GAME DAY THREAD - SHARKIES vs. THE RIFF in VEGAS

[Dragon Slayer]

We don’t have enough class in our spine still. This is where Melbourne and the Storm have it over us in spades.

We didn’t match Penrith in intensity in defence.

We played too safe and were an easy target for their fast moving defence.

Errors and brain explosions gave the Panthers great field position and led to Panthers tries next set.

Was good to see us not throw in the towel and claw our way back in the game. But of course Kelvin Clown made sure there was no miracle comeback complete.

But make no mistake this was a bad loss. The Riff were ripe to get beaten. No Brian T’oo. Their backline very makeshift. They lost an outside back in the opening minutes and still couldn’t expose them out wide. Ramien definitely hogged the ball a few times which farked a few opportunities.

Fitzy might have to make some very tough calls going forward otherwise we could be doing ground hog day again.

 

[Frenzy.]

We don’t have enough class in our spine still. This is where Melbourne and the Storm have it over us in spades.

We didn’t match Penrith in intensity in defence.

We played too safe and were an easy target for their fast moving defence.

Errors and brain explosions gave the Panthers great field position and led to Panthers tries next set.

Was good to see us not throw in the towel and claw our way back in the game. But of course Kelvin Clown made sure there was no miracle comeback complete.

But make no mistake this was a bad loss. The Riff were ripe to get beaten. No Brian T’oo. Their backline very makeshift. They lost an outside back in the opening minutes and still couldn’t expose them out wide. Ramien definitely hogged the ball a few times which farked a few opportunities.

Fitzy might have to make some very tough calls going forward otherwise we could be doing ground hog day again.

Both of them?

 

[bad boy bubby]

Bubby, I hope you're right. I still see a team that will bash the shit teams and ultimately come up short.

2023 - 28-0 to them
2024 - 42-0 to them
2024 prelim - 26 - 6 to them

2025 - 28-22 to them

Our first round last year we won 16-12 against the Wahs, who subsequently beat us in round 26, 30 - 28 and they finished 10th.
Losing by 6 points to the Panthers at this stage of our 2025 journey.......... I'll take that

 

[ColdWetPanther]

Just dropping by to say an enjoyable game with two teams who will be near the top. Trindal at 7 and Nicho at 6 looked great for the Sharks and AFB is going to be a amazing buy. Damien looked sharp with the ball.i have always liked me a Brayley too, and yours was really strong tonight.

If I am being critical, stripped for numbers a little to easy on both sides at some points (both teams, odd as it was a narrow field). Still not sold on Kennedy.

Said elsewhere, really liked how long both sets of players spent with the fans after the game. Always easier when you win, so well done sharkies. It’s a great discipline brought into the game post-COVID.

 

[Craigshark]

Yep, as soon as Mulitalo gave away that penalty, everyone knew Cleary was going to go there and that he’d fall for it and get caught out of position… again

 

[Frenzy.]

Just dropping by to say an enjoyable game with two teams who will be near the top. Trindal at 7 and Nicho at 6 looked great for the Sharks and AFB is going to be a amazing buy. Damien looked sharp with the ball.i have always liked me a Brayley too, and yours was really strong tonight.

If I am being critical, stripped for numbers a little to easy on both sides at some points (both teams, odd as it was a narrow field). Still not sold on Kennedy.

Said elsewhere, really liked how long both sets of players spent with the fans after the game. Always easier when you win, so well done sharkies. It’s a great discipline brought into the game post-COVID.

Damien Ramien.

That'll stick. LOL

 

[bad boy bubby]

He didn't win it for us though. He rarely does. He a cameo actor in a back alley theatre.

Yeah, the bench sucks. But when BHU and The Slug were on it didn't effect Nicho's game. He was doing little before and little after those changes.

And neither did Munster or Hughes last year, or Reynolds or Ezra the year before.
Yet we were close to winning today.

Nicho is not worth the 1m they pay him, in regards to playing ability.
He is worth it in regards to the club as a whole.
Every single Kayo advert as him in there, and probably others, and every time it gets a "hit" aramex gets a hit because of it.
This is how it is now.
He pays for advertisement and sponsorship. That's why he is on 1m.

At a club level that is why Tricky is taking his 675k. Nicho was on only 600k when he joined, so expectations weren't as much.

Nicho brings money into the Club as a whole. Like it or not, that will not be changing, and if you think we can afford to do a DCE or Moses, we cannot.

 

[Frenzy.]

We don't need a DCE or a Moses or a Hughes or anyone else. We have gun half and he's called Trindall. Let him be the man. Kleenex can play on the wing and replace Pebbles who is the latter day Jarrad Anderson with pace.

 

[Chins]

Postscript to the above.

Every time Penrith needed something Clearasil was in the thick of it. Every time the Sharks needed something Tricky was the man.

You guys have paid Nicho too much but he can play. 1 or 6.....or 14 is his spot though.

Good luck and see you Sharkies in September.

 

[bad boy bubby]

We don't need a DCE or a Moses or a Hughes or anyone else. We have gun half and he's called Trindall. Let him be the man. Kleenex can play on the wing and replace Pebbles who is the latter day Jarrad Anderson with pace.

So what you're really saying is that Fitz doesn't know what is best for the team?
We saw last year that when Trick was out that we went very well and there were calls all over for him to be gone, and that it to be Hynes and Atko.
The whole narrative changed when it was Tricky and Atko, yet at the same time the other teams had worked out our simple game plans with them after a few rounds.

They are pretty much equal in my eyes, Tricky and Hynes, Hynes only gets more money because of what I posted.
This is the Sharks, they are not a main player in the whole game. They need the cash that Nicho brings in.

Your vent isn't really about Nicho, it's really about how Fitz runs the side.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

We don't need a DCE or a Moses or a Hughes or anyone else. We have gun half and he's called Trindall. Let him be the man. Kleenex can play on the wing and replace Pebbles who is the latter day Jarrad Anderson with pace.

Yes Trindall has it.

The other mug needs to give the million dollars back and f**k off.

If we could get Fletcher Sharpe from Newcastle he would be a massive upgrade on Kennedy.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

You guys have paid Nicho too much but he can play. 1 or 6.....or 14 is his spot though.

Good luck and see you Sharkies in September.

First of all Congratulations on the win Chins.

What a team you have been able to follow in recent times. Even with a patched up backline you still made our backline defence look very ordinary.

Hynes is not a 1 anymore. He has lost his pace and everytime he has a game where he stretches out he picks up a muscle injury.

He’s not a 14 because he’s a confidence player and a bit part role wouldn’t do him any good.

He’s an average 6.

In our team his best position is left right out.

 

[bad boy bubby]

Yes Trindall has it.

Does he? It was only last year that he was stood down. If he shows the maturity to not feck up and not let the club down, well then yes they may put their trust in him.

The other mug needs to give the million dollars back and f**k off.

And yet he brings to the club way more than a million by sponsorship value. Is that good business?

If we could get Fletcher Sharpe from Newcastle he would be a massive upgrade on Kennedy.

The Club has Ison to cover that, they didn't sign him u until 2027 for nothing.

 

[Matt reeked]

Pretty happy with the performance . Some very sharks like mistakes . Trindall was the conducter . Hynes was ok . We’ll be ok .

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Yes sure Hynes has been good PR for the Club.

But apart from his Dally M season let’s face he’s been dog shit.

Expensive dog shit.

 

[bad boy bubby]

Yes sure Hynes has been good PR for the Club.

But apart from his Dally M season let’s face he’s been dog shit.

Expensive dog shit.

Its not PR mate. Click on the Kayo website, he's the first you see on there. Every interview they want him to be on it, in turn it shows our major sponsor, aramex.
Every hit means more sponsorship on their next deal.
I'll be blunt, Nicho is no way on earth worth 1m out of the cap when it comes to playing ability.
To the club though, and it is how they think, he is worth way more than that.

 

[Frenzy.]

So what you're really saying is that Fitz doesn't know what is best for the team?
We saw last year that when Trick was out that we went very well and there were calls all over for him to be gone, and that it to be Hynes and Atko.
The whole narrative changed when it was Tricky and Atko, yet at the same time the other teams had worked out our simple game plans with them after a few rounds.

They are pretty much equal in my eyes, Tricky and Hynes, Hynes only gets more money because of what I posted.
This is the Sharks, they are not a main player in the whole game. They need the cash that Nicho brings in.

Your vent isn't really about Nicho, it's really about how Fitz runs the side.

It's about both, see PM. I'm not sure I still trust a coach who keeps a liability in the most important position in the team because he's good for marketing reasons. If he's so important for marketing pay him half for footy and the rest out of leagues or footy club money, call him a marketing manage and don't waste cap on him. Take his TPAs off him as well because I'm sure he's on well over a mill.

How much is AFB bringing in for marketting?

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Its not PR mate. Click on the Kayo website, he's the first you see on there. Every interview they want him to be on it, in turn it shows our major sponsor, aramex.
Every hit means more sponsorship on their next deal.
I'll be blunt, Nicho is no way on earth worth 1m out of the cap when it comes to playing ability.
To the club though, and it is how they think, he is worth way more than that.

I get that BBB.

He is good for our balance sheet in that respect.

But on the field he’s an anchor to this team.

His confidence is shot.

The offseason hasn’t changed anything.

That drop from the kickoff he just wasn’t focused enough. His head is a million miles away from NRL.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

It's about both, see PM. I'm not sure I still trust a coach who keeps a liability in the most important position in the team because he's good for marketing reasons. If he's so important for marketing pay him half for footy and the rest out of leagues or footy club money, call him a marketing manage and don't waste cap on him. Take his TPAs off him as well because I'm sure he's on well over a mill.

How much is AFB bringing in for marketting?

Apart from that miss is in defence AFB was great today. He is going to be a real weapon for us. He’s definitely given the Club a lift and fans love him.

AFB is great for our marketing and so far is delivering on expectations.

 

[Craigshark]

Some of you are quick to forget, in the first 10 rounds of last season, nicho was on top of the dally m’s. Gets picked for origin, plays shit with 12 men against a dominant QLD team. Gets dropped, just misses a field goal against the dogs, gets hurt and is out for ages. Comes back, we flog manly, get flogged by Melbourne (forwards got schooled), we beat the cowboys and he plays average against the best team in history which see’s us bow out. On top of all of this, he was totally torched in the media to a point where they should really be ashamed of themselves for some of it. Fair is fair f**k me.

came out today, set up the first try. Forwards got absolutely manhandled by Penrith. Watch most of our sets where we end up on our backs and rag-dolled, compared to theirs where they end up on their fronts. There’s very few halves that have been able to win games for their teams on the back foot. Cleary, Andrew John’s probably the two exceptions. Funny enough, we were up against one of them today. I thought Hynes laid on a good play towards the end for Ramien. If Ramien had passed to an unmarked Stonestreet, he scores. Yeah he is the $$ man, maybe he should have over called trindall on that play I previously mentioned. Maybe he did and Brailey still went to trindall. Maybe he didn’t because he backed Trindall and to that point Trindall had been playing well. We won’t ever know.

Let’s flame him for a last shot throw at the dice shit kick with 5 seconds to go against the best team in the world. He kicks it long, Edwards covers it, he chip kicks, Stonestreet catches it and gets smashed. Then we argue why did he kick it long, chip it etc..

as others mentioned, Uele and Hazelton provided nothing. For their size, they got totally dominated and added nothing. Then for some reason, Fitzy takes Talakai off and replaces him with Atkinson. Surely Talakai is fine to play more minutes?

Whether you like it or not, he’s our million dollar man. Best off getting on board and backing him, cause he’s gonna be here for a while. f**k me, Moses is getting paid the same if not more and can’t even get his team into the 8 most years. Same with DCE. Ben Hunt. Reynolds.