I think Cody Walker is in worse form than Cook and Mitchell combined.

I honestly believe that Cook is a bit of a scapegoat, given that Peter Mamouzelos is in good form and Illias broke his leg while playing well in the reserves. If Illias wasn’t injured, I’d be almost certain that Walker would have been dropped instead, with Cook relegated to the bench.

Not sure what to make of this game….

The Boys were ok but its hard to judge because the Dolphins were woeful. You’re right about the back 5 making yardage – geez it makes a big difference to the Cowboys when they lay a good platform.

Still not sold on Robson playing 80. He “can” play 80 minutes, but it doesnt mean he “should” play 80 minutes. When he is fresh he looks like one of the most threatening players in the comp. But it is very noticeable that he doesnt have the same punch at the back end of the half/s. This can lead to the Cowboys a playing little more side-to-side, and thus becomming a more predictable, particularly when attacking in there own 20. I wonder if there is a rotation between Robson/McIntye/Granville that could be considered that doesnt burn a sub of having to get Robson off then on again.

Does he have the right to want to hold a grudge forever tho?

Well he was the one that was racially abused….. he was the one that Leniu confronted and abused again at Resorts World.

So yes, as far as I am concerned, he is well within his rights to hold a grudge. And for forever if Ezra wants too.

Ummmmmm…….. YEP!

I make it no secret in my comments on The Roar that I despise the Broncos – and yet I am 10000000% on board with Ezra and how is handled this, literally from the moment of the incident. This is more than one comment during the match, this is a pattern of behaviour.

Leniu’s reaction the moment he got reported –> his comments to the media after the match –> his interaction at Resorts world –> the Roosters media release that admitted he didnt think there was any racial undertones in his comment –> his delay in his apology.

Sorry – I have no reason not to light my pitchfork!

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I think this should be a line-in-the-sand moment – but of course, it’s the NRL – so it won’t be.

Personally, I don’t think he’s all that contrite, and the apology has come far too late (considering his “MULTIPLE” actions post-game) for it to have any impact.

If the NRL really wanted to set an example, they should bring three separate contrary conduct charges –
1. The racial slur – for which he should get 8 weeks for
2. The interview(s) after the game – for which he should get a monetary fine for
3. The behaviour at Resorts World – which, given that he now is pleading guilty to the racial slur, he should get an additional 3 weeks for deliberately inflaming the situation.

His behaviour during the game was utterly unacceptable –but his behaviour after the game was just as bad.

While I am it, kudos to Ezra Mann and Billy Walters for how they handled the situation. Also, from what I am hearing, kudos to Patrick Carrigan for de-escalating the situation at Resorts World.

One last comment – and this is something that also hasnt been addressed – where the hell were the Roosters media and admin team??? What were they thinking about letting Lenui anywhere near a microphone after the game—not once, but twice! And then, to cap things off, letting the situation at Resorts World spiral out of control??? I hope some serious conversations are being had, because those people responsible completely dropped the ball.

I actually think its both.

Its a blip – the narrower field really stymied the Broncos ability to spread the ball wide. It was noticeable that the Roosters were playing up and in on Walsh which limited his ability to get on the outside. Against weaker sides and on a full size field this is going to be much less of a problem. Also, losing Piakrua so early disrupted the ideal bench rotation and the Roosters dominated field position for large stretches of the match. In isolation, these arent issues long term.

However…..

I also believe the game highlighted a systemic issue that the Broncos cant solve which will end up being fatal for their chances in 2024 (and possibly beyond). I have said this over and over again in my comments, but I believe the Broncos look really light in their forward depth. Their starting 17 looks good, but they seem to be one injury away from being badly exposed.
Losing Piakura in the 3rd minute of the game is always going to impact your bench rotation and forward structure. That in itself is not systemic and should be viewed in isolation of one game. But it highlighted the exact problem the Broncos will have this year. Hypothetically, what if Piakura went down with a serious knee injury? Even worse, what happens if Haas or Carrigan get long term injuries? It almost feels like if the Broncos lose one of Haas, Carrigan, Piakura or Riki – there isnt much depth to cover those loses. Haas and Carrigan are irreplaceable, but it was interesting that when Piakura went down, Kevin Walters didn’t trust Hetherington or Baker to shift out wide. Rather he elected to promote Jensen to lock (aka third front rower) and shift Carrigan out. I thought Jensen played well in the minutes he got, but the fact that he had two options, one in Baker that would have been a literal like-for-like replacement, and preferred taking Carrigan out of this primary role, probably raised the eyebrows of every other coach in the NRL.
Last year if Carrigan or Haas went down, Flegler filled void and Jensen (and a lesser extent, Tapau) could be brought into the backup bench position. This year, both Jensen AND Tapau are not your back up options – they both have to play in the starting 17. Last year they had Rikki, Capewell, Palisia and Piakrua all challenging for the same back row positions. All four would be in the starting 17. The Broncos don’t have that luxury this year.

Congrats Jimmy!!!

Now that you have pulled the pin so to speak, does this mean you will have time to write a weekly Cowboys article?

The problem the Broncos have is what happens if Carrigan or Haas go down with injury? Even for a few rounds.

If you jump onto the Broncos squad list, they have listed 15 forwards in their squad – 4 of them are hookers. If they have to replace Carrigan or Haas for long stretches this season, the depth just isnt there.

They are going to be very reliant on their top 17 staying healthy.

I would argue…. too reliant.

My fearless predictions – for the record

Roosters to win the premiership – I know I said this last year and I was wrong, but the Roosters balance and depth have only improved since last year. I still think they have yet to figure out how to best utilise Brandon Smith, and once they do, this will vastly improve their bench rotation. Also not the most fearless call….. but then again………

…. the Broncos premiership window is already closed – This is going to be contentious, and I know many people will vehemently disagree with me, but I think the Broncos premiership window closed at the 72nd minute mark in last years grand final.
I talked up the Broncos throughout the offseason last year and while I was correct in my assessment, they honestly surpassed any of my expectations. However, at the start of last year, I also predicted their 2024 demise (so this prediction is literally 2 years in the making). Now I don’t think they are going to be terrible, their top 17 is one of the best in the comp, but I suspect their depth is going to be severely tested this year. Loosing Farnsworth/Flegler/Capewell/Palasia is hard. But over the long run, I think all four of those players are replaceable. My issue is not “who” they lost but rather “when” they lost them – which is – all at the same time.
This leads into the next problem, which is once the new deals for Mam and Walsh kick-in in 2025, they will have the exact same problem that the Cowboys now have, which is they can’t afford quality mid-to-lower tier players. The Walsh’s/Mam’s/Hass’s of the world win you matches, but over the course of the season its the Capewell’s/Palasia’s/Farnsworth’s that will win you premierships. Fletcher Baker is an excellent pick up, and I think Piakura will have a break-out season (he is my smokey for a shock SOO selection). But to me, they are short one or two good forwards outside of the top 15 players that is necessary to make a deep finals run. Ironically, just like the Cowboys in 2022, I feel that the Broncos youngsters may have peaked too early, which may do more damage to the team in the long run, as their younger players will now take too much of the salary cap to allow for a good balanced team in the future.

The Titans will make the top 8 – I have the feeling that all the Queensland teams will be in the finals hunt this year. (Although this is now somewhat tempered by the Cowboys losing Hess/Leuluai and the Dolphins loosing Gilbert before the season begins.) However, I think that the Titans are the one team that will surprise people this year. The have an underrated and balanced squad, and an insanely good (albeit top heavy) forward pack. Yes it still has limitations – the halves are an issue and just like the Broncos, they don’t have much depth – but on paper, it’s a very competitive roster.

Adam O’Brien to be the first (and only) coach sacked in 2024 – I honestly believe that the Knights run into the 2023 finals will be completely forgotten by State of Origin. Improvements from all the other teams in the middle of the pack, and the large turnover in the squad will mean this team will need to have a strong start to the season. Otherwise, by State of Origin the knives will be out. They have a run of difficult games during that Origin period, and unless they get out on the other side in reasonable condition, I think O’Brien could be in the same spot that he was in 2023 before their remarkable run into the finals. However, this year, I am not sure there will be a fairy-tale.

West Tigers will be so awful, that the next nearest team will be more than 4 points (2 wins) away – 4 points doesn’t sound like much, but remember, the Dragons and Tigers won a combined 9 games last year….. total. Taking the wooden spoon by more than 2 wins means that you were very bad. Benji will survive the season by the skin of his teeth. He won’t survive the next.

For the record
Premiers – Roosters
Runners-up – Souths
Dally M – Cleary

Table:
1. Roosters
2. Penrith
3. Souths
4. Storm
5. Warriors
6. Broncos
7. Titans
8. Cowboys
9. Sharks
10. Dolphins
11. Bulldogs
12. Manly
13. Eels
14. Knights
15. Raiders
16. Dragons
17. The Bye
18. Tigers

Yep – me English good! I meant Jock Madden (I dont know why I was actually thinking Brodie Croft…. I put it down to preseason rust 🤢 )

I think I will be the only person to take this unpopular position….. but…. I don’t understand this utter obsession that Reynold’s has been great for the Broncos and a disaster for Souths. I really don’t. To me that analysis is far too simplistic.

The reason I say this is because –

One. The Broncos didn’t make the finals in Reynolds first season. Souths did. We seem to forget this.

Two. Reynolds wasn’t in the top 5 Broncos players in 2023 – Walsh, Haas, Carrigan, Flegler, Mam/Farnsworth. Don’t get me wrong, he definitely contributed to a really good team, but you have to consider that he is not a top 5 player taking up $800k of the salary cap. Two of those players that I have just mentioned have just had to leave the Broncos because of salary cap restraints.

Three. Souths had a very poor season in 2024. I wont dispute that. BUT…. they also had a shocking run with injuries, particularly over the first 10 rounds. However, the Broncos have had a very fortunate run with injuries over the past 24 months.

Four. When Reynolds was injured, Brodie Croft played just as well (if not, at times, better) than Reynolds. That tells me that the system that the Broncos are playing has more to do with their success rather than the impact of their halves. Given the depth of the Broncos 2023 squad, Reynolds could have been replaceable with the right player.

Five – and this is really knitpicking – but – he didn’t have any huge impact on the Grand Final. The groin injury probably prevented him from being in the game more, but it was very noticeable that he was a ghost in the last 20 minutes of the Penrith comeback. He is being paid a very large sum of the salary cap, for that VERY situation.

Now I am not saying that Reynolds has been a bad pick up. Or that Illias is better than him. Rather, given the situations at both clubs, I don’t see this obsession that if Souths retained him, they would be any better than what they were last year. For 800k, Souths would have had to release two mid-tier players in 2022, one of which would definitely have been a very young Lachlan Illias.
Further, the argument for bringing in Wighton is not quite apples for apples as its made out to be. Reynolds signed two years ago, with different salary cap restraints when compared to now. Souths realistically had to choose between paying 32 year Reynolds 800k for a “maximum” of 3 years, or a 23 year old Illias for 400k for a “minimum” of 3 years. They chose Illias. The Wighton 2024 situation isn’t complicated by the fact that they have a good young halfback that was out of contract. Personally, I don’t think Wighton is all that good of a pickup for 800k at this stage of his career, but it’s much less of a risk than the Reynolds situation from 2 years prior.

I also think arguing Reynolds has been the key to unlocking the Broncos diminishes the impact of Reece Walsh (who, to be frank, is the best player in the competition at the moment) and also the system that Kevin Walters has established. There is no doubt that Reynolds has played a key role in establishing that very system. But – its just that – a system. As mentioned earlier, when Brodie Croft replaced Reynolds in a few games last season, the Broncos looked just as good as they did with Reynolds. Walsh is the key cog in that attacking system. Not Reynolds.

The more I look back at 2023, the more I think a few anomalies may have impacted the back end of the season. Both the Warriors and Knights had a very very easy run into the finals, allowing them to gain momentum. The Cowboys and Souths were decimated with injuries for the first half of the season and burnt themselves out. The Sharks cant beat anyone in the top 6. Manly cant beat anyone without Turbo. Also, you have to factor in the bottom five sides – Wests, Dragons, Titans, Bulldogs and Dolphins – fell off the cliff at the back end of the season. Apart from the occasional upset (see Titans v Cowboys), it was almost a gimme 2 points against those teams post-origin.

So, I am not sure that 2023 will be a good indicator of what will happen in 2024 finals wise. I think this is going to be a very tight season, with teams from 1 – 13 not separated by all that much.

For the record – I have three teams falling out – Raiders, Warriors, Knights. I dont want to diminish their 2023 seasons (especially the Warriors – who had an unbelievable season), but both the Warriors and Knights benefitted from circumstances – an easy draw – other teams competing to make the top 8 playing against each other – individuals (Johnston/Ponga) going on ridiculous form runs. The Sharks have a 50/50 chance. Also – for those who have followed my predictions from last year wont be surprised by this comment – I am also very bearish on the Broncos for season 2024 (after being very bullish on the Broncos this time last year). I would not be surprised to see them come crashing back to the pack.

As for the teams from outside the 8 that I would be on – Souths and Cowboys will improve if they stay healthy and the Dolphins have a very balanced squad. The Titans are definitely my roughie to look out for, particularly if the Sharks also drop out.

Manly are a maybe. However, I cant see the Eels, Dragons, Bulldogs or Wests contending.

Articles like this concern me.

Remember it wasn’t that long ago that we were bragging about how Peru’s media wrote us off.

Enough with the Socceroos niceties. Cop that, Peru!

Should we qualify? Yes.

Should we qualify easily? On paper – yes.

Will it become “simply a walk in the park” as the article attests – Absolutely not.

The lower ranked sides in Asia have improved over the past few years. The last two qualifications have shown that the Saudis are better than us (but are ranked lower), Jordan ALWAYS gives us issues, Oman has improved, and the UAE is dangerous. Qatar is the current Asian champion, and Iraq can be hard to beat, given the right conditions. Then there is the sleeping giant that is China.

We were a goalpost away from losing a home-and-away series against Syria, and I wouldn’t completely discount Thailand, who have improved DRAMATICALLY over the past few years.

Over the past few years, I have noticed that the Socceroos thrive on being challenged. We can’t beat the top teams, but we seem to get it together against the teams on the next level down.
But…… we also struggle to put teams, we expect to beat, away. Given our lack of goals upfront, if the opposition can structure the back four/five well, they may do well against us playing on the counter.

The first group stage should be trouble-free. If we walk into the second group phase with the same attitude as this article, we are going to get a very big surprise.

I cant believe Paul Suttor missed the most obvious correlation between the two.

If you were to order all the world cup teams from RWC23 – Australia finished 9th #westtigersjoke

That is a fair assumption to make however I view the Broncos 24 more like Souths 23 than Cowboys 23 – important personnel changes will cause structural and depth issues. The Cows didnt really change personnel from 22 to 23. What failed the Cowboys 23 was;

a. Todd Payten badly underestimated the impact of the World Cup on their preseason
b. Suspensions and injuries completely decimated the Cowboys for the first 13 rounds.

Ironically, both the Cows and Broncs 24′ squads share identical traits – and share exactly the same structural problems. Both are top-heavy with one too many stars earning (too) big money, both have a couple of young superstars, and they now have to figure out what retention policy they are going to enact in the future. Both have an ageing halfback that (I would argue) are being paid overs for what they provide – yet have a more than capable replacement being paid unders waiting in the wings. Both have an ageing winger that is being retained because, for no other reason, than for fan loyalty despite the fact they dont quite fit a modern attacking structure. But simultaneously, both also now have a gap on the left edge thanks to key a departing centre.

Its always fun to look back – here were my fearless predictions

Roosters – Premiership

Incorrect – Not even close.

Bulldogs will be in the top 8 halfway through the season – then fall away badly post origin.
Incorrect. The Bulldogs were 3 – 2 after five rounds and had beaten both the Storm and Cowboys during that time. However, the inevitable decline into obscurity happened a little earlier than what I expected.

Broncos will make the eight (but will be absolutely garbage in 2024).
Correct – year one correct – year two TBC. I saw the development in the Broncos game coming. To me it was very obvious they were better than what their 2022 ladder position was. I had them top 6ish with a cluster of teams that were good but not great. However, I was very surprised that they were title contenders.

Despite this surprise, I will also stand by my 2024 claim. Farnsworth, Flegler are big losses, but just as big is the loss of Palasia who was excellent off of the bench all year. The Broncos don’t have ready-made replacements of the same calibre which will impact both the structure (particularly the shape of their attack) and depth of the 2024 squad. Couple this with that fact that they had a very cruisy run with injuries (or when they had injuries, it happened at the perfect time, such Haas over Origin, Reynolds at the back end of the year, Walsh being suspended for games during the Origin period, Oates’s broken jaw allowing Arthurs a wing spot), I do fear what 2024 holds for the Broncos. They aren’t going to be as bad as Parra was this year, but I can see them falling back to the “middle of the pack” next year, if not lower.

Dolphins will be competitive until at least magic round – and then fall away badly.

Correct – This was spot on, literally to the week of the Dolphins demise. I thought that the Dolphins were a much better team than what they were made out to be. However, I also knew the one great weakness was always going be depth. At the end of magic round they were 6 – 4. They won 3 more games after that.

Holbrook to be first coach sacked (Griffin will also go).

Incorrect – Sooooooooooo close – but this has been marked as incorrect. Overall, I was correct in that both Griffin and Holbrook would be sacked. But I had the order wrong by a few weeks.

Yes… slow but her positioning is top class. If we are pressing high up the pitch, she’s definitely not the player we need. But we arent playing that style – and I am not sure that we will be for the rest of the tournament – unless we play a Columbia or Japan – or – unless we go down a goal or two.

The other thing that I noticed, both in the Canada and Denmark games, we lost control of the central midfield for large portions of the game, either because we lost allot of second ball or we dumped it long looking to recycle. This is where so much of van Egmond’s value is (retention and recycle of the neutral ball) and its this part of the game often gets overlooked because Fowler’s through ball/Forrd’s runs look more exciting.
Being able to take control of that second ball is going to be more much more valuable against the better teams, particularly if teams start to break down our defensive structure.

You dont need speed if your job does not require speed.

I am one that has criticised Gustavsson over some of his tactics (so boo on me), but wow, hasn’t he nailed both the Canada and Denmark games. The only question I have is whether we have the legs for three more games. Still wasn’t sold on his rotations. In particularly the Kerr substitution seemed unnecessary. There is no doubt that even in the 10 minutes that she was on the field that she is a class above. But…. It just seemed unnecessarily risky – particularly if parking the bus/sending Vine down the right wing may have been a better option.

Also, has van Egmond become the new Mark Viduka? Criticised for not doing enough when we lose. Somewhat invisible, because other girls get the plaudits, when we win. I thought she was outstanding last night – in fact – I would argue she was the difference between the teams. Her control, hold and release was literally “Viduka-esk” and her work off the ball was insanely underappreciated. Hell, I even noticed her dropping back a few times, particularly in transition, to deny the direct ball. Her work for the second goal, was immensely underappreciated. 90% of other players would have tried to flick past the keeper. Her ability to control and awkward ball at her feet, hold for split second, wait for the defender to commit, and then find the open woman, made the goal. Really really clever, and insanely smart “game” instincts.

Still there are things to work on. The left and right back do look exposed at times. Cately may struggle against a faster wing/wing back. I was at the France v Brazil match, and it was noticeable in the first half that France went down the left flank at every opportunity they could and waited for the transition opportunity to go right. That concerns me. Carpenter’s positioning is still a problem, can be prone to both over committing and under committing. I am not sure how many km’s Cooney-Cross has done over the first three games – but I personally think she is the key to Australia’s success – Australia looks in control when she is in position, both in going forward and dropping back. We can’t afford to run her into the ground.

First off – its something that has been lost in all the conversation – hats off to Nigeria. They were outstanding! They played within their means, and even when they went a goal down, they didn’t drop their heads, they just got back to work. Really technically adept considering their limitations in capability. Really well coached and structured.

Australia – first half was excellent. Take away the fact that they didn’t put away a few half chances, they had one excellent look on goal, and took it. At 1 – 0, it actually was job well done. Half-time would have been the perfect chance to reset and start the grind again.

People are rightly outraged at Gustavsson’s tactics – but it was the 3 minutes that led up to the equalizer that left me absolutely furious at him. Because, yes the ball was deflected, but the attitude after we scored was appalling. And that’s on the manager.

Once we scored – we spent two whole minutes celebrating. Literally. Go back and watch the game. The Matilida’s carried on forever after the first goal had been scored. While not over the top, what it did do, it completely lost our structure and concentration…. And also, and very importantly, put more time back on the clock. Directly after the kick-off, this is what happened

• Foord went running out of formation, made a bad tackle – got an unnecessary yellow card (and then argued with the ref about it, despite it being a pointless tackle, and a very obvious yellow)
• Then off the free kick, Nigeria pump it long, Australia wins the ball at the back, look to switch right immediately, Raso, loses possession with the holding midfield playing high up looking for a counter. Australia loses formation, again, Australia exposed at the back.

Now you would expect that I would start describing the Nigeria goal. But that is not the case. Carpenter came across, made an excellent tackle for a Nigeria throw.

The warnings were there!!!!!! And it was very very obvious that Australia had switched off and expected to cruise to half time. It was this precise moment that Australia lost the match. Not the two really bad errors in the second half. Not the umpteen chances in the first half. Not the change in tactics to pump it long (desperation personified).

It was AT THAT MOMENT if I was managing I would be out of my box SCREAMING AT THE TEAM TO SWITCH BACK ON and HOLD POSESSION! I know…. Because that’s exactly what I was screaming at the TV at the time.

But of course, that is not what happened. Nigeria, take the neutral ball back, play through the middle, turn the ball over. Courtney-Cross and Raso both go forward down the left, turn the ball over centrally, exposing the left, Carpenter cant come across quickly, decides to back off, deflects the ball with two in the box and the rest is history.

The team on the park had switched off. Unforgiveable. But the bench had also switched off as well. Complete and utter incompetence all round.

No this isnt a single “bad” day. This rot started session 1, day 4 of the second test….. ironically….. the moment Bairstow was run out…. and has been going since that moment. I can only count three sessions that we have had since that moment – session 2 day 1, and session 1 day 2 at Leeds and Session 1, Day 1 at Old Trafford – that Australia have been the better team. And even those sessions have been far from perfect. Everything else has been England’s.

This feels eerily similar to Billy Slater completely and utterly outcoaching Fittler in State of Origin. Despite having the more talented team, Fittler’s over-reliance on the same old tropes and game plans mixed with the over confidence and arrogance because of prior individual success were no match against a unified squad with a solid gameplan.

The gameplan and ability for Australia to tactically and technically change for this entire series has been atrocious. Australia – to be frank – were let off the hook in game one thanks to an over-confidence/arrogant approach from England. Australia’s plan protect the boundary probably should have cost 400+ in the first innings, and was only saved by a too extreme version of Bazball .
Australia’s game plan worked in game 2 – BUT – you also have to remember that England were at one stage 1/180 odd in the first innings. Game three Australia had the match basically won, when they had England 7-fer and trailing by 130 odd in the first innings, and basically invited England back into the series – once again – thanks to a mind-numblingly dumb plan to bounce out the tail and Stokes. I don’t know about you, but has anyone thought of bowling at the base of off stump and setting your field straight when Stokes (and the tail) gets on a roll?????

The difference between the teams at the moment is that at the start of series England were arrogant but have learnt throughout the series. Australia started conservatively and become more arrogant as the series has progressed. Crawley was falling over on the offside – so he changed his technique to get his head more onto leg stump line. Stokes/Root were getting out to rash shots, so they are both started to take their time to get their eye in, and then, started to attack. England struggled against the new ball in three of the first four innings. So they promoted a bowler/batter to see off the new ball. Englands’ bowling rotations are working. Overall, they have learnt from the first two tests, reined in Bazball enough to see off the new ball, not get sucked into the short ball game, and then look to attack. This provides more time for their bowlers to recover, who have been far more threatening than anything Australia’s much vaunted fast bowling line up has achieved.

Australia….. well Warner has basically got out the same way in every innings – struggling with balls on a 4/5 stump line. Smith keeps falling over himself with his obsession to get across to off stump. Marnus cant concentrate for more than 50 balls. Head has no chance against the short ball. Green doesn’t really know how to leave a ball. Boland couldn’t adjust his line and length to Bazball. They don’t trust Murphy against Bazball. Cummins is obsessed on the short ball. ALL SERIES! EVERY MATCH!

The difference between the sides is England are evolving. Australia are not. And that’s the difference between McCullum and McDonald. Cummins and Stokes.

Evolve or die.

I actually think this one was a no brainer. I wrote a comment last year before the Hammer was released that we would have to decide between the Hammer and Drinkwater due to salary cap pressures. It was inevitable that one had to leave.

The Hammer for all what he brings, is replacable. With the current backline we have, Drinkwater is not as easily replaceable. If they kept the Hammer, they would have to go back to the open market to find a new 6 and 7 because The Hammer isnt a playmaker which requires more emphasis in the halves to create. Townsend is a game manager, Dearden has a better running game than passing. Therefore you need a playmaker at 1. If you choose The Hammer over Drinkwater you would have to change the entire recruitment and tactical methodology.

An argument would have been to play the Hammer at 4….. BUT…. we already had Hiku (who at the time was playing really well) and Holmes.

It easy to think that if we only had kept the Hammer what we would have been. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but reality is we couldnt afford both in the long term given the squad structure. I still think they made the right call. I would also say that The Hammer probably has also made the right call because he has more freedom to play in the Dolphins structure than he ever would have under the Cowboys.

Not sure if mid-season recruits belong on this list, but I would argue that Semi Valemei would already be the top 10 recruits of the season if they were – even given the small sample size.

What has been noticeable in the Cowboys bounce back in form, it has coincided with the meters that the back 5 are making in the past five weeks. Andrew Johns made a good point about the form of Drinkwater has improved dramatically, mainly because he is not being “smashed” coming out from his own try line set after set.

I would argue Semi has been the main contributor to this.

We did stand our ground, waiting the for the umpire to make a decision……
Then we looked at the big screen and Bairstow was given out! 😁