And cook has been ordinary this year in a team that is less over the cap than usual...

By the time they get a go they'll be so short of match fitness they won't be much use.  Pay can then use this as self justification.

If he's banned because of that would be be allowed around the team even to train?

As it turned out we couldn't afford what we got, so possibly a pipe dream.

Why are our wingers playing in the centres?

Ex-Bulldog pup Connelly Lemeulu has been handed his 1st grade debut by Green at the Cowboys this weekend

Good question.
Why isnt a specialist centre in Harper played there in lieu of wingers?

I dont mind DWZ there as he brings energy and he seems to create things, only problem is he has the worst handling skills in the game. He also has the worst "guilty" look when he pleades with the ref after a fumble.

Would you take Greeny as a coach???...

Listen mate, don’t come in here asking sensible questions...

I think tactically he is good as he is a former halfback, and I like the type of gamestyle he coaches. 

Only problem is whether he can assemble the team that can get you to a GF or inherit it from someone else.

He already had JT, Morgan and Talmalolo when he took over the Cows if I remember correctly. All work was done by Niel Henry who remains my primary choice

Just boarded a qantas flight and boy am I glad they replaced that awful awful mount panorama safety video.

If there was ever a more horrible safety demonstration video, that was it.

Lemeulu was always a good player, but he was always leaving well before he left..

IMO Isaiah Tass is a talented young centre..

We also had some good players in U20s last year... 

I would like to see Pay go with youth and use the young talent at the club...

Smith in the centres is an attacking move especially if he runs off Foran...his defence does need improving..

For 2021 we just need to strengthen a few key areas, mainly forwards, hooker and fullback IMO.
Hooker and fullback are where we should be spending the money... with a good fullback we can move Hoppa back to the centres..

I'm slightly surprised Pay hasn't tried Meaney at fullback, but then again Meaney hasn't pressed his case.... if you want to be a fullback playing well on the wing is a great start and at times under the high ball Meaney looks no better than DWZ.

Tex Hoy from the Knights is one payer I would target, he is under contract for 2021.... odiously Ponga may have nailed down the fullback spot,... unless they move Ponga to the halves....work on a quiet inquiry before we move on to plan B...

Averllio and the young U20 fullback from last year are 2 other fullback options..
Reserve grade fulllback from last year also very good at times but inconsistent..

I hope they restart the lower grades, it will help with 2021 recruitment..

Matt Johns sees Hoy as the long term Knights 5/8 so he might be hard to get.

I'm sure he will be hard to get, that is why he is worth getting...

Fullback is probably his preferred position... and worth throwing a few dollars at him.. 

Knights have just extended Ponga on big money,, they are keeping Hoy in the 17, probably in part to keep him happy.

Worth a shot IMO... then on to Plan B.

It is hard to fathom what is happening with this team. In 2018 we had a dismal start and when it was too far gone we had a winning flurry to finish the season on a high, giving the fans hope that "next year is going to be better". But no we had another dismal start in 2019 and touch of "Groundhog Day" to give us hope this year and FMD we are doing it again. Is it the coach, is it the players or is it a combination? Whatever it is our season is really a shot duck already as this side has not shown that they will improve any time soon. So if Pay had any nouse he would start building combinations with the young blokes and giving them a shortened season to harden them for the rigours of first grade, because the results of our games aren't going to alter. I truly believe it will be a wasted opportunity if Pay continues with the same 17 running on week in week out.

We've been trimming back the squad since 2018... guys like Klemmer and the Morris Bros have left...

Eastwood got too old... Some like Lichaa were offloaded...

The we had the debacle with OK and  CHN... which was the last thing Pay needed.

Pay is trying a few things the attack looks a bit better, that is mainly having Foran, Averillo, Renouf T and RFM in the side, plus the improvement of Elliott.
It seemed Pay had to give DWZ a decent shot at fullback hopefully that is over...

We are a weaker young side that is prone to defensive fragility and being overrun in the forwards at the start of the season...
Towards the end of the season,,other sides are tired, out of contention, or not at full strength, the pack start to come back to a level where our desire and competitiveness make a difference. 

It isn't that obvious but we are building something especially if Pay puts Wakeham back in the side, fixes our left side defence then we get Tommo, and comes Tols back..
But last 5 rounds will not count, we need something like 4 out of 5 for the next 5 rounds..

As much as I hate to admit it, the Chooks were very good, and in exceptional form, we were never in the game... but they did make us look worse than we were, also showed where we need to improve,... the next 5 games are much easier .. if we can't do anything in this 5 games, last 5 is too late... and we need a new coach...  

I have reconsidered and I think Wakeham can play on the left as a straight swap for Lewis, Holland should keep the job on the bench, he has been good in that role in previous seasons...

The prospect of Foran hitting Smith and Averillo with very good passes is exciting and something I hope we see.

Like all good players I think Wakeham can play left and right... especially for short passes,his defence is good for a smaller player, not much worse than Lewis and very good scramble.. His attacking play is a cut above Lewis and his kicking game is different... Lewis probably has longer kicks and more skill, but Wakeham does different kicks and is more likely to mix it up...surely it is worth trying.

Wakeham in for Lewis is the one additional change I hope we see this week, that might be enough to roll the Sharks..

hd, just on last Mondays game, I dared to punish myself and watch the highlights (meh), but it was obvious that most of their tries were off our mistakes ie dropped ball, loose carry,  poor defensive reads or not locking up the ball in the tackle and allowing an offload. Now as good as the rorters are, they made us pay for these mistakes and easily scored. When I was watching the game live what I did notice was in the middle 40 minutes of the game we actually muscled up to them and by improving our defence I did get the feeling that because they weren't breaking through us at will, they were becoming frustrated and their attack was very clunky and disjointed. It was only late in the game when we either got tired (or fell back into our lazy habits) that they again took control and kicked on. To me the rorters are a bully team, if they get enough possession and the calls go their way they are vitually unstoppable. But if you defensively stand up to them they are beatable.

Yep the rot started with the Roosters getting a roll on in early possession, Lewis made an unfortunate drop early and we gifted them more possession.Not picking on him, there were a sequence of unfortunate early errors, from multiple players.

The only way to stop the Roosters first try would have been to give away a penalty at the play the ball and risk a sin bin..

After that the Rooster got on top and it was hard to get back into it, Pay possibly erred in not taking Napa or Sue off earlier and putting Renouf on..
We had 2 close shots at at try 1st half, Foran and Crichton, and another near miss of an Averillo  line break in the 2nd half, Averllio looked very dangerous on multiple locations..

Cut out the dumb errors, defend a bit better and get an even share of possession we definitely make the Rorters work harder for the win..
 
The flip side is the Rorters coach took the opportunity to give their 2nd string forwards more of a run.

However, I don't think the score line indicates our effort and potential, it is a good indicator of our execution..   
 

Maybe he is in survival mode not development. The club needs to make decisions quickly or they are equally culpable.

If that’s their plan we can have a crack at Crossland...

Knight's have some good young talent

Sack Villi .... the adults "Dman and HD Scouting and Alcoholic Appraisal Pty Ltd" are in charge...

Or as we are known in the trade :- DHSAAPL

We always combine business with business..

Didn't Pay say after the Covid hiatus he would be rotating the halves.
That is does not seem to be happening unless he pulls a swifty on Sunday with Wakeham.
Lewis maybe part of his survival mode because of his defence and hoping that Foran can pep up the attack.

I think he meant we will swap playing rubbish in the first half and garbage in the second half to garbage in the first half and rubbish in the second....

Dman..... Premier League is back...... Aston Villa play Sheffield United tomorrow morning at 3am

Villa are 2nd last like the Bulldogs & need a win

Not sure... 

Id love to give someone like a Cooper Cronk if interested a go TBH. He’s got a great footy brain & has been coached by the best

There really isn’t any standout candidates right now

He ain’t going nowhere near F/T coaching with however many millions extra uncle nick is paying him over the next 3 years as the balance of last two years...

I find it interesting your attitude toward player and coaching candidates differs so wildly... you have offered every 2nd rate  player that ever laced a boot and currently under contract a contract... but won’t do the same for Mary or Kearney...