In a word? No
Can they be as good?
If they have a 10 goal win in a GF that says theyād be as equally dominant on GF day. But thereās no way this team or any other for that matter will match the sheer power of the 2000 mob
Expectations for the 2018 group is consistency of performance ā¦ letās keep it real
Injuriesā¦ still a bit of luck involved with winning a flag. Hard to pick how close a team will go 8 months out from Sept
Hmm, Hooker and Stewart might struggle, ditto Raz against MJ but I reckon the rest would be able to hold theirs own.
But 2000 is nearly 20 years ago and the game is a lot different now, so I donāt think we can really compare both teams except for the midfield.
Do we have similar flair and skill to that side? YES.
Do we have similar overall hardness and a core group of tough hombres? HELL NO.
We need one on every line.
Yeah fair call.
Still so hard to compare between eraās, The tactics from 2000 would be laughed at in 2018, Also theyād probably be suspended half the time today.
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be better than a premiership side who lost ONE game for the year?
thread of the year so far. Will take some beating
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2000 - Hird
2018 - no Hird
/endthread
/closetheinternets
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Fletch might be the best match up for Joe thatās ever played the game. Vintage Fletch would have him, imo.
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Little known fact: 120 other premiership teams werenāt as good (dominant) as the 2000 team. Iāll be quite happy if our 2018 team makes that 121 this year.
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The 2000 team were ruthless, aggressive and would always fly the flag for each other, never taking a backward step.
The 2018 team need to replicate this but maybe itās too hard these days with all the rule changes and fickle MRP interpretations.
Alternatively you could just reflect on the sideās last gameā¦ which was a 11 goal embarrassment against a side that got beaten by 7 the following weekā¦
This thread is embarrassing. Utterly cringeworthy.
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Still not sure how Fletcherās sole B&F win came in 2000ā¦
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1997-1998 was the springboard, for sure. It was strange, it seemed every time we brought in a new kid, they just slotted into the side seemlessly.
It was just one after another, Caracella, Blumfield, Heffernan, Mark Johnson, Jason Johnson, Solomonā¦
It was them, who complemented the more experienced stars, that made the 2000 team so complete. Our bottom 4 players were still really damn good.
Weād have to unearth a number of hidden gems from the Mutch /Begley /Clarke /Ridley /Guelfi /Houlahan batch, and have those kids help drag us over the line in some hard-fought victories, for this to feel even remotely like then.
You can make an argument that the current side isnāt that far off in regards to top end talent, but this side doesnāt have the killer instinct. Not yet, anyway.
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Overall you would still take 2000. as a team.
If you were to merge the 2 sides
B: M Johnson Fletcher Wellman
HB: Hardwick Hurley Solomon
C: Zaharakis Misiti Caracella
HF: Mercuri Lucas Hird Ā©
F: McDonald-Tipungwuti Lloyd Long
R: Barnes, Z Merrett J Johnson
Int: Bewick Stringer Fantasia Daniher
EMG: McGrath Ramanauskas, Blumfield
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Hang on a minute, Whoās Coach?
I reckon if you matched them up 1v1, the only 2018 > 2000 matches are Heppell v Blumfield and Hooker v Wallis. Maaaaaybe Smith v Moorcroft and Ambrose v Alessio. Maybe. Otherwise 2000 wins all over the ground very convincingly.
On current form I would back the 2018 team
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The mental capacity of the 2000 side are roads ahead.
Physical and mental toughness is seriously under rated. IMO it seperatates good from great.
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It would bring it back to a 50/50 game, imo.
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