Daz, thanks for your assessment. I ask, have you ever been involved in team sport in any capacity? I ask this because the way a team plays is inbuilt, it won't change dramatically whether Kelly is named on the wing or Tongue goes to hooker. These guys train from November nowadays, to Mad Monday. The patterns and system is the same and you work with whoever is in that top 25 players tweaking it as necessary but sticking to the same fundamentals.
For example, the Raiders and Dragons are always going to play a forwards orientated game. It is a territory heavy plan, where big blokes up the middle, high completions and minimal risk is the key. The Tigers however are the opposite and so are the Titans and Roosters who are happy to shift it sideline to sideline. It is just the way the squad is taught to play. The Tigers trouble us because they move the ball and stay out the middle 3rd, the Dragons not so much because we do what they do better than they can on most occasions. The point is, teams work to a system and don't stray much from it in an season.
The Raiders haven't changed. Please go and find the report from the SMH after the Raiders trial v Dogs at Dubbo and listen to what Dave Furner tells them before and during the game. It is interesting reading. However it is exactly what we do now.
The biggest difference in the 2nd half of the season as i've said is that the players have matured and now execute the plan better. Shillo and TLL came back from origin better players and now bash every other team in the first 20, Tilse and Logan back it up so our big prop rotation is the key. Territory. However from round 1 that was our plan, not sideline to sideline. Then Waddell got better from dummy half and assisted the go forward and territory. Still no fundamental change to the plan. McCrone revealed after the Brookvale game that he started overuling Campo after his spell at Souths Logan and he has gained confidence in that ever since, plus improved his game too. No fundamental change to what DF wants, just a better result from his 7 and why he dropped him. And so it goes on.
The Raiders game plan is pretty simple guys and works to the teams and the coachs strength, bash the opposition up the middle and win the territory. Once you start to do that, the opposition realises they are going backwards and not getting field position so they shift players to that middle 3rd to stop it. Then there are opportunities out wider and more space for Campo, Croker, Dugan, Joel Thompson to work in. The game has been going for over 100 years but the fundamentals are the same, win that middle battle with territory and the rest follows. Nothing more or less.
Sorry, none of my comments are aimed at you.
