Briscoe - capped for England
Fox - capped for England & Elite Squad member
Welham - England Elite Squad member
Webster - capped for NZ
Dobson - Albert Goldthorpe Medal winner, SL Dream Teamer
Vella - capped for Aus
Clinton - NRL GF winner
Newton - NRL GF winner
Galea - NRL GF winner

Add to these the Aus schoolboys members Lovegrove and Green along with at least for 6 games the massively decorated Willie Mason, I struggle to see where ability or skills come in to why we are performing so horrendously.

If a kick up the backside isn't what these players need and it is all to do with the game plan then I think the finger can only be pointed in one direction. It is also not an attacking issue our squad has, our players enjoy attacking so much they seemingly forget they have to defend for at least 50% of the time too!

When signing all these antipodeans we were told their grand finals, state of origins, international experiences would be the catalyst for our success yet the match winning mentality certainly seems to have got lost with their luggage!

What is the answer? Force the coach to change his game plans? Change the coach? Change the benefits the players get?

Personally I think all players should be treated equally reguardless of past experience and honours. They should all be made to train the same and no mates rates favours given. But this won't happen while Justin is here I'm affraid to say.

Have you and Rhys fallen out with each other or just Rhys with Justin?

What's up with Liam Watts? Utterly brilliant last year, what's happened to him - is he injured?

Nah he sticking to morgans Game plan

I'd give a serious answer if I thought this was a serious question.

It's a serious question. He was knocking on the door of the train-on squad last year and IMO was your best prop at that time. Is it "second season syndrome"? Just a bit surprised. No need for paranoia, it's a reasonable enquiry.

I don't know if he was injured, dropped or rested against Wakefield , but he's not hit the heights of last season yet.

he offloaded twice this season so has been droppped, cant do any of that off the cuff stuff!!!!

He was used as a prop playing loose at his most effective last year and seemed to be given a freedom to play. No one's had that this year and he has not only stagnated but gone backwards. No idea if he's injured. He seemed to be learning admirably from Clinton last year (who despite your jibes was very good, capable of of drawing a man and popping a ball to someone on his shoulder) and we can all see what's happened to him. He came out after one game and stated that Mason was his new Sensei, and that's obviously gone equally well. The whole team is struggling for form, when your senior players can't catch, tackle or face up it doesn't give anyone else much room to work.

This is also his fourth season as a first team player at Rovers. Maybe he needs to be his own man a little more.

When he's played, has he been prop playing loose this year, then? Disappointing as he was a player genuinely to fear last year IMO at this level, great offloader and tacklebuster. A lot of players flatter to deceive in brief cameos of SL debuts but then don't kick on, but with Watts, I felt he'd already stepped up consistently and was a key player to build Rovers pack around in the future with Galea and Vella approaching the end of their careers. Hopefully just a bad run of form coinciding with wider underperformance, then.

baffles me too why netherton gets picked over him!!

its not just u it baffles mate. i dont know how he ever gets near the 17 never has been never will be sry jase but its true!!!!!!!

Not quite sure where you get that from out of the post I put? Justin and Rhys get on fine, in fact better than most people get on with their bosses I'd assume. As for Rhys and I, we enjoyed a cuppa while watching the Hull/Saints game after he'd left the fun day, discussing the finer things in life away from the game! Plus he's got to start performing soon he has to impress Mummy 'Oyster Bay' Lovegrove during June!!!!!





As for the Liam Watts comment, I was told (and not by Rhys before you say it!!) he is concentrating on making yards rather than looking for an offload at the moment and trying to get better at that part of his game. It has obviously stifled his natural game and for the good of this side I hope Justin is encouraging him to look for the offload once again. Saying this an unconfident team is not likely to be in support so a vicious circle the players themselves are going to have to get out of.

So Jase Netherton has performed solidly this season making only one error in 9 games, giving away 4 penalties and only missing 11 tackles yet making 211. Ok he could make more carries and meters but that isn't why he is in the team, it isn't his natural game. If all our forwards were top meter makers but not great defenders like say Wheeldon we'd be stuffed when it came to doing the dirty work.

If we compare the stats to Vella's who has played equal amount of games and considering he is an Australian international who is a more all round prop forward he is making a lot more carries but only a couple of hundred more meters in those extra 29 carries. He has made more errors, given away more penalties and missed more tackles. I am sure he has played more minutes than Jase too.

I am not saying Jase is anywhere near the standard of Mick Vella, that would be stupid, what I am saying is both are there to do a job. If your job was to sell cars you wouldn't be expected to service and MOT them, the same applies to players going out on the field.

Nick HKR wrote:

As for the Liam Watts comment, I was told (and not by Rhys before you say it!!) he is concentrating on making yards rather than looking for an offload at the moment and trying to get better at that part of his game. It has obviously stifled his natural game and for the good of this side I hope Justin is encouraging him to look for the offload once again. Saying this an unconfident team is not likely to be in support so a vicious circle the players themselves are going to have to get out of.

Personally I would rather see Watts make five or six yards draw in the defenders and offload the ball to any supporting players to go through the gap he created than him just drive the ball in and make meters.

Other teams are obviously switched on to this so it is a waste of a tackle and of Liam's natural ability. Without stating the obvious look what happened when Manu offloaded the ball near the end of the derby!!!!!

So come on then name me another player in a top team (This is what we are aiming to be) that is in the side for their tackling only?
I think you will be having a long look trying to find one.
I have given out stats before that Netherton makes 1 offload every 10 games give or take a 0.02 chance.
He makes a tackle break every 0.43 games.
He wouldn't get anywhere near another good SL side.
You keep defending him if you want but the fact he constantly gets in the side of HKR proves one thing at least.
He is exactly the type of player JM wants (No flair and hardworking).
He is also a great example of why teams seem to have figured us out because we are a one trick pony.

The problem is, fans who have limited knowledge of the finer points want a team of Dobbo's, the don't get it that all teams need players like Nev, who just get stuck in doing the 'dirty work' as you alluded to. Nev gets through an enormous amount of work that allows the more 'glamerous' players to do the fancy stuff. I know he will never score a 50 mtr try or break several tackles to offload to a speedster, but I bet if you asked the rest of the squad (those that understand the game) the value of Nev to the team, they will all give their 100% backing. I think he will get a new deal, because he is a no nonsense grafter, who can be relied on when the going gets tough, plus he doesn't cost a fortune so he can easily be fitted into the squad.

If we let him go, another club WILL pick him up, for the reasons already raised.

Ok then you answer me the question of another top club who has a player who is in the squad and plays lots of minutes just because he tackles?
Take your time.

=#FF0000Ridiculous contract schemes?

Enjoyed that, bad me.



Got to admit, I'm struggling.

I do see the value that Netherton offers and yes, he is a grafter but you've got to offer more than that at this level. Iain Morrison was a grafter and a good tackler.

Netherton isn't explosive enough to play at prop and isn't dynamic enough to play in the back row.

How about we stick him at hooker? everyone else has had a go at some point.

Said it before and again. As nice a bloke as he may be I cannot for the life of me see what Morgan sees in him.

No wonder we are as bad as we are this season when people think morgan is a top coach and netherton is super league standard,the league table doesn't lie this far into the season,hope i'm wrong but i can't see us stringing a run of victories togeather if we can't beat wakefield with all due respect to them.

Hmm, a fairly recent joiner of the boards whose every post is a negative and constantly calls for Morgan to be sacked, I wonder.

Is a new member to the board not entitled to an opinion,even if it upset's other people.Everybody passes there sell by date,coaches and players even if they are peoples favourites that's just how sport is.

You can say what you like for me, the sillier the better (I'm not saying you're silly btw) but we've had more than our fair share of fans of other clubs masquerading as Rovers fans just to stir things up, see "cab plank" for reference.

I'll believe you for now.

Ah so Cabbie has finally been sussed out.

About two flipping years ago, and despite me saying it on numerous occasions people still reply to them as if it's one real poster.