Dragons 09
Juniors
- Messages
- 1,760
I agree, it is BOTH player and coaches responsibility, but your argument seems to want to place it squarely on the shoulders of the players. I just don’t buy that.
If you are right however, I won't be near as frustrated now when we take 3 x one out charges into the middle and get smashed in gang tackles resulting in slow play the balls (the odd second man play wouldn't go astray but hey, I won't dare question Mary's game plan or tactics)
Next ball to Frizz so he can run that angle back into the middle again and get smashed (how about the odd change of angle and run at a midget half or 5/8th for a change but hey, I won't dare question Mary's game plan or tactics)
Then go for the good old block play to the left or one of our halves crabs across field and calls an outside runner back in under him inclusive of hand waving directions just so the defence knows what we are doing (how about straightening up and attacking the line to open up more options with centres or fullback on the outside or edge back rowers or fullback back on the inside but hey, I won't dare question Mary's game plan or tactics).
And finally we follow with a kick straight down the throat of the opponent’s fullback just so we can fully implement what we practiced all week at training.
Energy is a two way street mate, physical energy is achieved through fitness and freshness and sometimes by new opportunities, whereas mental energy is achieved through reward for effort. You can be fresh as a daisy, but if you keep doing the same shit and keep achieving the same lack of positive result, mentally you start to question what in the f**k you are doing and that energy rapidly deminishes. If it isn’t working it isn’t working, but to be expected to keep doing it because that is the "game plan" is just dumb.
All good with you having your opinion, I respect that, honestly I do, but for me, our coach has never shown an ability to adapt to circumstance on a strategic level. Whether that be in those mini moments in games where a tactical shift is required because the opposition has our measure and is getting over the top of us, with bench selection and/or rotation or in the bigger picture with regards appropriate game plan and with regards team selections. Yes, sometimes it works for him and that's great, but when it's not working it is almost always a flash of individual brilliance or our play makers going outside of the script that has got us the points, not a piece of tactical adaptation genius from our coach.
I know many of us on here jest about the lack of ‘Plan B” from time to time, but, for me, it’s not a joke. You can put that down to ‘lack of player energy” and suggesting our players aren’t having a go if you like, but I don’t. I can't cop Mary, never have been able to and never will, so perhaps my thoughts are bias, but anyone who doesn't see him as being at the very least, equally responsible for poor performances is either Mary himself, his wife or just plain clueless.
