The Post-SWB Era: How to avoid a Fitter-style hangover

[Guest]

Or Moa even? He only played 1 or 2 games for sharks didn't he? What about George Burgess?

if theyve played more than 3 games even at England they dont qualify

[Guest]

that means Tupou would realistically be leading. oh wait forgot Tohu Harris!!!!!

He would be leading with Toops a close second. If Toops has a few groundbreaking games he could take the ROTY award out

George burgess and to a lesser extent jack buchanan would also be in the running.
josh drinkwater from the dragons could go close if he gets a chance sometime soon.
james Tedesco might go close if he plays well, a lot of people have big wraps on him.
other than that there are your wingers such as tupou and parra's toutai. but wingers don't really win awards.

[Guest]

Looks like 2 years is the most we will get out of SBW. The good news for us is that the other important players around him (Jennings, Maloney, Pearce etc) are all signed long term so it's not like we are facing an exodus. Politis will look to replace him with another marquee player (Falou?) considering SBW'S departure will leave us with a giant hole in our salary cap. It is clear to me that the buy of the season so far has been Trent Robinson. He is the key. I have a feeling he will be with us long term. Like Ferguson at Man Utd.

[roostersrule2]

if theyve played more than 3 games even at England they dont qualify

Oh ok, I really hope Tupou could win it but some quality players are sure to debut in the coming rounds.

[Guest]

Oh ok, I really hope Tupou could win it but some quality players are sure to debut in the coming rounds.

awards on the dally m aren't won on merit. Example. Tupou has played 7 games and say Drinkwater debuts on say round 9. Toops has a 9 game head start and has already won more points than Drinkwater. Drinkwater can only surpass if he plays top-notch games continously and ends up surpassing Toops on the leaderboard.

Only awards such as captain and coach of the year are won on merit.

[Guest]

George burgess and to a lesser extent jack buchanan would also be in the running.
josh drinkwater from the dragons could go close if he gets a chance sometime soon.
james Tedesco might go close if he plays well, a lot of people have big wraps on him.
other than that there are your wingers such as tupou and parra's toutai. but wingers don't really win awards.

Agree they are all having great season's but Tohu Harris is much more ahead of everyone else. He is having a blinder down at Melbourne. Compared to other seasons such as 2012 where we had rookies like Reynolds, moga, Taumalolo, Jackson, Taufua, koroibete, fonua, Sio, Hurrell, Wighton, Mansour, Sezer & Everingham.


This year is just baiscally Tupou and Harris. Klemmer has dissapointed so has Miller.

[roostersrule2]

awards on the dally m aren't won on merit. Example. Tupou has played 7 games and say Drinkwater debuts on say round 9. Toops has a 9 game head start and has already won more points than Drinkwater. Drinkwater can only surpass if he plays top-notch games continously and ends up surpassing Toops on the leaderboard.

Only awards such as captain and coach of the year are won on merit.

Yea but Tupou has had a couple of not so good games.

[Guest]

Yea but Tupou has had a couple of not so good games.

true but he is on the rise. He is starting to click but Tohu Harris is deadset the current best rookie of the year.

[Thirteen]

SBW cannot be replaced. He is a superstar of huge proportions and nobody else comes near him. Whoever said Langi plays like him has either never seem Langi play or never seen SBW play.

Stewart I doubt would leave his sister.

The NRL will hopefully do all it can to keep SBW in the game.
With a top administrator like Greenberg, I assume they will.

[Guest]

To me SBW is a supplementary player to our team, albeit a phenomenal player (that cannot be replaced). We have our core positions locked up for at least the next 3-4 years in RTS, Pearce, Maloney and Friend. Throw in a gun prop in JWH, a gun back-rower in Cordner and a gun centre in Jennings; and you have one half of a very good team.
We don't need to sign a like-for-like replacement for SBW. What ever money SBW is on will be enough to lure another big name anyway. I'd like to see part of the money spent on upgrading Samisona's contract and then the rest to pick up either Finucane from the Dogs, or Lussick from Parramatta.

[Guest]

People want Cordner on the fringe, so we put him there and Langi lock. Aubo, Langi and Cordner is an impressive backrow.

Could easily have Cordner defend in the middle and switch him with Langi in attack.

[Tommy Smith]

Lussick is average. And Finucane hasn't shown much beyond tackling. I think Folau would be a good replacement; which would be in 2014 if it were to happen.

A back five of:

RTS
Tupou
Jennings
Folau
Moga

makes me moist. So whilst Izzy obviously isnt a like for like replacement he is an undoubted superstar of the game who would improve any team immensely. No doubt the club will want an answer from SBW pretty soon so they know what cap space will be available next year. Would hate for him to decide not to return in August, only for Izzy to have signed with the Dogs by then.

[Guest]

To me SBW is a supplementary player to our team, albeit a phenomenal player (that cannot be replaced). We have our core positions locked up for at least the next 3-4 years in RTS, Pearce, Maloney and Friend. Throw in a gun prop in JWH, a gun back-rower in Cordner and a gun centre in Jennings; and you have one half of a very good team.
We don't need to sign a like-for-like replacement for SBW. What ever money SBW is on will be enough to lure another big name anyway. I'd like to see part of the money spent on upgrading Samisona's contract and then the rest to pick up either Finucane from the Dogs, or Lussick from Parramatta.

Lussick is average, finucane didn't live up to the hype id be looking at Hoffman, Harris, Gavin Cooper, Wade Graham or Josh Jackson if he leaves next year. If this year the only option would be Mateo who has untapped potential and we can sort him out like Jenko but im sure he'll stay at least until next year.

Then there is always Samisoni Langi with a big future ahead of him

[Guest]

If Sonny-Bill is only going to be here for one or maybe two seasons if we're lucky, it's not too early to plan for his departure. I don't want to see another 8 year depression because we dont adequately prepare for, and replace, an era-defining player.

Gus was talking on air yesterday about the all-encompassing impact SBW has had on the club. It's not just his skills on the field. It's his professionalism and leadership off the field as well. He also has an aura about him and sets an example that others want to follow. Just as Fittler did.

So what do you reckon the plan is? If he leaves at seasons end, and we havent won the comp, then i do fear how we'll cope without him. I reckon we're just a top 6 side in his absnce, but a Premiership force with him in the line-up.

It's great fun watching us go around atm. And we should all be soaking it up. But it'd also be irresponsible if we didn't look ahead.

Leave it to Robbo & management. The Roosters will alway be in the market & attract quality players, whether they work out is another story.

Get a feel good now for this year dont worry about post anyone. The club will roll on there will be good & bad years just like there has always been.

I believe the Roosters would still make the 8 without SBW with Robbo as the coach

[Guest]

Lussick is average, finucane didn't live up to the hype id be looking at Hoffman, Harris, Gavin Cooper, Wade Graham or Josh Jackson if he leaves next year. If this year the only option would be Mateo who has untapped potential and we can sort him out like Jenko but im sure he'll stay at least until next year.

Then there is always Samisoni Langi with a big future ahead of him

I'm thinking more along the lines of a solid front row forward to come off the bench with Kennedy to do the hard work up the middle. There are a few coming through at the moment who are around the same age as Tasi, with similar numbers of games, basically doing the same job as him off the bench, albeit better and also more damaging. I went through their numbers for this year and compared against Tasi's from last year. He's running with the middle of the pack, with average numbers; and when you compare him to someone like FinucaneLussick/ Lawrence/ James, he is fairly one-dimensional and less intimidating.

	(Averages)				(Total)
	Mins.	Hitups	Meters	Tackles	Missed	Errors	Pen.	Games	Age
Finucane	41	12	90	21	6	0	0	20	21
Lussick	37	10	82	19	9	2	3	37	23
James	32	10	90	24	5	5	3	27	21
T.Sims	47	8	65	16	16	2	1	32	23
Siosaia Vave	27	6	59	15	1	2	1	35	23
Murdoch-Masila	30	5	43	14	5	4	5	35	22
Lawrence	45	12	119	30	8	1	4	24	28
Tasi	35	8	72	17	7	2	2	28	22

Extras attacking:

	Try	TA	LB	O/Load
Finucane				4
Lussick				3
James	1		2
T.Sims				2
Lawrence		1	1	4
Tasi			1	1