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Round 2 - Broncos vs Rabbitohs: Friday 20th March 8:05pm @Suncorp Stadium

truthslayer

Juniors
Messages
331
This is the problem.
Murray was switched there because Bennett knew it would be bad.
Burns has been terrible, and is not the long term solution to left centre.

I don't agree with the criticism of Jimmy, I thought he was fair, and his weakest facet, defense, is better than last year

Su'A offered nothing in either defense or attack.

Cook is not doing anywhere near enough during games.

Bennett has some hard decisions to make. I want him to persist with Latrell at fullback, but I can't deny that right now, a much better balanced line up is Latrell to left C, AJ to FB, Burns out.

Also, Murray needs to be back at lock. Without his go-foward and quick play the balls in the middle, Cook has nothing to work with. This means one of Tom, Tatola, or Knight has to start from the bench.

I'd give Sironen a shot a second row, I don't think Su'A is up to the job, to me, he is a bench prospect at best.
Sua Made 40 tackles kept Fifita quite. Ran the ball strong
 

Legion

Juniors
Messages
400
You better watch the game before commenting then Novo.

He's a pro footballer.

He put himself in this position ie being extremely unfit due to screwing around with contract talks. He could have kept himself fit but didn't.

If he is a superstar then why was he dropped from Origin last season?

He ain't no GI mate. I would be surprised if many thought that. A flick pass here and there is not 'superstar' material.

Showing up and playing at a high level, each and every week is a start. He hasn't done that... ever.

No Luke Keary making him look a star anymore.



You do realise Brisbane lost their halfback, no Lodge, no Pangai, no Glenn, no Jack Bird, no Joe O. Throw Kahu in as well.

Souths should have given it to them.
In the after game segment, I think it was Gould who said that as a professional player, he should have turned up to Souths training fit and ready to go [Many of us pointed this out at the time]

It shows that LMs head is not where it should be.
The most concerning sign from last night was that Mitchell looked so relaxed and pleased with himself after the game. He proved many of our predictions right; he just did not put in last night.
He hung around out back and bludged, waiting for the game to come to him.
How could he possibly be happy with last nights performance?

Although I never believed that Mitchell was FB material, he said 'Put me at FB and I'll show you' [or words to that effect] Once given the chance I expected him to try and prove us doubters wrong.
He is way worse at FB than even I expected.
I'd be less harsh on him if he made mistakes while having a go but all he's managed to achieve is to have been put back to centre way earlier than anyone predicted.

Were I a Bunny fan, I'd be praying that Uncle Wayne gives it to LM straight; 'You got your chance. You let yourself down. You're playing at centre.'

What remains to be seen is how he plays week in week out at centre, in a team where he's not surrounded by rep players. This is a big year for Mitchell.
From what we've seen so far he's not going to get his Blues jumper back in any position.
As a Tigers fan I was relieved that he went to Souths. Now I'm delighted that he knocked us back.


For the sake of team cohesion, the sooner he's at centre the better.
 
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Spot On

Coach
Messages
13,897
Sua Made 40 tackles kept Fifita quite. Ran the ball strong


I was starting to wonder if he was another Bennett dud from Brisbane. He had a real go last night.

I think there are huge concerns for rabbits fans about their back line - not too many like to tackle in that lot. Some are downright disgraceful and inept at it.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,609
Player Of The Game - Round 2: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2020/03/21/player-of-the-game-round-two/

I just watched the replay and stand by what I said. When we were able to hold the ball and keep possession, we actually looked good in attack during the first half. With a bit of possession, we marched up field and really asked some questions of the Broncos defence. I agree that the second half offensively was a real let down and we were just not good enough. Things fell apart there but as I said, the first 40 in attack was good!

The biggest issue throughout the whole game was defence, in both halfs. It was quite soft and as I said in my match review, we missed so many tackles.

So yea, when we can hold the ball I don't think attack is our issue. Defence needs a lot of work this coming week though judging by last night.
 

Travitoh

First Grade
Messages
5,156
I think there are huge concerns for rabbits fans about their back line - not too many like to tackle in that lot. Some are downright disgraceful and inept at it.

Agree but i also feel that there is a lack of assistance from the middle sliding across. Too often are the outside backs isolated and left to fend for themselves defending both their inside and outside men.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,609
Michael Ennis says Latrell Mitchell isn’t fit enough for No.1. Mal Meninga wants him to be left alone: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...t/news-story/e16751826bdacbc6c315f82d3d8092ed

He’s got his back - Bennett to stick with Latrell in No.1 jersey for Bunnies’ clash with Roosters: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...r/news-story/eccdc6437ed65760fd44291c4f13c653

Also, a couple of articles from Sporting News,

League mastermind Phil Gould and NRL legend Paul Gallen have torn the Rabbitohs to shreds following their lacklustre performance against Brisbane on Friday.

League mastermind Phil Gould and NRL legend Paul Gallen have torn the Rabbitohs to shreds following their lacklustre performance against Brisbane on Friday.

The pair raised major concerns over the side's spine and its inability to capitalise on a number of possessions in the clash, which they lost 22-18 on an empty Suncorp Stadium.

Whilst the scoreboard reflected a tighter affair, the contest was anything but, with Brisbane's forward pack dominating the Rabbitohs' middles throughout the match.

Gould said that whilst South Sydney's forward pack failed to build any momentum, the side's playmakers didn't manage the game, and that was something in need of immediate attention.

"They took some really poor options, their football really deteriorated late in the second half when they had some chances to square that game up," Gould said in Channel Nine's post-match coverage.

"It didn't look anywhere near as convincing as it should've.

"I thought it was a pretty ordinary performance from South Sydney, it was bordering on soft. I just think the Broncos were too enthusiastic, too powerful, too relentless.

"There were a couple of glitches in the South Sydney attacking game which need to be fixed really quickly.

"There's just not enough flow to their set of six, they kind of work to the middle and put on a play and it gets really clunky for a couple of tackles and they lose their way again."

Gould had previously outlined his concerns over fullback Latrell Mitchell, who he believes is lacking an understanding of the game.

Mitchell's mortgage on the number one jersey could be under threat, with Wayne Bennett shifting his new recruit to centre midway through the second-half.

Mitchell's struggles were then somewhat amplified when his replacement at fullback Alex Johnston had an immediate impact on the game, scoring a try and running for 60 metres from eight runs in 21 minutes on the field.

But whilst acknowledging Mitchell's absent performance, Gallen sided with Gould and questioned the composure of South Sydney's playmakers.

"The spine of South Sydney had a lot more experience than the Brisbane side," the retired Cronulla legend said.

"The Brisbane side had injuries they had to move players around yet we still see Latrell Mitchell moved from fullback to centre.

"I've never been a fan of moving your spine around, they're the generals of your team and the amount of ball South Sydney had in the back end of that second half I would've expected their spine to get them home."

Wayne Bennett whacks critics of South Sydney Rabbitohs star

Latrell Mitchell seemingly cops more grief from the critics than the rest of his NRL peers combined.

But the man that currently holds the key to the 22-year-old’s rugby league future – South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett – is sticking solid with the ex-Sydney Rooster.

NRL pundits, led by Phil Gould, who declared Mitchell is currently ‘of no value to his team’, lined up to have a crack at the incumbent Australia centre on Friday night.

“I’m worried about Latrell and his football and unless he is mentored in the right way by the right people through this period it could all come unravelling for him over the next 18 months – judging by what I’m seeing now,” Gould said on Channel 9’s Friday Night Knockoff.

“He’s not ready to play NRL football the way he is, right at the moment, and certainly not to play that position (full-back).”

After he was benched by Bennett in Round 1, Mitchell lasted the full 80 minutes in the 22-18 loss to the Brisbane Broncos but finished the contest at left centre after starting at full-back.

Speaking post-match, the veteran coach left the door open to pick Mitchell at centre for Friday’s blockbuster clash against his former Roosters team-mates.

But after hearing the tidal wave of criticism, Bennett, who has a reputation for sticking by his players, told Fairfax Media’s Christian Nicolussi Mitchell ‘will be wearing the No.1’ against the Chooks.

And the seven-time premiership-winning coach had a terse message for Gould and Mitchell’s many other detractors.

"In five months' time when he's playing great footy, the critics will be hiding somewhere and make out they never said it,” he told Fairfax Media.
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,606
Hows that second staggs try was a knock on and should not have been awarded nrl admitts mistake
Didn’t matter to me really as we didn’t deserve to win and the better team won on the night and that was the Broncos.

We were terrible pretty much all over the park.
 

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