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Rd15: Parra v Bulldogs GAME DAY thread @ BankWest Stadium 20/6/21

eels_fan

First Grade
Messages
6,717
We’re under the radar and I like it. End of the day we are 1 win behind the 2 teams that are apparently the only teams that can win the comp.

I have no doubt if we have a fully fit team come finals we can challenge them. I think the finals will come down to sin bins, send offs and suspensions, and therefore in some way a lottery.

it’s a 5 horse race for mine.

The fact we will likely play Melbourne or Penrith in 3 constructive weeks will steel us well.
 

Glenneel

Bench
Messages
3,433
If we play to our strengths it’s good against the weaker teams. But it won’t unsettle the stronger teams in the competition. Is that blaming the coach? I just think we need to find another plan to unsettle the likes of Penrith and Melbourne
Being aggressive in D will help, moving up quickly all game (hard to do) and get in their faces forcing them into quick decisions. This leads to their errors. In attack quick ptb's and running from dummy half thru the middle brings in their outside defenders and then going wide. Constant supporting of the ball carrier. Something we're not good at but pennies and scum are.
We’re under the radar and I like it. End of the day we are 1 win behind the 2 teams that are apparently the only teams that can win the comp.

I have no doubt if we have a fully fit team come finals we can challenge them. I think the finals will come down to sin bins, send offs and suspensions, and therefore in some way a lottery.

it’s a 5 horse race for mine.

The fact we will likely play Melbourne or Penrith in 3 constructive weeks will steel us well.
Forget sin bins and send offs, won't happen in finals. How Niukore only got away with a fine beggers belief. Thought at least 1 week.
 

84 Baby

Referee
Messages
28,033
Being aggressive in D will help, moving up quickly all game (hard to do) and get in their faces forcing them into quick decisions. This leads to their errors. In attack quick ptb's and running from dummy half thru the middle brings in their outside defenders and then going wide. Constant supporting of the ball carrier. Something we're not good at but pennies and scum are.

Forget sin bins and send offs, won't happen in finals. How Niukore only got away with a fine beggers belief. Thought at least 1 week.
We risk/reward our defence efforts based on situation.
Near their tryline, you can defend more aggressively because the risk is mitigated by distance to your own tryline/opposition preparedness and the reward is better field position.
Midfield, you can defend aggressively but it has to have the control of limiting gaps in line. Lack of doing this properly is why a lot of our games have us not being dominated in field position but susceptible to quick edge shifts. The reward though is not having to ruck it out off your own tryline.
On your own tryline being too aggressive is known as doing a Daniel Wagon. Leaving gaps means you’ll be conceding points. And the reward for being aggressive is almost nonexistent.

And I reckon 100% there’ll be sin bins in finals. Maybe not send offs but definitely sin bin if a cracked down foul happens. The crackdown might be a bit higglity pigglity at the moment but at least they’ve persisted with it unlike past crackdowns
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
84,180
Being aggressive in D will help, moving up quickly all game (hard to do)
Especially with a big pack like ours. Line speed is what you get from smaller, more mobile packs, like the Panthers and Roosters.
and get in their faces forcing them into quick decisions. This leads to their errors. In attack quick ptb's and running from dummy half thru the middle brings in their outside defenders and then going wide. Constant supporting of the ball carrier. Something we're not good at but pennies and scum are.
Again, it's because they're built for that. They're playing to their strengths and we're playing to ours.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,461
I like Nathan's settlers. There a part of our game. He comes from a long windup and it doesn't matter if the opponents see it coming. He takes out at least 4 defenders every time. The importance comes with the plays that follow with a scattered defence. Occasionally he'll pop an offload but they're never speculators in the Feliti Mateo mould.


The problem though is that most of the time they know this and they don't let him play the ball fast enough to give us the advantage like when he first cam to the club and was doing it. Now they are obviously taught to slow him down and he doesn't generally make to much of a fuss fighting them to release him.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,461
Mate in 2018 we were embarrassed wooden spoon winners. From Round 1 2019 we have racked up 60 games in a row as a Top 5 team. Since Round 1 2020, we are 35 games in a row as a top 4 side.

Each year from 2019 we have improved and without a doubt we are a better side in 2021 than 2019/20.

So you can bitch and moan about why we are not THE top side at the moment, but we are edging closer every week. Indeed we beat (the grand finalists) Penrith last year and Storm this year. Our away record was previously atrocious, now that is a thing of the past. Our depth was poor, and now we have it in spades.

Anyone in NRL world who does not take us seriously and talks us down has rocks in their heads. Any supporter who posts sarcastic dribble against our club needs to learn how to slow down and smell the roses. </rant>

Never said we haven't improved greatly from those dark years. Even you and Pou can see that. The improved quality of our roster is the main and overriding factor in this and I applaud him and his recruitment team greatly for this. It is one of his greatest traits as a coach, his man managing skills that players from other clubs like to be part of our setup as a club.

But I like anyone to show me how we are using the skill sets of many of these outstanding players to their fullest? It seems as though BA's mentality is don't over coach them and just get them to play hard no nonsense football, with minimal mistakes and the rest will sort itself out.

Well you need more then this when you come up against an opponent that also plays like this, but also then can throw variety and creativity into the mix because they are coached throughout the season to do it. I have no doubt we have the most powerful overall team in the NRL. But we are very limited in the way we go about our business on the field, and the top teams will exploit that if they can get an equal or more dominance at the ruck. We need to be smarter then just a power team that can beat up on weaker teams or good team that aren't at their best for varying reasons.
 

Parra

Referee
Messages
24,894
Especially with a big pack like ours. Line speed is what you get from smaller, more mobile packs, like the Panthers and Roosters.

Again, it's because they're built for that. They're playing to their strengths and we're playing to ours.

That's right. We just have to smash 'em.
 

hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
58,526
Never said we haven't improved greatly from those dark years. Even you and Pou can see that. The improved quality of our roster is the main and overriding factor in this and I applaud him and his recruitment team greatly for this. It is one of his greatest traits as a coach, his man managing skills that players from other clubs like to be part of our setup as a club.

But I like anyone to show me how we are using the skill sets of many of these outstanding players to their fullest? It seems as though BA's mentality is don't over coach them and just get them to play hard no nonsense football, with minimal mistakes and the rest will sort itself out.

Well you need more then this when you come up against an opponent that also plays like this, but also then can throw variety and creativity into the mix because they are coached throughout the season to do it. I have no doubt we have the most powerful overall team in the NRL. But we are very limited in the way we go about our business on the field, and the top teams will exploit that if they can get an equal or more dominance at the ruck. We need to be smarter then just a power team that can beat up on weaker teams or good team that aren't at their best for varying reasons.

What are you a death rider?
It is al about the collision ffs.
 

Gronk

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
73,555
Never said we haven't improved greatly from those dark years. Even you and Pou can see that. The improved quality of our roster is the main and overriding factor in this and I applaud him and his recruitment team greatly for this. It is one of his greatest traits as a coach, his man managing skills that players from other clubs like to be part of our setup as a club.

But I like anyone to show me how we are using the skill sets of many of these outstanding players to their fullest? It seems as though BA's mentality is don't over coach them and just get them to play hard no nonsense football, with minimal mistakes and the rest will sort itself out.

Well you need more then this when you come up against an opponent that also plays like this, but also then can throw variety and creativity into the mix because they are coached throughout the season to do it. I have no doubt we have the most powerful overall team in the NRL. But we are very limited in the way we go about our business on the field, and the top teams will exploit that if they can get an equal or more dominance at the ruck. We need to be smarter then just a power team that can beat up on weaker teams or good team that aren't at their best for varying reasons.

You suffer from Chronic Dissatisfaction. You think that demanding excellence by blaming the people in charge (whilst never providing actual solutions) is being clever. It's not.

Goal setting and having ambition to be better and succeed, is one thing. But the negativity that chronic dissatisfaction brings is toxic and always lacks intelligence and perspective.
 

EelsFan05

Bench
Messages
2,759
The problem though is that most of the time they know this and they don't let him play the ball fast enough to give us the advantage like when he first cam to the club and was doing it. Now they are obviously taught to slow him down and he doesn't generally make to much of a fuss fighting them to release him.
I can't agree with this. NBrown was fighting to get off the groung quickly all game against the Dogs. They laid in the tackle for an eternity. I don't think he was rewarded with many six agains, maybe one from memory.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,461
Maybe not to win the comp everyone agrees at this stage its Penrith Melbourne more then likely will be there on GF day.

But definitely getting past week 2 of the finals. Serious pressure will be on that week if we are there for us to get through to the prelim at a minimum. If we make top 4 and lose week 1. And manage to get another straight sets exit the fallout won't be pretty i suspect.

Also we could get real lucky and those two could end up on the same side of the finals draw and play each other in the knockout semi. That would leave us in a very good position of playing anyone but them, assuming we have gotten that far, and having a real shot of getting to the Grand Final. Once there who knows, how healthy our opposition might be at that stage and funnier things have happened my friends.

Ah eternal hope. The reason we all get out of bed each morning.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,461
You suffer from Chronic Dissatisfaction. You think that demanding excellence by blaming the people in charge (whilst never providing actual solutions) is being clever. It's not.

Goal setting and having ambition to be better and succeed, is one thing. But the negativity that chronic dissatisfaction brings is toxic and always lacks intelligence and perspective.

How off base and silly a statement can you make?

I am very happy with our season so far and enjoying it immensely and I have stated that in previous posts on here before. We are having a great season.

Demanding more from the people that run our team is a normal human thing when blind Freddy can see our short comings and limitations. As for not offering solutions, do you live under a rock? I have virtually written small essays on what I think we should be doing to be a better team. But without being in the inner sanctum of the club, I or anyone else wouldn't have a clue if anything I or anyone else has suggested as things we need to do are already being addressed or the people that are there are capable to address them properly and therefore why we are continually displaying the same weaknesses in our game.

I never said what I have been harping on about as being clever, to the contrary it is basic stuff and that's why it is so frustrating as a fan to watch week in week out. But like I said, I have decided to accept our dumb arse tactics when I watch the game and enjoy the season, even though I am yelling at the TV when they do dumb arse things or when they can't see an obvious advantage to take, you know, advantage of. I actually enjoy yelling and letting out my frustration too.

Sorry if you think my posts are chronically dissatisfying, but I am who I am and I come here to post how I feel about the games we play and hopefully find others that I can connect with and find some solace and common ground with or even lively debate, which you know I'm usually up for time permitting.

I tell you what, If my posts really annoy you or distress you, seriously put me on ignore. I won't be offended. I get some people don't like to be reminded of the negatives and like to enjoy the moment without someone bringing them down to earth. So do it mate, put me on ignore if that would make you happier. It's not like you are missing out on anything intelligent or insightful, your sentiment on my posts, right?

As in the ad where the the woman is lying on the couch with her partner says, Honey, do it!
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,461
I can't agree with this. NBrown was fighting to get off the groung quickly all game against the Dogs. They laid in the tackle for an eternity. I don't think he was rewarded with many six agains, maybe one from memory.

Sometimes he fights other times he doesn't. He is not very consistent with it. But there are many play the balls from him that are slow because the defense knows that he has gained an advantage and they are trying to nullify it. Therefore he needs to put more effort in keeping that advantage otherwise his run is no better then a standard hitup and the disjointed defense that he may have just created, it reset so our dummy half looks up and sees no space.

Not trying to bag him here, because he is a great player, I just think that it is these little things that make all the difference in the long run. Watch the Storm and the Panthers. They know exactly how to take advantage of a great run. What he does is take umbrage at the tacklers and often focuses on them more then getting to his feet quicker and that half a second or so of feeling pissed at their rough house the advantage is lost. It is also why the ref doesn't award him to many six agains.
 

emjaycee

Coach
Messages
12,868
Also we could get real lucky and those two could end up on the same side of the finals draw and play each other in the knockout semi. That would leave us in a very good position of playing anyone but them, assuming we have gotten that far, and having a real shot of getting to the Grand Final. Once there who knows, how healthy our opposition might be at that stage and funnier things have happened my friends.

Ah eternal hope. The reason we all get out of bed each morning.
I get out of bed to shit and piss.
 
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