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Rd5: Eels v Dragons GAME DAY THREAD @ BankWest Stadium 11/4/21

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Gazzamatta

Coach
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14,142
I enjoyed the 2s and the kids game. Had some Chooks supporters behind me for the Jersey Flegg. Absolute wankers. Team is getting lapped yet they still keep sledging. Morons.
They shut up for the main game then these half dozen Dragon fans exploded near us. Old enough to know better. Such a sad existence. My God ppl. It's just footy. Also had some Dragon supporters in front who were great. Just love their footy. A pleasure to chat too.
Apart from the earlier games the best part of a very long day was my 3 Scooeys of Great Northern in Sterlos. Its a shit club but the beer was very cold. Yummo.
 

Soto

Bench
Messages
2,712
I'd play Rankin.
Probably deserves a go. Smart footballer. Quite composed too.
Be interesting to see the extent of Moses's injury or cork or whatever they said it was on the coverage last night.
Jake Arthur wouldn't let us down either if we need someone to play 7. Only 18 and yes so is Sam Walker and he's doing really well
 

eels_fan

First Grade
Messages
6,712
Definitely Rankin into 6 imo...

I would also be going with a 4 forward bench for the raiders, with Carty getting a second chance and can adequately fill in the centres or halves if need be through injury
 

chiefy1

Juniors
Messages
2,476
Definitely Rankin into 6 imo...

I would also be going with a 4 forward bench for the raiders, with Carty getting a second chance and can adequately fill in the centres or halves if need be through injury


Maybe keep him at 6 if he aims up
 

TheParraboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
66,136
I wonder if BA goes in with the same bench against the raiders. Another tough forward pack

The same tough forward pack we beat last year without NBrown and Takairangi on the bench ?

You would think Matto in, Papa to bench and Cartwright out?
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,457
@TheRam What are your thoughts on J.Morris for coach. Atleast in attack?
I reckon it would be an astute move if he become available.

Then you fly the CEO the where ever Duke Gould is and offer him a 5yrs contract for 10 million to set up our junior system.

The problem with J. Morris, Hindy is that he is perceived as a coach that can't attract quality players to a club. At least with Arthur one could say that is one of his strengths. He and our management have done a stellar job in that department and have even picked up some real under rated value/quality that has helped build a top 4 roster and still be under the salary cap.

He needs a top strategist assistant though that can change the way we play. We don't need much tinkering. The playbook of the Dragons yesterday is exactly the way we should play. Also we need some much needed speed. We really lack in that department. We don't have even one player that can burn a team with speed. That is a real problem when your go forward is barely winning the middle.

There were times yesterday that our outside guys if they had the speed would have taken the space on offer and made something of it if not scored, but for lack of genuine speed, couldn't get around the defense fast enough and the movement would shut down.

Look I am as frustrated as most of you with the way we play at times and have leveled my criticism at the coach, which I feel is warranted at times, but not totally. The more I think about it, I feel that D. Brown as good as he is in defense and running the ball, hasn't got a pull the trigger type of game(at least not yet) and when teams are giving it to us like the Dragons yesterday, we don't have a option B, so teams really isolate and zero in on Moses.

Our centres are solid but one dimensional, so if a team is playing well in defense and putting players in numbers and putting their bodies in front when defending, we don't have any speedy, fancy, freaky foot work out their to scare the defense. They know a kick behind is the only real threat, so they tackle with confidence. Look at Penrith for example. They have Mr steady and strong Cleary directing the team around with the occasional burst of speed and line break to keep the defense guessing, not to mention his overall game is getting better and better with each passing year and he will be the number one half in the world by a country mile if he isn't already.

But then he has Jarome Luai next to him who is full of beans, speed and footwork that has been creating magic out of nothing. His game is the perfect compliment to Cleary's and the team is humming because of it. Luai's contribution and support play to whatever Cleary is doing cannot be under estimated. He is a real dynamo and talented playmaker. The way he can take on a defense and burn them in a blink and a step or skip across field and threaten the line pulling players out of their defensive patterns and then finding the right support runner to pass to is not a fluky one time thing.

Compare D. Browns game to Luai's and he is a distant second. Brown may eventually become a real playmaking threat, but for now he is effective, but very one dimensional and most teams no doubt have done their homework on him and know that he will run and are ready for it. He doesn't have a skip or a step that threatens anyone so they know that if they are quick enough they will get him. Which they almost always do. Rarely is anyone running along side him so he can past to, but that is a different problem. His passing game hasn't come on as much as I hoped at this stage, and his kicking is average to solid.

So what does he offer? Very strong defense for a half is his strength. Other then that he does everything else solid to good. But not much more then that. If he were a veteran playing the way he is, no one would be to excited. But he isn't a veteran so we are all hoping and anticipating much more improvement from him, which may or may not come. However for right now, he isn't threatening enough when the heat is on and we need someone else to stand up and turn a half chance into something.

Add the lack of genuine speed to all our outside backs and we have the problem that if our forwards aren't rolling through a team like when they are at their best, or playing a weaker side that they can easily click into a higher gear against when needed, then you have what happened last night against the Dragons. We couldn't regain the ascendency long enough even when there were a few opportunities because the Dragons were playing their A game and we needed someone to do something either with speed, razzle dazzle or creativity. No one fit the bill last night.

In games like yesterday, speed is usually the answer, to turn a game on its head. Then all the players know that if the can play to a certain point on the field that they are capable of creating something and it also puts fear in the defense. But when you don't have that and your playmakers are being handled then the opposition stays confident and we get the result that we got yesterday.

Yes very frustrating. But I don't think J. Morris is the answer. I wouldn't be changing our coach right now unless it was for someone that is rated much higher then him. I like Morris as an assistant level coach at this stage, not much more. If he were, the Cronulla players and the league world would have been talking him up big time. But other then a real nice guy and decent coach remarks, there isn't much more. We need a maker and a shaker at this level of our Eelovution.
 

Gazzamatta

Coach
Messages
14,142
The problem with J. Morris, Hindy is that he is perceived as a coach that can't attract quality players to a club. At least with Arthur one could say that is one of his strengths. He and our management have done a stellar job in that department and have even picked up some real under rated value/quality that has helped build a top 4 roster and still be under the salary cap.

He needs a top strategist assistant though that can change the way we play. We don't need much tinkering. The playbook of the Dragons yesterday is exactly the way we should play. Also we need some much needed speed. We really lack in that department. We don't have even one player that can burn a team with speed. That is a real problem when your go forward is barely winning the middle.

There were times yesterday that our outside guys if they had the speed would have taken the space on offer and made something of it if not scored, but for lack of genuine speed, couldn't get around the defense fast enough and the movement would shut down.

Look I am as frustrated as most of you with the way we play at times and have leveled my criticism at the coach, which I feel is warranted at times, but not totally. The more I think about it, I feel that D. Brown as good as he is in defense and running the ball, hasn't got a pull the trigger type of game(at least not yet) and when teams are giving it to us like the Dragons yesterday, we don't have a option B, so teams really isolate and zero in on Moses.

Our centres are solid but one dimensional, so if a team is playing well in defense and putting players in numbers and putting their bodies in front when defending, we don't have any speedy, fancy, freaky foot work out their to scare the defense. They know a kick behind is the only real threat, so they tackle with confidence. Look at Penrith for example. They have Mr steady and strong Cleary directing the team around with the occasional burst of speed and line break to keep the defense guessing, not to mention his overall game is getting better and better with each passing year and he will be the number one half in the world by a country mile if he isn't already.

But then he has Jarome Luai next to him who is full of beans, speed and footwork that has been creating magic out of nothing. His game is the perfect compliment to Cleary's and the team is humming because of it. Luai's contribution and support play to whatever Cleary is doing cannot be under estimated. He is a real dynamo and talented playmaker. The way he can take on a defense and burn them in a blink and a step or skip across field and threaten the line pulling players out of their defensive patterns and then finding the right support runner to pass to is not a fluky one time thing.

Compare D. Browns game to Luai's and he is a distant second. Brown may eventually become a real playmaking threat, but for now he is effective, but very one dimensional and most teams no doubt have done their homework on him and know that he will run and are ready for it. He doesn't have a skip or a step that threatens anyone so they know that if they are quick enough they will get him. Which they almost always do. Rarely is anyone running along side him so he can past to, but that is a different problem. His passing game hasn't come on as much as I hoped at this stage, and his kicking is average to solid.

So what does he offer? Very strong defense for a half is his strength. Other then that he does everything else solid to good. But not much more then that. If he were a veteran playing the way he is, no one would be to excited. But he isn't a veteran so we are all hoping and anticipating much more improvement from him, which may or may not come. However for right now, he isn't threatening enough when the heat is on and we need someone else to stand up and turn a half chance into something.

Add the lack of genuine speed to all our outside backs and we have the problem that if our forwards aren't rolling through a team like when they are at their best, or playing a weaker side that they can easily click into a higher gear against when needed, then you have what happened last night against the Dragons. We couldn't regain the ascendency long enough even when there were a few opportunities because the Dragons were playing their A game and we needed someone to do something either with speed, razzle dazzle or creativity. No one fit the bill last night.

In games like yesterday, speed is usually the answer, to turn a game on its head. Then all the players know that if the can play to a certain point on the field that they are capable of creating something and it also puts fear in the defense. But when you don't have that and your playmakers are being handled then the opposition stays confident and we get the result that we got yesterday.

Yes very frustrating. But I don't think J. Morris is the answer. I wouldn't be changing our coach right now unless it was for someone that is rated much higher then him. I like Morris as an assistant level coach at this stage, not much more. If he were, the Cronulla players and the league world would have been talking him up big time. But other then a real nice guy and decent coach remarks, there isn't much more. We need a maker and a shaker at this level of our Eelovution.
Can I bookmark this to read later.
 

84 Baby

Referee
Messages
28,032
The problem with J. Morris, Hindy is that he is perceived as a coach that can't attract quality players to a club. At least with Arthur one could say that is one of his strengths. He and our management have done a stellar job in that department and have even picked up some real under rated value/quality that has helped build a top 4 roster and still be under the salary cap.

He needs a top strategist assistant though that can change the way we play. We don't need much tinkering. The playbook of the Dragons yesterday is exactly the way we should play. Also we need some much needed speed. We really lack in that department. We don't have even one player that can burn a team with speed. That is a real problem when your go forward is barely winning the middle.

There were times yesterday that our outside guys if they had the speed would have taken the space on offer and made something of it if not scored, but for lack of genuine speed, couldn't get around the defense fast enough and the movement would shut down.

Look I am as frustrated as most of you with the way we play at times and have leveled my criticism at the coach, which I feel is warranted at times, but not totally. The more I think about it, I feel that D. Brown as good as he is in defense and running the ball, hasn't got a pull the trigger type of game(at least not yet) and when teams are giving it to us like the Dragons yesterday, we don't have a option B, so teams really isolate and zero in on Moses.

Our centres are solid but one dimensional, so if a team is playing well in defense and putting players in numbers and putting their bodies in front when defending, we don't have any speedy, fancy, freaky foot work out their to scare the defense. They know a kick behind is the only real threat, so they tackle with confidence. Look at Penrith for example. They have Mr steady and strong Cleary directing the team around with the occasional burst of speed and line break to keep the defense guessing, not to mention his overall game is getting better and better with each passing year and he will be the number one half in the world by a country mile if he isn't already.

But then he has Jarome Luai next to him who is full of beans, speed and footwork that has been creating magic out of nothing. His game is the perfect compliment to Cleary's and the team is humming because of it. Luai's contribution and support play to whatever Cleary is doing cannot be under estimated. He is a real dynamo and talented playmaker. The way he can take on a defense and burn them in a blink and a step or skip across field and threaten the line pulling players out of their defensive patterns and then finding the right support runner to pass to is not a fluky one time thing.

Compare D. Browns game to Luai's and he is a distant second. Brown may eventually become a real playmaking threat, but for now he is effective, but very one dimensional and most teams no doubt have done their homework on him and know that he will run and are ready for it. He doesn't have a skip or a step that threatens anyone so they know that if they are quick enough they will get him. Which they almost always do. Rarely is anyone running along side him so he can past to, but that is a different problem. His passing game hasn't come on as much as I hoped at this stage, and his kicking is average to solid.

So what does he offer? Very strong defense for a half is his strength. Other then that he does everything else solid to good. But not much more then that. If he were a veteran playing the way he is, no one would be to excited. But he isn't a veteran so we are all hoping and anticipating much more improvement from him, which may or may not come. However for right now, he isn't threatening enough when the heat is on and we need someone else to stand up and turn a half chance into something.

Add the lack of genuine speed to all our outside backs and we have the problem that if our forwards aren't rolling through a team like when they are at their best, or playing a weaker side that they can easily click into a higher gear against when needed, then you have what happened last night against the Dragons. We couldn't regain the ascendency long enough even when there were a few opportunities because the Dragons were playing their A game and we needed someone to do something either with speed, razzle dazzle or creativity. No one fit the bill last night.

In games like yesterday, speed is usually the answer, to turn a game on its head. Then all the players know that if the can play to a certain point on the field that they are capable of creating something and it also puts fear in the defense. But when you don't have that and your playmakers are being handled then the opposition stays confident and we get the result that we got yesterday.

Yes very frustrating. But I don't think J. Morris is the answer. I wouldn't be changing our coach right now unless it was for someone that is rated much higher then him. I like Morris as an assistant level coach at this stage, not much more. If he were, the Cronulla players and the league world would have been talking him up big time. But other then a real nice guy and decent coach remarks, there isn't much more. We need a maker and a shaker at this level of our Eelovution.
I didn’t read it all but I agree he doesn’t so much need new assistants but a protege a la Demetriou at Souffs or Fitzgibbon at Rorters who’s basically the heir apparent as we transition BA to a position between them and MON.

The only issues there are firstly I think it’s too late now unless we keep BA around for another umpteen years, but also the personalities required would be rare especially in NRL coaching. Need someone who can bring their own ideas but not afraid to feed off BA and others at club, and likewise if BA isn’t head coach he doesn’t get to make head coach decisions. I don’t think Kidwell or Murphy are that person. Be interesting to see if Ryan Carr could be. Young but has had an eclectic career already
 

Stevie

Bench
Messages
2,538
Keep in mind they also had there best player out. Yes we missed Matterson but Hunt is a far bigger weapon.
The problem we have is we always play impatient. That's Moses. He will never change. You just want to hope we make the 8 and he is able to put 3 great games together. He is unable to do it week in week out like N.Cleary.
That’s your 3rd post in a short post directly comparing a measly Parra play to a god like Panthers player. Give it a f**king rest would you?!
 

eel01s

Bench
Messages
3,246
For all the crappy attacking play last night, it was a few errors that really cost us. Had Carty's kick been deeper there is a good chance Fergo scores. A few dropped balls on the first tackle, one over Sivo's head didn't help. Had Lane's kick stayed in the in goal who knows what would have happened.

I still can't believe the ref allowed that final Dragons try given he was right in line with the forward pass.
 

84 Baby

Referee
Messages
28,032
Did anyone seriously think Gutho's try should have been taken off us? The player who Paulo supposedly affected wasn't even near tackling anyone.
I can see their point on it, just have to pray for the consistency that the NRL is well known for.
I thought the one in game before ours was a worse call given the defender was basically holding onto Roberts which is what stopped him from covering the gap
 
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