Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:03 pm  

I do no think Hampshire has anything to prove, last season he was consistently excellent, he was our most creative player, durable and a brilliant finisher. He was our best half back and best player by a country mile.

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:06 pm  

Thank God it's a simple game .

[PopTart]

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:37 pm  

bellycouldtackle wrote:

I do no think Hampshire has anything to prove, last season he was consistently excellent, he was our most creative player, durable and a brilliant finisher. He was our best half back and best player by a country mile.

He played full back and wing.
What Fish is saying I think, is that he isn't proved as the half back he wants to be.

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:52 pm  

bellycouldtackle wrote:

I do no think Hampshire has anything to prove, last season he was consistently excellent, he was our most creative player, durable and a brilliant finisher. He was our best half back and best player by a country mile.

No mate he isn't any of those things I'm afraid.

I can only assume you're a wind-up merchant because much as I like Hampshire it's impossible for anyone with a serious interest in the game to make the statement you've just made. Worse still I don't think it helps the lad when people give him that kind of acclaim, it needs to be earned by deeds not just because you and a few others seem to idolise him.

Truth is his best position last year was actually on the wing where I thought he played extremely well and his finishing was superb.

At FB he was also pretty good, at HB he didn't do so well and if you were being honest you'd admit that. He was consistent in terms of effort, no argument. Best player? Certainly one of the better ones but by a country mile! That really does make you sound a bit ridiculous. Finally 'most creative", easily the weakest part of his game IMHO, seriously Belly when he sorts that part of his game then you will have an argument.

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:00 pm  

PopTart wrote:

He played full back and wing.
What Fish is saying I think, is that he isn't proved as the half back he wants to be.

Exactly.

In a way, it's the fault of his support brigade rather than Ryan himself. They seem obsessed that he is an HB and as of yet IMHO he hasn't proved it at senior level. I wish he would as we'd have a superstar on our hands but just saying it doesn't make it so,

Also IMHO there is nothing wrong with him ending up on the wing or at FB, all positions are vital but there does seem to be a certain snobbery regarding the HB roll. Truth is loads of great players don't end up playing in the same positions as adults as the excelled in as kids, why should they? it's not re-ordained.

I'm all for giving Ryan as many chances as we can but it's up to him to take them and as yet the HB role has eluded him a bit. That said he hasn't proved to be terrible when given the chance I hasten to add, just hasn't exploded into the limelight as much as I'd hoped and thus I still prefer Miller and Brough for now. Also granted it was only a friendly.

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:04 pm  

Well I cant think of a better player last season, head and shoulders our best player.

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 6:44 pm  

Fishermanscap wrote:

Did you want to say something

I did, it's in the middle of your sermon Like I did say, Hampshire was going along well at halfback before CC brought Brough to the club, apart from Fifita he was our best last season, and if he doesn't get selected in the halves, that's not his fault is it? He needs to be given a long run at 7, but that's up to the coach is it not......

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 7:18 pm  

We could finish anywhere from 3-12 IMO. Really tough to call as we and others have strengthened. There's lots of good teams and no easy games.
The bulk of the squad have shown what they're capable of in top 5 finishes and at the beginning of last season. So here's hoping

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:09 pm  

PopTart wrote:

Dave shouldn't be compared to Andrew imo.

Big Dave needs to compare to Watts, Thompson, Walmsley and now Burgess.
Before his injury he was dominating the league but he's been quickly forgotten by the rest after missing the end of the season. It's a chance for him to get that back.

Playing for Wakefield allows him to be a bit more creative and off the cuff than the others on the list and also be a leader, but only as a "follow me" leader. I would not make him team captain. That's a different skill altogether.

Tbh when you watch Andrew, he plays so similar to Dave it's hard not to, the way he goes to the line, then steps and runs across looking for that gap before trying to bust the line is uncanny even for twins, to also the way he how quick he gets up and plays the ball. Leaving the twins thing to one side, Dave plays in a fair bit less structured way than Andrew, who imo is much more of a traditional prop if you like. for example how many times have you seen Andrew making a bid for fame up the wing, or making a try for himself with a little kick through. As you rightly say, he's allowed to play his own game in SL under CC and maybe it's why he's succeeded here and less so in the NRL, where it's all about structure. I also thinks he's developed greatly in the time he's been with us, in a way he's been a late bloomer and thrived because he's got out of his brothers shadow. Personally along with Thompson and Watts he's the best prop in the league. As you also say hopefully he comes back hungry to get back to where he was pre injury last season, or dominate even more all season, if that's possible.

On Tom, as others have said I'll be looking away when he first stretches his legs, or goes for a flying finish. I've had the same injury as him many years ago and it's one thing to recover and go through all the hard yards in the gym and the mind, gradually learning to trust it more and more as you go through all the hours and days of pain. To have it happen to you again though is a massive test of your body and especially mind. As a player all he can do is stay positive, be around positive people and just get his head down and do what the trainers tell you, then it's all about trusting the knee again when you're on the field and that's the key, just as long as as his operation went well, as it appears to have and his ligaments have fully mended, it's all a bit of a head test. When it happened to me, for a month or so after I came back, if I felt any twinge anywhere, or had to get the foot down, it was there in the back of my mind, like a little voice. I found myself consciously not really going for it the way I knew I could, often looking for the pass rather than taking players on, but eventually after I got a number of games into me, it starts to slip out of your mind. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom's the same, it may take him a few games or even more to truly get confident again, but the main thing is he hopefully he does. Ateotd he's still so young and got such a long career ahead of him and from what we've seen of him so far in his career, he's shown mental toughness, so fingers crossed.

As for the team, we just need to keep most of our best players on the field, playing like we know they can and not get hit with loads of long term injuries again and i think everything else will look after itself & we'll do OK, top half of the table.

Re: Make or break seasons : Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:59 pm  

AS every year make or break season for the CLUB not to finish 12th.OH and the stadium

I would seriously be not playing any of our main players in anymore of the pointless trails - we can already not afford anymore injuries ,3 of top squad players already out with long term injuries before round 1