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Round 23 - Broncos vs Rabbitohs, Thursday 16th of August 7:50pm @ Suncorp Stadium

Pommy

Coach
Messages
14,657
Didn’t manage to catch much of the game but from the little I did see Gagai had his best game in red and green.
Can’t say I’m shocked at the result with the injuries the squad is carrying at the moment.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Well that was really disappointing and I'm feeling pretty gutted currently if I'm honest. I must say, I didn't expect us to win and always had a thought in the back of my mind but I din't think it'd be a 20 point loss with us playing that poorly at times, I really didn't. Yes, we have a shit load of injuries but that is not an excuse at all for some of the crap we dished up in the first 30 and the last 15-20, it was a disaster. We did come back for about 20-30 minutes and play some really great footy but the rest of the game was realy disappointing.

A very mixed attacking performance tonight. The start was probably the worst you could have and imo, that's what cost us tonight in the end. Just a real lack of energy and we were getting completely out-enthused. So many friggin errors which killed us too, it was awful. However, when the boys finally did decide to hold the ball, I must say we looked pretty good. Began to get a real roll on through the middle to dominate them and were able to build some good pressure on the Broncos. This lead to some very slick tries down both sides that looked like training runs. The attack and sweeping backline moves still looked clunky at times due to the mass personell changes but at the same time, some of the plays they pulled off were jus beautiful. However, shoddy defence let them back in and from there, there was no real attack to write home about.

Defence was quite disappointing overall tonight. Some of the defence on the right edge was shocking in fact and Kennar and Fui looked all at sea sometimes. I think this all starts through the middle though, we were missing so many soft tackles there and they were just rolling with ease. we weren't able to slow the play-the-ball either. Also, for Oates' first two tries, it kind of reminded me of Round 1 because there was just no slide at all and the defence looked at sea. Imo, some of this also started in the middle because the middle forwards weren't pushing across hard enough wihich meant there couldn't be a sufficiant amount of slide in defence and they outnumbered us. It's not only this though, there was some really poor missed tackles everywhere all night especially in Fifita's try. However, it wasn't all bad all game. That period where we were on top was good as we lookied solid and were able to control the ruck.

Gagai: I thought he was pretty good tonight considering he's hardly played there. Some really nice, dangerous runs and he posed a big threat close to the line all night with his footwork. Some of his ball playing was exceptional too as seen in his lovely catch-pass for both of Kennar's tries. The only gripe I had was his positional play as he was almost nowhere to be seen in Oates first two tries.

Kennar: Not good enough. To be brutally honest, that was just not good enough from Richie. He may have scored two beautiful tries but all he had to do was run and put the ball down. Anyway, a few soft, crucial errors with the ball and he just didn't look like he wanted to be involved in the work coming out of our own end which was really disappointing. Then there was his defence, he just couldn't contain Oates and became somewhat of an easy target for the Broncos. We have regulars coming back next week but if he does play, Kennar needs to lift big time.

Burns: Was really good actually, one of our best. Powerful runs all the time and Brisbane found this hard to handle which resulted in a few half chances. Had a very high work rate and just looked so dangerous all the time. What's more, he was pretty safe in defence.

Fuimaono: Wasn't great either. A few errors, lack of involvement and shocking defence out wide. We all know how good of a ball runner he can be but we hardly saw any of that tonight. The defence was certainly the most concerning part though.

Hunt: Was okay. I said the same last week but he needs to pull his socks up a bit and get more involved. The runs he did have were great but he just didn't do enough for mine.

Walker: Wasn't bad. Was trying hard all night to create something down that left edge and he questioned the line everytime. Cody especially took charge in the moments we were on top with jinking runs and crisp passes. This created opportunites and he had a and in our nice tries down that left edge. It's a shame he dropped that ball over the line as that would've been a huge game changer. Another game changer was his defensive effort in the lead up to Fifita's try that changed the game wher Nikorma sliched through, it was a poor effort.

Reynolds: Was kind of like Walker tbh in that he was rocks and diamonds. Didn't do much early on with ur poor start but when we warmed up, he really took control and t was good to see. A great kicking game throughout this period both short and long which was able to gain momentum and we began to dominate them. was good to see the torpedo's back out tonight. However, he kind of went missing again when the Broncos gained the upper hand and he didn't stand up when we needed him most. I will also say that like Fui and Kennar, he had a very poor defensive Thursday night. reyno looked pretty banged up by the end of the game and I just really hope he's okay.

T.Burgess: Wasn't bad. Some strong, hard running but he just didn't seem to do as much work tonight and was a little underwhelming based on his past performances this year that is probably because our forwards were being dominated for a large chunk of the game. I was a bit pissed at his laziness in the lead up to that try which turned the game in Brisbane's favour as he was just being a bit lazy and drifting out which opened a big hole for Nikorima.

Cook: Wasn't bad either. Just the way the game went though meant that he had a lot of limited opportunities and the broncos markers were onto it to not get caught out. I can't fault his crisp passing and pass selection, he jus had minimal opportunities tonight.

G.Burgess: Was good actually. Was kind of getting dominated due to all our early errors but he really fired up and came back. He ran with venom and managed to put some defenders on their asses on many of his runs. Wasn't his best but he seemed to have limited minutes tonight and he did a good job.

Sutton: Wasn't bad. I'm still loving those hard lines he runs off Cody and his late footwork, that was all on show from Sutto today and he almost went over a couple of times. I still feel that he needs to lift though as his workrate isn't where it should be. He went off early too, man, I'm just praying it's nothing serious!

Crichton: Tried his guts out but was pretty well contained by Brisbane. Still, he ran with purpose and got through a lot of work. His defence was a bit of a let down though as it was very soft at times.

S.Burgess: I think Sam is certainly playing injured which is a real concern as he was pretty quiet today and actually came off for a period of time there. He just didn't seem to get through as much work as we've come to expect from Sam, the work he did do was great but he just seemed quiet which is unusual for him.

Hiroti: Was so good to see him actually get on and make his debut. Proud of my hometown lad and he actually did alright in the short time he was on.

Murray: Was good, a text book Cam game. Great, strong running and he was never willing to give in every run, he fought for litterally every meter and it was great to see. Awesome defence too and was able to force a few errors.

Clark: One of Clarky's best games that year, he was great. His ball distribution from offoads kept Brisbane on the back foot for that whole period we were dominating and I lost count of how many possesions he had all game, it was a lot though. A strong running game too.

Tatola: Not an awful lot to say but he wasn't bad at all and had some nice, hard runs.

Probably the most concerning thing from that was the middle defence. The edges were bad but we will have regulars coming back soon to fix that however, the forwards were full strength an they got dominated through there for a lot of the game. Th errors an possesion did have something to do with it no doubt but it is a worry.

I'm still so, so worried about injuries though as it looks like we may have picked up a few more to key players like Reyno and Sutto, let's hope it's nothing too bad. I just feeli like injuries are runing our season and it's giving me the shits because our Minor Premiership chances have taken a hit tonight and I reackon if we were close to full strength, we would've been fine.

I guess the good thing is we now have nine days to the Canberra game. We can now learn from this hurt and disappointment and use it. The boys can also use it to sort out niggles and re-focus too. It'll be good to have some regular backs return.
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,607
I'll tell ya who the f**k isn't pulling his weight and seems to go under the radar,"CODY f**kING WALKER"!!!
He's a senior player who needs to take hold of the game and own it!!!
All he's taking hold of at the moment is his prick!
You were criticising AR earlier and saying bring in Tracey.

It’s clear from what we saw tonight if AR goes down we aren’t going to win a finals match. Let me tell ya that... AR tried his backside off and his kicks weren’t his best but the pressure and efforts on the kick chase was non existent bar Clarky.

AR had a hand in nearly all our tries.. he also did his best defensively whilst Angus and Fui did jackshit to help him out.
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,607
When Fui dropped the ball on the attack near the start that set the tone for the first 25mins.

I think the boys were actually drained from our last two big games which isn’t an excuse but I think it’s the reason why.

How the Broncos guy Sims wasn’t sin binned was farcical as was at 18all where in a three man tackle Ofehengaue stripped Gagai of the ball. That changed the momentum.

Gagai: He’s getting roasted on social media unfairly imo. Some saying he doesn’t pass. I thought he did his best in a position he hasn’t trained for for over a year now and only had the one training session. I thought he was very safe under the high ball and in attack he seemed very threatening. He popped up more than what AJ does when at fullback imo. His effort was very high too which can’t be said for others. Positional play in defence was a bit out but that’s what I expected.

Hunt: Strong tackle on Isaako that had to be made but a bad miss shutting down Fifita. Hunt wasn’t involved enough with the shit work either and it should just unacceptable. Jennings does triple the work Hunt does imo. In saying that he will keep his spot next week as he wasn’t as diabolically bad as Fui or Kennar which I will get too.

Burns: Had a strong game and is developing nicely. He was poking his nose through the line too. Defensively overall was quite sound. My criticism of where he must improve though is when you have an unmarked winger with loads of space you have to pass and not hog it. I was nearly pulling my hair out with the amount of opportunities he burnt.

Fuimaono: Was poor. Made the error early on and juggled the ball a few times. Defensively he had no clue and was all at sea and was caught out for lack of pace. He didn’t help AR out either. He did not seem to wanna have a dig either. His kick chase was poor.

Kennar: Didn’t wanna be on the field or have a go. Can’t fully blame him for the trues due to Fui AR and Angus but he was letting bombs bounce. He looked lethargic and just in general under the high ball was all at sea. He has to be dropped. If not Canberra will show him up. I can’t understand as to why he was so disinterested. Imo if AJ GI are back next week Hunt and Burns get a wing spot over Kennar.

Cody: Was diamond and rocks. Not his best game at all. Defensively he was lethargic. He did have some nice plays though and tried creating but it was all out of sync and very clunky. He just seemed off the pace a but too. Wasn’t happy at all when he bombed that try making it fancier than it had to be.

AR: I thought he was better than Cody tonight. He was pressured with his kicks but they were not too bad, what made it worse was the non existent kick chase bar Clarky. I thought his passing game was really good and he dug into the line. Defensively was poor with zero assistance from Angus or Fui.

Tom: Was solid and got through lots of tackles. Didn’t run the ball much though and just seemed off the pace. Needs to pick his socks up next week.

Cookie: Didn’t run as much or look as quick as normal. I am wondering if he has a bit of a hammy problem there and he trained with it heavily strapped in the week. His passes were very crisp though and he got through lots of work in defence. Didn’t have as many opportunities to run either with how the game went.

George: Really lifted early in that second half. Had good energy on his carries.

Sutto: Looked strong and a handful for Brisbane. I just feel he could of done a bit more. Let’s hope he’s aye ok. I’m very concerned with how he went off towards the end. Let’s hope it was just HIA.

Angus: Early on made a silly handling error. He didn’t pose much threat to Brisbane though and seemed a bit off. In defence he has to better than that. At the end he was laughing with Roberts and didn’t seem to care about the loss...

Sam: No doubt he is carrying a groin injury imo. He did his best but looked sore and lethargic. It sure is concerning. If Sam can’t play properly for finals with this injury we are done for.

Hiorti: Did his best on limited minutes. Doesn’t look physically strong enough yet. Under that line drop out he didn’t loo confident. Even if he played over Kennar I don’t think it’d have made much difference... especially with Oates breathing down your neck.

Murray: Needs to play more minutes I think. Seibs has to have him on longer. He was very strong with his defence and carries.

Clark: Best game of the year. I wish he was on longer. His kick chase was great on Oates and then my heart sank thinking he’d finished his time in the night cardinal and Myrtle. But he shook it off and a couple of mins later was busting tackles in a 17m carry. He really changed the game.

Tatola: Not much to say from his 22mins. I was disappointed.



As soon as they didn’t rule the Gagai strip and George and Clarky went off the momentum turned.
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,607
Doyen if we win one of our next two we most likely finish third. That is bad as we’d probably play Storm down in Melbourne. We won’t be winning that and then even if we win week two we will be smashed week three by a Rorters or Sharks side.

Tonight was a big blow....

With how busted the boys are I don’t hold much hope,

Seibs sure told the media off at the presser. He said along the lines individually he’s hurt with how this has been handled.....

I wonder if it’s affected our playing group??
 
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callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Gutsy effort not enough for brave Rabbitohs: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2018/08/16/gutsy-effort-just-not-enough-for-brave-rabbitohs/

Round 23 Press Conference: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2018/08/16/rabbitohs-press-conference-round-23-2018/

Gallery - Broncos vs Rabbitohs: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2018/08/16/gallery-broncos-v-rabbitohs/

Yep, a big blow to our top four hopes and it'll be hard to make top two now. I like how fired up Seibs was in the Press Conference though, he wasn't happy at all and I hope that really fires us up for the rest of the season.

However, for the first time this year, I'm genuinely worried about our chances as injuries are starting to have a huge effect.
 

Souths Till I Die

First Grade
Messages
5,927
I think a crucial point in that game was when Korbin Sims didn’t get sent off. That could’ve completely changed the game. It was an obvious take out and there were also some questionable second attempt penalties that weren’t called at the end of the first half to slow down the PTB.

I thought the boys did okay considering we were playing with our bears backline minus Gagai and we haven’t beaten Brisbane for a while now. They even beat us when we were full strength. Not letting that game get to me as I think we are way better than that and should be refreshed after the 9 day break.
 
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callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
I think a crucial point in that game was when Korbin Sims didn’t get sent off. That could’ve completely changed the game. It was an obvious take out and there were also some questionable second attempt penalties at the end of the first half to slow down the PTB.

I thought the boys did okay considering we were playing with our bears backline minus Gagai and we haven’t beaten Brisbane for a while now. They even beat us when we were full strength. Not letting that game get to me as I think we are way better than that and should be refreshed after the 9 day break.
I'll admit, I was so concerned and so pissed after the game last night but after looking back on it, I agree that we can't get to worked up about it. Like Sam said, just like we can't get carried away with the wins, we can't get carried away with the losses. Last nights game was not a fair reflection of where we are at due to our injuries and we will be a hell of a lot better next week when we get some of the guys back.

Imo, if our injuries weren't so bad, we would've beaten both the Roosters last week and we probably would've got the Broncos. We've made it a lot harder for ourselves now but I'm confident we can get back to the great form we had two weeks ago when we get some guys back.
 

Pommy

Coach
Messages
14,657
Doyen if we win one of our next two we most likely finish third. That is bad as we’d probably play Storm down in Melbourne. We won’t be winning that and then even if we win week two we will be smashed week three by a Rorters or Sharks side.

Tonight was a big blow....

With how busted the boys are I don’t hold much hope,

Seibs sure told the media off at the presser. He said along the lines individually he’s hurt with how this has been handled.....

I wonder if it’s affected our playing group??

I always tip souths20
 

doyen

Bench
Messages
3,603
The two best attacking sides face-off in Canberra next week----Sths & the Raiders being the only 2 sides to have scored more than 500 pts !!!
 

CliveC

Juniors
Messages
393
Off topic.
The Bleedemslo Cup,I get so excited at the prospect of our inimitable Ruggers bum sniffers losing by a record score again.The media trot the same stuff out every year.
The Ruggers captain gets a 6 million dollar contract when in reality he would be lucky to make the bench for the Bears.
Can hardly wait!
 
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