Can't change *

The trials are important for us more than most. Simply because we need to ensure what positions are filled with what players. 

I’m not saying trials are unimportant, and I am very much looking forward to watching us run around…

What I am saying is I don’t think anyone can suggest they can tell how a season will pan out based on trials… Many sides won’t even play their best squads/players for more than 20 mins of at all…

You can’t even tell how a season will pan out based on the first 5 weeks of the comp for many sides… or even consecutive game winning/losing streaks during the season… Knoughts and Souths case in point…

Most clubs line speed is good in the first month of the comp… Some clubs combos will take more than a few weeks of NRLol to come together… I reckon  most clubs are clear in their starting line up already…

Even for us last year the first 5-6 weeks was promising…  then we were hit with the worst injury toll in recent memory…

Another factor I forgot to mention is I want to see us try to win the game.

We have been on the losing ledger for so long that we have forgotten how to turn a close game into a win.

Winning is infectious, although it's not often you see the first grade team see out a trial. Most coaches play their A list in the first half and then swap them. 

In this case I am more interested in the form of Patolo and Hughes at prop, plus some unknown young middles that we will probably try.

Also Sexton and Hutch in the halves, possibly Hayward, various players at fullback, Xeri in various positions.

We have questions about the talent at the club in key positions, the trails can give and indication to fans about how we might go.

From the clubs perspective the trails will clarify the 17 players who should start the season.

To be competitive a club must start the season well. For established clubs they already know their top 17 and that 17 can do the job from round 1. We need to find a 17 that can do the job from round 1.

What is important to fans is confidence that we are on the right track. 

To be clear the results of the trails don't matter, what is important is how well players perform.

We don't need players who are certain to start round 1 playing a lot of time, just enough to get the rust off.

Well, we have been notorious poor starters to the season, so I'm hoping we can knock off the slimy Eels first up and get our season off to a good start.

That’s the spirit!!!…

Stay in your crease… don’t touch the ball…not that fekking hard…

And another in the Shield!!!… these batsmen need to start respecting the rules of the game…

Rules are for bowlers..,, Batsman can claim immunity....

Stop talking cricket....
The NRL trials are about to start, and QPR has finally pulled their finger out and might jump out of relegation zone soon....

And every time they call the spirit of the game in as their defence… I’ve never seen anything more blatant than what happened yesterday… I can only assume if ithe ball deflected and went to the boundary he’d have have had a 4 next to his name instead of a dot..,

With footy season about to start many are hoping you’ll stop talking all together!!!… 😜

What the fvck is a QPR???… 

It is sad when any sportsman dies on the field but I don't think I have ever read anything so tragic and even pathetic as the death of Manly player Keith Titmuss in pre season training a couple of years back. It appears Manly club did virtually everything wrong, perhaps the worst being failure to try and bring his temperature down....if a baby has a fever you give them a cool bath. It seems obvious from just general knowledge. Why wasn't the poor man given an ice vest at very least. This has the potential to ruin some big names associated with Manly (and other clubs including one very close to our hearts). Absolutely awful to read the details.

QPR is a gay man's club in London....

It is 2024 we need to respect the doc's gender choices.....

My pronoun is Parra Suck....

Go Dogs ..lwe are nearly at the end of a ling humid off season. 

Why do you think it can impact us Steve?

I don't....but the name I was eluding to was Des who was in charge of the training....quotes being bandied around about stopping training if feeling too hot "not when Des was in charge". Check it out in the Herald on line article. You wouldn't wish this to happen to any player. Truly an awful account of something handled very poorly.

Yeah well I'm not a fan of flogging players especially in the heat.

Modern day training should be about effective training modules, workload sharing and energy conservation - not flogging players till they can't go on anymore... especially early after an off season.

But it looks like the post-incident actions will come into question here. By all accounts, the Manly club and personell didn't render sufficient medical assistance when they probably could have. 

It reads like a complete and utter f*ckup.

I am also not a fan of flogging players in the heat.

The best mix of quality and quantity is what we should be looking for. 

Training has to prepare players for what they will experience on the field, but they only need to be ready at the start of the season.

IMO our conditioning was pretty good last season, we started the season looking like one of the fitter teams.

Injuries at training were a factor, if it doesn't happen again this season, I will put it  down to bad luck. 

We also had guys carrying long term injuries that could only manage limited minutes last season. 

I am still more concerned about injuries than fitness.

If a club is pushing players hardm then they need to ensure proper medical checks and timely intervention is available as needed.

When in doubt, ease off or give a guy a rest, come back late at night if necessary. 

With lights at grounds training late at night should be possible.

It is an absolute tragedy…

I always think it best though to let investigations come to a conclusion before pointing fingers…  or suggesting this or that method of training is wrong… or this or that person may have been negligent…

legacy media don’t care about the tragedy…. At all… they care about clicks and will report accordingly… 

I've now got 28 followers on X up from around 3 a few weeks ago.

I've never posted anything but I bet that the followers are attractive young ladies who like a silent Aussie bloke.

I have a hunch that if I send them the airfare they will fly out here to meet me, I am sure that the wife will not mind....

Hey Elon I know you are busy.... but can you check this out?

It’ll be 29 as soon as that cheque arrives… love Svetlana…

Headline ‘Moshpit shock at Pink concert’….

This is almost as hilarious as when my girls came back suggesting they were in the moshpit at Hairy Styles…

Moshpit… vaccine…. Woman… what definition will they change next???…

Good to the McGrath foundation is branching out....

I had 2 virtual standing room spots in that Moshpit.

According to the young lady on X Glen has a Russian bank account....

Russian collusion!!!…

SG ball, Harold Matt's and the 2 girls teams all won, so 4 out of 4.

This from some tuck shop boss for schools in WA after banning ham in the ruck shop…

“When parents are packing a lunch box and they are having a ham-and-cheese and salad sandwich once a week, that is OK.”

How about you GFY lady…  Fekking bureaucrats… How king before they allow only plant and insect based products to be sold???…

Bout time these egomaniacal fekkers remembered they are here to serve, not rule…