Comparing this year's prelim team to last year's.

[zac]

New year, new team, different opposition, so the players will just be focusing on themselves, but for some of us fans, worrying about deja vu, it's worth comparing the teams:

2017 Backs
Gordon
year younger Latrell
Matto
Aubo
Fergo
sick Luke
good player, but never won an Origin Series, MP

2018 Backs
Brad Fittler Medal winning Teddy
Toops
Aubo
In-form Manu
In-career-best form Fergo
healthy Luke
possible future Hall of Famer CC

In the forwards and on the bench we've lost Dylan, Guerra and Watson and gained RLPA best rookie Victor Radley, Lindsay Collins and Matto. Butcher taking Toops's spot gives us more options.

Obviously losing Latrell isn't ideal, but even without him I think our prelim team is better than last year's.

Hard to compare last year's Cowboys with this year's Bunnies. If the two teams played, the Bunnies might be favourites, but the Cowboys might well win.

Thoughts?

[Lydon]

I think it will be a tough test against a Rabbits side who lost to the Storm minus Chambers and Asofa-Solomona and just beat a Saints side minus Widdop,Vaughan,Nightingale and Aitken..

They always save their best for us so though it will be a test,in saying that the lessons we have learnt from last year and the addition of Cronk and Teddy should be enough to get us into the GF!

We need SST back to full fitness and apparantly rumours surfaced yesterday of Jake injuring a back lifting weights,which I hope is untrue.

In regards to last years Prelim side,this years team is better even minus Latrell and Napa..

Go Easts

[fletch]

there was an article floating around yesterday that SST is far from 100%, he is only giving it a go because its a prelim final and we are already light on in the forwards.

[chopstiks]

Obviously Cronk is the difference, sorting out any onfield panic and ill discipline and maybe taking the early FG.. but ultimately Fergo's boot has to be 'on'.

[Chook Norris]

Souths forwards always seem to have the wood on us.

We need JWH to be absolutely firing and leading the way. They'll also get numbers on him and I hope we have a back up plan in terms of mixing things up if our forwards get bashed

[The Brain]

As I said earlier in a post the rabbits will be throwing the ball to Ingliss Gaygai early looking for points ...they will not last in arm wrsetling match.We have to keep Reynolds and Walker in check move up on them early without giving too many penalties away and hit the pricks hard.

[Thirteen]

Their forwards are battered ours are fresh. Simple. And this will be the difference. Souths will be puffed at the back end of each half. I expect a comfortable win. Tets agro off the bench will be a big factor. We can’t just rely on Jarred, he is one of 10 forwards. They all have a job to do.

[elo]

The team listed last season wasn't the problem, it was the performance - nowhere near potential in a massive game against a busted side with their 2 most experienced players out injured. It was completely unacceptable - if it happens again then we are simply wasting out time with Robbo, it will never change.

[The Brain]

The team listed last season wasn't the problem, it was the performance - nowhere near potential in a massive game against a busted side with their 2 most experienced players out injured. It was completely unacceptable - if it happens again then we are simply wasting out time with Robbo, it will never change.

i AGREE

[Bansai Pipeline]

Depends which team turns up. If we don't show up to play from the whistle then we don't deserve to win.

[Thirteen]

The team listed last season wasn't the problem, it was the performance - nowhere near potential in a massive game against a busted side with their 2 most experienced players out injured. It was completely unacceptable - if it happens again then we are simply wasting out time with Robbo, it will never change.

So many blame the second rowers playing centre and Toops on the bench for last year’s prelim loss. This is far from the truth.

[Thirteen]

This year we have a half who performs in big matches.

We we have a superstar fullback.

[Roosterfarian]

I'm worried about our frontrow. A key prop out and another hobbling on one foot against the Face-timers.

[ROC181]

Apart from Mitchell and Napa missing we don’t have a regular kicker. While SST and Fergo can do a good job I can’t count on them being consistent due to that lack of regularity, therefore I’m hoping we have the foresight to try and score tries close to the post to make it easier for SST or Fergo, whilst at the same time trying to stop them from scoring close to the posts.

And shpuld it be a close game we have to have players ready to rush Reynolds to stop any field goals.

[bondi.boy]

Reynolds scored all their points last game.

Shut down Reynolds and Cook, and we have some chance.

Our team is far from our best.
We'll miss Napa and Latrell.

We need to make effective tackles and stop offloads.

"Don't fall for their dummies, tackle the man with the ball"!

Dummy and run...BANG!
Would save many tries.