Sharks (Round 20)

[rabbitohs95]

Well cook came on and almost made the game even. Our poor last tackle options is what screwed us in the end. We need two attacking threats not just Reynolds.

Which I firmly believe why we need Cody back in the halves to give us another option but in saying that Sutton wasn't bad tonight but he essentially played like a second rower/lock.

This GI injury is really screwing us up and I hope that the club looks to sign a few depth outside backs that are NRL quality for next season. Looking awfully skinny there.

 

[Itsamansgame]

Both our hookers Suck!

Farah 7 missed tackles,most in the game
0 tackle breaks 0 off loads

Cook 3 missed tackles,2 errors
1 tackle break 3 off loads

Farah 59 minutes
Cook 34

 

[Itsamansgame]

I'm kind of worried he's going to want to be in a side with a premiership chance..

To true,god I hope we're wrong!

 

[foreverinourshadow]

I said souths would lose by 14pts correctamundo r20...Shadow...

 

[Bunnies_Pride]

Both our hookers Suck!

Farah 7 missed tackles,most in the game
0 tackle breaks 0 off loads

Cook 3 missed tackles,2 errors
1 tackle break 3 off loads

Farah 59 minutes
Cook 34

We've let 4 good hookers go in as many years and the 2 we are left with probably wouldn't get a start at many often clubs

 

[foreverinourshadow]

cook is a gun and is not given enough game time dribs and drabs is not enough game time for cook to advance himself and show his unfounded skills to succeed....

 

[souths_reborn]

Tonight's result was a lot like our performance against the Roosters - we matched the Sharks in the wrestle but a lack of execution coupled with some poor last tackle options let us down. This has plagued us all season and is probably the main reason as to why we have struggled to score points. One thing that I have real problem with is how we attempt those stupid kicks right into a crowd of opposition players at point blank range in the hope of forcing an effort. It is such a low percentage play and we have wasted countless scoring opportunities throughout the season as a result. One possible explanation for this is that we lack a genuine half that can pose multiple threats. John Sutton is a steady half but he isn't going to give opposition defences sleepless nights. Similarly, Adam Reynolds has a great kicking game but he is a technically limited half. In short, we need a complete half in the ilk of Maloney or Cronk. I really think Cody Walker needs to be moved back to five-eight but he needs to demand more of the ball because he has a tendency to drift out of games far too much. Even tonight, I can recall Fox Sports saying that at the half time break he had only ran the ball twice!! Sure enough in the second half when he injected himself more we began to look far more threatening. In saying that, I still think we put enough together in attack tonight to win the game. However, as was the case against the Roosters, the turning point in the game came about due to an error at a crucial time from Braidon Burns; if he catches and scores, like he should have, I'd say that we'd go on and win the game. Unfortunately, the Sharks received a seven tackle set and went on to score a flukish try. I'm not a fan of the seven tackle set rule but as it stands you just cannot afford to give them away because they are absolute an murder!

Even though we are 14th on the ladder I don't think we are bad football side. What is letting us down is not the fact that we have bad players. Anyone who thinks there is lack of playing talent in our squad doesn't understand footy. In addition to our last tackle options, our problem is that our team is having individual lapses in concentration, many of which are occurring at crucial stages in games. For example, the Burgess twins may only make 1 knock on a game but it may occur right on the opponents goal line with the game in the balance. In defensive is where these individual errors are really coming to the fore. Cody Walker getting caught out tonight from dummy half for a soft try is a good example and the Taumalolo and Coen Hess tries last week further back this point up. In saying that, I don't want to hear that these deficiencies are due to an attitude problem; its got nothing to do with attitude! I'd say is a concentration and a confidence thing!

In terms of the performances tonight, I thought Sam tried his guts out again and was the impetus for the momentum we gained in the second half. Adam Reynolds looked pretty solid without being spectacular, Angus Crichton continued to impress and Cody Walker came alive in the second half. I also thought the Burgess twins put in a real decent shift tonight and ran with purpose and aggression. Damian Cook also injected pace into the team when he came on and despite an ordinary kick on the last, Robbie Farah proved that he is a crucial play maker in our team. I can't really pin point too many horrendous performances - this underlines my point about our lack of results being a product of individual errors. Our season is over but I really hope we can get a few results because I think we are better than 14th place.

 

[souths_reborn]

I'm kind of worried he's going to want to be in a side with a premiership chance..

The thing is that all the potential premiership winning teams have their rosters pretty much finalised because they have invested much of their salary cap trying to retain the players that have got them that far. Moreover, if you look at a lot of those top 5-6 teams, he'd be facing stiff competition to get a starting back row spot despite being as good as he is. If he stays with us he will be playing first grade regularly.

 

[southsport]

Reynolds kicking game is costing us, after all these years he still can't get repeat sets.

 

[Souths Till I Die]

The thing is that all the potential premiership winning teams have their rosters pretty much finalised because they have invested much of their salary cap trying to retain the players that have got them that far. Moreover, if you look at a lot of those top 5-6 teams, he'd be facing stiff competition to get a starting back row spot despite being as good as he is. If he stays with us he will be playing first grade regularly.

Mate I really do hope you're right...

 

[Travitoh]

Reynolds kicking game is costing us, after all these years he still can't get repeat sets.

Had Burns caught the footy, we'd have gotten 2 tries from AR's boot tonight.
My worry is that we aren't trapping opposition backs in goal like were 2012-15 which is as much to do with our kick chase as it is the kick itself.

 

[callmack1]

A much better performance tonight against a top side, in saying that, it's frustrating. The story of 2017 tbh. We get ourselves in a good position but can't finish it off. That's really frustrating. And it happened a lot tonight, we'd have them pinned in their half and then just give away a stupid penalty. Again, so frustrating. Defence on our line needs some work, a few of the tries we conceded were so soft, just like last week.

There were some positives though. We really clicked and showed what were capable of just after half time. The boy's really fired up and the second phase play flowed after that. We actually looked really good and were testing the sharks. Unfortunately it kind of faded away.

Defence improved too. Even when we were seriously on the back foot we managed to hold on.

Walker: A quiet first half but really stepped up in the second. He was pushing up for offloads and looked very dangerous. When Cody is involved regularly, we are a far better side. This is why we need him at 5/8. A big second half for him.

Johnston: A bit quiet again but didn't get many opportunities to be fair. He didn't do enough work though to help the forwards. It was noted in the commentary during the first half, but all our outside backs, except Goodwin, don't do enough work. Look at the sharks backs and how much of a kick they get out of that. Our backs did step it up in the second stanza but we need more.

Goodwin: Was good. Shut down plenty of their attacking raids and had some great runs. Imo, he's one of our only backs that does a sufficient amount of work like I said before.

Jennings: Not bad. He's improved in defence and his running game was solid, we just need more of it. I sound like a broken record but he just didn't help the forwards enough.

Burns: Scored that good try and almost got another which would've put us in a great position. He seems to be getting more confident which is a good sign. His effort when Cronulla got that last try was a little disappointing though.

Sutto: Okay. Running game was really strong tonight. His try was just sheer strength. He did make some opportunities but not enough. His last tackle plays were poor too and put other players under huge pressure. Sutto at 5/8 needs to stop now as he's just not doing it for us.

Reynolds: Again, was okay. Set up our first try and put a few players in holes a few times but his kicking game overall was a bit off and he didn't build pressure at all. Defence on the line was really poor tonight. We new Reyno fireing so badly as we look much better when he's on song.

T.Burgess: Finally, I get to say he was good! Big metres and plenty of runs. He carried defenders with him and most importantly, no errors. Just what we need from him. Keep it up Tom!

Farah: Was great. He really controlled our sets nicely. He was constantly probing out of dummy half and caught the markers out many times.

Tyrrell: Quiet. I think tonight just proves that Dave isn't up to it anymore unfortunately. He had some good runs but didn't really offer anything. Didn't come back on after his first stint either.

Fuimaono: Was good. Picked up his workload in both attack an defence which is what I like to see. He seems to be more comfortable now which is good. He has great aggression and power, if Cody went back to 5/8, we could have Fui hitting holes on the left like Crichton does on the right.

Crichton: Again, very good. He must be so hard to tackle as he runs some really good lines is powerful and has a great step. All this was on show tonight.

S.Burgess: A bit like Cody a quite first half and made some errors but then really stepped it up in the second. He was massive, huge running metres, pressured them in defence and came up with some great offloads to get us on the front foot. Back to his normal standards. I really hope his injury isn't as bad as it looked.

Cook: Was awesome! Really changed the game tonight when he came on. Seemed to lift everyone and we looked sharper, the forwards seemed to charge onto it better, second phase play was more prominent and the overall speed of the attack seemed to speed up. He was electric, a huge reason why we got back into the game.

Turner: That's one of the best stints I've seen him play. Provided a real impact with some awesome, powerful runs.

Musgrove: Good again. He ran so hard and managed to generate kick play-the-balls. Good impact.

George: Same as what I wrote for Tom he was much better.

I think the boy's can hold their heads high as it wasn't a bad performance. The Sharks weren't great but that just highlights the different positions on the ladder.

I'm not gutted tonight as I didn't expect us to win but I'm actually chuffed we played alright.

It's just been one of those seasons.

 

[Pommy]

Just got back from the shire. A disappointing result. I didn't mind losing but the score line wasn't reflective of the game.
What's the word on Sammy?

 

[doyen]

I'm kind of worried he's going to want to be in a side with a premiership chance..

When it's all boiled down Sths,again,really gave themselves no chance of winning by playing the same old predictable shit.
Cody is basically the only player who's prepared to jump out of the box.

It's so frustrating to see Sths so utterly controlled,no RL sense at all--relying almost entirely on the luck of AR's bombs--just ghastly!!!!
Our future is very grim if this continues!! We are NOT evolving one iota!!

When we were in a position to take a chance tonight----we DIDN'T have a go!

WHY!!!!!?????????????????????
We have big problems at No. 9--Cook comes on--whizzes around a little & finally fizzles----good GOD!!
If Cook was any good at all he'd be winning games for us with his fresh legs---helter skelter;fizzle!!

 

[rabbitohs95]

Tonight's result was a lot like our performance against the Roosters - we matched the Sharks in the wrestle but a lack of execution coupled with some poor last tackle options let us down. This has plagued us all season and is probably the main reason as to why we have struggled to score points. One thing that I have real problem with is how we attempt those stupid kicks right into a crowd of opposition players at point blank range in the hope of forcing an effort. It is such a low percentage play and we have wasted countless scoring opportunities throughout the season as a result. One possible explanation for this is that we lack a genuine half that can pose multiple threats. John Sutton is a steady half but he isn't going to give opposition defences sleepless nights. Similarly, Adam Reynolds has a great kicking game but he is a technically limited half. In short, we need a complete half in the ilk of Maloney or Cronk. I really think Cody Walker needs to be moved back to five-eight but he needs to demand more of the ball because he has a tendency to drift out of games far too much. Even tonight, I can recall Fox Sports saying that at the half time break he had only ran the ball twice!! Sure enough in the second half when he injected himself more we began to look far more threatening. In saying that, I still think we put enough together in attack tonight to win the game. However, as was the case against the Roosters, the turning point in the game came about due to an error at a crucial time from Braidon Burns; if he catches and scores, like he should have, I'd say that we'd go on and win the game. Unfortunately, the Sharks received a seven tackle set and went on to score a flukish try. I'm not a fan of the seven tackle set rule but as it stands you just cannot afford to give them away because they are absolute an murder!

Even though we are 14th on the ladder I don't think we are bad football side. What is letting us down is not the fact that we have bad players. Anyone who thinks there is lack of playing talent in our squad doesn't understand footy. In addition to our last tackle options, our problem is that our team is having individual lapses in concentration, many of which are occurring at crucial stages in games. For example, the Burgess twins may only make 1 knock on a game but it may occur right on the opponents goal line with the game in the balance. In defensive is where these individual errors are really coming to the fore. Cody Walker getting caught out tonight from dummy half for a soft try is a good example and the Taumalolo and Coen Hess tries last week further back this point up. In saying that, I don't want to hear that these deficiencies are due to an attitude problem; its got nothing to do with attitude! I'd say is a concentration and a confidence thing!

In terms of the performances tonight, I thought Sam tried his guts out again and was the impetus for the momentum we gained in the second half. Adam Reynolds looked pretty solid without being spectacular, Angus Crichton continued to impress and Cody Walker came alive in the second half. I also thought the Burgess twins put in a real decent shift tonight and ran with purpose and aggression. Damian Cook also injected pace into the team when he came on and despite an ordinary kick on the last, Robbie Farah proved that he is a crucial play maker in our team. I can't really pin point too many horrendous performances - this underlines my point about our lack of results being a product of individual errors. Our season is over but I really hope we can get a few results because I think we are better than 14th place.

Great post SR, wish you shared your thoughts more often it has quality that is lacking on this forum.

 

[souths_reborn]

When it's all boiled down Sths,again,really gave themselves no chance of winning by playing the same old predictable shit.
Cody is basically the only player who's prepared to jump out of the box.

It's so frustrating to see Sths so utterly controlled,no RL sense at all--relying almost entirely on the luck of AR's bombs--just ghastly!!!!
Our future is very grim if this continues!! We are NOT evolving one iota!!

When we were in a position to take a chance tonight----we DIDN'T have a go!

WHY!!!!!?????????????????????
We have big problems at No. 9--Cook comes on--whizzes around a little & finally fizzles----good GOD!!

I think you are being a bit harsh. Tonight we threw the ball around a lot and played quite a fair bit of ad-lib footy. You have to remember that this isn't a game of touch! All those offloads that we made were an attempt to play off the cuff. Moreover, most of the ad-lib stuff came off the back of Cook's speed around the ruck area.

 

[doyen]

I think you are being a bit harsh. Tonight we threw the ball around a lot and played quite a fair bit of ad-lib footy. You have to remember that this isn't a game of touch! All those offloads that we made were an attempt to play off the cuff. Moreover, most of the ad-lib stuff came off the back of Cook's speed around the ruck area.

There was nothing much different tonight---there came a point in that game tonight when we needed to move away from the same old up & under stuff---what Sths put on tonight was not very adventurous--it was only a slight move away from the usual.

 

[Pommy]

When it's all boiled down Sths,again,really gave themselves no chance of winning by playing the same old predictable shit.
Cody is basically the only player who's prepared to jump out of the box.

It's so frustrating to see Sths so utterly controlled,no RL sense at all--relying almost entirely on the luck of AR's bombs--just ghastly!!!!
Our future is very grim if this continues!! We are NOT evolving one iota!!

When we were in a position to take a chance tonight----we DIDN'T have a go!

WHY!!!!!?????????????????????
We have big problems at No. 9--Cook comes on--whizzes around a little & finally fizzles----good GOD!!
If Cook was any good at all he'd be winning games for us with his fresh legs---helter skelter;fizzle!!

I'm glad to see it's not just me. I came on here and people seem to be bigging cook up, I'm just not sure why he did shit all as far as I can remember apart from give the ball away more than the twins managed in 80 mins.

 

[souths_reborn]

Just got back from the shire. A disappointing result. I didn't mind losing but the score line wasn't reflective of the game.
What's the word on Sammy?

Madge said in the post match press conference that he has a suspected broken rib but will need scans tomorrow to confirm.

 

[souths_reborn]

There was nothing much different tonight---there came a point in that game tonight when we needed to move away from the same old up & under stuff---what Sths put on tonight was not very adventurous--it was only a slight move away from the usual.

What do you define as adventurous? I think I've said this before but I suspect that you are a connoisseur of 60s, 70s and 80s football which was very ad-lib simply because the game was semi-professional and teams didn't have the time to work on such structured play in training. I will grant you the fact that football from those eras is much more pleasing on the eye because the game flowed a lot better. I'd be interested to see whether or not you are a proponent of bringing back the 5m rule because that change would surely result in teams playing off the cuff more in attack. Modern football is completely different because of the 10m rule and the game is so much more structured because you cannot afford to turn possession over as much as you used to be able to.