According to the guys at Cumberland Throw its been a fierce contest between Joash and Iongi for the spot. Joash apparently stunning at training with his speed and elusiveness. Though from reports it seems Iongi has the position with Joash’s versatility making him a good option for filling in in the outside backs and impact utility off the bench.
Be good to see Guymer get some game time through the season top player!

Parra will surprise people this year. They’ve bought well and from reports the pre season has been the best in years.
I think there are few things wrong with this team.
– Lussick isn’t likely to play 1st grade unless there is an injury crisis again. He may end up on the NSW Cup bench with rising player Riley Smith starting at 9 in reserves.
– Lane is likely to start the season in Cup as well. IMO he’s pushed out by Tuilag and the Williams signing. He may end up in the squad if Ryles decides to play him in the middle. Though I believe big Wiremu is our best option for a big middle on the bench.
– Hopgood will not be starting prop lol
Simonsson is only 50/50 to play round one so our starting wingers for the first round or two will probably be either Russell / Richard Penisini and Joash Papali’i. I’ve heard Penisini and Joash are killing it at training. I think it may actually be those two.

This is what I think is our strongest team.

1 Isaiah Iongi
2 Bailey Simonsson
3 Will Penisini
4 Zac Lomax
5 Josh Ado Carr
6 Dylan Brown
7 Mitchell Moses (c)
8 Junior Paulo
9 Brendon Hands
10 Joe Ofahengaue
11 Kelma Tuilag
12 Bryce Cartwright
13 J’maine Hopgood
Interchange
14. Joash Papali’i
15. Ryan Matterson
16. Jack Williams
17. Wiremu Greig

On the whole i’d agree but as much as I want Edwards to get a crack, if Teddy’s time is up… Turbo should be no1.
I like the look of this team.
If Moses wasn’t injured I’d pick him as 6. Cartwright can be back up for an injury in the backline while also offering a lot of impact of the bench.
I feel bad leaving Best out but despite whats happening at Souths you can still see Wighton putting in and he is a classic Origin player, plus he offers cover if there’s an injury in the halves. I also like having 2 units like RCG and Paulo on the bench.

Fulback – Turbo
Left edge – AdoCarr, Wighton, Liam Martin
Right edge – To’o, Crichton, Olakau’atu
Halves – Cleary (c) Burton
Hooker – Api
Middles – Hass, Jurbo, Cam Murray

Bench – Cartwright, Robson, Paulo, RCG

Hilarious Manly player blows try by committing a lazy foul and you’re all crying about the ref stealing the game from you.
Manly lost because they couldn’t match it with the Eels forwards. Hopgood, Matterson, RCG and Paulo owned your middle , half your team clocked off after you got ahead and Moses / Brown were more effective than DCE/Brookes.
Though to be honest I actually hope your salty delusions are also reflective of the Manly players and coaching staff… If so it’ll be one less team for Parra to worry about.

Nonsense Jurbo stopped in the line its a penalty.
Jurbo blew the try if he’d taken a few more steps Manly would’ve had a forward pass try awarded to them.
Manly lost because their forwards could not match it with Parra’s.
They were out muscled and out played. So much so that the slowest winger in the NRL (who isn’t even a winger) Harper was able to stroll over for a try because your whole team was compressed just trying to deal with the threat of Paulo, Hopgood, Matterson and Lane who were carving you up with offload after offload.

I loved how RCG just let him slap him in the face and laughed at him. Basically goaded him into getting himself marched.
Was very stupid by Aloiai, between the high contact and striking he may be out for a week.

Parra’s depth in our forwards seems like it’s the best its been in a long time.
Asides from our very strong Rd 1 starting 17 … for middles we have Werimu and Ofahaiki Ogden both have potential (particularly big Wiremu) to be future Kiwi reps.
In the back row we have Doorey and Moretti. Both excellent young players and perfect candidates for BA’s magic backrower wand. Moretti is already considered a future star by a lot of people.
Just below those guys in the pecking order we have Rodwell (2nd row) and Makatoa (middle) both good players that the club has put time into over the last couple of years.

Totally agree about our forwards Boss
if injuries are kind this week it will be interesting to see what BA does with Wiremu. Hard to see who but someone will, if not round 2 eventually have to make way for him. It will presumably have to be either Matterson or Joe O
I wouldn’t mind seeing BA try starting with Reg on the bench for 15 and let big Wiremu have a crack at starting games.
As you say Tuilagi and I hope Harper as well, seem like real likely candidates for a BA makeover miracle as well.

I’m glad everyone is under rating the Eels. I think our best side, if it can stay uninjured for most of the season and be there at the business end and can win.
There are issues with depth in the outside backs but I think this is over stated.
When Sivo returns we’ll have as back up, Asi and Talagi, both exciting young players who can cover any position as well as halves and FB
Harper and Dunster covering wing and center. Players (for different reasons) have a lot to prove and are being underestimated by a lot of people. I’m looking forward to seeing Harper in particular over the next few weeks.
Then we have Lumelume and Cini both good players who would not be first picked in any team but also wont let anyone down.
I honestly think we have one of the best if not the best forward pack in the NRL.
And I’m glad to see Hands on the bench for Rd1 particularly if it means BA is re thinking his playing players for 80 mins in the middle.

4 weeks is way too Harsh for RCG it just looks a lazy attempt to flop it all happened very slowly unlike the Brown into Hutchinson or Campbell into Russell incidents which were both much more dangerous.
Campbell wiped Russel out for 1/2 a season and they didn’t even refer it.
It’s a Parra player so it’ll be 4 weeks but I think 2 weeks would be fair.
As for Sivo that should’ve just been a penalty he had a wrapping motion and first contact seemed more like shoulder to shoulder.
I can’t help but feel like there is some malice toward the Eels from the NRL. Id love to see an explanation of how they worked out this draw, from our brutal opening sequence of games, lots of Thursday night games, our shitty draw during origin and hard run to the finals with a bye on the last round which we potentially may get no bonus out of … I can’t believe that’s all unintended particularly when it was well known that we’d lost a lot of good players and most expected us to do it a bit harder this season.

Agree Mike
I prefer the idea of a dedicate 3 week series rather than this disruption. I think a mid season 3 week break would probably be good for most clubs give them a chance to sort out some retention issue for non rep players to have a bit of recovery time.
This is pretty shit for Parra, they routinely ignore or snub our players, then for a dead rubber rip the core out of the team.
More than victory for the blues I will be hoping next week that Freddie has one of his usual brain spasms and forgets to play Gutho off the bench and that Moses, RCG avoid injury for this farce.

If Qld had access to pick Hynes do you really think they’re dropping Munster DCE or Hunt … there’s no way.
There’s no real difference between the forwards and backline but IMO QLD definitely has a key edge.
Last year’s series and game 1 reflected generally how close the two teams are and it could’ve gone either way in both instances.
In game one If Turbo is on the field QLD probably doesn’t get the ball back from that drop out and Hammer probably doesn’t score that try… Those 2 moments probably lost us the game, but the point is the games are a good contest with the slightly better team winning tightly.
The real difference between the teams is Grant/Hunt, DCE and Munster and the experience and solidity of that spine gives them a key edge over NSW. If i was picking the Australian spine I would 100% pick that cohesion over Cook Api Cleary Luai or Hynes or a mix of the 2 teams any day.
As long as they’re good, the forwards and backline don’t matter that much and both teams have plenty of good players to choose from. Carrigan v Yeo or Martin V Nani, Hass v Tino, Hammer V Turbo these match ups (are F-ing great but…) wont decide the match in the way that key group of playmakers will.

I think I was overcome with wishful thinking I actually knew Leota wasn’t eligible! … I like Royce Hunt I wouldn’t be unhappy if he gotta a bench spot.
Though I cant tell if your a Panthers supporter who doesn’t want injuries or you forgot the “I hate the” at the start of your handle 😂 as I don’t think there’s much chance of Cleary being dropped.

Im not sure if you have inside info but I will be amazed if Freddy doesn’t go with Luai and you couldn’t pick him ahead of Turbo or Latrell in the centers.
He could perhaps be the 14 though? Personally I’d go with Murray as 14 and Hynes as 6.

Here’s the team I like.
I’m not a fan of carrying a half or specialist hooker on the bench. So I’d suggest using someone like Cam Murray who is an elite athlete at 14. He could be on the field for big minutes giving Api, Yeo and a back rower a spell and if disaster occurs and Turbo gets injured he could defend at center.

1. Teddy (c)
2. To’o
3. Turbo
4. Latrell
5. Graham
6. Hynes
7. Cleary
8. Hass
9. Api
10 Paulo
11 Martin
12 Olakau’atu
13 Yeo

14 Murray
15 Daniel Saifiti
16. Leota
17. Hudson Young

With respect I think thats all a bit complicated.

I personally think a draw is a decent result for a game.
I don’t understand why a team thats (as is usual in the case of a draw) delivered a really tight contest to the full 80 mins, should walk away with the same competition points as team that had their arses handed them for 80 mins.

By example: Parra’s epic high quality first round game and loss in extra time to the Storm and Penriths amazing 2 point field goal on the buzzer equaliser against Parra before losing in extra time are worth the same in the competition as the Knights received in their embarrassing flogging by Parra or the Raiders in their flogging by the Panthers.
That isn’t right.

Get rid of it, with the exception of finals.

Good team though I would say you need at least one extra edge forward on the bench

I don’t think Cambell would let anyone down thats for sure.
The Panthers will probably go on a bit of tear from now to Origin and they will stick with Luai which to be fair makes some sense (building a team around Yao, Cleary & Luai).
Given Brandy and Fittler’s Panthers bias there’s a reasonable chance they’ll pick Crichton again ahead of Cambell.

There must be two RCGs

Interesting conundrums for Fittler as much as I like Cambell Graham I don’t think he’s really a winger and Trell and Turbo should be the centres. I’d go with
1. Teddy
2. To’o
3. Trell
4. Turbo
5. Kiraz (depending on this jury)or Suali’i
6. Burton
7. Cleary
8. Hass
9. Api
10. Jurbo
11. Olakau’alatu
12. Liam Martin
13. Yao

14. Hynes
15. Paulo
16. Shaun lane
17. Cameron Murry

Qld have never got Origin, how long will it be before we start hearing “Origin is dead”.

Lol wanted to make same comment

You obviously didn’t watch the Parra Souths game on the weekend he was woeful.

Which is a good idea but wouldn’t it be better if Finucane or RCG are to play that they be there from day 1 training rather than being parachuted in at a later date.

Hardly, NSW lost last year because they had the best and most in form middle players in the comp along with the best halves combination.
You suggesting Fittler should leave Turbo or Tedesco out?