Agree about Graham. Kotoa was much better in attack but as the commentator said during the game, his defence in the middle is a worry.Was great to finally get a win, however the Titans had probably the worst forward pack of any team all year, and we failed to dominate them there. It was all one out stuff all game too. Graham is definitely not the answer to replace JMK, but what did everyone think about Katoa there with Milf in the halves?
I can't ever remember seeing 4 dedicated halves make up the entire spine inc. fullback and hooker. Definitely not what how I thought Wayne would play MIlf from the bench. What happens next week when Hammer is back?
I thought the same about Katoa/Niko hooker combo - but like you said, the defensive aspect is a bit troublesome. Graham made 39 tackles in his 2 stints - especially Niko. Can we afford to give that away? The other option would involve playing Graham, particularly starting, to steady up the defense, but then one of niko/milf/katoa/SOS would have to make way. It's a hard one.Agree about Graham. Kotoa was much better in attack but as the commentator said during the game, his defence in the middle is a worry.
Next week surely the hammer goes back to fullback. Te Whare and Aitken were ok. They are never going to match the better centre pairings but they can hold their own.
Next week 1. Hammer, 6. Milf, 7.SOS, 9. Katoa/Niko (if JMK is out)
Not a bad idea regarding Graham starting but I think SOS and Milf have to be starting halves and Hammer has to be fullback. Pick the team around those 3 IMO. And hopefully JMK will be back regardless. I thought Te Whare aimed up pretty well when he got hold of the ball running. His problem is being in the right place at the right time.I thought the same about Katoa/Niko hooker combo - but like you said, the defensive aspect is a bit troublesome. Graham made 39 tackles in his 2 stints - especially Niko. Can we afford to give that away? The other option would involve playing Graham, particularly starting, to steady up the defense, but then one of niko/milf/katoa/SOS would have to make way. It's a hard one.
Also, I'm a big fan of Te Whare, but he was terrible in defense - the Titans scored so many tries because of him. Aitken was only a little better in D too, between him and Niu they were exposed badly. He also had no impact whatsoever in his hitups.
Apart from his try Kenny was awful, as were our other forwards. I fear that it is going to get super ugly against the Panthers if we could only just manage to match a severely depleted Titans. Problem is we just don't have the depth to fix the problems.
Te Whare can't move laterally. He's cooked as a centre until such time he can figure this out.Not a bad idea regarding Graham starting but I think SOS and Milf have to be starting halves and Hammer has to be fullback. Pick the team around those 3 IMO. And hopefully JMK will be back regardless. I thought Te Whare aimed up pretty well when he got hold of the ball running. His problem is being in the right place at the right time.
Unfortunately I think your right.Te Whare can't move laterally. He's cooked as a centre until such time he can figure this out.

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