Semi Final week 1 Vs Manly

[Doddsy6988]

Waqa Blake is out supposedly

 

[Pomoz]

Cleary and May are our best options atm. Our issues weren't the halves last week, we were way to flat . Manlys jamming defence completely stifled our attack and we had no plan B. We just didn't turn up last week and got owned through the middle, the halves had no platform to work with and again, when we are standing so flat against a team jamming up and in like Manly did and we aren't bending the line back we are f**ked. We don't have any plan B and there is no one out there willing to try something different without Moylan and Carty playing in his shell. We absolutely need momentum to be going our way to score points, we have zero ability to break down set defences, especially so without Moylan. It has been the case all season.

I wish you were wrong, but a commentator quoted the stats last week to say we are the worst team in the entire NRL inside the oppositions red zone. The question is why? Here is what I can think of, but I'm sure others have other points:

- We haven't had a lot of stability in the halves. Four 5/8ths is not good.
- Our halfback is 19 and has played only 39 games therefore he can be inconsistent. He just needs more experience and support.
- At times the team has had as many as four rookies in the spine with May, Cleary, Katoa and Edwards. Even when we have won with those players we have still struggled to put on big scores. Rookies make mistakes, they are inconsistent and their bodies struggle to adapt to the physical grind of the NRL.
- We have missed a few key players such as Cartwright and in the last few games Latu. This has made us rely on our other forwards and they are a bit meat and potatoes with very little in the way of offloads and short passing. CHN runs a nice line, but he needs a pass to get there.
- Moylan's mind has not been on the job. The drinking binge in Melbourne was the first indication of that. His form has been patchy at best.
- The spine hasn't played together much when you take into account Edwards at fullback and Moylan at 5/8th. Practice makes perfect.
- Many people will say we have no set plays but the constant changing of halves makes it difficult to develop combinations.

I don't have all the answers but the stats don't lie, our red zone plays suck the big one.

 

[betcats]

Yep I think everything you have mentioned plays a part. I think another big reason is that you can't get teams retreating and going backwards when they are on their line, there's no where to go and teams will jump off the line harder when defending there. With us playing flat our halves are under immense pressure just to get the ball away and then you consider the things you have mentioned above like lack of combinations and you can see why we struggle.

We can stand flat and roll teams up the field, we do it all the time and quite easily at times with our backs but in that red zone you need depth, it's more important attacking the try line then it is anywhere else on the field so it's no surprise that's where we struggle the most with this flat structure. We need some variation, something different to throw at them in the redzone, we seemed to be adding that over the back end of the year but last week looked like the early rounds with no plan b at all and the halves constantly getting pressured to run and shut down with the ball on hand.

 

[GongPanther]

Waqa Blake is out supposedly

Shoulder?

 

[Doomednow]

I wish you were wrong, but a commentator quoted the stats last week to say we are the worst team in the entire NRL inside the oppositions red zone. The question is why? Here is what I can think of, but I'm sure others have other points:

- We haven't had a lot of stability in the halves. Four 5/8ths is not good.
- Our halfback is 19 and has played only 39 games therefore he can be inconsistent. He just needs more experience and support.
- At times the team has had as many as four rookies in the spine with May, Cleary, Katoa and Edwards. Even when we have won with those players we have still struggled to put on big scores. Rookies make mistakes, they are inconsistent and their bodies struggle to adapt to the physical grind of the NRL.
- We have missed a few key players such as Cartwright and in the last few games Latu. This has made us rely on our other forwards and they are a bit meat and potatoes with very little in the way of offloads and short passing. CHN runs a nice line, but he needs a pass to get there.
- Moylan's mind has not been on the job. The drinking binge in Melbourne was the first indication of that. His form has been patchy at best.
- The spine hasn't played together much when you take into account Edwards at fullback and Moylan at 5/8th. Practice makes perfect.
- Many people will say we have no set plays but the constant changing of halves makes it difficult to develop combinations.

I don't have all the answers but the stats don't lie, our red zone plays suck the big one.

I agree with most of that except Cartwright being a key player. He's been absent or underperforming all year for whatever reason. I'm sure he can add something when he's in form but he's been out for ages and we don't, or at least shouldn't need him in the team.

 

[OldPanther]

I agree with most of that except Cartwright being a key player. He's been absent or underperforming all year for whatever reason. I'm sure he can add something when he's in form but he's been out for ages and we don't, or at least shouldn't need him in the team.

He's had injuries and off field drama. I wouldn't take game time off him. Could destroy him mentally.

 

[TheFrog]

I agree with most of that except Cartwright being a key player.

You know he is capable of taking a game apart. You just never know when he is going to do it. Could be this game.

 

[martielang]

Waqa Blake is out supposedly

Didn't someone say earlier they heard Laui is playing? Could be the reason.

Big loss if true. When it rains it pours.

If he is out though, strange they didn't name Jed Cartwright on the extended bench.

 

[betcats]

Didn't someone say earlier they heard Laui is playing? Could be the reason.

Big loss if true. When it rains it pours.

If he is out though, strange they didn't name Jed Cartwright on the extended bench.

If Waqa is out you'd think Luai would come in, unless Edwards is somehow fit or they wanna shift Yeo or CHN to centre which i think is unlikely. Will be exciting to see Luai if it is him, tough game for a debut so I wouldn't expect much but Luai is a good player, I watched a lot of him nyc, rarely saw him do anything dumb and he is very skilled.

Edit: Luai is actually listed in the nrl squad on the panthers sight now, I'm sure he wasn't at the start of the year, he must've of been one to move up when we let go of a couple.

If we do lose Moylan and sign no other half I'd back Luai to get the job over May. May is a perfect bench utility and Cleary and Luai played together as a pairing more then anyone else in that NYC squad.

 

[OldPanther]

If Blake is out my guess would be Whare to centre and Luai to fullback.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Luai must be playing if Blake is out.

Very interesting.

 

[bebo]

I agree with most of that except Cartwright being a key player. He's been absent or underperforming all year for whatever reason. I'm sure he can add something when he's in form but he's been out for ages and we don't, or at least shouldn't need him in the team.

I guarantee he cant influence the game from the bench

 

[tripster]

If Blake is out my guess would be Whare to centre and Luai to fullback.

Could play to our advantage a lot. Whare should be good defensively stopping us from leaking similar tries down Blake's side as last week.

One understated advantage of debuting players is that it is hard for the opposition to prepare specific tactics for targeting them because there isn't reels of footage to study on how they play and their weakenesses. Barrett might have some insight from his time at the club however.

I expect they'll just try to bomb to him and see how he performs under the high ball.

 

[Doddsy6988]

Shoulder?

I believe it is the shoulder.
I really think edwards will be back.

Whare to centre

If Edwards is out DWZ will go to the back with the new man coming in

 

[OldPanther]

Could play to our advantage a lot. Whare should be good defensively stopping us from leaking similar tries down Blake's side as last week.

One understated advantage of debuting players is that it is hard for the opposition to prepare specific tactics for targeting them because there isn't reels of footage to study on how they play and their weakenesses. Barrett might have some insight from his time at the club however.

I expect they'll just try to bomb to him and see how he performs under the high ball.

Hope the kid can catch. Good thing is we just need one week and Big Dill is back almost guaranteed as well.

 

[betcats]

Well if Luai debuts he's garaunteed to score, everyone on debut does these days.

 

[betcats]

Hope the kid can catch. Good thing is we just need one week and Big Dill is back almost guaranteed as well.

He seems to have taken to fb like a duck to water in reserve grade, he played in the halves exclusively in NYC.

 

[forby]

Tom Eisenhuth has played FB the last few games.

 

[Panther_Brendo]

Like the look of Luai, very evasive, I think he can do damage around the ruck. Edwards may play, we will know more tomorrow when the squad is cut to 19. Leota and Kikau will probably drop out though so we will probably be left guessing until 1 hour before kickoff. lol
Be interesting if our game has improved over the last week as apparently Gus has chipped in. Either way I think that the game will be a lot closer than last week. We had an off day, that's for sure.

 

[OldPanther]

Like the look of Luai, very evasive, I think he can do damage around the ruck. Edwards may play, we will know more tomorrow when the squad is cut to 19. Leota and Kikau will probably drop out though so we will probably be left guessing until 1 hour before kickoff. lol
Be interesting if our game has improved over the last week as apparently Gus has chipped in. Either way I think that the game will be a lot closer than last week. We had an off day, that's for sure.

Gus got involved again this week?