Still no news on Crighton extension

[Mickie Lane]

Angus seems to get a suspension every now and then. That can be his rest. As for Sitili he is so explosive in attack but struggles too much with the other half of the game. I love them both but they ain’t no Boyd Cordners.

That to me is good, it shows me he plays with some mongrel.

[Johnny Brass]

At the start of 2021 this was how the backrow combinations were judged.

1. Angus Crichton/Sitili Tupouniua - Roosters
2. Viliame Kikau/Kurt Capewell - Panthers
3. Isaiah Papali'i/Ryan Matterson - Eels
4. Keoan Koloamatangi/Jaydn Su'A - Rabbitohs
5. Josh Schuster/Haumole Olakau'atu - Sea Eagles
6. Kenny Bromwich/Felise Kaufusi - Storm
7. David Fifita/Kevin Proctor - Titans
8. Tyson Frizell/Mitchell Barnett - Knights
9. Luciano Leilua/Luke Garner - Tigers
10. Elliott Whitehead/Hudson Young - Raiders
11. Briton Nikora/Siosifa Talakai - Sharks
12. Tariq Sims/Josh Kerr - Dragons
13. Eliesa Katoa/Bayley Sironen - Warriors
14. Adam Elliott/Corey Waddell - Bulldogs
15. Jordan Riki/Alex Glenn - Broncos
16. Mitchell Dunn/Shane Wright - Cowboys

Like R6 said there is a shortage of quality backrowers.
This year I still think the Roosters have the best backrow combination followed by
Bulldogs TPJ & Hetherington if they could stay on the field
Storm Kaufusi & Bromwich
Souths Koloamatangi & Arrow
Parra Lane & Papali'i
Penrith Kikau & Martin
Dragons Simms & Su'A plus they have Jack Bird & Tyrell Fuimaono
Manly Schuster & Olakau'atu
Canberra Whitehead & Young
Titans Fifita & Proctor
Tigers Leilua & Tuilagi

The rest I dont rate.

I'd rate the souths and manly pairs a few rungs higher myself Mickie, koloamatangi is a real handful and they can both offload .
Shuster has ball skills of a 5/of and olakau'atu was a beast last year and ran over a lot of players.
TPJ has got a gut like a poisoned pup and looks like he's taken the easy money at the dogs and wont have the fitness on the edge and will probably end up back in the middle.
It's a great position to attack from but so hard to defend and the balance between the two is what made Cords such a special player.

[Davo]

Fox Sports article where Crichton admits his extension deal is done, just a few minor details to confirm, but its done.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...8fe4a8d89baeec

[roostermcgregor]

Angus ain't no Boyd Cordner.
But then again, who in the comp is another Boyd Cordner?

[Kelvin Johnson]

Tedesco re-signed with no mention of looking at other clubs.
Keary re-signed with no mention of looking at other clubs.
Crichton mentions other clubs that have no interest and throws in Union. Got charged twice last year with crusher tackles and missed 17 tackles in last 3 games.

[Serenader]

Crichton all but a done deal. Great news early in the season!!

[Jacks Fur Coat]

There is a shortage of quality 2nd rowers right across the comp no doubt however I completely disagree that we have the best 2nd row pairing in the comp.

Robinson demands a lot out of the role and outside of Cordner and SBW I think many have struggled to live up to the demands.

You need to be an attacking threat close to the line, you need to he able to take tight yardage carries, you have to carry a significant portion of the defensive workload and you must be ready to go the full 80 week in week out. Being a winger and a 2nd rower in a Robinson coached side are two of the most demanding roles because you have to do so many different things at such a high level. It's why when anyone comes in to replace a starter there's such an evident drop in quality in these positions especially.

I'm really optimistic about Egan Butcher, I just don't know if Robinson sees him as a 2nd rower.

I also think we could potentially benefit from giving our 2nd rowers a rest, ever increasingly more clubs have started to rotate their 2nd rowers in line with the recent rule changes. It's something I think Crichton in particular could benefit from as he can be guilty of working himself to a stand still.

Some fair points R6, although I'm not sure there is a broader lack of quality so much.

Out of interest which teams best pair tops Easts in your opinion?

I can't find one to top Crichton/Sitili personally.

[mightyrooster]

I just saw something on Facebook saying he’s re-signing.
There’s an article on the Fox Sports website. Great news.

[ism22]

Tedesco re-signed with no mention of looking at other clubs.
Keary re-signed with no mention of looking at other clubs.
Crichton mentions other clubs that have no interest and throws in Union. Got charged twice last year with crusher tackles and missed 17 tackles in last 3 games.

Robbo seems good at picking people who wanna stay ay!

Smart IMO. I've worked for heaps of places where the culture s*x coz a bunch of hired guns who don't wanna be there hold them ransom for $$$ while the loyal staff get treated like expendable 2nd class citizens who 'nobody wants' because they're not constantly knocking on the boss' door saying 'hey I got an offer from [insert place]... gimme a raise or I'm gonna leave'.

I vividly remember getting into trouble at one place coz I was like 'yeah well fark 'em!!! If they want that job then they can leave!!! Promote loyalty & experience, not farking mafia tactics... who says they got the offer anyway?!? It's probably just a stupid, speculative horizontal move [nothing solid - mate of a mate told them there might be jobs] to a place that's bleeding staff because it s*x @rse... call their stupid bluff already!!! That or let 'em walk if that's where their heart is... otherwise they're gonna be a ticking time-bomb anyway'

Not saying Robbo's the same as me, but I think him and Nick are smart enough that nobody (even guns like Latrell) will hold them ransom.