Left and Right side. future.

[Yak]

Saw some highlights of BJ playing for Endeavour Sports High the other day. We need to get this kid in backrow quick smart. Will be interesting to see if Smith moves him into the backrow to accommodate for Moga if he continues to demand selection with great performances. Who would be the unlucky backrower to miss out? Or would BJ go straight back to the wing (really hope not)??

[Guest]

Saw some highlights of BJ playing for Endeavour Sports High the other day. We need to get this kid in backrow quick smart. Will be interesting to see if Smith moves him into the backrow to accommodate for Moga if he continues to demand selection with great performances. Who would be the unlucky backrower to miss out? Or would BJ go straight back to the wing (really hope not)??

I hope Moga is good enough for nrl in 012 that would give Smith some nice options, Bj would be great with his hands on the ball more often. He did play well on the wing towards the end of last season.

[Guest]

Saw some highlights of BJ playing for Endeavour Sports High the other day. We need to get this kid in backrow quick smart. Will be interesting to see if Smith moves him into the backrow to accommodate for Moga if he continues to demand selection with great performances. Who would be the unlucky backrower to miss out? Or would BJ go straight back to the wing (really hope not)??

Please not another season on the wing. I think it could be damaging to his career development to leave him there. Either that or he will get the shits and go elsewhere.

[Rooster_6]

I still think throwing Moga into first grade might be one year too early, it's hard to resist because he's got so much potential but he's still got a lot to learn. Putting him in a year early could be the worst thing for him, where as leaving him for another year to develop will do no harm what so ever.

[Guest]

BJ does lack mobility in the backs and struggles somewhat with defensive reads. So second-row does seem suitable, especially as he looked good there off the bench in 2010. But we have a million backrowers.

I don't agree that he is necessarily better at centre than wing. His pace lets him down in the centres as well, and I like a centre with a bit more footwork than BJ displays. I know he played lower grades there, and one of his best games for us was at centre in 2010 (against the Dogs from memory?), but we were creating space out wide that day and the good stuff he did was similar to wing play, including some great aerial work. He also shifted to wing later in the game to cover injury and continued to play well. He was also in cracking form in the last two rounds this season on the flank.

If he fails to improve on his deficiencies in defence out wide, they will be exposed just as much at centre, as we saw against Manly. I also believe his defence wasn't quite as bad as some of his critics made out at times. Linnett was often guilty of ball watching and poor reads, leaving BJ stranded. One good game keeping Folau quiet in 2010 seemed to earn Linnett an amnesty on any blame for our defensive lapses. But whenever I watched a game live I wasn't impressed with his positioning.

Wing also makes use of some of BJ's attributes better than centre. He is very hard to stop when given space to wind up, and made a number of devestating runs from broken play this year. He can also be good out of dummy half. He is extremely talented in the air, and very hard to stop close to the line. We saw that strength and athleticism come into play in the final round this year. He will remain vunerable to kicks in behind him; but really there were only a handful of tries scored off that play against him all season, even though it would have been on every opposition tip sheet, and a quicker winger might only have prevented one or two anyway. I actually feel the form slump BJ suffered during the early to middle part of the season was more to do with being a young, inexperienced member of a side that was putting itself under pressure, and he looked to be struggling with confidence. There's no doubting his ability though.

[Guest]

I still think throwing Moga into first grade might be one year too early, it's hard to resist because he's got so much potential but he's still got a lot to learn. Putting him in a year early could be the worst thing for him, where as leaving him for another year to develop will do no harm what so ever.

You could be right there. I have a feeling he will be eased into it mid to late season.

[Guest]

I still think throwing Moga into first grade might be one year too early, it's hard to resist because he's got so much potential but he's still got a lot to learn. Putting him in a year early could be the worst thing for him, where as leaving him for another year to develop will do no harm what so ever.

I'd be surprised if we saw him in first grade early. Good chance later in the season though. Tends to Smith's MO with emerging players who are on the brink of graduating. Give them a pre-season with the NRL squad, and closely monitor their progress; then give them stuff to work on the lower grades for a while and if they continue to develop and give the impression that they're ready to step up, give them their chance as soon as injury or form creates an opportunity in first grade. Pretty much what we've seen with BJ, Tasi, Cordner and so forth.

[Guest]

Smith is great at this, mad r and smith f i could not agree more.