Ozzwald
Juniors
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- 197
I posted this on the St. George board but thought it might be of interest to any Dragons fans in here & also to anyone who wants to knock the mighty red & whites & say that they are gone after losing Matthew Head for the season in last Sunday's clash with the North Queensland Cowboys. Anyways, here it is:
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Well I just finished watching the Saints/Cowboys clash from Jubilee & I have to say, I certainly feel a whole lot better about our prospects after Matty Head went down, for the rest of season 2005. I realize I am a day or so late with my rant on this game, so please forgive me there, but I watch the games as soon as I can.
St. George impressed me on so many levels on Sunday with their outstanding play. The first thing I want to mention is their team defense. Obviously it was good, looking at the scoreboard with just the single try to North Queensland. But more than that, it was impassioned, with for the most part, three guys in a tackle, not only halting the Cowboys go forward, but often times driving them backwards & more importantly wrapping up the ball & cutting out I would have to estimate some 85% of the second phase play. The amount of times that the Cowboys really struggled to get out of their own half (and for that matter out of their own 30 many times) was a testament to the tenacity & the fortitude of the St. George/Illawarra defense. But it's not just the forwards that deserve the wrap defensively. I thought our wingers Naiqama & Best were great in defense also, as was Clint Greenshields. All of them making some very key tackles throughout the game. That's a great sign for Saints.
The first half was obviously quite a dire struggle, but the Dragons ascendancy was never in question in my mind after the opening 5 minutes. Their go forward was brilliant. The young guys like Sims, Poore, Creagh & Henderson were all outstanding. They ran with vigor, determination & so many times carried the play an extra 10 or 15 metres up the park with 2 or 3 Cowboys hanging off them. That was something I loved to see & it leaves me with a good feeling regarding the future of the Dragons forward pack. Lance was wonderful, as per, but especially playing after that rib injury last week. Honestly, I can't say enough about the character of the guy. I said it in another thread, he's just an inspiration to all that play alongside him. Shaun Timmins was awesome though yesterday...again character city, after coming back on from that early knock he took. His defense was outstanding, but his attack was the thing that impressed me most. His charges were inspirational in themselves. Like his younger counterparts, he just kept going forward hit-up after hit-up, when the defenders hanging all over him gave him no right to do so. As a veteran of the team surrounded by a plethora of young guys he certainly stood up & led the way in the absence of our missing Origin stars. Add to this the second phase play that Saints generated often throughout the game, & the "hard yards" part of their game was just superb.
North Queensland was never allowed into the game. After that initial four pointer they never looked like scoring again with the exception of about 10 minutes to go when desperate & committed Dragons defense nullified any chance of that happening. Again, character is the key word here. The game was already won for the Dragons, but they had pride in defending their line & that's a real feel good point from the game also. As Saints fans we know all too well of their tendency often to let teams back into the game after taking an early lead. Sunday's performance, even with the stars missing was personally the performance I have been waiting to see from them & the performance I knew all along they were capable of. Their confidence as a football team right now must be sky high, knowing that they have their best players yet to return to the fold.
I loved the way Saints built the platform for their win. They established their ascendancy during the first half with their rock solid defense, a great go forward & an equally great kicking game from Hornby. Yes, the first half was a little scrappy with a few dropped balls & the like, but yet Saints were still able to dominate in terms of field position. Their sets of six were predominantly awesome, with the forwards making fantastic gains up the middle, incisive running from dummy-half, great ball movement (Naiqama's first try was a corker!) & then good, deep, well placed kicks from Horns. Although it was just one try apiece in the opening stanza, you got the impression as a viewer that the scoreboard would soon reflect what was happening on the park. And I think Saints themselves knew that too. And that's another of the real good positives from the game. The fact that they didn't let their lack of points in the first half rattle them. They knew they were on top of their opposition, they remained calm, played their game & were patient. And patience is a key that I think Saints have been lacking at times.
Of course we blew the Cowboys off the park in the second 40 to the tune of 28-0, so it's obvious that there were numerous highlights from that second half. But I think special mention goes to Ben Hornby. His passing game was excellent....he threw some great cut-out balls & some superb short balls but for me it was his running game yesterday that lit up Jubilee. He sliced through the Cowboys defense in the middle of the ruck so many times. It was awesome to watch & is it just me, or does that guy look like Darren Lockyer, both physically & in the way he plays? Personally I thought the resemblance was uncanny, particularly in his running & kicking styles. Now, I dislike the Brisbane Broncos as much as the next red & white eyed Saints supporter, but I am the first to admit the sheer brilliance & class of Lockyer, so any comparison to him is most assuredly a good thing!
Michael Ennis was awesome yesterday. What a great utility player he is for the Dragons. His ball movement was fantastic, he had a decent kicking game & was solid in defense also. He adapted excellently when moved from his starting position at hooker to the half-back role. As did Gorrell coming off the bench into the hooking role. Saints' ability to adapt to the reshuffling brought about by injuries on Sunday was superb. Dean Young (man, does he ever look like his great ol' Dad!!!) had another superb game, starting in the second row. Gee, he's in great form lately & again a wonderful utility option for the Drags. Greenshields was safe as a bank at fullback & ran strongly the whole game. His late try was just rewards for a great afternoons work. As I mentioned, Horns was sensational in his move to five-eighth & I have noted already the adaptability of Ennis & Gorrell.
That is a wonderful, wonderful sign for a St. George/Illawarra team who really need to find some combination through this second half of the regular season with the injury to Matt Head. Nathan Brown was quoted as saying he thinks Horns & the boys filling in, in those positions will do "admirably" but if Sunday's performance was anything to go by, their efforts in the coming weeks will surely be classed as more than merely admirable.
So we've established that St. George/Illawarra played great Rugby League yesterday - extremely solid in defense, incisive & damaging in attack & adaptable in terms of everyones roles on the ground. But the thing that very much impressed me was their not only their ability, but their desire to really bury the Cowboys once the game was already won. The game was all but gone for North Queensland after the 17th minute of the second half, yet Saints played like they were hungry for more until the final hooter (the thwarting of the Cowboys attacking raids with about 10 to go & the Greenshields try on the bell perfect indications of this). Again as Saints supporters, we are all fully aware of the Dragons penchant for not playing the full 80 minutes. That has been a bane in the St. George game for a long time - the fact that they so seldom seem to put together a solid 80 minute performance. But Sunday, we saw the kind of game from them that frankly has been long overdue. It was a spirited, determined, & skillful win for a Dragons side that showed the character that it takes to win premierships. It would have been so easy for them to fold yesterday with the early injuries to Timmo & Head, but they lifted, every one of them, & drove North Queensland into the dirt in no uncertain terms. Now, as a passionate Dragons supporter I plea for CONSISTANCY. Another performance like this next weekend against the Bunnies will send their confidence in their own ability into the stratosphere....irregardless of the quality of the opposition (& frankly, the Bunnies after coming off a draw with the Dogs & their absolute flogging of competition front-runners Manly are going to be no easy beats).
I for one certainly feel a LOT better about our ability to carry on deep into the post season after losing Heady. Everyone wants to step up & contribute. There were absolutely no passengers yesterday & as I said, with all our big guns sets to return, things are looking exceptionally bright for our mighty red & whites at the moment!
-------------------------------------------------
Well I just finished watching the Saints/Cowboys clash from Jubilee & I have to say, I certainly feel a whole lot better about our prospects after Matty Head went down, for the rest of season 2005. I realize I am a day or so late with my rant on this game, so please forgive me there, but I watch the games as soon as I can.
St. George impressed me on so many levels on Sunday with their outstanding play. The first thing I want to mention is their team defense. Obviously it was good, looking at the scoreboard with just the single try to North Queensland. But more than that, it was impassioned, with for the most part, three guys in a tackle, not only halting the Cowboys go forward, but often times driving them backwards & more importantly wrapping up the ball & cutting out I would have to estimate some 85% of the second phase play. The amount of times that the Cowboys really struggled to get out of their own half (and for that matter out of their own 30 many times) was a testament to the tenacity & the fortitude of the St. George/Illawarra defense. But it's not just the forwards that deserve the wrap defensively. I thought our wingers Naiqama & Best were great in defense also, as was Clint Greenshields. All of them making some very key tackles throughout the game. That's a great sign for Saints.
The first half was obviously quite a dire struggle, but the Dragons ascendancy was never in question in my mind after the opening 5 minutes. Their go forward was brilliant. The young guys like Sims, Poore, Creagh & Henderson were all outstanding. They ran with vigor, determination & so many times carried the play an extra 10 or 15 metres up the park with 2 or 3 Cowboys hanging off them. That was something I loved to see & it leaves me with a good feeling regarding the future of the Dragons forward pack. Lance was wonderful, as per, but especially playing after that rib injury last week. Honestly, I can't say enough about the character of the guy. I said it in another thread, he's just an inspiration to all that play alongside him. Shaun Timmins was awesome though yesterday...again character city, after coming back on from that early knock he took. His defense was outstanding, but his attack was the thing that impressed me most. His charges were inspirational in themselves. Like his younger counterparts, he just kept going forward hit-up after hit-up, when the defenders hanging all over him gave him no right to do so. As a veteran of the team surrounded by a plethora of young guys he certainly stood up & led the way in the absence of our missing Origin stars. Add to this the second phase play that Saints generated often throughout the game, & the "hard yards" part of their game was just superb.
North Queensland was never allowed into the game. After that initial four pointer they never looked like scoring again with the exception of about 10 minutes to go when desperate & committed Dragons defense nullified any chance of that happening. Again, character is the key word here. The game was already won for the Dragons, but they had pride in defending their line & that's a real feel good point from the game also. As Saints fans we know all too well of their tendency often to let teams back into the game after taking an early lead. Sunday's performance, even with the stars missing was personally the performance I have been waiting to see from them & the performance I knew all along they were capable of. Their confidence as a football team right now must be sky high, knowing that they have their best players yet to return to the fold.
I loved the way Saints built the platform for their win. They established their ascendancy during the first half with their rock solid defense, a great go forward & an equally great kicking game from Hornby. Yes, the first half was a little scrappy with a few dropped balls & the like, but yet Saints were still able to dominate in terms of field position. Their sets of six were predominantly awesome, with the forwards making fantastic gains up the middle, incisive running from dummy-half, great ball movement (Naiqama's first try was a corker!) & then good, deep, well placed kicks from Horns. Although it was just one try apiece in the opening stanza, you got the impression as a viewer that the scoreboard would soon reflect what was happening on the park. And I think Saints themselves knew that too. And that's another of the real good positives from the game. The fact that they didn't let their lack of points in the first half rattle them. They knew they were on top of their opposition, they remained calm, played their game & were patient. And patience is a key that I think Saints have been lacking at times.
Of course we blew the Cowboys off the park in the second 40 to the tune of 28-0, so it's obvious that there were numerous highlights from that second half. But I think special mention goes to Ben Hornby. His passing game was excellent....he threw some great cut-out balls & some superb short balls but for me it was his running game yesterday that lit up Jubilee. He sliced through the Cowboys defense in the middle of the ruck so many times. It was awesome to watch & is it just me, or does that guy look like Darren Lockyer, both physically & in the way he plays? Personally I thought the resemblance was uncanny, particularly in his running & kicking styles. Now, I dislike the Brisbane Broncos as much as the next red & white eyed Saints supporter, but I am the first to admit the sheer brilliance & class of Lockyer, so any comparison to him is most assuredly a good thing!
Michael Ennis was awesome yesterday. What a great utility player he is for the Dragons. His ball movement was fantastic, he had a decent kicking game & was solid in defense also. He adapted excellently when moved from his starting position at hooker to the half-back role. As did Gorrell coming off the bench into the hooking role. Saints' ability to adapt to the reshuffling brought about by injuries on Sunday was superb. Dean Young (man, does he ever look like his great ol' Dad!!!) had another superb game, starting in the second row. Gee, he's in great form lately & again a wonderful utility option for the Drags. Greenshields was safe as a bank at fullback & ran strongly the whole game. His late try was just rewards for a great afternoons work. As I mentioned, Horns was sensational in his move to five-eighth & I have noted already the adaptability of Ennis & Gorrell.
That is a wonderful, wonderful sign for a St. George/Illawarra team who really need to find some combination through this second half of the regular season with the injury to Matt Head. Nathan Brown was quoted as saying he thinks Horns & the boys filling in, in those positions will do "admirably" but if Sunday's performance was anything to go by, their efforts in the coming weeks will surely be classed as more than merely admirable.
So we've established that St. George/Illawarra played great Rugby League yesterday - extremely solid in defense, incisive & damaging in attack & adaptable in terms of everyones roles on the ground. But the thing that very much impressed me was their not only their ability, but their desire to really bury the Cowboys once the game was already won. The game was all but gone for North Queensland after the 17th minute of the second half, yet Saints played like they were hungry for more until the final hooter (the thwarting of the Cowboys attacking raids with about 10 to go & the Greenshields try on the bell perfect indications of this). Again as Saints supporters, we are all fully aware of the Dragons penchant for not playing the full 80 minutes. That has been a bane in the St. George game for a long time - the fact that they so seldom seem to put together a solid 80 minute performance. But Sunday, we saw the kind of game from them that frankly has been long overdue. It was a spirited, determined, & skillful win for a Dragons side that showed the character that it takes to win premierships. It would have been so easy for them to fold yesterday with the early injuries to Timmo & Head, but they lifted, every one of them, & drove North Queensland into the dirt in no uncertain terms. Now, as a passionate Dragons supporter I plea for CONSISTANCY. Another performance like this next weekend against the Bunnies will send their confidence in their own ability into the stratosphere....irregardless of the quality of the opposition (& frankly, the Bunnies after coming off a draw with the Dogs & their absolute flogging of competition front-runners Manly are going to be no easy beats).
I for one certainly feel a LOT better about our ability to carry on deep into the post season after losing Heady. Everyone wants to step up & contribute. There were absolutely no passengers yesterday & as I said, with all our big guns sets to return, things are looking exceptionally bright for our mighty red & whites at the moment!
