I read some interesting posts in this thread about building pressure. I think that there are many ways of building pressure in the modern game, it just depends on the personnel that you have available; it not down to one player but a combination of things. Souths and Melbourne do it by playing for repeat sets, the Bulldogs do it by playing for territory and then making the opposition forwards tired themselves out working the footy away from their own in goal line, Wayne Bennett coached teams like to kick penalty goals and bleed you to death, Paul McGregor at the Dragons has made his side difficult to beat by being very sound defensively etc. The secret is finding the formula that works for the players you've got.
The problem that Parramatta have is that I don't think that Brad Arthur has come up with a strategy yet to suit the players that he has. It seems from the outside that the only time that Parramatta look threatening is when they offload the footy - thats fine, but its the hallmark of a desperate team and it can often go pear shaped, especially against a team that is really defensively organised.
For a team that is in your position, I would maybe take a leaf out of Des Hasler's book; its a simple and effective approach and is best suited to a team that doesn't have a lot of flair players. In terms of building pressure, I would have Norman simply kick to the corners on the last and then make the opposition work their asses off getting the ball off their own goal line. I really do think your forwards are capable of doing it - we saw it against Souths! Parramatta have arguably the most improved forward pack in the comp! Even against the Titans I thought they were really solid Moreover, this way of playing also builds confidence as teams will struggle to score points; a good defensive set can build as much confidence and enthusiasm as a try. Don't believe me - have a look at the game where Souths played Manly at the SCG last season - we won that game purely through line speed.
In terms of attacking the opposition goal line, this where the offloads come in; run the ball on the last. Who cares if you get tackled on the 5th? Conceding a turnover 5m out from the opposition goal line is a much better result and sustains more pressure than giving away a 7 tackle set from a 20m tap due to putting the ball deal. I can never understand why on earth you have Sandow and co. kicking all the time on the last when Parra look so dangerous offloading; the 4th and 5th tackle is the perfect time to do it because it is a nightmare to defend against, especially when attacking the opponent's goal line. Another possibility is to have Sandow run the ball on the last - for me one of Sandow's major strengths is when he hangs out the back like a fullback and runs with the footy; he did it against Souths and he tore us to shreds. These are just a couple of examples of what I'm talking about when I mention developing a strategy to suit the players you've got. Many of the first grade squad are decent players, I just think Brad Arthur is not playing to the strengths of the team in his game plan and as a result, the squad is made to look ordinary.
