Panthers had the easiest draw this year.

[CCJohnC]

Until every team plays each other twice there will never be a fair draw and this will never happen.

 

[betcats]

This is true.

Easiest draw in the comp prior to round 1. And upon reflection at the end of the season nothing has changed.

It can and will be used as evidence that our team has seriously under performed so far in 2017.

This.

Easy draws will come and go, the fact that we have failed to capitalise of this easy draw and we've recommitted to a dud coach off the back of it is the concerning part, I don't give a stuff if the draw isn't even.

 

[Pomoz]

This.

Easy draws will come and go, the fact that we have failed to capitalise of this easy draw and we've recommitted to a dud coach off the back of it is the concerning part, I don't give a stuff if the draw isn't even.

We failed to capitalise by making the semis? 2 for 2.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Can only play who you are told.

If I am correct, the draw is loosely based on where you finish last year??

Have a look at the final positions last year.

Roosters, Manly, Dragons, Eels all finish near the bottom of the ladder, yet this year all finish towards the top (Dragons falling away). This would negate any attempt to get a fair draw. We were just one of the lucky ones.

Yes it is based on where you finish the year before.
Everyone plays everyone once then Clubs go into groups of 4 pools to sort out the rest.

This year we play fellow top 4 teams Cowboys and Raiders twice but Melbourne and Sharks once.

The remaining top 8 teams of last year. Bulldogs twice, Titans, Broncos. once.

The other end of the ladder the bottom 4 were Newcastle and Roosters, Eels and Manly.
So we played Newcastle & Manly twice and Eels and Roosters once.

There are a few tweaks the NRL does to maximize $$ like making sure all the Qld clubs play each other twice. So irregularities will happen with the draw.

 

[billypilgrimnz]

There are a few tweaks the NRL does to maximize $$ like making sure all the Qld clubs play each other twice. So irregularities will happen with the draw.

But apparently Eels vs. Panthers doesn't warrant two games.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

But apparently Eels vs. Panthers doesn't warrant two games.

It should have.

 

[betcats]

We failed to capitalise by making the semis? 2 for 2.

We finished 7th on points differential, we scraped in with the easiest draw. If we don't lose to the bunnies twice we are playing a busted cowboys at anz instead of a team that just flogged us.

Out of the entire top 8 we only had to play the two worst placed sides(besides us) twice, Manly and Cowboys. All the good sides we only had to play once and we got to play the entire bottom 8 twice except the titans. It worked out to be as soft a draw as we can ever hope for. Scraping into the finals is not capitalising. A top five finish would be capitalising. That winning percentage you love to trumpet isn't that impressive with a bit of context is it? Switch one game against Newcastle to a game against the storm this season and we miss the 8 and Hook would still have a great winning percentage.

 

[Pomoz]

We finished 7th on points differential, we scraped in with the easiest draw. If we don't lose to the bunnies twice we are playing a busted cowboys at anz instead of a team that just flogged us.

Out of the entire top 8 we only had to play the two worst placed sides(besides us) twice, Manly and Cowboys. All the good sides we only had to play once and we got to play the entire bottom 8 twice except the titans. It worked out to be as soft a draw as we can ever hope for. Scraping into the finals is not capitalising. A top five finish would be capitalising. That winning percentage you love to trumpet isn't that impressive with a bit of context is it? Switch one game against Newcastle to a game against the storm this season and we miss the 8 and Hook would still have a great winning percentage.

Yeah and all that with the youngest halves in the NRL. Context is great isn't it. It would be nice if we had Cronk, or Maloney, or DCE, or Norman, or Morgan, or, Milford, or Pearce. Instead we have a 19 year old Cleary and debutant May. I would even be nice to have some experience in Moylan, but he has been crocked all season, so it turns out. So here we are with debutant May, our fourth 5/8th this year and maybe our third fullback.

Lets ignore all that, because apparently we are rubbish. Or maybe, after a tough season for our young team, we are building nicely for the future and win, lose or draw it will be good experience for our young halves.

 

[OldPanther]

Yeah and all that with the youngest halves in the NRL. Context is great isn't it. It would be nice if we had Cronk, or Maloney, or DCE, or Norman, or Morgan, or, Milford, or Pearce. Instead we have a 19 year old Cleary and debutant May. I would even be nice to have some experience in Moylan, but he has been crocked all season, so it turns out. So here we are with debutant May, our fourth 5/8th this year and maybe our third fullback.

Lets ignore all that, because apparently we are rubbish. Or maybe, after a tough season for our young team, we are building nicely for the future and win, lose or draw it will be good experience for our young halves.

Which is why I think Griffin should get next year before they did the damn extension. Too late now to see if he could do something with a more experienced and stable roster.

 

[betcats]

Yeah and all that with the youngest halves in the NRL. Context is great isn't it. It would be nice if we had Cronk, or Maloney, or DCE, or Norman, or Morgan, or, Milford, or Pearce. Instead we have a 19 year old Cleary and debutant May. I would even be nice to have some experience in Moylan, but he has been crocked all season, so it turns out. So here we are with debutant May, our fourth 5/8th this year and maybe our third fullback.

Lets ignore all that, because apparently we are rubbish. Or maybe, after a tough season for our young team, we are building nicely for the future and win, lose or draw it will be good experience for our young halves.

We aren't building, we are going backwards. We finished 6th last year with a young makeshift halves pairing and far more disruption to the squad and probably a tougher draw.

All the coaches indecision and unforced changes to the squad have hurt us as much as the other uncontrollable stuff going on.

Whare on the wing for round 1 is the perfect example. We pick him there coming off a long term injury and he sucks so we then shuffle the backline around for numerous weeks including waqa from right centre to left wing, peachey to the bench, hiku on the bench etc all to fit Whare into his preferred right centre before we finally try the centre pairing(after whare got hurt I believe) that finished last season in shit hot form and realise they are our best options. This kind of indecision and willingness to just keep changing things is not going to get it done. All of our edge combinations suffered for those changes. He had an entire off season including trials to settle on the outside backs and yet we didn't work it out until half way through the year, that's woeful. Even when he does find something that works well like RCG off the bench he will still change it for no good reason.

 

[OldPanther]

We aren't building, we are going backwards. We finished 6th last year with a young makeshift halves pairing and far more disruption to the squad and probably a tougher draw.

All the coaches indecision and unforced changes to the squad have hurt us as much as the other uncontrollable stuff going on.

Whare on the wing for round 1 is the perfect example. We pick him there coming off a long term injury and he sucks so we then shuffle the backline around for numerous weeks including waqa from right centre to left wing, peachey to the bench, hiku on the bench etc all to fit Whare into his preferred right centre before we finally try the centre pairing(after whare got hurt I believe) that finished last season in shit hot form and realise they are our best options. This kind of indecision and willingness to just keep changing things is not going to get it done. All of our edge combinations suffered for those changes. He had an entire off season including trials to settle on the outside backs and yet we didn't work it out until half way through the year, that's woeful. Even when he does find something that works well like RCG off the bench he will still change it for no good reason.

I can understand wanting Whare to work but changing RCG after finding his best was just dumb football.

 

[betcats]

I can understand wanting Whare to work but changing RCG after finding his best was just dumb football.

I just think we could of let Whare come back via NSW cup, he missed almost two years, it wouldn't be disrespectful to have play reserve grade. He hasn't played on the wing since his Manly days, after two years out injured playing on the wing was always going to be difficult for him, I just don't see why we tried it for just one week.

 

[MrBlack]

From the 2016 ladder standings we played twice this year teams that finished

2 4 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 16

A pretty even spread.

What makes 2017 seem easy is that 2016 positions 14 and 15 both finished top 4 this year (Eels and Roosters) and we only played them once

 

[billypilgrimnz]

From the 2016 ladder standings we played twice this year teams that finished

2 4 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 16

A pretty even spread.

What makes 2017 seem easy is that 2016 positions 14 and 15 both finished top 4 this year (Eels and Roosters) and we only played them once

No one is arguing that someone purposefully gave us the easiest draw - it has just worked out that way. The misbalance happens every year because you can't predict which teams will drastically improve or recede. We just got lucky, just as other teams have in the past.

 

[betcats]

From the 2016 ladder standings we played twice this year teams that finished

2 4 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 16

A pretty even spread.

What makes 2017 seem easy is that 2016 positions 14 and 15 both finished top 4 this year (Eels and Roosters) and we only played them once

Its not our fault the draw has worked out this way, no one knew what teams were going to fall off and which ones would be much better. The point is whether we like it or not the draw has worked out to be an easy one, we cant hide from that. What worries me now is that we have had a couple of nice draws in recent years, given the nature of the draw there is every chance we get a few tough ones now.

 

[Fangs]

I can understand wanting Whare to work but changing RCG after finding his best was just dumb football.

Hindsight is 20/20. We were up against Big Jake who is close to the best prop in the game right now. Add in Tapau as well. I think Hook wanted Merrin and RCG out there in the opening stages to win the battle.

I expect he will start them again this week as well.

 

[betcats]

Hindsight is 20/20. We were up against Big Jake who is close to the best prop in the game right now. Add in Tapau as well. I think Hook wanted Merrin and RCG out there in the opening stages to win the battle.

I expect he will start them again this week as well.

Hindsight? we knew he had gone to another level coming off the bench in terms of production and impact. Also we played the cowboys and raiders and the dragons recently all have big forward packs and gun middle forwards, I don't think Manlys pack is that much better than those others that we would have to change up the rotation from what had been working brilliantly. Jason Taumolololo, Junior Paulo, Paul Vaughan these guys are all beasts If you need to start RCG to go against Jake Turbo you would think it would be true for the other players I mentioned.

Either way, It doesn't matter whos starting for the opposition, RCG plays much better off the bench atm, our forward pack is much better off overall with RCG coming off the bench, Griffin had worked that out already.

It would be very Griffin like to start him again this week after it didn't work at all last week against the exact same team.

 

[OldPanther]

Hindsight? we knew he had gone to another level coming off the bench in terms of production and impact. Also we played the cowboys and raiders and the dragons recently all have big forward packs and gun middle forwards, I don't think Manlys pack is that much better than those others that we would have to change up the rotation from what had been working brilliantly. Jason Taumolololo, Junior Paulo, Paul Vaughan these guys are all beasts If you need to start RCG to go against Jake Turbo you would think it would be true for the other players I mentioned.

Either way, It doesn't matter whos starting for the opposition, RCG plays much better off the bench atm, our forward pack is much better off overall with RCG coming off the bench, Griffin had worked that out already.

It would be very Griffin like to start him again this week after it didn't work at all last week against the exact same team.

Literally what I was going to say. Between the Dragons, Raiders and Cowboys you have top 5 forward packs.

 

[franklin2323]

Yes it is based on where you finish the year before.
Everyone plays everyone once then Clubs go into groups of 4 pools to sort out the rest.

This year we play fellow top 4 teams Cowboys and Raiders twice but Melbourne and Sharks once.

The remaining top 8 teams of last year. Bulldogs twice, Titans, Broncos. once.

The other end of the ladder the bottom 4 were Newcastle and Roosters, Eels and Manly.
So we played Newcastle & Manly twice and Eels and Roosters once.

There are a few tweaks the NRL does to maximize $$ like making sure all the Qld clubs play each other twice. So irregularities will happen with the draw.

spot on. So this draw was done having Bulldogs as a top 8 team. Canberra as Prelim Finalists. It became an easy draw but had 10 of the 24 games v Semi finalist from the year before. Far from easy at the time

 

[TheFrog]

spot on. So this draw was done having Bulldogs as a top 8 team. Canberra as Prelim Finalists. It became an easy draw but had 10 of the 24 games v Semi finalist from the year before. Far from easy at the time

...and Roosters 15th, but we only got them once as well.

Don't worry, we'll get a hard draw and completely miss the finals next year and everyone will be happy, as sure as night follows day.