Gilberts size at prop doesn't concern me at all. He plays well above his weight. Size in other packs with other players is a concern. Here I dont mind it because he runs hard and plays hard. He actually could excel there with his ball playing ability.
I agree. Considering it's a first trial, seems like a surprisingly strong team.
Gilbert will be an excellent from in a rotation with 3 big props. Plath lock, Knowles on the bench, Donoghue hooker while JMK is out, Stone first forward called up for injury cover.
Kaufusi will be in the 17. 19 in the squad. Molo and Kaufusi will be on the bench and Woolf will play them as he needs. One will probably sit on the bench the entire 80 min.
I know I'm biased but deadset our middle rotation in a best possible team really looks like a meat grinder.
An embarrassment of riches.
Close to the most complete/balanced pack in the comp. We have a great mix of size, speed, work rate and ball skills, we could chop and change tactically for specific opposition.
Backrowers are a bit of a concern. Lemuelu can do good things but usually not for 80 minutes which all the best backrowers do. Keeley can go missing and lacks a bit in attack. Finefeuiaki is good in attack but doesn't get through as much work as the best backrowers. But that's nitpicking. All in all, a very strong pack.
Its funny, I know you need baxkrowers but unlike middles sometimes I find it hard to justify having the top line top money baxkrowers which only seem to bust tackles more than a mid tier backrower. Unlike locks and middles, which I can totally understand the benefit of paying for, I just dont always see it in the backrow. Probably has something to do with seeing Kurt Capewell and Rueben Cotter get the job done in that position against supposedly better baxkrowers like Crichton and Young in origin. I can also see value in a player like Gordy back in the day because he had a presence and either running the ball or especially defending you know he is hurting the opposition. Don't really get that with a modern player of the position. Eli katoa is a bit of an exception but he just seemed so smart and athletic that backrow was just for his size, not his skills.
I think the market agrees with you. Seems backrowers are on significantly less than equivalent ability middle forwards these days. Some of them just seems have an inherent ability to run into gaps while others need to run over opposition defenders to make a line break.
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