Match Discussion: Round 8 vs North Qld @ Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville / Wulgurukaba

[Jono078]

I just watched the replay of the last play and if we spread it left either Fitzy or Best would have got the winner, I'm sure of it.

f**k! So frustrating.

We've been in every game this year and it's not even crazy to say we COULD be undefeated.

Big game against Parra next week who will be in a similar state to the Cowboys where they need to win to keep in touch with the 8 - and now we're in that position too.

I suppose let's look at the positives.. Everyone seemed to have got through the game ok. AOB can learn some lessons on bench usage..

 

[Seage]

Second week in a row we're wondering how you botch games you should have in the bag.

 

[Woody90]

Definitely didn’t deserve to win that. Probably our worst game all year. Way too many dumb errors and not taking advantage at the end.
I don’t know what the answer is to our hooking issues, but it’s definitely not Crossland.
Very frustrating that we lost again by such a small margin - goal kicking again an issue.

 

[Jono078]

I don't care how well he can tackle, his service all game was absolutely dreadful - and it was all summed up in the last set where not a single clean pass came from his hands - except the one to a marked prop on the last tackle in the last set of the game while 2 points down. That was the stupidest thing I can remember a dummy half doing. That was Paul Carige: Hooker Edition.

Mann is a much better #9 than Crossland.

1 Miller
6 Ponga
7 Hastings
9 Mann
13 Gamble

There's so many options there to take pressure off Ponga and Hastings as well.

 

[perverse]

Definitely didn’t deserve to win that. Probably our worst game all year. Way too many dumb errors.
I don’t know what the answer is to our hooking issues, but it’s definitely not Crossland.

A lot of the bad that is happening is starting there. None of our runners get to run onto the ball. It costs us a few metres every single run.

It's no coincidence that we've looked a lot worse since Braileys injury.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Last week's loss I was proud of the boys.. This week I'm just annoyed. Spread it wide on that last play and we win the game ffs

 

[Jono078]

IF we believe we can do anything this year, we need to seek a genuine number 9.

But next week Mann has to be #9 for mine. He can defend in the middle. Has a bigger tank than Phoenix. Has better scooting ability or at least will attempt it and make the defense be weary he'll take it. Also allows us to have Gamble as the link man in the middle which he's been great at so far this year.

 

[PhilGould]

Don't think the Gamble at 13 experiment started as well as we would've like either. Not sure what the answer is.

 

[Yosh]

Again, I don't want to bag our players and Crossland has been decent this season but we won't get into the top 8 with Crossland at hooker week in week out.

His defense in the middle is good but service from dummy half is vomit worthy. Our players get the ball half a metre behind instead of half a metre in front so they can run into the ball with momentum and hit the line hard for a quick play the ball. Also, our kickers get the ball so slowly they can't get the kick off before pressure is all over them.

 

[Walk On Home Boy]

Second week in a row we're wondering how you botch games you should have in the bag.

Those are the ones that come back to bite in September...

 

[slotmachine]

Don't think the Gamble at 13 experiment started as well as we would've like either. Not sure what the answer is.

Probably only have one "utility" in the side, not heaps.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

We never win those games. Even if the scores were the other way around and Cows had the ball with a minute or so to go in our red zone, they score and win 100%

 

[Yosh]

Mann probably better than Crossland in the 9 but Mann has been great off the bench playing that running role in the middle... We need to sign a proper hooker.

 

[Seage]

Probably only have one "utility" in the side, not heaps.

Yeah hard to see how a team that contains Mann, Crossland, Gamble in the same 17 is meant to work.

 

[Woody90]

Second week in a row we're wondering how you botch games you should have in the bag.

I guess in a way it’s a positive that this year we’re frustrated about coming so close and botching it rather than being blown off the park…it’s still very frustrating though.
For all of the improvement we still have a long way to go.

I didn’t have a good feeling about this game from the onset. We looked flat and fatigued following the Penrith game.

One positive is Ponga got through the game. We needed him to get his hands on the ball more but I’m not sure if that was more his fault or a team plan to deliberately play away from him to ease him back in slowly (short-term pain for hopefully long-term gain). I can see us having some teething problems bringing him into the attack, but I’m hopeful they’ll get there with more time.

Overall very frustrating game. More frustrating that is was there to be won. Looked flat from the get go and they definitely outmuscled us in the forwards.

The shine is definitely starting to wear off a bit with Miller. I still love his energy but we’re going to need to seriously start looking at whether that outweighs the errors. He was nowhere near our biggest issue though, which is definitely hooker. Like others have mentioned we definitely need to go on the market for a hooker. It’s not even about this season…as much as I like Brailey we can’t bank on him being our main dummy half every year, he just can’t stay on the field.

Also isn’t Joey on our coaching staff? Surely someone on the team could be taught to goal kick even adequately?

Somewhere in us there is a good football team, but still a whole heap of issues we need to work through.

 

[Zoidberg]

Much harder to take than last weeks loss.
My blood is still boiling right now…games been over for 20mins.

 

[Jono078]

Much harder to take than last weeks loss.
My blood is still boiling right now…games been over for 20mins.

I feel the same.

To lose on a forward pass as well, to a team that didn't really play any better than us.. A team that had 50 missed tackles.. We owned possession 52:48.

Ultra frustrating.

 

[Allstar Knights]

Anyone else notice Mann looked quite ineffective starting at lock, but in his second stint he started making inroads through the middle against tired forwards. If he's not starting at hooker next week he should be on the bench.

 

[Old dog]

Use of bench was poor, Crosslands worst time was last few minutes, exhausted, done, goal kicking poor. Gamble is 6 or not in 17,;can’t have Mann, Crossland and Gamble all in 17 one has to go. Ponga will be better for run.
1 is Miller or Ponga, 6 is Gamble or Ponga, 7 is Hastings, 9 is Crosslands or Mann, 14 is Mann or Crosslands. Bottom line, all fit, Miller or Gamble are out which is tough because both offer as much or more than Mann or Crosslands.
Put Croker at 13 until Elliott is fit and ready and use Hetherington more or bring in someone who will play longer minutes, surely Dan, JSaf, Thompson, Croker and Hetherington can cover middle forwards for the whole game

 

[Apey]

Sorry I changed my tip last night to tip us for the first time this year. Should have stuck with my gut.