Sorry I didn't post last night, was simply too gutted. Man, I'm absolutely shattered by that. I really am. Heartbroken, just gutted. A lot of you will say, "come on, it's just a game." However, to me it's not just a game. This club is a huge part of my identity which is why I'm so hurt by last night. To lose a Prelim when we were oh so close sucks. I know it's been a rough year with injuries and stuff but it seemed like everything was coming right and I really thought that we were gonna do it this year, we certainly had the side. But to have that taken away is just devastating. I wanted it so badly this year to do it for Sutto but it's just not meant to be.
I feel like Canberra didn't win that either, we lost it. We missed so many chances (AJ's no try, Cody almost scoring and Tatola being held up) that had they gone slightly differently, we could be sitting here getting ready for a Grand Final. Plus, two of their tries were pure luck and a different bounce of the ball could have gone our way. That makes it hurt even more.
Attack was a mixed bag. Throughout the whole game, the forwards ran hard and we were rolling up the field pretty well, the best we have in weeks. That was constant throughout the whole game. The attack looked good in the first half too as we really asked some questions of the Raiders defence and were putting on some nice moves. We looked slick which saw a nice try to Gags and three almost tries to AJ, Cody and Tatola. As I mentioned earlier, Those three missed opportunities really cost us and we were unlucky. We execute those situations and we'd be in the Grand Final. The same can't be said for the second half. we were still rolling but when we got up their end of the field, the attack was a shambles. We had nothing and just couldn't execute. We seemed to panic a little, took the wrong options and despite getting plenty of repeat sets, couldn't take the opportunity because of poor execution. With the Season on the line, we didn't stand up. Along with that, we made silly errors throughout the game which cost us in the end too. We lost that prelim through poor executuon in my opinon. The result could have been so different and that hurts.
Defence was actually outstanding. They threw a lot at us, at various points in the game but we were able to repel them and hold our line through inspirational defence. Their first two tries were pure luck and defensively, there's not much you can do about that. It was really only Papalii's try that was the only defensive lapse and a real let down, the rest of the night the goal line defence was great. Our line speed and general aggression in defence was better too. Again though, that kinda hurts because it was the kind of defensive performance that would win most games but it slipped from our grasp.
Doueihi: What a performance!! Was honestly outstanding! He was very brave early on as he was getting belted but he stayed 100% committed and kept attacking that ball everytime it came to him despite getting belted. He was very safe at the back and his kick returns were outstanding, making half breaks a number of times. I thought the game kind of started to go down hill when he came off. The one bad point of his performance was his play-the-ball error which eneded up costing us. Ads was simply brilliant and I'd be more than happy to see him in the number 1 next year.
Johnston: Was okay. Took his hit ups when required and they were good runs too. He was safe at the back, solid defensively and didn't do too much wrong, he just didn't get much of an opportunity.
Graham: Great performance from Cammy. he ran with a lot of purpose and gee he made some meters to help the forwards out, he looked very strong in that regard. He was good defensively on Leilua and let nothing through. Was a good performance but I still don't know why he didn't pass to AJ early in the play during the first half. He certainly bombed a try. he did score that try late through some nice work but it was far too late.
Gagai: Clearly made up for last week, he was a lot better. Looked really hungry to make his first Grand Final, you could see he wanted it bad and as a result, was really switched on. His defence was much better, didn't make an error there all night and let nothing through which was good. His running game was powerful and back on song the way it should be and he bent the line on many occasions. Plus, he scored that brilliant try. Sadly, it wasn't enough.
Allan: Wasn't really bad but not really good either, a mixed game. His defence was good and the hit ups he had were solid but I feel that he just didn't do enough, he didn't get involved enough. He also made that poor eror which caused Croker's try, that was unlucky.
Walker: Really stepped up last night, really, really stepped up. That's the kind of form we've been crying out for for some time. He was excellent, probably our best. Cody once again looked really dangerous everytime he touched the ball because once again, he seemed really fired up and confident. He was creating a lot of space for those outside him and he had some outstanding plays, creating chances, putting Gags over for his try and almost, almost scoring himself. His kicking game and defence were also on point too, he made no errors and plenty of meters. The best game Cody has played for a long time, it kept us in the game. Sadly though, his playmakers around him couldn't go with him.
Reynolds: Reyno had a mixed night. We needed him to stand up and he kind of didn't. Even when the game and our Season was on the line, he didn't stand up. In the first half he was great. Kicking was good, he looked very sharp with distributing the ball and he was doing a pretty good job in defence. However, as the game grew older, he kind of seemed to fade and his involvement in the game got progressively worse. We needed the exact opposite. It was like he left it all to Cody. As a result, his kicking game faultered (including kicking one out on the full which killed momentum) and in attack, he just seemed to have nothing apart from going for the repeat set. He did make that intercept which put us in a position to take the win but again, we just couldn't take the chance.
S.Burgess: Has copped a bit of shit from fans on other forums for this big game but I actually thought he was inspirational. He was making such good runs all game just through being the Sam we know and love. He was running hard and fighting for every meter and he seemed to have real hunger to propel us into the Grand Final. Copped that injury but then returned and tried his absolute best when he came back but it just wasn't enough and those around him didn't lift with him.
Cook: In a game where we really needed him at his absolute best, he just didn't deliver. He was absolutley horrendous in fact, probably the worst he's ever played. Virtually no running and very poor service from dummy half with many of his passes going to absolutely no one which haults all momentum in a set. This happened probably about five or six times and that's not good enough for a top class hooker in a big game, it's as simple as that! He just looked a little lost too, hesitating a lot which cut down the time for reyno and Cody to make their plays, this was one of our biggest problems on attack and I hate to say it but it all stems from Cookie. Then, there was the killer. That kick he put in was just awful and it called off all hope of a Grand Final. Fianlly, he missed the tackle on Papalii that put the game to bed. Not gonna say he lost us the game but I certainly think that if he'd played okay, we might have won. I'm gutted for Cookie because that's not him, he'd be devastated.
Knight: Good game from Liam, he was a forward leader out there for sure. He ran with little to no fear, often taking the first hit up and charging into the line. All his carries were pretty good and he made some nice post contact meters. Was able to slip a few offloads too which helped to create some momentum.
Sutton: Pretty good individual game for the last game of career. he didn't play as many minutes but he did put in a good showing. Early on he was heavily involved, seeing a lot of ball and making some really good runs as he took Bateman on and was able to drive him back a fair bit each run. You could see Sutto wanted to win it so badly. he wasn't quite as effective in his second stint but still put in a good performance with some good defence, nice little runs and a pretty decent kicking game when it came his way. Good hands for our final try but that was all too little, too late. I know that Sutto will be as gutted as anyone and the fact that we didn't get to send him out the way he deserves just really hurts. Can't believe we're never gonna see him play again. What a legend.
Lowe: Not a bad performance, especially in the first stint. He made some good inroads on that right edge and I think he certainly stepped up from other games.
Murray: Another big disappointment of the night was Cam's game. I don't know what was up with him, he was just off. Nowhere near as involved as normal and had nowhere near the impact. He made a couple of good, quality runs and provided a bit of ball movement in the middle but really, that was about it which is a real shame. We needed him at his best and he wasn't there.
