Everyone knows dinosaurs are extinct, but does Tony ‘T-Rex’ Williams have to take his nickname so seriously?
The Canterbury Bulldogs’ major off-season recruit has been a low-key performer in the three games to date and I’m wondering how long coach Des Hasler is going to persevere with him if he fails to fire up.
Williams was bought by the Dogs to give their forward pack thrust and power. They wanted him terrorising smaller men on the edges and breaking the line to feed any number of eager supports.
He can be a menacing unit in defence as well but we haven’t seen anything like the best from one of the NRL’s most powerful athletes.
I am not saying that T-Rex has been playing badly. I am saying that I expected him to be showing much more purpose and involvement for his old coach at a new club.
Maybe we’ll see Williams explode into action against the highly rated Rabbitohs pack at ANZ Stadium this afternoon.
It shapes as a very big occasion with an Easter holiday crowd in attendance at a venue shared by both clubs.
Nothing would please me more than to see some fearless T-Rex charges into the meat of the Souths’ defence, sparked up by the Burgess boys and Mick Crocker.
And when it’s time for the Bunnies to attack, wouldn’t it be sensational to see Williams crashing ball carriers to the deck like a wrecking ball?
I have watched the Dogs closely in their first three games this year and the forward who has impressed me most is Aiden Tolman. This guy has been a stand-out in defence and attack. It’s as if he is showing his much bigger team-mate, Williams, the way Bulldog forwards should play.
Maybe the return to action by Frank Pritchard will spark T-Rex into the sort of action that won him so many admirers at Manly. Big Frankie will be biding his time on the bench and Williams will feel as though he has to perform some heroics to keep him there.
If the big bloke has another quiet game, I’m not so sure coach Hasler can afford to have him as a starter next week.
I’m really looking forward to this game, it offers so much more than any other in round four.
There should be gripping duels all over the field and a fluctuating scoreline that may go right down to the wire.
I wish Ben Barba well in his comeback and I reckon he’ll be feeling he has been through sort of sporting war at the end.
The Rabbitohs will punish him in defence and he can expect an aerial attack like never before from the likes of Adam Reynolds and Johnny Sutton.
The other game I will be intrigued with is Warriors v Cowboys on Monday at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland.
The Cowboys were dreadful against Newcastle last Monday night – surely they have too many good players to go that poorly again.
The Warriors have had a shocking start to 2013.
I can’t work out why Feliti Mateo is picked on the bench. This guy is a special talent and needs to be on the field as much as possible.
He gives the team tremendous go-forward and has clever ball skills. Start him NZ, or pay the penalty.
In the Warriors’ favour is a lop-sided win/loss record. They have won 12 of their 17 meetings with North Queensland.
Well, if the players can’t get the Kiwi team over the line, maybe the stats can!
Mantis
Roar Guru
There was a time in the Bunnies game yesterday where he had the chance to have a one on one with Adam Reynolds. Instead of hitting the ball at top speed and destroying him, he half jogged onto the ball and then stepped into a two man tackle. It doesnt matter how much natural talent you have, its wasted with bonehead thinking like that.
T forTiny
Guest
Useless work rate, & hopeless defence.
Razza
Guest
T rex - I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, I know can, whoops here comes the ball runner, I had better stand still and not get in his way, or should I put my arm out and try to stop him and with no more shoulder charging allowed I might break a finger nail. I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, I know I can. The Eagles bought a player way past his use by date and so did the Bulldogs and yes what little good he did for the Eagles was not enough for the reputation he had at the Eels, allowing for his injuries also. "GO THE EAGLES"
peeeko
Roar Guru
my mistake i meant williams, pritchard and eastwood. i think Des would be getting rid of Pritchard for next year
Bearfax
Guest
Have to agree there Eagle. I've been surprised by the increased energy and improved defence Horo, Lawrence and Symonds have added to the Manly pack. With Chee-Kan yet to come, Manly are looking pretty good. Big tests though coming up with Canterbury, Melbourne and Souths. They are the big three in this comp. With Barba back and Kasiano soon back, Canterbury may not need T-Rex to get them back to the leadership group.
terrykidd
Roar Pro
Gold !!!! Agreed, whatever they paid it was 'overs'
Johnno
Guest
Maybe move T-Rex back to winger, where he can freely rome the flanks, and not have to worry about the work rate stuff of being a forwad.
Jake
Guest
Maybe if you only had 1 Eastwood then it wouldn't be so similar.......?
Bearfax
Guest
T-Rex really only had one good season at Manly. And his impact was more shock value than anything else. Once teams started to identify him as a danger ten metres from the try line, they started to get their best defenders up against him. He's an awesome unit, quite athletic, fast and strong. but he needs a good distributor, like an Andrew Johns, Cliff Lyons etc to create the space for him to gain acceleration. So far the Canterbury halves have not been able to achieve this. T-Rex is too slow off the mark to be a danger without being given some space and the creation of an opportunity by others. If Canterbury had got Thurston, they would have had their answer. Without such service, I cant see him lasting in first grade.
turbodewd
Roar Guru
TRex was MIA vs Melbourne....where was he?!?!
Mike from tari
Guest
Have to agree with Razza, he should be playing on the left, left right out. I really do hope he plays against Souths.
Lou
Guest
Yep agree a Benji like performance all talk and no action but I'd still have a dinosaur over a cupcake any day
Razza
Guest
Ha ha ha haaaaaaa good old T rex Bulldog's gain, Eagles loss, ha ha haaaaaaa, what a loaf, a dead set pedestrian. Always has been, always will. Congratulations Des. "GO THE EAGLES"
Peeeko
Guest
A back row of Eastwood, Pritchard and Eastwood is too similar. Big runners who don't do a lot of tackling
oikee
Guest
T-Rex , probably not getting his daily intake of moojuice. He is big slow and cumbersome, and you tackle him, roll the big dinosaur onto his back and its all over, he cant get back to his feet.
eagleJack
Guest
I loved T-Rex and was sorry to see him go but he has been replaced by the aptly named T-Red (Tommy Symonds) and for about 1/10th of the price he is getting through a mountain of work, busting through the line and scoring tries. Terrific pick up.
Rob
Guest
Simple explanation.....he's soft. I heard an interview with Tallis describing both Williams and Dave Taylor as "comfortable" without exerting themselves. He went on to say that they play 3 poor weeks in a row before lifting for the next purely to get the critics off their back. Then straight back to being mediocre again.
Andy
Guest
So how much did the bulldogs play for a bench player? or better yet an 80 minute defensive liability.
Lou
Guest
It's disappointing a bloke his size can't click when ya need him to, I remember a run last year when he sent the doggies defence scattering , please don't hype him up until after we play em next week , the last thing Manly wants is an angry dinosaur , he's not the only beast that cannot find the right gear
Jimbo Jones
Guest
I'd love to see the Bulldogs halves (or Des) getting Trex to catch the ball whilst running at speed. As a defender he would be terrifying and hard to stop if he was at full pace. At the moment he seems to catch it standing still and then start running.