Interesting seeing Maloney, Moylan and Reynolds together having a debriefing after the game. Didn't think any of the 3 were that bad, Reynolds had a fee long kicks under pressure that weren't his best, and a 20m tap late in the game. Moylan was dangerous in parts, had a few errors/caught out on kick returns but will be better for the experience. Maloney looked good in attack. They looked a bit disjointed at times but it's their first game together so i hope they get a other chance. Our other options would be a proven failure, or another new combo meaning we are back at square 1.
The interesting thing about the little post match debriefing from the 3 was the abscence of farah. I thing it showed in the game that it seems farah was playing a different game to those 3. He seemed to take his time at dummy-half and only we had no chance to be a hero did the other 3 get the ball.
My only 3 changes for game 2 would be walker out, maybe morris out and peats for farah. I think peats would be great, defencw wouldn't be a problem. He has a simpler game that revolves around giving his halves good early service, taking opportunities only when they are on and not over playing his hand
After watching the game tonight, I thought that this is one of the more enterprising line ups that NSW have fielded in the last 10 years. It is actually hard to see where we went wrong tonight because there were no shocking players. Rather, I think Laurie Daley's ineptness as a coach showed through some of his bench decisions and team selections. For instance, I think he needs to either start Klemmer or at the very least, have him on the field in the last 20 minutes as he is our most aggressive forward and one who will step up in terms of physicality when the game in the balance. I also feel that Andrew Fifita is best utilised at the back end of the game where his footwork would be most effective against tired defenders.
Selecting Robbie Farah was also a mistake as he seemed on a different page to the rest of the team. While he wasn't bad, I think some of the thing he did, in particular his kicking, were bad decisions. I also think at times that he lacked the control and organisational ability of a Michael Ennis - I believe that he should come into the team for game 2! Finally, what was the point of selecting Dylan Walker if you weren't going to use him?
While it is easy to criticise the players, I think we again need to look at Daley and what he came up with tactically as well. Granted he left out 1-2 players who genuinely warranted selection, but there was enough talent out there to grab a result. I just think Daley didn't utilize the players he selected to their full capabilities. For instance, surely with Adam Reynolds' pin-point accurate kicking game, Laurie Daley could have copied the South Sydney play where he chips across field to the two jumpers cutting back on the inside. With someone with great leaping ability, like Blake Ferguson, such a play would surely have resulted in points. Also, you've got a perfect hole runner/mobile forward in Boyd Cordner and while he scored in the first half, I think his combination with James Maloney could have been better deployed give what they achieved together at the Roosters. Another instance I can give of Daley not being on the ball tactically is when Thurston was defending out wide on Blake Ferguson's side. Surely, we could have come up with something during the week and exploited arguably the greatest mismatch on the field; there is no way Thurston would stop Ferguson one on one. I could go on all night but these are just a few examples of Laurie Daley not being at the races tactically.
In stating that this there were quite a few positives. I really like the fact that we have gone for not only big outside backs, but outside backs who can actually defend. I thought that both Mansour and Blake Ferguson acquitted themselves quite well in the blue jersey and did a lot of work in their own half to take the pressure off their forwards. However, it was the halves combination was what impressed me the most and I'm not just saying that as a South Sydney fan. I thought Maloney was terrific, particularly when he took the ball to the line and linked up with his outside backs. Similarly, Adam Reynolds seemed to compliment him well and for the first time in years we have a halfback who is able to sustain pressure. Many will say that he didn't create enough attacking opportunities; my argument to that is that while that may be true, he indirectly denied Queensland scoring opportunities through the execution of his kicking. Many of the kicks he put up gave our chasers ample time to get forward and tackle the fullback/ball catcher without them being able to make any metres. So in a sense, for much of the game Queensland were playing on 5 tackle sets instead of 6.
Ultimately, what this team lacks is a strike weapon. While we may have not done anything wrong tonight, I don't think we did enough to win the game. Dylan Walker is not the right solution to this problem simply because he has been playing out of position at Manly, is low on confidence and has been out form to warrant selection for such a role. I think someone like James Roberts would be ideal with his swerve and elusiveness but the downside is that he can't really fill in any other position to a high level other than centre or wing. In any case, I get the feeling that Daley is after someone who could potentially play in the halves. I can't believe I'm saying that but your almost better off picking someone like Luke Keary. Although I dislike him and the way he plays, his ad-lib style can bust a game open and he has proven so on quite a few occasions. Other than him, does anyone else have any other suggestions on who can fill that void?
I have enough confidence in this team to get a result in Queensland. I think with one or two tweaks to the team, we could win well up there. I just think Daley needs to be shrewder in both his selections and what he comes up with tactically.
I don't get the Moylan bashing either...he was the least of NSW's problems tonight I thought.
Matt Moylan is not a fullback for mine; he plays as a five-eight. You can see it in him - he just wants to play up in the line and get his hands on the ball at first and second receiver. Moreover, his positional play at fullback leaves a lot to be desired for and I'm not entirely convinced by him under the high ball. However, unless we are willing to go back to Brett Steward (if he is fit) then I don't really see a lot of options out there given that Tedesco and Dugan are both injured.
