Trial Game 1 v Knights

RedVHeartbeat said:

NRL Team List: Pre-Season Challenge vs. Knights

Head Coach Shane Flanagan has named his squad to take on the Newcastle Knights in the highly-anticipated opening round of the NRL’s Pre-Season Challenge.

www.dragons.com.au

Sloan at the back is interesting. Only weak link in starting side is Feagai. He continues to stink up our sides as he has done for four/five yrs. Still Heidke is there to play second half I expect. Some power in the engine room. Looking forward to this game.

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Dragon David said:

Its all a trial and wait and see RVH. Weaknesses and strengths in all positions. Who is best and who hasn't got what it takes. It doesn't matter if we win or lose. Take the Charity Shield last year. We won and we scored a ton of tries in that game but we know how we ended in the comp - 15th. It is about giving the players a run and for the coaches to see what needs to be done to win most games when the 2026 comp actually starts.

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RedVHeartbeat said:

I know that DD. Take these game with a grain of sand. Does't stop me looking forward to finally seeing my iconic Red V stripped and ready for another season. The jumper and I go back a long way, we have history.

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Dragon David said:

Agree wholeheartedly with you RVH. Will be great to see some tries scored and hopefully some good cover defense by our players. Go the Mighties!

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TheRev said:

I've been asked a few times to describe Heidke to fans on the other forum, and have used Aitken as a reference also.. not the Aitken we remember in his later years (or today), but the one as Mailroom mentions in his first 12 months.. where he was still agile and dangerous.. iirc he was also ~19yrs old and instantly handled the NRL level, been a while but maybe he ran 200m on debut or soon after... it was in the years that followed that we beefcaked his training.. and slowed him right up (wasnt the only player to cop that treatment.. Dugan another that lost all his speed through training).,.. the lack of passing well I dunno what happened there.

But Charlie reminds me a lot of Euan at the same early age, only his skill level is far beyond what Aitken could do.. he is a NSW centre every day of the week if his trajectory continues.. absolute right side specialist.. runs straight lines and cuts holes through defensive lines like noone ive seen tbh... which is just his footy IQ.. he obviously reads the game very very well.. has enough pace/acceleration, just enough size... and can mark a ball in the air in attack and defence.. meaning he can cover wing also (but would be wasted there).

However.. Euan's superpower was his durability/toughness.. you can have all the skill in the world (think kyle stanley) but if your body keeps letting you down you will never make it in the NRL, and Charlie has had 2 serious injuries in 2 years.. think he got half of this pre-season.. take away those injuries and 100% he is in 1st grade or opposition clubs would be beating down the door.. already stepped up into NSW Cup and instantly handled it no dramas.. will be dissapointed if he has to drop back to Flegg to accomodate a Feagai or a Fale.. even Buchanan.. but understand Buchanan is a dev player... Buchanan stayed healthy while Heidke didnt.. they are in the same age bracket..

Anyway have my fingers crossed.. only injuries will hold him out.

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Frank Facer said:

To my knowledge, Aitken was a lock, who McGregor turned into a centre. He didn't want to pass the ball. He was probably used to hogging it and scoring in the juniors and being a star in those teams. When he made first grade, his flaw was that he didn't pass the ball. Nightingale was playing outside him and was completely starved of any good ball and hardly scored any tries playing outside Aitken. If he did, it was probably when Aitken was cut out and the ball went to Nightingale. I remember saying Nightingale couldn't buy a meat pie playing outside of Aitken. He was however a good defender and had the toughness to play NRL. He is now pretty much a secondrower, the position, I said he was probably best suited to in his first or second season. In 2018, I made a thread on a rugby league forum, while we were leading the comp and said I would have dropped Aitken to the bench to be a utility who could cover centre or secondrow. Here is a copy and paste from that thread

I can only recall Aitken passing the ball to Nightingale once this whole year, including trials. Frizell very rarely passes the ball out either, so our right side has no flow in attack. I did say that Aitken has been playing very good football this year and it probably wouldn't be fair to drop him to the bench. But I also believe that it is unfair for a winger to play outside of Aitken, because he won't get any ball.

For anyone who doesn't know. Meat Pie is another term for try in rugby league.

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Frank Facer said:

I do blame Slone and Dufty for not being able to tackle. When I was playing under 12's, we did tackling drills, with our best and biggest and fastest player running at us. The one who most other teams had trouble tackling. I was playing twice a week, once for my club and once for the school. By the end of the year, I could tackle pretty much anyone, because I had learnt the correct technique. Then I didn't play for 2 years and my first game back, I went to tackle a rep player and my timing and technique was all out and I was made to look stupid, but again, that year playing for the school and a third of a year for my club team, who folded, I got my tackling technique back in order.

In year 11 or 12 I was playing fullback, the same position as Slone and Dufty. I was only skinny. A player from the team who beat us in the grand final, who was probably their best player, big and fast made a break and decided he was going to run straight over the top of me. I lined him up and tried to hit him as hard as I could with my shoulder. The collision was that big that blacked out for a second or 2 and I literally saw stars. I thought seeing stars was only something in the cartoons. But I think I did stop him. lol My technique probably wasn't right for my slim build, I probably should have tried to have taken him down with his momentum. But I never considered trying to avoid tackling him.

In year 9 I played against Colin Saukuru, who was in year 8 at the time. The one who played for us in the 90's. I remember attempting to tackle him and literally bouncing off his thigh, like a ten pin.

Tackling is half the game. Good players should have learnt to tackle very early. There is no place for players who are scared to tackle, especially playing first grade.

ps, I didn't even rate myself. In year 12 I made the district team, but didn't even bother going to try out for the region team, as I didn't think I was good enough.

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jodragon40 said:

You must be from my era all that brings back memories. I played for Mounties in the 70s , even played a few games with the guru and the zip zip man.

Went to school, Liverpool Boys High with the guru built like a brick shithouse was always earmarked to make it big as was the zip zip man, god he was quick. We all looked up to another school legend who was 5 years ahead of us, Geoff Gerrard.

I couldn't tackle one on one for shit but I could run down anyone and learnt to tackle well coming from behind. I was very quick back in the day, regional 50 yard sprint champion and runner up in the 100 yard.

But my coach didn't like me letting the opposition pass me before I tackled them, so he made me do 1 on 1 tackling from a standing position against our forwards the biggest boys in the team.

It would start at a jogging pace from 5 yds to three quarter speed from 10 yards. My shoulders and head were very sore, even lost a front tooth. Those were the days.

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Frank Facer said:

No I was later than you. I didn't attend Liverpool Boys High. I had a mate who went to Liverpool Boys High. He played reps. At the time his schoolboy team was the best in the district or even region. There were other rep players in his team. When he would get into trouble and sent down to see the principal. He wouldn't get into trouble. The principal would chat to him and say "Mark are you going to go to year 12"? He wanted him to go to year 12, because he wanted to win the Commonwealth bank cup. They did have a very good team. The Liverpool City team he played in also won a comp or 2 when he was in high school. Jamie Ainscough was one of his team mates from school and Liverpool City. There was another player who played 5/8 who's peers who played with or against him, said he was better than Fittler. He he did his ACL once or twice and that put an end to his first grade aspirations. There was another very good second rower, who played reps and others who played with or against him rated very highly.

The mate I spoke of also played with Jason Taylor for Ashcroft. The Ashcroft coach would offer to pay for my mates rego, football boots, football shorts etc.

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Dragon David said:

Its all a trial and wait and see RVH. Weaknesses and strengths in all positions. Who is best and who hasn't got what it takes. It doesn't matter if we win or lose. Take the Charity Shield last year. We won and we scored a ton of tries in that game but we know how we ended in the comp - 15th. It is about giving the players a run and for the coaches to see what needs to be done to win most games when the 2026 comp actually starts.

Click to expand...

RedVHeartbeat said:

NRL Team List: Pre-Season Challenge vs. Knights

Head Coach Shane Flanagan has named his squad to take on the Newcastle Knights in the highly-anticipated opening round of the NRL’s Pre-Season Challenge.

www.dragons.com.au

Halves King-Togia and Kade Reed plus Sloan at the back are interesting selections. Only weak link in starting side is Feagai. He continues to stink up our sides as he has done for four/five yrs. Still Heidke is there to play second half I expect. Some power in the engine room. Looking forward to this game.

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jodragon40 said:

Sounds like Suli

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Frank Facer said:

For anyone who doesn't know. Meat Pie is another term for try in rugby league.

Click to expand...

jodragon40 said:

You must be from my era all that brings back memories. I played for Mounties in the 70s , even played a few games with the guru and the zip zip man.

Went to school, Liverpool Boys High with the guru built like a brick shithouse was always earmarked to make it big as was the zip zip man, god he was quick. We all looked up to another school legend who was 5 years ahead of us, Geoff Gerrard.

I couldn't tackle one on one for shit but I could run down anyone and learnt to tackle well coming from behind. I was very quick back in the day, regional 50 yard sprint champion and runner up in the 100 yard.

But my coach didn't like me letting the opposition pass me before I tackled them, so he made me do 1 on 1 tackling from a standing position against our forwards the biggest boys in the team.

It would start at a jogging pace from 5 yds to three quarter speed from 10 yards. My shoulders and head were very sore, even lost a front tooth. Those were the days.

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Frank Facer said:

Yeah. Ever since we signed Suli I have been saying I think he is best suited to edge backrow. I actually think he would make a very good edge backrower, but with the abundance of edge backrowers we now have, I doubt we will see him play that position for us.

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jodragon40 said:

No chance

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RedVHeartbeat said:

I reckon Moeses may be on his last legs with us. We need pace over size with outside backs, pace and size would be perfect tho such as a Bradman Best like guy..

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