Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Captain's 2008 Pretenders/Wannabes

Here's my team selection for most overrated players in their position:

1. Nathan Meritt
2. Taulima Tautai
3. Brent Tate
4. Krisnan Inu
5. Matt Utai
6. Jamie Lyon
7. Johnathon Thurston (co-Captain)
13. Jacob Lilyman
12. Sonny Bill Williams (co-Captain)
11. Willie Mason
10. Nathan Cayless
9. Mark Riddell
8. Carl Webb

14. Nathan Hindmarsh
15. Roy Asotasi
16. Andrew Ryan
17. Brett Finch

18th man: Nigel Vagana/Steve Simpson

Coach: Michael Hagan

Just cannot put Hunt down as the most overrated fullback. Whether you're a fan of his or not, the job he does is priceless. I've gone for Merritt. I guess Souths don't have another fullback option at the moment. He's small, not fantastic under the high ball and not as effective at no. 1 as he was parked on the wing and topping the NRL tryscoring list. It's harsh on Merritt because if you go through all the teams there aren't any truly terrible or massively overrated fullbacks. Utai the biggest no-brainer in my team. Awful hands and wastes time/allows the defensive line to get set whilst trying to milk a penalty every single time he gets tackled. Tautai, I just don't see much in him. Looks shaky with his hands as well and I'm not sure how Luke Burt gets dropped before Tautai. Joining International Incurable Neckitis Foundation spokesman Tate, is Krisnan Inu who has done absolutley nothing this year. If you're detecting a strong Parramatta undercurrent here that's because they deserve it on this year's display. Jamie Lyon will always be overrated. No matter who he plays for or in what position, but especially in the 6 jersey. If Finch was still at 6 then he would have got it but he's moved to 7 where he's a clear second behind Thurston. Lilyman has to be there for his inexplicable selection for QLD. He's a Cowboys bench player at best and they are coming last. Second row was relatively easy although Mason and Williams were challenged by a fading Hindmarsh. Front row sees a fading Cayless who's talked a better game than he's played this season, linking up with the ever-overrated Webb and his 30 mins per game. The out of shape Riddell who seems to have become even slower and more lazy packs in at hooker. The bench consists of Hindmarsh and Ryan. You've got to feel a bit sorry for Ryan because his team is rubbish in 2008 but I swear I've seen him actually give up in matches this year. Within reach of maybe holding a player up over the line he makes no attempt and down goes the head again in the huddle. What a difference a year makes; Asotasi gets a place on the bench. Has barely looked better than Scott Geddes this year. His stats are okay but he is supposed to be the number one prop forward in the game. If Lyon is proving too effective at five eighth then Finch can be brought on to add more "leadership" around the park. The man loves to point people in all directions. Vagana is another Rabbitoh who has contributed to their unimpressive season with mediocre form. Enough has already been said about the NSW selection of "Mr. Invisible" Steve Simpson. Both he and Vagana are on standby. And finally, Michael Hagan, who has failed to inspire one of the most talented sides in the NRL, is coach. His only idea about what to do; drop Luke Burt. Brilliant. That fixed everything as the Eels showed in their blowout 16-4 win over a third-string, last in the league Cowboys.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hindmarsh???
Nothing he does has any flair anymore but still gets through a massive amount of work. You have picked two guys who have been culled from Rep footy in Hindmarsh and Ryan - but both of these guys still do a job. Plus, noone thinks too highly of them any more.

Hindmarsh and Ryan may be well past rep footy stage but they are still workers.

Cayless a good call. There are just too many overrated props.

Can't believe i missed Utai.

I thought about the Hagan/Brown decision long and hard. Brown = most overrated, Hagan = worst. Surely, no one thinks Michael Fucking Hagan is any good??? Surely you jest??

Anonymous said...

You forgot supercoach Hagan dropping their most consistent player Joel Reddy.

Brilliant. You guys fired the most UNDERRATED coach in the game for this CLOWN.

Master O said...

Ryan has disintegrated to nothing this season. He doesn't work nearly as much as he used to. And it was mostly to do with my observation that he's thrown in the towel. Hindmarsh just tackles these days. Doesn't truck it up with any gusto and doesn't get the yards he used to to go along with his tackling. I know this is probably down to injuries...sad to see really.

I've got to say, it's hard to say Brown is overrated. No-one except the people who appointed him believe he has done a great job in his time there or that he should have been given the job in the first place. But in saying that, his side are still sixth so in some respect, he is doing something right which is more than can be said for Hagan.

Anonymous said...

It's simple maths boys. Previous success of Knights = Hagan + Johns, where Hagan = 0.

On an unrelated topic, would love to see a post on the news today that Phil Gould's blow up with Gallop on Triple M has caused Gould to be hooked from the footy show on Thursday. Didn't hear the interview (since I live in HK) but it sounds like Gould (and I concede he is generally a toss bag) is being censored by Nine because his views diverge from the those of the NRL. Has Nine stooped so low as to so blatantly prevent anti NRL sentiment on the network, or am I missing something?

Anonymous said...

I'm working on something now Shirtman.
It actually reads like Channel nine is the mouthpiece of the NRL. Pretty poor.

Master O said...

And part of that mouthpiece is Ben Ikin...!

Anonymous said...

The Ikin!

You can't resist getting in on that action.

Proof that you don't need to be smart to read an autocue.

Anonymous said...

I still can't have Hindmarsh as overrated. He is without a doubt past his prime but he is also a guy who still digs in and shows some loyalty to his club. Likewise Ryan, though Ryan has fallen off the cliff even faster!

The only difference between Hindmarsh and other guys who are past their prime is that the other guys are getting paid double to suck in the UK!

Not a Parra fan, but I wouldn't lose hope for hindmarsh. A year ago, I was sure that old Raw Bones Fitzgibbon was dead in the water and he has been your best player this year.