Heef's Totally Parbitrary Pre-Season Position by Position Rankings (S5)

Locks

1. Heath Davis
2. James McDougal
3. Sam Verigotta
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4. Bruce Force
5. Jason Denton
6. Double Dong
7. James Torres
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8. John McGrath
9. Donald Boland
10. Morgan Burridge
11. Hal Teja
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12. Nick Scott
13. Jack Dempsey
14. Oscar Wood
15. Choco Man
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16. Peter Retzel
17. Yeeb!
18. Bobby Baker
19. Tool Man
20. Denzel Petrucci
21. David Mulray, Mathew Kaye, John Anraad, Senor Slippy

A tough battle in the realm of the 2nd row. There's 3 2nd rowers who remain clear of the field. Of these, Heath Davis is the current number 1, but having not signed a contract this season, who knows how he will fare lacking match practise. The 2nd and 3rd players in the list make up the formidable Sharks 2nd row combo - James McDougal and Sam Verigotta.

Last season's #4, Jason Denton slips down to five and is usurped by up and coming Crabs Lock forward, Bruce Force. Force is showing heaps of potential with solid work at the breakdown and salmon-like leaping at the line-out. We've got him in a distant 4th at the moment, but that gap to Verigotta is likely to narrow this season.

Behind Denton in fifth, Double Dong and James Torres make up the rest of the 2nd tier. Dong is rapidly becoming Asia's 2nd best player behind Michael Chung and James Torres is the model of consistency.

Then we have a sizeable gap to the third tier. Here we find McGrath, Boland, Burridge and Teja. All quality players in their own right with Boland and Burridge benefitting from decent match time for New South Wales. Teja, however, finds his time limited at the Crabs and lacklustre training for Asia won't help him. McGrath's been there or there abouts since season 1 of the SRC and he's pretty much still in the same sort of place he's always been.

Behind that group, there's another chunky gap to the fourth tier, headed up by Nick Scott. Alongside him we for Jack Dempsey, Oscar Wood and Choco Man. Wood's development has possibly been hampered by first signing his rookie contract with the Sharks (well behind McDougal and Verigotta) and now the Crabs (behind Force, Dong and Teja).

And below this group is the lower tier. The rookies, the newbs or the downright unknowns. Tool Man has looked the part in his outings for the CricSim Rookies whilst Yeeb! and Bobby Baker have looked a reasonable 2nd tier pairing for the Cnuts. Expect to see one or two of these guys make the transition to the tier above this season as Choco Man and Jack Dempsey continue to look lacklustre in training.

 

Surprised but pleased to see Force up there. Thought Retzel was a bit better than that.

 

He was. But also, this is a highly contested position. Of those above him, who would you have thought he was better than? Choco, maybe?

 

Well I picked him over Wood in the draft, so I guess him for now, though there is a lack of evidence around Wood. I guess I expected him to be in the Scottie-Choco tier rather than the newb tier.

 

Yeah, he could be, potentially. But that's the parbitrary ranking system for you. Shrug.

 

Force coming on in leaps and bounds. WAG, hardly surprising, though.

 

Maybe you could start in the back row?

We can always move Callum.