Will your team succeed at the scrumbase in 2007?
This year almost every NRL club is fielding a new scrumbase connection.
As coaches tinker with their line-up's during the trial game period, one of the most important items on their clipboards is the choice for 5/8 and half back.
The Sharks, Bulldogs, Knights and Broncos are the only teams that seem likely to use a 2006 scrumbase combination. However, the Sharks saw limited success with Dykes/Kimmorley and may yet choose another option, Brett Seymour may yet feature some where in the mix. The Dogs will look to stay with their combo of Shifty and Holdsworth which proved a success and of course the Broncos won't tinker with their successful setup from last year.
Looking at the rest of the teams, there are a host of changes to the scrumbase as players transfer during the off-season or clubs try a positional change for a particular player.
St George Illawarra have chosen to push Mark Gasnier into the 5/8 role with the departure of Trent Barrett to the UK. Moving the centre in closer to the action has some merit, however the raw strike power of Gaz out wide is almost impossible to replace.
This is also true of Manly, now with the services of Jamie Lyon - who at one stage was considered the best centre in the game. Do they leave him out wide to wreak havoc on the edges or move him in to partner Orford close to the action?
Even Melbourne are trying this theory, as they look at moving boom youngster Greg Inglis into 5/8. Inglis, previously playing at fullback and centre has a big future ahead of him - will this change help or hinder his cause? Melbourne seem to have a knack for moulding players into a new position, Cooper Cronk was successfully moulded into halfback over the past 2 seasons and has certainly made the no. 7 his own.
Parramatta have gone for two smaller players at the scrumbase, recruiting Brett Finch from the Roosters and keeping Tim Smith at 7. Both creative players, Hagan hopes their young creative minds will provide an attacking platform for the team - the concern here is defence however. Two small men at the scrumbase will be like a beacon for opposing forwards, as they steamroll towards the little guys.
Old head Jason Smith moves to Nth Queensland to steer the Cowboys around the park. His combination with Thurston could prove to be a beautiful mix of young and old. The dynamic Thurston with his guile and speed, and old timer Jason Smith with his slow motion deveption and extensive experience. NRLnews.com believes this combination could prove to be strongest for 2007, providing Smith stays fit and keeps the cigarettes to minimum.
The Warriors are also toying with their scrumbase. Buying Michael Witt for 2007, they are continuing to rotate players through this spot to find the best fit. Hohia has been tried as well as Reparti. The NZ mob have been struggling for the last few years to fill the void left by Stacey Jones.
Wests Tigers have lost their premiership half in Scott Prince, and have dropped John Morris from Parramatta into the no.7 jersey. Early signs are good, with Morris revelling in the role and his combo with Benji Marshall will be certainly be one to watch.
Penrith have lost last years 5/8 Preston Campbell and Matt Elliott has resisted throwing centre Luke Lewis into the mix. The Panthers are continuing to trial players in this position and their final choice for NRL round 1 is anyones guess.
Souths also see new buy Jeremy Smith slot into the halfback spot and while the coach has moved house with Jeremy, his combination with the exciting John Sutton will be interesting to see. This mix could also provide to be dynamic should the chemistry work, a mix of big and small - the ingredients look right.
At Sydney City, the Roosters are another club rotating a tonne of players through the scrumbase trying to find the right blend. Mitchell son of Junior Pearce, Jamie Soward, Craig Wing and Josh Lewis play musical chairs as Anderson trys to find his match winning combination.
So there we have it, a host of changes at the scrumbase - the most important part of any team. NRLnews.com believe thes Cowboys and the Bunnies have their mix just right. We hope your team gets the combination right for 2007, as it may mean the difference between making or breaking the 8.
