still with an in goal ref, 2 referees and 2 touch judges we still went to the video referee 3 times if I counted correctly. Considering the plan is to phase out the video ref and make the flow of the game better it isn't a great start
 
[MENTION=8536]Super Freak[/MENTION] do you know who would be the goalkicker for the rabbits if Reynolds is injured for a few weeks ? I noticed in the charity shield Luke did the kicking
 
BroncosAlways said:
@Super Freak do you know who would be the goalkicker for the rabbits if Reynolds is injured for a few weeks ? I noticed in the charity shield Luke did the kicking
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It would have to be Luke. He has pretty much been their second choice goal kicker and he was a regular goal kicker before Reynolds started playing.

Unless Bryson Goodwin gets back into the side, I can't see anyone else being goal kicker.
 
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Super Freak said:
It would have to be Luke. He has pretty much been their second choice goal kicker and he was a regular goal kicker before Reynolds started playing.

Unless Bryson Goodwin gets back into the side, I can't see anyone else being goal kicker.
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Cheers, that's awesome news for my SVRL side.
 
Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights (#NRLTrials #NRLcannew); Seiffert Oval, Queanbeyan; Saturday February 21. Kick-off: 6:30pm

Raiders: 1. Jack Wighton 2. Sisa Waqa 3. Jarrod Croker (C) 4. Edrick Lee 5. Jeremy Hawkins 6. Blake Austin 7. Mitch Cornish 8. David Shillington 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Dane Tilse 11. Josh Papalii 12. Sia Soliola 13. Paul Vaughan.
Interchange: 14. Sam Williams 15. Frank-Paul Nuuausala 16. Jarrad Kennedy 17. Shannon Boyd 18. Josh McCrone 19. Glen Buttriss 20. Joel Edwards 21. Jordan Rapana 22. Shaun Fensom.
Coach: Ricky Stuart.

Knights: 1. Kurt Gidley 2. James McManus 3. Dane Gagai 4. Sione Mata’utia 5. Akuila Uate 6. Jarrod Mullen 7. Tyrone Roberts 8. Kade Snowden 9. Adam Clydsdale 10. Korbin Sims 11. Beau Scott 12. Robbie Rochow 13. Jeremy Smith.
Interchange: 14. Tyler Randell 15. Chris Houston 16. David Fa’alogo 17. Jack Stockwell 18. Joey Leilua 19. Chanel Mata’utia 20. Jake Mamo 21. Joseph Tapine 22. Clint Newton.
Coach: Rick Stone.

Sydney Roosters v Manly Sea Eagles (#CommunityCup #NRLsydman); Central Coast Stadium, Gosford; Saturday February 21. Kick-off: 6:30pm.

Roosters: 1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Michael Jennings 4. Blake Ferguson 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. James Maloney 7. Mitchell Pearce (c) 8. Jared Warea-Hargreaves 9. Matt McIllwrick 10. Sam Moa 11. Boyd Cordner 12 Aidan Guerra 13. Isaac Liu

14. Jackson Hastings 15. Mitch Aubusson 16. Dylan Napa 17. Martin Kennedy 18. Kane Evans 19. Nene McDonald 20. Willie Manu 21. Siosiua Taukeiaho 22. Brendan Elliott

Sea Eagles: 1. Brett Stewart 2. Peta Hiku 3. Jamie Lyon (C) 4. Cheyse Blair 5. Clint Gutherson 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Josh Starling 9. Matt Ballin 10. Willie Mason 11. Tom Symonds 17. Feleti Mateo 13. Dunamis Lui
Interchange: 12. Justin Horo 14. Jesse Sene-Lefao 15. James Hasson 16. Blake Leary 18. Luke Burgess 19. Jayden Hodges 20. Tony Satini 21. Michael Chee-Kam 22. Jake Trbojevic 23. David Williams 25. Brayden Wiliame 29. Jack Littlejohn.
Coach: Geoff Toovey.

North Queensland Cowboys v Gold Coast Titans (#NRLnqlgld); Barlow Park, Cairns; Saturday February 21. Kick-off: 7:30pm (local time).

Cowboys: Scott Bolton, Gavin Cooper, Lachlan Coote, Jake Granville, Ben Hannant, Sam Hoare, Rory Kostjaysn, Kane Linnett, Robert Lui, Tautau Moga, Michael Morgan, Justin O’Neill, Matt Scott, Keleip Tanginoa, Jason Taumalolo, Ray Thompson, Johnathan Thurston, Antonio Winterstein & Matt Wright.
Coach: Paul Green.

Titans: Will Zillman, Josh Hoffman, David Mead, James Roberts, Anthony Don, Aidan Sezer, Daniel Mortimer, Luke Douglas, Kierran Moseley, Nate Myles (C), Ryan James, David Taylor, Greg Bird.
Interchange: Ryan Simpkins, Matt White, Matt Robinson, Kane Elgey, Kevin Gordon, Eddy Pettybourne, Matt Srama, Brad Tighe & Lachlan Burr.
Coach: Neil Henry.

Wests Tigers v Cronulla Sharks (#NRLTrials #NRLwstcro); Campbelltown Sports Stadium; Saturday February 21. Kick-off: 7pm.

Tigers: 1. Shannon McDonnell 2. Kevin Naiqama 3. Tim Simona 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Pat Richards 6. Mitchell Moses 7. Luke Brooks 8. Aaron Woods 9. Robbie Farah (C) 10. Keith Galloway 11. Curtis Sironen 12. Sauaso Sue 13. Dene Halatau.
Interchange: 14. Ava Seumanafagai 15. Matt Lodge 16. Martin Taupau 17. Brenden Santi 18. James Tedesco 19. Delouise Hoeter.
Coach: Jason Taylor.

Sharks: 1. Michael Gordon 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Gerard Beale 4. Ricky Leutele 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Ben Barba 7. Jeff Robson 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Michael Ennis 10. Matt Prior 11. Anthony Tupou 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen (C)
Interchange: 14.Pat Politoni 15. Tinirau Arona 18. Mitch Brown 19. Kyle Stanley 22. Jack Bird 26. Chris Heighington 35. David Fifita.
Coach: Shane Flanagan.

Brisbane Broncos v Redcliffe Dolphins (#NRLTrials #NRLbrired); Redcliffe Stadium; Saturday February 21. Kick-off: 7:30pm (local time).

Redcliffe Dolphins: 1. Evander Cummins 2. Oliver Regan 3. Josh Benjamin 4. Marty Hatfield 5. Josh Beehag 6. Joe Bond 7. Luke Capewell 8. Charlie Faingaa 9. Shane Pumipi 10. Reggie Saunders 11. Harley Aiono 12. Tristian Lumley 13. Trent Richardson

14. Logan Harris 15. Tom Geraghty 16. Jared Cherry 17. Martin Cordwell 18. Nick Ritter

Broncos: 1. Greg Eden 2. Corey Oates 3. Jack Reed 4. Dale Copley 5. Nikau Terupe 6. Darren Nicholls 7. Ash Taylor 8. Mitch Garbutt 9. Travis Waddell 10. Jarrod Wallace 11. Todd Lowrie 12. Matt Gillett 13. Jai Arrow.
Interchange: 14. Jayden Nikorima 15. Francis Molo 16. Brett Greinke 17. Ajuma Adams 18. Alex Barr 19. Paul Byrnes 20. Matt Parcell 21. Joe Boyce.
Coach: Kurt Richards.

Melbourne Storm v Canterbury Bulldogs (#NRLTrials #NRLmelcby); AAMI Park, Melbourne; Saturday February 21. Kick-off: 6:30pm.

Storm: Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, Will Chambers, Tim Glasby, Blake Green, Ben Hampton, Tohu Harris, Ryan Hinchcliffe, Hymel Hunt, Felise Kaufusi, Richie Kennar, Marika Koroibete, Kurt Mann, Jordan McLean, Cam Munster, Shaun Nona, Kevin Proctor, Billy Slater, Young Tonumaipea, Suliasi Vunivalu, Dayne Weston, Billy Brittain, Dale Finucane

Bulldogs: 1. Brett Morris 2. Sam Perrett 3. Tim Lafai 4. Josh Morris 5. Curtis Rona 6. Moses Mbye 7. Trent Hodkinson 8. Sam Kasiano 9. Michael Lichaa 10. James Graham 11. Tony Williams 12. Josh Jackson 13. Aiden Tolman.
Interchange: 14. Greg Eastwood 15. Frank Pritchard 16. David Klemmer 17. Tim Browne 19. Matt Frawley 20. Chase Stanley 21. Damien Cook 22. Jacob Loko 23. Corey Thompson.
Coach: Des Hasler.
 
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This weekend is what I like to call dress rehersal week where the coaches give a fair indication of what the teams will look like come Round 1 with an odd injury or positional change not with-standing.

Going through each team beginning with...

Canberra - Confirmation that Jack Wighton will retain the fullback jersey in an interesting switch. Wighton is one of those players who has a bucket-load of potential but seemingly stagnated in the centres so moving him to fullback could be one of the best coaching decisions Ricky ever made. Interesting to see Hawkins named over Brenko Lee, I was under the impression that we'd see the Lee cousins team up in the backline but I think it's the right call as Brenko requires more seasoning in reggies. The other note here is of course the return of Fensom who has made a remarkable recovery and returned well ahead of time. It's a credit to him and this fantasy coach is awfully happy.

Newcastle - I like the make-up of their backline. Playing Sione in the centres is the right choice, the kid has played the majority of his career in that position and while he has the talent to play anywhere from 1 through to 6, it's in the team's best interest he plays in the 3/4 line and really puts Joey Leilua on notice. Leilua is a talent in his own right but as we saw in the 4 Nations can play shockingly bad when he wants to. With Tariq to come in, I'd expect that to be close to their full strength side although I'm surprised that Sam Mataora isn't in the frame.

Sydney - The selection of Ferguson in the centres is quite interesting. I would have thought they'd play him on the wing since he's been out a good year but I guess Robinson is willing to risk it. Will be interesting to see how that edge goes, both have their strong suits but have the potential to be accidents waiting to happen. Definitely an interesting time in Sydney...

Manly - Speaking of interesting eras, a lot of eyeballs on the Sea Eagles and whether they can retain the best halves pairing in the game. Not much to say about their trial team other than it's pretty much close to full-strength so it will be interesting to see how they perform. In particular, I'll be keeping track of Clinton Gutherson who's got plenty of talent but has been a little suspect in recent times.

Cowboys - Interesting to see Hoare and Tanginoa named over a few forwards. The latter of which I believe is definitely worth keeping an eye on heading into 2015.

Titans - Ooooh boy. Poor ol' Hoffy still can't get the fullback spot, at a club that's arguably got the worst fullback in the NRL. People are going to have a field day with that. Mind you, I don't think it was ever about fullback - I just think it was one of many issues he had with Griffin and I'm sure he'll do well in the centres. Moseley, Don and James in the starting team is interesting but still think their halves will let them down.

Tigers - Young side, very much a work in progress and I've been interested to see how Taylor handles a few of their problems. Early impressions is not well, I don't really like the look of Sue and Halatau in the backrow and think they'll be as up and down as ever.

Cronulla - The closer we get, the more confident I get that they can squeeze their way into the 8. They've got a big point to prove this year and while I don't think they'll win a premiership, I can see them being a bigger part of 2015 than initially anticipated. It's pretty much as expected although I don't think they should be playing Prior in the starting team. He was horrible last year and I don't think he has enough improvement in him. Would have thought Gal at 10 and Heighington at 13 would be best for their side.

Storm - Their side is very reminiscent of a team in transition. Good to see Billy back, I thought he was severely hindered last year so hopefully his appearance here is a sign that he's on track for another strong year.

Bulldogs - Couple of interesting notes in that side. Morris at fullback, Tolman at lock and the selection of a rookie like Frawley.
 
I hate the Roosters, but that team lineup seems to be pretty perfect from what they can actually pick. Though I'd like to see MacDonald on the wing eventually. I rate Isaac Liu highly too, but wouldn't be surprised to see Napa at lock eventually. He's like Nate Myles, a little limited in attack, but tops in defence.

I think Ferguson should be in the centres too. Mostly because SKD is a winger.
 
It's a positive sign for the Roosters if Robinson thinks Ferguson is ready - they would have to hope he's on the money and not just forcing it to happen.

Ferguson strikes me more of a winger than SKD does but at the same time, Ferguson seems like a better version of SKD.
 
Big Pete said:
It's a positive sign for the Roosters if Robinson thinks Ferguson is ready - they would have to hope he's on the money and not just forcing it to happen.

Ferguson strikes me more of a winger than SKD does but at the same time, Ferguson seems like a better version of SKD.
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I remember they said he wouldn't just walk into the first grade team. What a load of crap that was.
 
On my way to the Eels v Panthers trial, Interested in seeing them post-Hayne. Ill post if there are any standouts
 
I wonder how Wighton will go at fullback. He is a very good player so I am expecting him to go well. The Raiders have a decent looking team besides their lack of quality in the halves and the 9.
 
I've rated Wighton highly for a while, though it seems like his development stagnated a bit lately. I'll be backing him at fullback and Austin at 5/8th though. I don't think Wighton has the creative skills to really be a half, but he's got enough to add some classy finishing from fullback. Austin is very underrated, almost under the radar sort of young player, I think he's a good talent.

As for Canberra's halfback, I guess Cornish will get first go. Sam Williams as backup. Williams looked better when he was the same age from what I remember, but he just hasn't lived up to it... though I guess there's always a chance he'll find his groove like Hodkinson did. I'm not exactly particularly impressed with Cornish either though.
 
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