Are teams lifting as they realise we are the real deal

[True_Believer]

Exactly what an apologist would say.

Nice one pot.

 

[Crush]

Interesting to see what's happening to the panthers tonight.

They put a target on their back as a result of their good form, and have come up against a team on the up who have the extra motivation of playing the comp leaders. Looking like a 20 point loss.

Seems a familiar story.

And I am really enjoying it.
They have copped a hiding.

 

[giboz71]

Interesting to see what's happening to the panthers tonight.

They put a target on their back as a result of their good form, and have come up against a team on the up who have the extra motivation of playing the comp leaders. Looking like a 20 point loss.

Seems a familiar story.

Well the team coming 6th has just put 30 on them. The same team we beat with our eyes closed on Anzac Day.

I wonder if their fans should give up on their season now like some of our fans have ?

 

[SBD82]

Well the team coming 6th has just put 30 on them. The same team we beat with our eyes closed on Anzac Day.

I wonder if their fans should give up on their season now like some of our fans have ?

This was definitely a litmus test for their team.

May premiers.

 

[SBD82]

And I am really enjoying it.
They have copped a hiding.

Can't say I'm enjoying it, I prefer the panthers to the roosters. But it certainly shows that this is a much more wide open comp than a lot of people seem to think.

I think the most accurate assessment that I can think of at the moment is that there are plenty of teams in the mix, and we are one of them.

 

[giboz71]

This was definitely a litmus test for their team.

May premiers.

That’s the thing, I wouldn’t be worried if I was a Panthers fan. It’s a tough time of year with Origin and injuries and they have been on a run that’s impossible to maintain. These losses are bound to happen, doesn’t mean your season is derailed.

Wait for Souths to fall off their perch at some stage, as they are in the middle of a run as well, just like us the first 6 weeks of the season.

That’s footy gents, anyone with a clue would know that and not lose their shit every time you have a loss.

 

[SBD82]

That’s the thing, I wouldn’t be worried if I was a Panthers fan. It’s a tough time of year with Origin and injuries and they have been on a run that’s impossible to maintain. These losses are bound to happen, doesn’t mean your season is derailed.

Wait for Souths to fall off their perch at some stage as well, as they are in the middle of a run as well, just like us the first 6 weeks of the season.

That’s footy gents, anyone with a clue would know that and not lose their shit any time you have a loss.

Hundred percent agree. Was just having a tongue in cheek dig at people who said the same things about us after we lost to the panthers.

Teams are going to have patches of form throughout the season. Teams go on runs, lose players to injury, have juniors make a massive step up after they debut, have players retire mid season, players effected by personal loss, and sometimes the ball just bounces your way.

In the week to week dissection of games I think the bigger picture is often lost.

 

[Crush]

Can't say I'm enjoying it, I prefer the panthers to the roosters. But it certainly shows that this is a much more wide open comp than a lot of people seem to think.

I think the most accurate assessment that I can think of at the moment is that there are plenty of teams in the mix, and we are one of them.

I agree 100%. The NRL is super competitive and any one of 6 teams can win this comp at this stage, Dragons being one of them.
Penrith copping a hiding just proves this. They are a very good team but so are the Roosters.
Geez there were some injuries tonight though. Glad that we have escaped major injuries thus far (touch wood)
May it continue until the end of the season.

 

[SBD82]

I agree 100%. The NRL is super competitive and any one of 6 teams can win this comp at this stage, Dragons being one of them.
Penrith copping a hiding just proves this. They are a very good team but so are the Roosters.
Geez there were some injuries tonight though. Glad that we have escaped major injuries thus far (touch wood)
May it continue until the end of the season.

Absolutely. Credit to our conditioning staff and we've been blessed with good luck too.

Really felt for Mitchell. Hate seeing a young bloke so obviously scared. Hope all is well but it didn't look good.

 

[Old Timer]

The Titans are giving the Dogs a bath @ 22 blot after 25 minutes
IMO anybody that thinks our win against the Dogs was in anyway a good win is an apologist for our recent poor attack and our bone head coach and his dumb arse tactics
The line that would have lost these games last year is now wearing thin after all we are leading the comp and we should have the ammo to put crap teams to the sword rather than just falling over the line

 

[MilanDragon]

The Titans are giving the Dogs a bath @ 22 blot after 25 minutes
IMO anybody that thinks our win against the Dogs was in anyway a good win is an apologist for our recent poor attack and our bone head coach and his dumb arse tactics
The line that would have lost these games last year is now wearing thin after all we are leading the comp and we should have the ammo to put crap teams to the sword rather than just falling over the line

I think people are saying the win last week was a good result which it was (to get a win despite playing poorly). Would you rather we have lost? And that’s a genuine question because I actually feel sometimes you’d be happier we lost just so one of your points can be proven right.

You talk about the best teams.. panthers, they scraped a one point win over the raiders last week and had a number put on them lastnight.

The Rabbitohs are now doing what we were at first, then what the panthers were doing second. In a few weeks the roosters will be the ‘team to beat’.

sides through a season have peaks and troughs, the best sides find a way to win during low periods. And to be honest I’d rsther peak when playing too sides but play poorly against the low sides as you can still get points (that you wouldn’t get playing poorly against a top side).

Gone are the days of going:

If A beats B and B beats C, then A will definitely beat C. This comp is too tight for that.

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

The Titans are giving the Dogs a bath @ 22 blot after 25 minutes
IMO anybody that thinks our win against the Dogs was in anyway a good win is an apologist for our recent poor attack and our bone head coach and his dumb arse tactics
The line that would have lost these games last year is now wearing thin after all we are leading the comp and we should have the ammo to put crap teams to the sword rather than just falling over the line

Typical!
The Dogs play their best game of the season against us and then go back to being crap against lessor teams.

 

[Old Timer]

I think people are saying the win last week was a good result which it was (to get a win despite playing poorly). Would you rather we have lost? And that’s a genuine question because I actually feel sometimes you’d be happier we lost just so one of your points can be proven right.

You talk about the best teams.. panthers, they scraped a one point win over the raiders last week and had a number put on them lastnight.

The Rabbitohs are now doing what we were at first, then what the panthers were doing second. In a few weeks the roosters will be the ‘team to beat’.

sides through a season have peaks and troughs, the best sides find a way to win during low periods. And to be honest I’d rsther peak when playing too sides but play poorly against the low sides as you can still get points (that you wouldn’t get playing poorly against a top side).

Gone are the days of going:

If A beats B and B beats C, then A will definitely beat C. This comp is too tight for that.

If we are the contenders that people want to talk us to being then surely we should be putting rabble teams to the sword?
In recent years we always look better early in the season than we do in the back end of the season and I believe that after all this time Mc Fookknuckle should be able to get us firing against shit sides and do a number on them especially when we slip away to a handy lead early in the game.
Do you really believe falling over the line against shit teams is going to enhance our prospects against the quality sides?

 

[Old Timer]

Typical!
The Dogs play their best game of the season against us and then go back to being crap against lessor teams.

Did they really play their best game against us or is that a bit of an excuse?

 

[giboz71]

Typical!
The Dogs play their best game of the season against us and then go back to being crap against lessor teams.

They always lift against us. They had won 10 of 11.

And perhaps they are crap this week after a physically demading game against us last week for no result.

 

[giboz71]

The Titans are giving the Dogs a bath @ 22 blot after 25 minutes
IMO anybody that thinks our win against the Dogs was in anyway a good win is an apologist for our recent poor attack and our bone head coach and his dumb arse tactics
The line that would have lost these games last year is now wearing thin after all we are leading the comp and we should have the ammo to put crap teams to the sword rather than just falling over the line

The Dogs beat the Panthers earlier this year who prior to last night was everyone’s pick for the comp. And Panthers were lucky to beat a dopey Faders outfit the week before. Hardly think their fans are too worried.

Again looking at individual games in isolation provides no real insights.

 

[VodkaSaint]

Typical!
The Dogs play their best game of the season against us and then go back to being crap against lessor teams.

They always play well against us.
Having said that we let back in the contest. Should have been 18 nill at half time last week.
Unforced droooed balls by Man and Aitken didn't help at all.

 

[The Damo]

Did they really play their best game against us or is that a bit of an excuse?

They really did. Panthers did too, by their own admission.
Of course it’d be better to smash teams every week, that’s not some incredible insight though. Judge each game on its merits, and the season by the totality of what’s happened so far.

 

[The Damo]

If we are the contenders that people want to talk us to being then surely we should be putting rabble teams to the sword?
In recent years we always look better early in the season than we do in the back end of the season and I believe that after all this time Mc Fookknuckle should be able to get us firing against shit sides and do a number on them especially when we slip away to a handy lead early in the game.
Do you really believe falling over the line against shit teams is going to enhance our prospects against the quality sides?

If you take the logic that teams that are contenders will always put the lowly teams to the sword - then not a single team will classify as contenders. Panthers lost to dogs and cows and beat parra by 2. Souths beat cows by 1 and titans by 2. Roosters beat knights by 2. Storm lost to manly by 20.
Standards and logic need to apply universally or are useless.

 

[Old Timer]

If you take the logic that teams that are contenders will always put the lowly teams to the sword - then not a single team will classify as contenders. Panthers lost to dogs and cows and beat parra by 2. Souths beat cows by 1 and titans by 2. Roosters beat knights by 2. Storm lost to manly by 20.
Standards and logic need to apply universally or are useless.

A couple of questions for you

1. Are we going as good as we earlier in the season?
2. If we continue to play as we have in recent weeks will it be good enough to make an impression at semi final time?
3. Are there any obvious changes that can be made to enhance our team and if so what are they?