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Least skilful team in the league?

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,245
Are we the least skilful team in the league?

Our play makers are no good at long kicks so we don't make many meters there. We never get a repeat set with short kicks. I have never seen a team give up the ball so meekly on fifth tackle in the twenty years I've watched the game. How many times we just gonna turn the ball over?

All of our passes seem to go behind the receiver or somewhere above their head. Never hits them square in the chest. Noone running good lines. No confusion created when we attack. Ponga isn't even getting the ball much anymore.

Our forwards don't have an offload. None of them run good lines. They have no ball playing skills.

The less said about our blunt centers the better.

One hooker tries hard and is decent at best with no play making skills and the other only knows how to run or make terrible decisions on last tackle and provides terrible service.

On defense, we never dominate the ruck. We give away offloads all the time and every opposition player makes another three or four meters after contact.

As much as I am a fan of Brown, this must be on his shoulders?
 

Still Nutty

Juniors
Messages
867
Are we the least skilful team in the league?

Our forwards don't have an offload. None of them run good lines. They have no ball playing skills.

To be fair, Fitz has really added that string to his bow over the past 12 months....but I take your point and generally agree with your summation.

The only thing I can say is that we are clearly a different team with Pearce on the paddock - so I think we are genuinely missing a key leader/organiser as the most significant hole in our squad at present. Our capacity to minimise errors, be more desperate, have more shape and structure with him on the field means there is a capacity to be much better than we are but that pivotal controlling leaders voice (with a very good skill set - kicking, defence, etc.) has seen everything else that was fragile but serviceable with him, now falls completely to pieces without him there.

Few clubs have that dominant player and some can manage OK when they aren't around but keeping him on the paddock is instrumental for this team to be remotely competitive.
 

Bring it home Knights

First Grade
Messages
7,572
To be fair, Fitz has really added that string to his bow over the past 12 months....but I take your point and generally agree with your summation.

The only thing I can say is that we are clearly a different team with Pearce on the paddock - so I think we are genuinely missing a key leader/organiser as the most significant hole in our squad at present. Our capacity to minimise errors, be more desperate, have more shape and structure with him on the field means there is a capacity to be much better than we are but that pivotal controlling leaders voice (with a very good skill set - kicking, defence, etc.) has seen everything else that was fragile but serviceable with him, now falls completely to pieces without him there.

Few clubs have that dominant player and some can manage OK when they aren't around but keeping him on the paddock is instrumental for this team to be remotely competitive.

I had a very similar conversation with a friend yesterday. I was telling him that a Knights team without Pearce correlates pretty accurately to a team without Johns. Both were similar players as far as being quality defenders who revved up the defense around them. The also created structure in both attack and D and added polish to the end of each set.

When Johns wasn't there, our defense dropped off by 20% and our attack was really clunky and unorganised. Our forwards also struggled to make metres without Johns there. I feel that whilst Griffin is a strong defender, he lacks creativity to help make up for the loss of Pearce. Watson appears to be a good runner of the ball and offers a good short ball when given quality service. Without Pearce there he isn't getting the service he needs.

I was also telling my mate that Cogger isn't going to be the savior to his team the Bulldogs next year. He can barely make any metres with the kick and the play often breaks down when he gets it as he appears rushed.

I'm very curious as to how the team would have gone over the last few weeks if Pearce had been leading them around.
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,245
As good as Pearce is, surely the passing skills need to improve on the whole... The number of passes going behind our players on every play is shocking. We lose a bunch of momentum and slows the attack down. Not to mention that pass by Ross yesterday.
 

Spot On

Coach
Messages
13,897
Definitely more competitive BIHK but we are blind if we cant see the issue that needs addressing the most.

Defence, defence and more defence.

Then some forwards that want to mix it with the opposition. Someone who isn't going to be happy Ponga is getting his head taken off instead of standing around watching it and doing absolutely nothing afterwards.

Starting to wonder if a few of them are resenting Ponga??? Sure aren't doing anything to protect the kid.
 

Frederick

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
27,533
Definitely more competitive BIHK but we are blind if we cant see the issue that needs addressing the most.

Defence, defence and more defence.

Then some forwards that want to mix it with the opposition. Someone who isn't going to be happy Ponga is getting his head taken off instead of standing around watching it and doing absolutely nothing afterwards.

Starting to wonder if a few of them are resenting Ponga??? Sure aren't doing anything to protect the kid.
Anyone who resents ponga can get the f**k out
 

Swarzey

Bench
Messages
4,165
Starting to wonder if a few of them are resenting Ponga??? Sure aren't doing anything to protect the kid.

I wouldn't hope so. They've played the sport for over a decade, 2 even (well except for Ponga himself which is f**king crazy) to know what it's a team effort. I get that maybe someone of them feel overshadowed in the media given - as much as I don't want to give some of them credit - they toughed it out during some tough years, but that shouldn't be something to resent Ponga for.
 

Spot On

Coach
Messages
13,897
Most probably just a sign of how soft we are that no one jumped in to at least show they weren't happy with that hit.

I strongly believe every other club would have had a half dozen race over for what's become the shirt grab, arm hold, push/shove, war of words.

Maybe it wasn't that bad.

Edit - just watched it a few times. Filthy a few didn't rush in.
 
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Old dog

Juniors
Messages
2,449
Most probably just a sign of how soft we are that no one jumped in to at least show they weren't happy with that hit.

I strongly believe every other club would have had a half dozen race over for what's become the shirt grab, arm hold, push/shove, war of words.

Maybe it wasn't that bad.
Not condoning violence but Ponga got hit hard twice, suspect hits, HIA but would have expected some reaction from teammates, anger, would also have drawn referees attention to hits, did nothing to display team unity, one for all etc.
 

Woosh

Head Moderator
Messages
1,030
Most probably just a sign of how soft we are that no one jumped in to at least show they weren't happy with that hit.

I strongly believe every other club would have had a half dozen race over for what's become the shirt grab, arm hold, push/shove, war of words.

Maybe it wasn't that bad.

Edit - just watched it a few times. Filthy a few didn't rush in.

It gets back to the coaching.
A bunch of soft merkins much like our defensive line and soft hit ups.
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,245
It gets back to the coaching.
A bunch of soft merkins much like our defensive line and soft hit ups.

I don't see how coaching would really affect natural aggressiveness in someone's personality. Hopefully we sign some hard men soon.
 

TooheysNew

Coach
Messages
1,047
It gets back to the coaching.
A bunch of soft merkins much like our defensive line and soft hit ups.
You really pick a target and just keeping hammering it dont you.

You cannot coach agression into someone who doesnt naturally have it. Same as you cant coach raw speed.
 

Woosh

Head Moderator
Messages
1,030
You really pick a target and just keeping hammering it dont you.

You cannot coach agression into someone who doesnt naturally have it. Same as you cant coach raw speed.

Agressive defensive line, tell the players to run harder, stick up for your teammates etc all gets back to the coach.
I don’t think Brown is a good motivator at all.
What happened to Ponga on the weekend is a disgrace.
 

TooheysNew

Coach
Messages
1,047
Agressive defensive line, tell the players to run harder, stick up for your teammates etc all gets back to the coach.
I don’t think Brown is a good motivator at all.
What happened to Ponga on the weekend is a disgrace.
A fast defensive line or run harder is a gulf away from "run in and belt someone". Two of those are core parts of the game. The other is a personal trait.
 

Woosh

Head Moderator
Messages
1,030
A fast defensive line or run harder is a gulf away from "run in and belt someone". Two of those are core parts of the game. The other is a personal trait.

Run in and belt someone?
More like sticking up for your teammates.
There is no passion in our side.
I see more passion on xhamster
 

Bring it home Knights

First Grade
Messages
7,572
Woosh...

You started off bagging the coach for the soft defensive line and soft hit ups.

Then Coby replied that you can't coach aggression into someone who doesn't naturally have it.

Then you slightly backpedaled and said - coach the players to run harder stick up for their mates and have a stronger defensive line.

Then Coby correctly said that running harder and a fast defensive line is very different from natural aggression.

Then you moved onto just focusing on sticking up for your teammate. Why not argue all three of your original premises if you are right, rather then backpedaling to just one?

I'm a school teacher and I was talking to a kid the other day about his behaviour. The kids got personal stuff going on and doesn't have a good opinion of himself atm. As a result, he fixates on a couple of other kids and bags them out and tries to make them feel bad about themselves at every opportunity. It's interesting how I experience that at work and quite possibly also here on this forum.
 

TooheysNew

Coach
Messages
1,047
I'm absolutely not arguing that we have enough aggression in our team. We don't. Not even close. I'd love to have a big, scary, aggressive forward or two, who will grab the opposition by the throats if they dare touch the kids. But I don't think that's something you can coach into a player.

I made no comment on passion. No comment on sticking up for your team mate. I simply said that you cannot coach that aggression into a player. They either have it or they don't.
 

Spot On

Coach
Messages
13,897
I dont want to get into the above stuff and I know the punch is gone - done and dusted - so now aggression and physical dominance must be shown in other ways ALL the time to compete against sides with that same mindset.

We do not have that mindset. We can't dominate with our defence - at all.

For a team with our ability I see it as the one thing we could bring every week to get into a game and at least compete at that.

But we just don't do it. We don't even rip in off our line.

What is wrong with the joint?
 
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