2026

[Zen]

Lawrie back at training

Looks like he's been on Ozempic! I'm happy that he's looking svelte but not sure how will improve his effectiveness as a front rower

 

[Frank Facer]

Leilua may be our second best second rower we have this year, but he hasn't been able to play 80 minutes on the edge on a regular basis. That alone means he isn't good enough. He has now been around for 9 years or so and hasn't delivered

 

[jodragon40]

Looks like he's been on Ozempic! I'm happy that he's looking svelte but not sure how will improve his effectiveness as a front rower

Lawrie has been around a long time. Back in my day props with his height and build were very hard to handle ONCE they were taught to lower their centre of gravity and modify their running styles.

He reminded me of for those who can remember that far back, Barry Beath a prop in the late 60s - 77 .

Now Barry was hard to tackle and actually won 2 premiership rings in 2 different decades with the Dragons.

Physically Barry was 6 foot tall playing weight around 95kg, whereas Lawrie is 6 foot 1 but avg playing weight was 117 kg.

To my eye Lawrie has been playing the last few seasons at the very least 10 to 15kg overweight.

Just my views.

 

[RedV01]

Lawrie has been around a long time. Back in my day props with his height and build were very hard to handle ONCE they were taught to lower their centre of gravity and modify their running styles.

He reminded me of for those who can remember that far back, Barry Beath a prop in the late 60s - 77 .

Now Barry was hard to tackle and actually won 2 premiership rings in 2 different decades with the Dragons.

Physically Barry was 6 foot tall playing weight around 95kg, whereas Lawrie is 6 foot 1 but avg playing weight was 117 kg.

To my eye Lawrie has been playing the last few seasons at the very least 10 to 15kg overweight.

Just my views.

He's not very big for a first grade prop and has slow leg speed.

 

[jodragon40]

He's not very big for a first grade prop and has slow leg speed.

Tries hard as I mentioned back in the day props that size were tough to tackle. Lower centre of gravity made it tough. If he lost his gut he could still be a force off the bench

 

[Eric]

I would love us to get Koloamantagi this year, but I can't see Souths/Bennett doing us any favors and at the same time weakening their side. I am still counting down the days until the 12th of Jan. I can't remember the last time I was counting down the days like this.

I had a neighbour while growing up. He was an old Maltese guy. He was a fanatical Balmain fan. He would hop out of his car and see me or whoever else and say "TIGERS". He took me to my first game of footy when I was 8 years old, a game at Endeavour Field (Shark Park), Cronulla vs Balmain (I was already a Saints fan). He would also pack his car up with his 2 sons who were Balmain fans and his sons mates and take them all to the footy (he had one son who was a Saints fan. That son would joke that he was the milkman's son). All his grandchildren were Balmain, then Wests fans. He wouldn't wear a seat belt and drove around for years without a licence He even had a few cars coloured Gold. He was a character also one of the funniest guys I ever knew. He hated the offseason and would complain about Cricket. He hated test matches. He would say "block, block, block and say after 5 days, you get a draw. He would also say things like "70 days to go", I would say 70 days to what? He would say. "Until footy season starts again". He would literally count down the days until footy started again, at the end of the last season. Like who kids count down the days to Christmas. For his 80th birthday, I got him a framed picture of Benny Elias with a plaque on it and had Benny Elias personally sign it for him, as one of my sister knows Benny personally and Benny was happy to oblige. Benny was his favourite play, maybe Pearce second favourite. He used to love Marshall too and call him Benji. He has pet names for lots of footballers and horses or even jockeys.

Old Wayne won't do us any favours at all. You can be sure of that. But there is a possibility he has salary cap issues at Souffs. They are paying that English halfback about 600k to run around in the second division over there for the next two seasons.

 

[Kim]

Lawrie has been around a long time. Back in my day props with his height and build were very hard to handle ONCE they were taught to lower their centre of gravity and modify their running styles.

He reminded me of for those who can remember that far back, Barry Beath a prop in the late 60s - 77 .

Now Barry was hard to tackle and actually won 2 premiership rings in 2 different decades with the Dragons.

Physically Barry was 6 foot tall playing weight around 95kg, whereas Lawrie is 6 foot 1 but avg playing weight was 117 kg.

To my eye Lawrie has been playing the last few seasons at the very least 10 to 15kg overweight.

Just my views.

I thought Barry Beath played second row. I remember he was quick.

 

[jodragon40]

I thought Barry Beath played second row. I remember he was quick.

He was but in my days in the mid 70s he played prop as well . He was a good one.

 

[jodragon40]

Nobody fret about KK hes coming

 

[redv4life]

can’t even begin to reason with us giving LL another contract despite how he plays. can’t forget him getting hooked in a game last year because he was so defensively poor & replaced with rookie halanghu. showing some motivation on a contract year is classic LL. we should move on from him imo

 

[Dragons Chris]

can’t even begin to reason with us giving LL another contract despite how he plays. can’t forget him getting hooked in a game last year because he was so defensively poor & replaced with rookie halanghu. showing some motivation on a contract year is classic LL. we should move on from him imo

Absolutely. He has to go ASAP. Keep in mind how much he is reported as getting paid. He's getting marquee backrower money.

 

[redv4life]

Absolutely. He has to go ASAP. Keep in mind how much he is reported as getting paid. He's getting marquee backrower money.

yep that kinda of attitude of ‘locking in’ when your playing for a contract is poor and doesn’t show our young forwards good standards. why we are signing players like keaon to lead them better!

 

[jodragon40]

Old Wayne won't do us any favours at all. You can be sure of that. But there is a possibility he has salary cap issues at Souffs. They are paying that English halfback about 600k to run around in the second division over there for the next two seasons.

Perhaps St Benny still has a soft spot for us after all hes the only one that has managed to coach us to a GF win this century

 

[Eric]

Perhaps St Benny still has a soft spot for us after all hes the only one that has managed to coach us to a GF win this century

Very much doubt that. He's a ruthless operator.

 

[Xuiz]

I’m pretty sure Cowboys are paying a fair chunk of LL’s contract

But he’s still not worth it even for 650k

 

[jodragon40]

So according to the experts the top 5 halves combination for this coming season are:

1. Storm - Hughes/Munster
2. Roosters - Walker/DCE
3. Broncos - Reynolds/Mam
4. Parramatta- Moses/Pezet
5. Penrith- Cleary/Talagai

We don't rate a mention in the top 12. Luckily R.L. is a 17 man game and not a 2 man game. It will be interesting to see where these teams finish on the 2026 ladder.

 

[HaydoM8]

I think it’s a 5 man game … 1/6/7/9/14

We are not well positioned here but better than last year

storm/broncos/roosters very well positioned there
Parra/penrith drop back on their hooker rotations

yes 17 man game but that 5 are crucial … if you are not top 8 in the spine you will struggle

the knights are very well positioned there too now after bringing in smith and brown

 

[GCRV]

So according to the experts the top 5 halves combination for this coming season are:

1. Storm - Hughes/Munster
2. Roosters - Walker/DCE
3. Broncos - Reynolds/Mam
4. Parramatta- Moses/Pezet
5. Penrith- Cleary/Talagai

We don't rate a mention in the top 12. Luckily R.L. is a 17 man game and not a 2 man game. It will be interesting to see where these teams finish on the 2026 ladder.

1. Storm - Hughes/Munster (Seems right)
2. Roosters - Walker/DCE (Not so sure. Does DCE still have a good year in him?)
3. Broncos - Reynolds/Mam (Can Reynolds go around another year?)
4. Parramatta- Moses/Pezet (Pezet is an unknown in first grade. I know he played a few games but might have been carried by the rest of the Storm spine.)
5. Penrith- Cleary/Talagai (I'd rank them higher.)

• To be brutally honest, a spine of almost retired Cook, Atkinson, Flanagan and well past his best Gutho doesn't fill one with a lot of hope. Need Cook to squeeze out one more good year, need Atkinson to have a breakout year, need Kyle to be dropped and LKT have a breakout year. That will allow Gutho to not have to do so much himself which I think will help him and the team.

 

[jodragon40]

I think it’s a 5 man game … 1/6/7/9/14

We are not well positioned here but better than last year

storm/broncos/roosters very well positioned there
Parra/penrith drop back on their hooker rotations

yes 17 man game but that 5 are crucial … if you are not top 8 in the spine you will struggle

You know as an old ressies coach from many moons ago I understand that now but back in my day the most important players to me were my cpt and v/cpt and they were not always the star players in my team, in fact in the majority of cases they weren't.

Now I acknowledge the game has changed and every expert emphasises what you have outlined. The game is far faster and you can replace players whereas we had 2 reserves sitting on the bench.

But, and this is simplistic, if my props weren't going forward, my team not holding onto the pill and my team missing tackles on a regular basis. It didn't matter who I had at 1, 6, 7, 9. I note you added 14 and I agree a class utility player who can play , for me, 6, 7, 9 is important.

I just think you write teams off at your peril because your spine doesn't appear very good on paper. As an old coach once said" Luckily the game is played on grass and not on paper".

Time will tell how we go.

 

[jodragon40]

1. Storm - Hughes/Munster (Seems right)
2. Roosters - Walker/DCE (Not so sure. Does DCE still have a good year in him?)
3. Broncos - Reynolds/Mam (Can Reynolds go around another year?)
4. Parramatta- Moses/Pezet (Pezet is an unknown in first grade. I know he played a few games but might have been carried by the rest of the Storm spine.)
5. Penrith- Cleary/Talagai (I'd rank them higher.)

• To be brutally honest, a spine of almost retired Cook, Atkinson, Flanagan and well past his best Gutho doesn't fill one with a lot of hope. Need Cook to squeeze out one more good year, need Atkinson to have a breakout year, need Kyle to be dropped and LKT have a breakout year. That will allow Gutho to not have to do so much himself which I think will help him and the team.

And that's why the bookies have us equal favourites for the spoon. I disagree with their assessment