Will we see great attacking teams dominate the comp again?

[T-Boon]

m

Meh, I watched Grand finals won 6-4 and 4-2 not even one try.

The game is far more attacking these days. For all the wrestle, there is still fantastic tries scored.

Each set is totally predicable and safety first now. It is so boring.
Think of the aspects of defense that use to exist that are dead now.
You use to have to play with a sweeper because of the ever present threat of risk taking like chip kick (remember those) and because players use to miss tackles.
You had to be able to strike at the ball in the ruck.
The absence of risk taking is killing rugby league.

 

[Russell Coight]

Perception gets clouded with age, during the regular season that could be said.

Then came the finals where the defence stepped up and won a premiership.

Conceeded 6, 6, 12, 16.

Yeah that's true, but the first two games were literally blow outs. 50-6 and 34-6

That's an example of attacking master classes

The only game where our defense in that finals series actually won us a game was the prelim against saints

That tigers forward pack would probably rank as the smallest to win a comp in the nrl era. Yet they were so good at what they do, winning quick rucks generating speedy ptbs. Not to mention Marshall having a freak of a season

 

[Springs09]

Parra in 09 were not a great attacking team. They had 83 tries prior to the finals and scored moderate totals in the finals.

In 05, Tigers were not the most attacking side by a long way. Melbourne were. And a host of other teams were up there too. It was an attacking year across the board.

Manly in 08 were pretty effective at scoring and continued that throughout the finals.

Both sides only started dominating halfway through the year though. Tigers were easily the best attacking side in the competition by the finals in 2005, though 2005 was an entertaining year with a lot of good attacking sides and that was reflected in the crowds.

To say Parra was not a good attacking team in 2009 is rubbish. Their moderate scores in the finals is due to playing teams 1, 2, 3 & 4 and they dominated the top 3 teams in attack. Some of the tries scored in the wins over the Dragons, Titans and Bulldogs were amazing.

 

[T-Boon]

The game would improve if they made the ball a lot harder to kick. Make it easier to pass but harder to kick the way American Football did. Basically if you have to kick it should be seen as the defense got the better of you.

 

[Russell Coight]

Parra in 09 were not a great attacking team. They had 83 tries prior to the finals and scored moderate totals in the finals.

In 05, Tigers were not the most attacking side by a long way. Melbourne were. And a host of other teams were up there too. It was an attacking year across the board.

If you look at stats maybe...

But if you actually go back to 05, Tigers were running 2nd last in round 15 then went on a 9 game winning streak putting 40+ points on teams for fun

They then went onto average over 34 points scored in the finals series over 4 games


Parra were pretty similar in 09

 

[T-Boon]

To say Parra was not a good attacking team in 2009 is rubbish. Their moderate scores in the finals is due to playing teams 1, 2, 3 & 4 and they dominated the top 3 teams in attack. Some of the tries scored in the wins over the Dragons, Titans and Bulldogs were amazing.

It was a game plan based on offloads. I remember Mick Ennis described it that "it is almost like they have no respect for the ball". There would have been multiple offloads every set. Blind offloads as well.

If even just 4 teams kept playing that way and had a chance to win the competition that way the game would be so much better.

Bellamy really shut that style down easily to the ruination of the game. I have no idea why Bellamy is allowed anywhere near the rules committee meetings. Every rules committee meeting should be trying to get rid of Bellamy from the game.

 

[Springs09]

Winning the ruck wins games now (which is a regression to what RL was trying to get away from in 1908).

Defense has changed and become extremely boring and ugly. Good defense use to be good classic technical tackling (these are an error now), cover tackling etc.
Now it is dominating the ruck and making big ugly gang stops. Tackles are better off being called "tangles" now.

Great defence is good to watch when it's desperate scramble, players out on their feet giving everything for each other, defending your line for 3 or more straight sets etc.

Defence is not entertaining to watch when it's holding down for 10 seconds, giving away deliberate penalties on your line and rushing up before the ball is played.

 

[T-Boon]

Great defence is good to watch when it's desperate scramble, players out on their feet giving everything for each other, defending your line for 3 or more straight sets etc.

Defence is not entertaining to watch when it's holding down for 10 seconds, giving away deliberate penalties on your line and rushing up before the ball is played.

True, try line defense can still be entertaining.
In my opinion that is largely because the attack is taking risks/asking questions in the red zone. The reason why defense use to be entertaining all over the field is because under a 5 metre rule teams had to attack and ask questions from all over the field (such as chip kicking). You couldn't make your way up the field with risk free football.
So what you have now is boring attack and therefore boring defense. Everywhere except within the red zone.

 

[Travitoh]

Good defence is what makes attacking plays in RL so spectacular.
The game shouldn't be altered to make attacking easier. That said, the game does need to stamp out the intentional penalties in the ruck. Deliberately slowing the ruck should be treated as an intentional penalty.
I've raised the idea before that i would like to see an ice hockey like penalty box with the penalised player taken out of the defensive line until his team get the ball back.

 

[Mr Angry]

Yeah that's true, but the first two games were literally blow outs. 50-6 and 34-6

That's an example of attacking master classes

The only game where our defense in that finals series actually won us a game was the prelim against saints

That tigers forward pack would probably rank as the smallest to win a comp in the nrl era. Yet they were so good at what they do, winning quick rucks generating speedy ptbs. Not to mention Marshall having a freak of a season

Yet during the regular season they averaged 28 for 24 points against and ran 4th, Parra scored more.

Then finals average 33 for 10 against.

They were an attacking machine then finals came and the defence stepped up. Hence premiers.

 

[T-Boon]

Good defence is what makes attacking plays in RL so spectacular.
The game shouldn't be altered to make attacking easier.

It should be altered to make risk taking essential right over the park. You shouldn't be able to stroll up the middle for 5 safety first hit ups and then a bomb from half way. That should get you nowhere.
Under 5 metres you had to try all sorts of inventive things to try to earn field position. That made attack interesting which made defense interesting.

 

[Russell Coight]

Yet during the regular season they averaged 28 for 24 points against and ran 4th, Parra scored more.

Then finals average 33 for 10 against.

They were an attacking machine then finals came and the defence stepped up. Hence premiers.

That's if you look at stats. But if you're constantly scoring at will, with all the possession...defense isn't really going to come into the equation

If you score 50 points and only concede 6 what's the main talking point? The attack or the defense

 

[Travitoh]

It should be altered to make risk taking essential right over the park. You shouldn't be able to stroll up the middle for 5 safety first hit ups and then a bomb from half way. That should get you nowhere.
Under 5 metres you had to try all sorts of inventive things to try to earn field position. That made attack interesting which made defense interesting.

I've only known RL to be 10 metres but i felt at the start of the season when the NRL cracked down on the defensive line there was great potential.
Unfortunately the 'big' teams didn't want to change their ways and too many fans got sucked into the constant moaning from Andrew Johns and joined the chorus which led to the NRL crumbling under the pressure.
Risk taking is all well and good but it shouldn't be forced. It should be calculated and have some form of substance behind it.

 

[Mr Angry]

That's if you look at stats. But if you're constantly scoring at will, with all the possession...defense isn't really going to come into the equation

If you score 50 points and only concede 6 what's the main talking point? The attack or the defense

The Cowboys lack of defence.

 

[Russell Coight]

The Cowboys lack of defence.

Fair enough.

I remember us winning 3-4 games that year with scorelines like 38-30 37-36 though

If it wasn't for the attack we probably dont even make the 8 that year

 

[Spade]

No, hats off to Ricky Stuart his attempting to do it but we’re found out after 1 year of success, all about percentage play and structure these days.

 

[Hutty1986]

The game would improve if they made the ball a lot harder to kick. Make it easier to pass but harder to kick the way American Football did. Basically if you have to kick it should be seen as the defense got the better of you.

Perhaps replace the ball with a brick? Goal kicking would be pretty tough, i guess.

 

[Perth Red]

The best try’s come from forwards offloading and creating second phase play. Never mind gus’s half back academy we need an offloading forward academy!

Radical solution would be to get rid of knock ons and just play on for whoever recovers the ball.

Other thing to improve things would be for the game not to be stopped for penalties and just signalled six again. Would get rid of cheap field position from kicks at sideline and get rid of the sht union plays we’ve seen this year with kicks at goal being the preferred option.

 

[Miller was a legend]

The best try’s come from forwards offloading and creating second phase play. Never mind gus’s half back academy we need an offloading forward academy!

Radical solution would be to get rid of knock ons and just play on for whoever recovers the ball.

Lmfao

AFL

 

[Perth Red]

Lmfao

AFL

Might attract the same crowds?