Cowboys Game

[R&WTILLIDIE]

No coincidence that those no hopers (Tigers, Knights, Drags) are all broke/in debt to NRL

What is David Waite doing these days

What was the point in merging with Illawarra if we're still going to be piss poor

 

[TheRev]

Mate I was calling for Havili to have more game time as well...but tonight was a product of McGregor not giving him much game time...as I suspected he lacked match confidence when he finally got his time

Exactlly this, he finally got a few minutes on the field to prove himself and made a bunch of errors.. but when he actually got into dummy half, did you see how hard that man can throw a pass? Twice as far as rein in the same amount of time, he scoots quite quickly.. I like the bloke he just needs game time, hes had less minutes than Garvey, King and co did in the day.. and they got bugger all.

If Benji runs across field he's hoping to pick up a runner or at least have his players in motion to attract defenders and give him a chance to take the line on - instead he gets his players just standing there watching him. Lafai could have ran back infield and taken the pass but no he let Benji run off to nowhere and get taken over the line. It's not all Benji's fault.

Exactly.. something is fundamentally messed up with the way we attack the line...and I dont know what it is anymore... Benji looked dangerous all night, far more than McCrone, but fans get fixated on certain oversimplifications and hes the #1 target (alongside Rein as #2).

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

You could put anyone you like outside our halves at the moment and you'd get the same result. Wouldn't matter if it was Chambers, Roberts, Morris etc.
Don't blame the centres, feel very sorry for them.

Sorry I only agree to a point, yes we have a very poor halve pairing but Im not sure if Gaz and Coops would come up with the same results...and as for feeling sorry for them absolutely not ..their First Grade footballers getting well paid and their performances are not good enough week in week out for mine

 

[Willow]

Ladder says...

After 5 rounds...

For: 40 pts (lowest in the comp)
Against: 102 pts (6th lowest in the comp)
Differential: -62 pts (3rd lowest in the comp)

Only Newcastle and Easts are doing worse on the for-and-against. And they are at the bottom of the ladder.

We have suffered two 30+ pts to nil losses in the opening rounds. Time to turn it around or the writing will be on the wall.

 

[Dragonslayer]

If you watch this game, there are several "long" camera shots that show when we were in attack. A lot of one out running BUT, no one running as a support player, in fact there was one shot where the whole team was standing still, not 1 step forward.
This isn't the only game where I've seen this as well. Is it coaching? is it direction? or is it the players? or all 3?

 

[Willow]

Not enough depth in the line when it is needed, not enough variety, far too predictable.

 

[Minh]

Ladder says...

After 5 rounds...

For: 40 pts (lowest in the comp)
Against: 102 pts (6th lowest in the comp)
Differential: -62 pts (3rd lowest in the comp)

Only Newcastle and Easts are doing worse on the for-and-against. And they are at the bottom of the ladder.

We have suffered two 30+ pts to nil losses in the opening rounds. Time to turn it around or the writing will be on the wall.

Agree, needs fixing and fast or the season will slip away. I'm not writing them off yet though.

 

[j0nesy]

There have been glimpses this year, but overall we have struggled. Our attacking structure is all wrong. Tonight we tried to play a simple, one out game plan and we couldn't even execute that without dropping the ball. I thought we looked pretty sharp early on, but we fell to pieces when we fell 12 behind. Why? Because we have confidence in our attack, and rightly so. It is one of the worst attacking teams I can recall seeing in first grade rugby league. I was at the panthers game with my Dad and he commented, very seriously, that he had seen better from 1980's reserve grade Steelers. It's a worry.

I'm no expert, but I'll always throw an opinion out there (haha). We don't seem to offer much in the way of support play or players running angles off our halves. If you're going to play one out stuff, at least offer the poor bloke some support. Our guys seem to wait in the attacking line for the next play.

 

[TheRev]

Wonder if Coote still wants to sign?

 

[GC Dragon]

It is definately the slowest 3/4 line i can ever remember . We do have some real speed and size in the Cutters but i am now not sure any of them will help at the moment . It is like they have worked only on defence and have never done any work with the football at all . The right hand never seems to know what the left is doing . It is almost like they have just turned up for a game of park footy and have never met each other .

 

[Get2dachopper!]

I don't know how many more excuses the coaching staff can come up with. They can't use the "inherited roster" excuse anymore, Price is long gone and Mary and co have shaped the roster to their liking.

If you were to look at some of last years games, I think we were actually better in attack. Benji and widdop would combine with a run around and create space for the wingers. I can't understand how they've gotten worse.

It's just not in benjis or widdops natural instinct to run straight, they just both seem to have an obsession with crabbing sideways. Benjis dropped ball was because he was too busy looking at the defence, so obviously there is some fear there with running the ball straight. We really need an Andrew johns to coach the halves. Even Anasta was making sense, maybe he is on the lookout for a part time coaching job!

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Wonder if Coote still wants to sign?

Probably mate but not with us...I just don't think McGregor will attract to many good uns do you

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

I don't know how many more excuses the coaching staff can come up with. They can't use the "inherited roster" excuse anymore, Price is long gone and Mary and co have shaped the roster to their liking.

If you were to look at some of last years games, I think we were actually better in attack. Benji and widdop would combine with a run around and create space for the wingers. I can't understand how they've gotten worse.

It's just not in benjis or widdops natural instinct to run straight, they just both seem to have an obsession with crabbing sideways. Benjis dropped ball was because he was too busy looking at the defence, so obviously there is some fear there with running the ball straight. We really need an Andrew johns to coach the halves. Even Anasta was making sense, maybe he is on the lookout for a part time coaching job!

I think in fairness Widdop was made to look a lot better when he had blokes like Smith, Slater and Cronk around him and a forward pack that were willing to bend the line...we just cant offer him that luxury...as for Benji I was still hoping for some of the old magic in his game, but Im not sure if its there anymore...quite frankly he looks at times totally out of it , there appears to be imo something very wrong behind the scenes
or maybe he just cant produce week in week out...whatever the reason we need some solutions and fast.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Agree, needs fixing and fast or the season will slip away. I'm not writing them off yet though.

I think whats kicked us in the guts after tonight is, at the start of the season we were buoyed by the fact we had some depth signings and players like Masoe & Packer etc then after getting flogged by Cronulla some thought Mmm this not what we thought would happen...then we sort of bounced back with wins against Souths and Panthers then we get smashed by a very tired looking Cowboy outfit...so rightly alarm bells are ringing out loud again.....

 

[Minh]

I think whats kicked us in the guts after tonight is, at the start of the season we were buoyed by the fact we had some depth signings and players like Masoe & Packer etc then after getting flogged by Cronulla some thought Mmm this not what we thought would happen...then we sort of bounced back with wins against Souths and Panthers then we get smashed by a very tired looking Cowboy outfit...so rightly alarm bells are ringing out loud again.....

It's looking bleak, we can only win those arm wrestle type of games where our completion is high and we grind out a win. Against the good teams falling one or two tries behind is like curtains and the boys play like there's no belief that they can come back. It's not looking good unless there is a massive turnaround in our attacking form.

 

[Lethal25]

Cowboys for them played solid but not great. Yet we still leaked 36 points.

The lack of attack is now hurting the defence.

So where do the problems start? Lack of go forward, why? Rein's service from dummy half is average. Forwards are not good enough to create on their own (Fifita, taumalolo, Cartwright are the type we would need given the lack of creativity elsewhere)

Backs are given no space because of slow dummy half service and no go forward combined with halves that run sideways more than forward.

Generally speaking the roster is not bad but the competition is so tight you need to have plan b and plan c. We have not had this for a number of years.

For what it's worth I would look at these changes

Rein has to be moved on, I'd be happy to see a worker like ballin come in

One of the halves has to go. Presume benji given he's off contract. Given the lack of players left on the market it's worth trying Coote at five eight and Widdop to half

Look for a ball playing back rower. Again given contract timing it's unfortunately Ben creagh who wouldn't be resigned

Try a winger with speed. Milne should be given a go at the expense of PM. Nightingale has guile and a great sense of timing, his speed is gone however. He can only be kept in the side if there is speed elsewhere.

F*ck me we are a boring team to watch right now

 

[Divey]

I thought Benji Marshall played the worst game since he was playing and bluing with the Tigers. He his hiding within the team and does not want to be out there. He is a professional bludger. Mary, bite the bullet and put his arse on the bench where it belongs at present and promote McCrone.

 

[Saints Forever]

Having reviewed the game again I think the following factors lead to our poor performance:

1) Less turnaround time than Cowboys
2) Heat and humidity of Far North QLD
3) Team realisation that we do not have the capacity to score more than 12-18 points per game, so that when we fell 12 points behind the team was gone
4) Neither half played well. Benji realises he is not going to be offered a better contract and has switched off
5) We were playing the Premiers, and are several classes below them when it comes to creativity and speed
6) We have no clear game plan and no cohesion. As has been mentioned earlier the players seem to have just met one another

 

[twinkletoes]

We can tinker with the team as much as we like. The fundamental weakness is the coaching. Yes the players are making mistakes, are lacking enthusiasm etc but the primary flaw is the on dimensional coaching. Mcgregors only real coaching skill is defence....and when a team only has defence in its arsenal eventually they become physically worn down.

Why do you think the team drops its bundle when they get 2 tries behind...because they know their defence has failed and they have nothing else to offer.

I know we'll win more matches this year and McGregor will ramble on about pride, character and comradeship etc and that's all good, but the heart of the problem is the coach does not have the skill set to lead this team to any great heights...emotion will only get you so far.

Unless the very hard decision to replace the coach is made, accept that we will be a mediocre side regardless of what players are brought in. Even the attacking coach from North Qld, Demetriou seems to have been neutralised by the culture in the club...

 

[hewi]

Il add one more from left field. Now Nabuli has gone we have no one with height/reach to aim kicks to. He might have had other issues but he could leap and tap the ball back or catch it. It also helps if you have good accurate kickers and there are chaser putting pressure on neither of which we have.