Team Talk with Marcho: Rd 11
Welcome to team talk round 11. With Origin just around the corner it’s important to pay attention to who will be playing and in what positions. Who is going to play in the back row at the Broncos or the Sharks? Who do the Warriors play over this period? And which players will be out with a point to prove to selectors.
South Sydney v St George Illawarra
The backline reshuffle worked last week for coach Michael Maguire and with Michael Oldfield injured, Cody Walker has been named on the wing but he will switch with fullback Alex Johnston at times in attack adding another dimension to the Rabbitohs attack. Damien Cook cant find a way into the 17 at the moment with Luke Keary again starting from the bench.
The Dragons lost Benji Marashall to that troublesome hamstring again, which means Josh McCrone is back in. Joel Thompson copped a suspension and is replaced by Jake Marketo on the edge. Will Matthews drops back to the bench with Mike Cooper starting at lock and Russell Packer will start at prop. Matthews did a solid job last week at lock and with the Drogons grinding style of play I expect another workhorse from the big man.
North Queensland v Brisbane
The Friday night blockbuster is the second instalment of the 2015 Grand Final replay and I also predict it won’t be the last time this year these two teams face off. The Cowboys have a few bumps and bruises but nothing that will disrupt their amazingly small injury toll in 2016. Lachlan Coote will be out to impress Laurie Daley but I’m not sure if he can do a whole lot more as his form so far has been superb.
The Broncos welcome back Andrew McCullough, Alex Glenn and Adam Blair. All three players mentioned are a good chance of getting a workhorse is this clash, which I’m predicting will be a low scoring affair. News filtered through this week that Corey Parker has given up the kicking duties due to a foot injury sustained in the test match, but he is only kicking at 65% this year so that might have something more to do with it.
Balmain Wests v Newcastle
Next up in the game of the round here at Campbelltown Stadium! The Tigers will be without Robbie Farah after a heavy concussion last week. Dene Halatau will start at hooker with Matt Ballin playing off the bench. Elijah Taylor has come straight back into workhorse territory and will definitely stay there for the rest of the year. Curtis Sironen and Sauaso Sue are also out.
The Knights welcome back Trent Hodkinson, which will be his last chance to prove he should retain is Blues jersey. Sam Mataora and Nathan Ross will play after both pulling out of last weekends humiliating 62-0 drubbing by the Sharks. The bounce back factor will surely see a much improved performance from the Knights, but little fantasy relevance for coaches.
New Zealand v Canberra
The Warriors lose Solomone Kata, which hurts their attack but welcome back Simon Mannering, to help bolster their defence. A lot will rest on Tui Lolohea and Shaun Johnson to get the Warriors on the scoreboard. Matt Allwood will come into the centres for Kata to face his former club for the first time.
The Raiders backs should have field day against the likes of Blake Ayshford, Jono Wright and Allwood. Shaun Fenson will miss one week with a shoulder injury, which means Luke Bateman comes in at lock. Jeff Lima comes back onto the bench, while Sam Williams and Frank-Paul Nuuausala will travel as cover. Some CEOs were holding out hope that Sia Soliola would be a late inclusion after the birth of a baby boy earlier in the week, but Ricky has confirmed he won’t be back until next week.
Cronulla v Manly
Matt Prior has a knee injury and he is replaced by Jayson Bukuya on the bench and once again David Fifita is 18th man. Paul Gallen hasn’t done much training this week but will still be lining up against Manly. Pick up Jayson Bukuya if he is still available in your comp, he has shown that he will pick up a workhorse should Gallen and Wade Graham play Origin.
The Sea Eagles are being hampered by the same injury problems as 2015, with a backline who struggles to play two consecutive weeks. Steve Matai has been named but is always a wait and see due to his shocking injury record. Jamie Buhrer is finally back and will play on the edge vacated by the suspended Marty Taupau. Buhrer is capable of scoring doubles if he plays big minutes and is another great pick up, but surely he is taken in most comps by this stage. Tom Symonds and Addin Fonua-Blake have both been dropped and Brett Stewart is more likely to play after the bye.
Penrith v Gold Coast
For the first time in a very long time Penrith have named the same his two weeks in a row and they also haven’t named 18 plus players either. But that doesn’t mean this will be the same side that runs out on Sunday afternoon. James Segeyaro is off contract and hasn’t been playing many minutes so far, which leads me to believe his fantastic 2014 was more of a flash in the pan. Bryce Cartwright and Josh Mansour are right in the mix for Origin and neither would look out of sorts, despite Cartwright’s large missed tackle count and he won’t be required to play big minutes.
The Titans have said they are more likely to ease Nathan Peats into the side rather then throw him into the mix straight away. This is terrible news for CEO coaches with his minutes set to tumble meaning no guarantee of a workhorse lock each week.
Canterbury v Sydney City
The Dogs will again be without Tony Williams, looks like he will reproduce his 2015 form and score less than 10 points again this year. David Klemmer will start at lock again and has been killing it with four straight wokhorses, which has included a metre eater and two double metre eaters. Adam Elliott and Lloyd Perrett are on an extended bench.
Jackson Hastings has been axed by the Roosters with rumours they are also trying to offload him for next year. Ryan Matterson will partner Mitchell Pearce in the halves and Connor Watson will come onto the bench. Jake Friend will continue to churn out massive tackle counts. Mitchell Aubusson isn’t far off a centre upgrade. With Guerra and Cordner playing origin look to bring in Isaac Liu whos minutes are set to increase around this time of the year.
Parramatta v Melbourne
Kieran Foran is back for the Eels pushing Brad Takairangi to the centres and Vai Toutai out of the side. Tim Mannah is still out for a few more weeks so maybe the likes of David Gower and Danny Wicks could be worth a sneaky pick up.
Tohu Harris has been named in the centres but new Eels recruit Ryan Morgan is expected to make his club debut. Harris will then push to the backrow and Kenny Bromwich will go back to the bench.
Make sure you keep a look out for any more late mail alter in the weekend. Good luck to all those coaches out there, unless of course you’re playing me.
Will Marchinton
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