Marki and I are looking for a new apprentice Mock.

This post shows promise.

No wonder the club is struggling all us fans seem to be mocks....

Go Parra 😉

WTF AUS all out for 197....

Are Indian curators trying to turn Test match cricket into a 3 day max event?

Seems like it....

Absolute 110% doctored pitches, no doubt about it.

I don’t know why The ICC don’t come down on them like they did on us about Brisbane…

… oh that’s right, the ICC and BCCI are one and the same.

Storm are very clunky, but the slime.... is this really the same team from last years GF. Hodson is a massive downgrade on Mahoney. Plus he needs to learn how to pass behind him, not one of his right to left passes were remotely backward.

3 day tests allow more time to schedule T20 rorts…

No doubt the WEF and CIA are also in on it…

It’s a grind… no way those flat trackers win a grind… 

I know it's only the first round but I'm nt sure about the tracker bit..... they are just flat. I think they are going to  miss Mahoney more than they realise.

Mahoney and Hodgson play the hooker role differently. 

Hodgson is more like a halfback, backs himself more, kicks more.

Mahoney provides better service but sometimes takes wrong options given he was playing with top level halves.

Parra just needs to learn how to play with Hodgson and he must learn to distribute to Moses and Brown more. It will work for them midway through and later the year 

At the same time, we probably need Mahoney to play more like Hodgson coz ATM Burton-Flanno aren't really creative enough to direct the team....

Hopefully one of those 2 lifts this season otherwise there will be more onous on Mahoney to be the maestro out there.

Good call.

Great start to the season.

Even the refs couldn't get Parra home.

Don't hire Hughes as a lawyer his record with the refs is worse than Jacko.

So you want Mahoney to throw forward passes all game, because that's all Hodgeson does.

Surely we just go out, slog the ball around and get these 75 runs quick smart.

No point defending. You'll just get out.

Go in there thinking you can score from every ball. 

I want Mahoney to play his natural game but if our halves are failing l, he may have to be the playmaker too. At least till JR gets a go.

To be fair, Mahoney also throws passes that are close to being forward (if not indeed forward).

Mahoney naturally has a good attacking game. He should feel free to just play his game.

I am always slightly surprised with the coach picks Flanno. Sooner or later he has to play well or CC will drop him. I don't know which on we will get first.

The Storm showed how to win games, hang in in defence and take the opportunities in attack.

Tonight showed why Moses ain’t worth $1.2 mill, and his mate Brown not worth his coin either. Melb outplayed all over the park yet their halves were in everything, one with a busted hand.

Lemons on top all game yet their halves hardly sighted. Moses kicking at the end when the game was to be won showing why he’s a better running #6 then he’ll ever be a #7.

Glad it’s between Lemons and the forever over paying Tigers for $1.2 mill plus.

Gus was never that stupid.

I guarantee Lemons will never win a comp with Moses at #7. In fact I doubt they’ll ver make a GF again. They’ve got two #6’s, neither of which can close out a game, even one they’ve won everywhere but the scoreboard.

Two key games (interestingly both against the Storm) and Moses has had his hooker take matters into his own hands with a bad decision when the game needs to be won.

2 years ago it was Mahoney going the wrong way late in the game against the Storm in a semi final (eventually costing them the game). Moses was rightfully pissed off with him.

Tonight it was Hodgson. Yes Moses was charged down by NAS but his field goal was going between the posts. It was smothered by NAS. 

That was no reason for Hodgson to not go back to Moses on the next opportunity. They went for a Brown run and it led to nothing.

I know what you mean when you say they should have put the game beyond Storm earlier, but sometimes that's how footy goes. The opposition stays in the game. 

It doesn't mean you lose your cool. It's not like Moses missed 3 field goals or wasn't hitting them sweetly. He was charged down.

The hooker shouldn't have moved away from the gameplan. 

I wasnt talking field goals, I was talking kicks in general. That one Wishart klutzed a prime example. Melb shouldve had 6 tackles starting on the 30 from a kick near halfway. 

The problem I have with the Bulldogs mentality is everytime one of the elite halves is on the market, we find every reason NOT to get them.

Yet we seem happy to pay top dollar in other positions, especially if it's not a spine position.

The obsession with developing a top halve is what keeps holding this club back.

Wouldn't be a problem if we had a nursery of good halves, but we don't. Recent history shows this. 

You may be right about Moses this time.... But the same excuse keeps coming out everytime Munster, DCE, Keary, AReynolds etc are on the market. Recent history shows this.

The play you talk about (from memory) was an improvisation. He looked up and saw some space, chose to run the ball on last (on halfway line) and when the storm reacted and snuffed the play, he improvised with a last second kick that only went 20-25m, but fluked a result (just like Burton does) with a spilt ball from the opposition.

I personally don't see this play as a negative, I bet you wouldn't either if it were Cleary or Munster that did it. He at least turned the ball over on the opposition 25-30m line. Hardly a dumb play.

The mistake for Parra was that they couldn't do anything from the scrum and ensuing 6 tackles. 

That is where they lost the game

They all do…

Spot on…
Those screaming for us to sign Moses have NFI…

I doubt, given recent history, we were ever in a position to offer Munster (who we wouldn’t have anyway because we’ve decided on our #6) DCE (thank God), Keary or Reynolds a serious contract. Or maybe we did enquire and got a polite “no thanks” which would only have been swayed by a ridiculous Tigers like offer.

But anyway, where we are now I’m glad we didn’t. The club is confident in one of Khaled, Haywood and I think particularly Oloapu being the long term #7 and they’re all outstanding prospects so we should give them first and every opportunity. One of them pushes through and we got our #7 at a price that won’t debalance the roster so we can have money spent in 1, 6, 9 and a few other select positions rather than having to try to balance a whole squad around a waaaaay over-payed #7.

A problem either The Lemons or Tigers are gonna have to deal with for the next half decade.

I'd be disappointed if he didn't.

If Cleary or Munster did it, it’d be the exception for that game and the next dozen games that followed.

Moses it was the normal, for that game - wasn’t the only dud kick or non-kick. Lemon fans would’ve been thinking “here we go again” from about the 60 min mark. And he’ll pull another performance like that within the month.

2nd tier, financially smacked in the arse with a rainbow by idiots.

Every player has his value, as opposed to price, and Moses aint $1M plus value.

I think that we are trying to find / develop a young half while we wait for the one that we want to be available.

Those that have been available so far are not the one we want which is a combination of talent and price.

Sign a high priced half and thst affects the salary cap.

The dumbest decision that the Dogs made was letting Thurston go.

The smartest decision was getting Terry Lamb back to the club.

Hynes would have been a priority for me, Hughes from the Storm also. Good players from a good system.

No other names spring to mind, some of the young havles at the Titans are worth watching.

Any quality half at the Panthers stuck in reserve grade is worth considering.

DCE, Moses and most of the other names Marki mentions are way over priced compared to their talent, consistency and mental toughness.

I wouldn’t blame Hodgson for that loss. He was the best player on the field. Problem was that Brown was the worst player on the field and Lume Lume rediscovered his Bulldogs form.