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Chris Lewis replaces Tom on the bench.
Loiero remains on bench after pulling up ok in return.
No Tepai on the extended bench - not sure why if he's had two good hit outs in the last 2 weeks. We need some go forward in the pack.

Honestly, this is a game we want to lose.

Win and we make top 4 and play a top side in hot form. Get smashed and demoralized leading into Week 2. Id rather finish 5th and play the 8th team.

nacho wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:16 pm Honestly, this is a game we want to lose.

Win and we make top 4 and play a top side in hot form. Get smashed and demoralized leading into Week 2. Id rather finish 5th and play the 8th team.

Seriously?

They're going to have to play the panthers in the finals at some stage if they want the chocolates, may as well get it out of the way. Nathan cleary's first week back, lacking game time and match fitness is probably the best time to be lining up against them.

Yeah, nah. Finish top 4 every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

No Hughes. Johns named at half.

Still winnable - the boys just need to play as hard as they did against the roosters and not make too many mistakes. NAS needs to be a bit careful with his forearms, but keep the aggression, and Munster/Grant need to control the game. Not easy, but doable.

Panthers are beatable so we want top four. ALWAYS want your destiny in your own hands.

Sigh

Sorry Nacho, totally disagree with you. Double chance over knockout I am taking double chance every day of the week.

In the past, we have lost a knock out final in first week at AAMI v Bulldogs plus if we finish 5th we are likely to play the Raiders who have beaten us in a final at AAMI in recent years.

As Lennart Bedrager said first week might be good time to get Panthers, Cleary's first week back and they are resting a few players this week. So might take them some time to get back into their rhythm.

Concerned re: Eels match, they play well against good teams and play average v bad teams. They also have a good record v us.

In even better news Ashley Klein is the referee tomorrow night.

TC wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 8:29 pm No Hughes. Johns named at half.

Still winnable - the boys just need to play as hard as they did against the roosters and not make too many mistakes. NAS needs to be a bit careful with his forearms, but keep the aggression, and Munster/Grant need to control the game. Not easy, but doable.

Panthers are beatable so we want top four. ALWAYS want your destiny in your own hands.

Ouch, that's a pretty big out.

We're going to have to start strong

Honestly can't remember the last time we beat the Raiders at Green Seats Park (was before 2019), so definitely want to win this one.

This might be our last semi-realistic shot at a title for a while (though I also thought the same in 2019, 2020, and 2021).

Yep, tough game and with Hughes out it just got tougher. Eels will be on fire in the ruck with Paulo and Klein leading the way.

But if we want any chance in 2022, we need to find a way to win even with key players missing. It starts in the middle, as always.

Sivo first try scorer, its as predictable as the sun rising each day.

Potentially even a hattrick tonight

TC wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 8:29 pm No Hughes. Johns named at half.

I have no drama with this, he defends strong and passing game is good. The only problem will be, and I can almost bet London to a brick, Cooper hardly ever gets the ball and it all goes Munster's way. If indeed Cooper does get the ball I hope all the runners outside him will be in sync and that they've trained together during the week...

I’m really wondering if Bellamy considers a change of tactic here and changes out Meaney to the bench to start an extra forward - potentially either Lewis or Smith at five-eighth.

Could supply a counter to the Eels who will no doubt be trying to do what the Roosters did in pounding our guys though the middle.

Hopefully they don't get sucked into the niggle and bs that roosters managed to suck them into last week early on. Teams know thier best shot at getting the jump on Melbourne is to disrupt their game plan and rhythm.
They've got plenty of motivation to get the job done, but then again, I thought they'd have enough motivation last week.

To be fair Melbourne storm should have enough motivation to get the job done tonight as well, as fourth place is up for grabs