The press conference was typically insipid uninspiring stuff. That said it’s the same every week and I think he just goes in there to protect the players and give nothing away. To his own detriment.
The interesting part is he says the Knights came there with more intent. But that’s a fairly familiar story. The question is why? Why aren’t they motivated? I mean Christ, they’re nearly last (if not last now), they should have gained some confidence from last week but should have had a chip on their should with how it ended. They’re in front of their home crowd. And then to me as much as it’s a club game, 90% of these blokes are locals playing for the team they grew up aspiring to play for. So what gives? Why do our lads not turn up with the same intent?
To me I think it’s more we lack fundamentals in key positions. For example, Leeson and Agnatius to me are really good off the bench to create an impact. But starting, they have nothing. We played a winger who is as slow as a snail, poor in the air, and has no power or skill. We have a centre who can’t tackle. We have a halfback who can’t run. We have always relied on our back three to create momentum get with Roger probably not 100 per cent it’s fairly easy to gang up on Ken. Our props are being run over and therefore we lose the ruck. It’s just a poorly balanced squad. That’s on Kearney and Smith. Forget signing blokes for their nationalities. Because there’s an abundance of kiwis in this team and they don’t give two shits about the jumper. In fact in some cases the Australians seem to care more about representing the region. You need to get the right players for the balance of the squad.
Every time during a match when they pan up to the coaching box and I see Kearney and Iro sitting there, I just can’t see or imagine how those 2 inspire or motivate a team. You’re correct in the fact the other team shouldn’t be wanting it more, and also as worrying that after saying that for so many weeks there is pretty much zero accountability, unless you are a rookie 6, then you get your papers stamped
I remember the first year, a lot of the talk was “this isn’t his squad”, right now in then 3rd year we have the squad he created and the buck stops on him with that. Forwards and halves are a problem, Nikorima helps that a touch in the halves, my worry in that area in pre season was Green has never been a leader of a team, he has been a support player to the main act alongside Cronk, DCE and Johnson, and I don’t feel he has that ability to step up and dominate a game
It astounds me that it has been so many years since the warriors had a line breaking, hard running forward, I can’t think who the last one would be. Too much of a muchness in that forward pack
The use of the bench has been extremely poor, but at least that improved today and Luke had meaningful minutes at the end.
A bit of talk about Toovey, your blokes would kill the little bugger, could see him leaving the coaches box on a stretcher lol
