Game day V Souths (round 11)

[dragoncountry]

I have just snoozed my way through our predictable press conference.
mary makes a point of their 4 tries from kicks as if they shouldn't be allowed to score off kicks. ffs you coach your team to run 1 out for 5 tackles then bomb from 40 out.
what are you expecting from this result??
the truth is our 5th tackle kicks are diabolical every game. stop worrying about stats and play footy ffs. and get Tin man out of the centres, that took him a week to score that try. we need SPEEEEED.

 

[southsport]

Game in a nutshell:

Rabbits were awful. And won.

Every analysis must be viewed through this prism.

Straight Shooter

Yep, you nailed it. ;-)

 

[rasaint]

I find it interesting that rightly this forum's members offer opinions and notes perceived deficiencies with the team. Also praises good points.

It seems nearly no one highlights the elephant in the room. Josh Dugan.

Josh is an above average 1st grader not an elite player. He defends well, returns the ball strongly from kicks and occasionally makes a long run beating a tackle(s) with strength or his sharp right foot step. I acknowledge those qualities. Yet I read comments along the line' he needs to get the ball in space blah blah'. Fact is he often has the ball like last night with room and is easily handled by the defence. Again last night, as happens too regularly for me he runs sideways trying to beat players and is rounded up and pushed out. Remember he is on $700k plus and the regularly criticised Widdoph and Marshall on $550k from reports.

If the club keeps Josh on he should be paid fair value around $400 to $450k tops. Does anyone believe another club is going to fork out $700 to $800K for him?

 

[grouch]

Josh is an above average 1st grader not an elite player.

Please. He's a current Kangaroo. A current Origin player (played 9 games). If that's not "elite" then what is?

The monkey on our back is the coach, and the elephant in the room is the board that appointed him.

 

[twinkletoes]

Problem is McGregor will trot out the same team next week and the week after etc just like Price did, and somehow miraculously expect them to start playing great football. It won't happen.

And just like Price he is too scared to give some younger players an opportunity to inject some spark into the team.

Scenario: This season will continue to unfold exactly the way it has happened to date...occasionally play well, will play grinding football, lack of intensity more often than not, no attack..and now shabby defence

 

[duck]

Game in a nutshell:

Rabbits were awful. And won.

Every analysis must be viewed through this prism.

Straight Shooter

Well put. I'm now convinced. Mary is a dud.
Just don't start this "I told you so" shit.


You were right.

 

[since77]

Please. He's a current Kangaroo. A current Origin player (played 9 games). If that's not "elite" then what is?

The monkey on our back is the coach, and the elephant in the room is the board that appointed him.

x 1,000,000

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

I have just snoozed my way through our predictable press conference.
mary makes a point of their 4 tries from kicks as if they shouldn't be allowed to score off kicks. ffs you coach your team to run 1 out for 5 tackles then bomb from 40 out.
what are you expecting from this result??
the truth is our 5th tackle kicks are diabolical every game. stop worrying about stats and play footy ffs. and get Tin man out of the centres, that took him a week to score that try. we need SPEEEEED.

Totally agree with this. It sounds like Mary is complaining because he hasn't trained the team to handle kicks so its very unfair of other sides to use that tactic against them.

Lafai's try was like a slow motion replay. From the 1940's. At 4 frames per second.

 

[Mr Red]

Not convinced this is correct. Duges plays like he always has, and other players such as Rein and Benji clearly don't play to any coaches plan.

I think Widdops problems are all Widdop.

Dugan (although still playing well) is a bigger, slower, less dynamic model of the player we originally signed.
When he was leaner and more agile he was far more dynamic and seemed to pass more compared to the "bash and barge" model we have created. (i think someone posted some stats on this to support this theory previously)

And Mary is still trying to coach out his natural instincts by constantly trying to move him into a centre position where he is even less dynamic.

Rein is just brain dead.

 

[rasaint]

Thanks Mr Red about generally supporting comments about Josh Dugan. I am simply saying what you do. He is seasons past that prodigious talent of Canberra days. Yes a good player but now not worth elite money. Yes a 'metre eater' in kick returns in own half but he has the ball in the same space as other players ( all teams) in the opponents critical 20 metre out zone and gets handled comfortably. Goodness me Goodwin sliced through for a great running try last night and looked dangerous always including out jumping Euan Aiken for his second try. Just saying Josh is no longer worth chewing $700k plus of cap.

Lafai lampooned by some for racing down 75 metres to score for us. He has a short high velocity stride rate which is quick and then swattered Walker as he came across. Also defended stoutly. It's a parallel universe sometimes. Oh and FFL used speed and persevere nec to continue his high touchdown rate since his recent elevation to 1st grade.

Nobody wants to mention that Euan ate dirt as Goodwin sliced through him last night and then jumped over him for his tries. BTW Euan is a great talent but last night wasn't his best game.

 

[Minh]

Goodwin always plays like a world beater against us....well handled by other teams though.

 

[Minh]

Thanks Mr Red about generally supporting comments about Josh Dugan. I am simply saying what you do. He is seasons past that prodigious talent of Canberra days. Yes a good player but now not worth elite money. Yes a 'metre eater' in kick returns in own half but he has the ball in the same space as other players ( all teams) in the opponents critical 20 metre out zone and gets handled comfortably. Goodness me Goodwin sliced through for a great running try last night and looked dangerous always including out jumping Euan Aiken for his second try. Just saying Josh is no longer worth chewing $700k plus of cap.

Lafai lampooned by some for racing down 75 metres to score for us. He has a short high velocity stride rate which is quick and then swattered Walker as he came across. Also defended stoutly. It's a parallel universe sometimes. Oh and FFL used speed and persevere nec to continue his high touchdown rate since his recent elevation to 1st grade.

Nobody wants to mention that Euan ate dirt as Goodwin sliced through him last night and then jumped over him for his tries. BTW Euan is a great talent but last night wasn't his best game.

Agree, aside from a couple of good runs, Aitken was quiet yesterday and didn't have the usual impact. I am a big fan of his though, will be a great talent and we should look to sign him long term.

 

[Mr Red]

Lafai looked like a 2 bob racehorse trying to stretch out with all that leg strapping.. it was like he had so much strapping he couldnt bend his legs to run...

 

[BennyV]

Lafai looked like a 2 bob racehorse trying to stretch out with all that leg strapping.. it was like he had so much strapping he couldnt bend his legs to run...

Lol the guy looked like he was running in slo-mo! Clearly not 100%...

Dat fend tho...

 

[giboz71]

Inside the 20 again we were inept. Souths turned over so much ball the first 20 mins, we could have put 2 or 3 tries on if we were good enough and sealed the game right there.

Yes agree Dugan doesn't help us in set plays, but his strength is helping us with field position through kick returns. Our forwards did their job as well rolling up and down the field and controlling possession (85% last night).

With Inglis at 5/8, Reynolds played a lone hand as the on field general and was brilliant. Every kick was a try scoring opportunity. When you're turning over so much ball, that's what you need from your playmakers, to make every moment count.

We suck at that.

 

[Mr Red]

Inside the 20 again we were inept. Souths turned over so much ball the first 20 mins, we could have put 2 or 3 tries on if we were good enough and sealed the game right there.

This.
Good teams would have been up 14 - 18 points in as many minutes and had Souths trying to play catch up.
However against us they went in with a lead at halftime.... :?

they gave it to us on a platter, numerous dropped balls, lethargic defense, penalties, generally looked like they were unaware the game had started...

we couldn't even score against 13 players who looked like they were all in a coma...

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Dugan (although still playing well) is a bigger, slower, less dynamic model of the player we originally signed.
When he was leaner and more agile he was far more dynamic and seemed to pass more compared to the "bash and barge" model we have created. (i think someone posted some stats on this to support this theory previously)

And Mary is still trying to coach out his natural instincts by constantly trying to move him into a centre position where he is even less dynamic.

Rein is just brain dead.

You may be right with Duges and Rein. However with Widdop are you suggesting that Mary is coaching him to:
- Run a couple of metres forward, then as far as you can sideways across the field before passing to one of the long suffering centres so they can get gang-tackled;
- When close to the line, grubber kick irrespective of how many opposition players are back in cover;
- When kicking long down-field, making sure you pick out their wingers or fullback;
- When kicking bombs, not kicking it high because it will be too hard for the opposition to catch it, and would give our players a chance to compete.

Sorry, I don't think Mary is that stupid. These are all Widdop issues.

 

[Dragons 09]

Lol the guy looked like he was running in slo-mo! Clearly not 100%...

I'm glad someone else noticed that. When i saw him running i thought "WTF, is this what i have been waiting 10 games to see:shock:". The when they replayed it, you could clearly see that his stride was not natural, he definitely has something going on that is hampering him.

 

[Dragons 09]

You may be right with Duges and Rein. However with Widdop are you suggesting that Mary is coaching him to:
- Run a couple of metres forward, then as far as you can sideways across the field before passing to one of the long suffering centres so they can get gang-tackled;
- When close to the line, grubber kick irrespective of how many opposition players are back in cover;
- When kicking long down-field, making sure you pick out their wingers or fullback;
- When kicking bombs, not kicking it high because it will be too hard for the opposition to catch it, and would give our players a chance to compete.

Sorry, I don't think Mary is that stupid. These are all Widdop issues.

I am in the "Mary must go" camp, have been from the day Price was sacked, but you are right, Mary does not directly coach Widdop to do what you have outlined above. However, i believe what you have outlined above is as an indirect consequence of Mary the rookie coach.

It will take paragraphs to explain my thoughts and i've said them all before so i'll save everyone the boredom of just reiterating my dribble, but an experienced coach sees the tangible flow on effects of his decisions and takes appropriate action to counter, where as a rookie coach doesn't have that experience and intuition and the compounding effect gets magnified.

 

[hazzbeen]

Inside the 20 again we were inept. Souths turned over so much ball the first 20 mins, we could have put 2 or 3 tries on if we were good enough and sealed the game right there.

Yes agree Dugan doesn't help us in set plays, but his strength is helping us with field position through kick returns. Our forwards did their job as well rolling up and down the field and controlling possession (85% last night).

With Inglis at 5/8, Reynolds played a lone hand as the on field general and was brilliant. Every kick was a try scoring opportunity. When you're turning over so much ball, that's what you need from your playmakers, to make every moment count.

We suck at that.

Cant argue with this ..... fact.....