2024 Pacific Championships - 18 Oct to 10 Nov

[GreenMachine121]

Dearden needs to learn how to pass , bombed 47 tries on the left

 

[soc123_au]

Solid game that. Kiwis will be better for the run, the final should be a good contest.

 

[Chins get the wins]

That’s a try there if Cleary is halfback.

I hate Moses as a person but he's done really well after sorting long out

 

[GreenMachine121]

Tremendous haha get f**k

 

[MRN]

 

[This Year?]

Nice to see a game that wasn't completely one sided. NZ were making inroads early but Australia's defence was as good as last week.

 

[Fangs]

Tremendous haha get f**k

Not unbelievable but it was far better than the crap from last week.

It was good football. Sets up the next couple weeks nicely.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

We’re duds with Mal as coach tbh.

Lucky we can defend. NZ with the handsy bloke from Parra and Hughes in the halves probably smoke us.

 

[mxlegend99]

Australia’s defence is top notch. Ridiculous to hold New Zealand out for do long with all that possession.

So much better than last year.

 

[Chins get the wins]

No Teddy and DCE has done wonders for the side

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

If we play like that in the final (if we make it) and are able to find something vaguely resembling NRL-standard attacking structure, we’ll be sweet. We have Aus covered physically.

 

[Fangs]

If we play like that in the final (if we make it) and are able to find something vaguely resembling NRL-standard attacking structure, we’ll be sweet. We have Aus covered physically.

You'd be better off accepting that you won't score 4 tries against AUS. Focus on defence so you don't have to score that many to win the game.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

You'd be better off accepting that you won't score 4 tries against AUS. Focus on defence so you don't have to score that many to win the game.

Ideally yeah we wouldn’t concede 4 tries, but we conceded 4 today with Australia having no ball and playing very little footy and the Kiwis putting in massively on defence. They just have us covered for speed and strike on the edges and there’s no level of willpower or intensity that’s going to absolutely stop them from going around us. If we’re going to dominate 75% of the game (which might be required for us to win) we’re gonna need to score some points. Like more than 10.

 

[yobbo84]

Australia won the test match. India and England lost in the cricket. The world is healing

 

[Captain Apollo]

Australia can't keep carrying Matt Burton on its interchange bench "in case" if injury. You need someone who is a genuine utility in that spot, not a specialist centre who can play five eight. The Australian squad has enough players capable in the squad of playing centre, wing or fullback in case of injury. In a tight match, playing Burton for 3-10 minutes is a luxury in my opinion that cannot be afforded.

 

[Chins get the wins]

Australia can't keep carrying Matt Burton on its interchange bench "in case" if injury. You need someone who is a genuine utility in that spot, not a specialist centre who can play five eight. The Australian squad has enough players capable in the squad of playing centre, wing or fullback in case of injury. In a tight match, playing Burton for 3-10 minutes is a luxury in my opinion that cannot be afforded.

Why? Grant goes 80 and it was his best ever game for Australia. Burton covers 1-7 and has been soild enough in the middle.

 

[Bazal]

Why? Grant goes 80 and it was his best ever game for Australia. Burton covers 1-7 and has been soild enough in the middle.

Except Cotter played like 12 mins of hooker game one.

Mal has NFI how to attack or use a bench, so I think that also weighs slightly against Burton being there for me. He's really just backline cover, which is important, but I do wonder whether we would be better with a hooker option.

 

[King-Gutho94]

I hate Moses as a person but he's done really well after sorting long out

Won his last 5 games for NSW & Australia.

More games then what he won for Parramatta this year.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Why? Grant goes 80 and it was his best ever game for Australia. Burton covers 1-7 and has been soild enough in the middle.

Its a bullshit argument. You need 17 p[layers to contribute. Having a guy who spends more than 70 minutes getting splinters in his bum does nothing. I mean, for example, did the Panthers carry a player like that on its interchange bench in the GF? Of course not. Burton is a luxury pick in my opinion as it just means you have your starters having to carry a greater workload.

 

[Fangs]

Its a bullshit argument. You need 17 p[layers to contribute. Having a guy who spends more than 70 minutes getting splinters in his bum does nothing. I mean, for example, did the Panthers carry a player like that on its interchange bench in the GF? Of course not. Burton is a luxury pick in my opinion as it just means you have your starters having to carry a greater workload.

We carried Brad Schneider into the game. He played 0 minutes. Not so much a luxury he was a necessity as Cleary was playing injured.

Though I do understand your argument. I much prefer a bench with everyone on the field at some point. But plenty of modern coaches are running it the same way Mal does. Until they relax the rules around the use of the 18th man it will continue to happen.