R2 // Knights 20-26 Raiders @ Hunter // Sun 6.30pm

[slotmachine]

Players, yeah, need a shake up there, but so do the tactics. Is boring teams to death ever going to work for us?

Edit. haha, read my mind k-man.

 

[Burns]

Does Minto's performance make anyone else reluctant to rush up Mamo ?

 

[aqua_duck]

Rochow is a good bloke to have in your 17 but I wouldn't want him as a starting second-rower.

One player I would look at who is on the scrapheap and looking to move is Ben Murdoch-Masila. I genuinely think we could get him for a dirt-low price and I think he could add something we are missing if he gets his head screwed on. He has a bit of Fifita about him for mine.

Failing that, I'm pretty sick of waiting for Korbin Sims to get his shot.

Yep I'd definitely be keen on BMM, at the very least he offers something abit different, hopefully Joseph Tapine can get back on the field soon as well. We need an edge forward with abit of footwork, an offload and abit of ball playing ability would be nice

 

[Swarzey]

Hopefully Clydsdale will play next week. Gids needs to be dropped, offers absolutely nothing in attack and little in defence. Despite Waddell's service being slow as hell, I don't shit myself that he's going to throw it forward as often as Gidley did tonight. Furthermore, Gidley was incredibly slow to get back far too often in defence.

On another note, Uate is still far from what we want but he was much better than he was last week. The deadshit moment with Lee was probably the only thing that bothered me, but he was rather safe when they kicked to him, even when he had three/four blokes jumping for the ball at the same time.

 

[aqua_duck]

Does Minto's performance make anyone else reluctant to rush up Mamo ?

Nope, Minto was solid but Mamo has that x factor

 

[Dave_]

Does Minto's performance make anyone else reluctant to rush up Mamo ?

Makes me keener to get Mamo in. I didn't like Minto's game tonight and if we're without Boyd for a few more weeks we need to try someone with some spark. Minto just looked off the pace and a little bit out of his league for mine, out of position or not.

 

[slotmachine]

Poor Gagai and BJ.

They might see some early ball in round 7 or something.

It's criminal using them (gagai in particular) on yardage plays out of our own end.

 

[Apey]

Worst things I noticed at the ground

- We can't wrap the ball up whatsoever. No wonder we concede the most offloads. So easy to create breaks against us when we have 3 people in the tackle and the opposition still offloads.
- Waddle/Gidley... dear God. Lucky not to get pinged for more forward passes, and Waddle is so laughably slow at ball distribution. In their defence, a few occasions I saw absolutely nobody willing to run onto the ball.
- Got absolutely caned with the penalties. Had to laugh when we got 2 in the same set when they were barely deserved. Refs dead-set just make it up as they go sometimes.
- We failed hard at spreading the ball. A lot of one-up rubbish and when we did spread it we looked hopeless anyway, I imagine this is partly due to missing Mullen/Boyd, and partly to do with... Waddle/Gidley.
- When it came to Milford a few of our players seemed to think they were in the grandstand spectating instead of defending...

 

[Dave_]

Poor Gagai and BJ.

They might see some early ball in round 7 or something.

It's criminal using them (gagai in particular) on yardage plays out of our own end.

Hate to say it but imagine if they played in a side with Thurston and Cronk. Absolute carve ups everywhere.

 

[meercat]

How many times did we try chipping to/bombing the 196cm or so ex-basketballer, valid tactic that...
Really though, we need Mullen and Boyd back ASAP and Clydesdale to start getting game time, our attack looked slow and pedestrian but its only early days yet, wouldn't go off the deep end saying season over yet, only takes a run and we're suddenly contending again.

 

[aqua_duck]

Don't need Thurston or Cronk, Milford carved us up just fine

 

[TooheysNew]

There were at least two occasions gids was at dummy half, and every single forward was just standing there, which forced him to run from dummy half. Not his fault, and absolutely killed momentum.

 

[Dave_]

Don't need Thurston or Cronk, Milford carved us up just fine

So true. Although I didn't really make myself clear, I actually meant imagine if BJ and Gags played in a side with Thurston and Cronk as the halves. They'd have field day.

 

[Swarzey]

Quite simply: Mullen provides the organisation that neither Tyrone or Dobson can do.

The difference will be incredible when he returns.

 

[Apey]

It just seems we are a dumb football team. Things like everyone looking clueless under the high ball, every second pass from DH is flat or forward to a marked man, and we rush up to bash em up in 3/4 on 1 tackles yet no one wraps an arm around the ball carries arm to stop offloads.

Just the small 1 percenters we don't do that ruins the 75% we do get right. And i mean that has been the case under Bennetts entire reign. Constant niggling issues/problems that really outdo any good the side or an individual does.

But really whoever our spine is made up of at the moment just aren't up to it. Roberts is good, but Gidley, Dobson and Minto are just rubbish.

Without Boyd and Mullen the side is incredibly boring, flat and unorganised. The hooking role will crippled our entire season.

Agree with pretty much all of this, as I said in my last post.

Last season with Buderus; 10 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses
Without; 3 wins, 9 losses.

Didn't we play 27 games last year? I think you're missing one.

Anyway I didn't know the record was that good. We really do miss him already.

 

[K-Man]

I'm going off early but it has to be this next week (key changes in bold):

Mamo
Uate
Gagai
Leilua
McManus
Minto
Roberts
Smith
Rochow
Scott
Fa'alogo
Clydesdale
Snowden

Gidley
Sims
Mason
Cuthbertson

 

[Johns Magic]

Quite simply: Mullen provides the organisation that neither Tyrone or Dobson can do.

The difference will be incredible when he returns.

I think it's his steel that Dobson can't make up for more than organisation.

The organisation has just as much to do with the hooker and fullback we have as it does Dobson...I didn't think he was so bad in that department.

 

[Dave_]

What worries me is Mullen has kind of become another Joey to our team. I loved the Joey era but I absolutely hated how if he didn't play, we didn't win. Can Bedsy please just run out for us this weekend? I am fearing a terrible hiding for us v storm.

Maybe we can bore them out of the contest.

 

[slotmachine]

Agree with pretty much all of this, as I said in my last post.



Didn't we play 27 games last year? I think you're missing one.

Anyway I didn't know the record was that good. We really do miss him already.

Right you are!

4 wins, 9 losses without Buderus.

 

[Dave_]

I'm going off early but it has to be this next week (key changes in bold):

Mamo
Uate
Gagai
Leilua
McManus
Minto
Roberts
Smith
Rochow
Scott
Fa'alogo
Clydesdale
Snowden

Gidley
Sims
Mason
Cuthbertson

I like this. Not too sure on Minto but I totally agree with the rest. It would be a harsh initiation for Mamo but it'd let us know where he's at and what he's made of real quick.