Darc Tiger wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 5:08 pm
Confirms my suspicions about DK...
Not really. There's a few missing with no Ilione, Saumaki, Green, Wigglesworth as well as Kelly. They might be carrying knocks from training or have had little surgeries in the off season meaning they are a week or two behind. There's a smorgasbord of reasons for the omission, one of them could be he's :censored: his hamstring but the non-selection for one pre season game isn't definitive. If we don't see him against Falcons either then that will be more of an indicator.
Expecting Borthwick to give the Burns/Gopperth combination the full 80 as that could be a go to combination at times this season, with or without Kelly moving to 13 to accommodate.
It's a definite statement of intent from Borthwick he's not taking it easy this pre season.
Particularly excited to see Watson at fullback and to see also looking forward to seeing our new midfield partnership. I really think Gopperth is a very astute addition.
Because he was played much more as a 12 by Irish, but the feeling was that we had signed him more as a 13 given his pace and size.
He’s only ever started at 12 in his whole career I believe,not sure if he’s come on and covered 13 though
Yeah all his LI starts were at 12. Reading between the lines from what Tigers and PC said when he joined I think they see him as a Porter type player potentially and able to cover both centre positions and wing. He's got some pace and footwork, isn't a small bloke and could maybe bulk out a little more.
Darc Tiger wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 5:08 pm
Confirms my suspicions about DK...
Not really. There's a few missing with no Ilione, Saumaki, Green, Wigglesworth as well as Kelly. They might be carrying knocks from training or have had little surgeries in the off season meaning they are a week or two behind. There's a smorgasbord of reasons for the omission, one of them could be he's his hamstring but the non-selection for one pre season game isn't definitive. If we don't see him against Falcons either then that will be more of an indicator.=
Yep. It could be that after 4-5 weeks of preseason that they decided he could have the week off to rest, coinciding with being "on leave" for Ford's wedding. You can't always take and play everyone, and playing Kelly is possibly one of the lowest priorities. The extended squads in the preseason matches are awkward enough.