GF Panthers vs Storm

[WestyLife]

We've been overawed virtually the entire finals series, so the signs were there. A few (very) shitty calls went their way in the first half and we didn't deal with it well. We're too good to be blown away but the damage had been done.

Not interested in dissecting some of the poor performances by our players, but Ivan needs to take a good hard look at some of the decisions he made to a team on one of the best winning streaks in RL history. He's bottled it badly this last fortnight. We scraped by against Souths but unessesarily fielding a makeshift centre while weakening your bench is not going fly in a GF against Melbourne and is inexcusable from a coach who's no 1 attribute is apparently his unflappability.

On the whole though, I think we were the best team over the course of the year and this experience will burn the players badly enough that they won't let it happen again. I'm genuinely positive about our prospects over the course of this decade.

He might have laid a hand on Papen/Olam too. Couldn't have defended worse.

Yep. His team was on the best winning run in NRL history and he panicked and changed the attacking structure and interchange week 3 of the finals. You can't do that and beat the storm.

 

[Jane Murray]

Disappointing result tonight. Plenty to work on during the off season, and we will come back better, and stronger, next year.

 

[Dodgy]

Penrith might win a GF in the future. But the shit thing is this team won't. If we do win later on, there'll be players missing from this season that won't be there. Tamou being one.

 

[herbert henry1908]

If Naden starts I think we win. The attack looked so much better being able to attack that edge with a strong runner. Ivan panicked and cost the game.

It just made no sense to change what had been working.

Being able to attack on the right makes the left more dangerous as well, because you’re not constantly going that side.

Tyrone May isn’t a centre.


But I’ve gotta stress, there’s a whole heap of reasons we lost.

 

[Pomoz]

The only biggest blunder with interchange was Warren Ryan and Balmain when he took roach and Sironen off cost them the game .Cleary not as bad but didn’t help us

At least had the right team to start with. We were never in this game because we were a forward short on the bench and didn't play our usual forward power game. What forwards we did have we barely used.

Here are my thoughts:

• Kikau made 5 errors. FIVE! Why wasn't Capewell put on earlier to give him a rest. He hasn't played for 3 weeks and he was gassed. He played 80 minutes FFS. Cleary took Yeo off instead?????;

• WTF is Tetavano getting only 19 minutes about and Tamou 35 minutes? Our forwards were getting on top and pinning them down, we should have rotated the forwards and kept the momentum going;

• Instead of a power game we started lobbing passes out wide and the mistakes crept in. We ground our way to the minor premiership and in the finals Cleary panicked and tried to get us to play differently. Why, I'll never know. We looked all class with JFH and Tamou smashing them through the middle, why oh why did we leave them on the bench for so long?;

• Naden showed that what we lost in his mistakes in defence, we gained in forward momentum when he was in attack. Every time he ran the ball they crapped themselves. May plugged the defence but is not as effective in attack at centre. As Henry alluded to, it threw the balance of the team out;

• Errors from Edwards and Kikau really gave the Storm a huge advantage. 8 errors for two players. Staines' manager would have been licking his lips;

• Nathan Cleary had a bad game. His two errors led to two tries, he failed to find touch and looked really pedestrian for most of the game. To his credit he hung in there until the end and tried his guts out. Effort good, execution poor;

• Our backs look ponderous at times. We desperately need some pace out wide. Vunivalu had time to stop and smoke a pipe before scoring, we couldn't get near him. He is not even the fastest player at the storm;

• The players made a lot of errors and their inexperience showed, but this is on Cleary. His selection, strategy and bench management were just very poor. We threw that match away in the selection room and then doubled down by letting players rot on the bench when Kikau had a medley of mistakes and the Storm forwards were tiring.

The Storm were the better side and well done to them. A great achievement. As we showed when the blowtorch was applied to them, we can match them if we have the right players in the right positions. Such a shame, I hope the players get another opportunity to play in a GF.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Penrith might win a GF in the future. But the shit thing is this team won't. If we do win later on, there'll be players missing from this season that won't be there. Tamou being one.

Won’t be significant changes, 80-90% of this squad will be there.

 

[Fangs]

Biggest change in 2021 will be experience.

Halves didn't control this game. It was ours to win. Cleary and Luai will be better for it.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Something Nathan Cleary is going to have to address is how he plays in big games. His finals series this year hasn’t been great, and he’s also never had big games in Origin. Despite an excellent year, he really needs to learn from that.

 

[Dodgy]

Won’t be significant changes, 80-90% of this squad will be there.

Yeah, but it's that 10-20% that makes up the 2020 Panthers teams.

 

[Black Diamond]

Commiserations panthers fans, I know there’s probably nothing I can say to take away the shitty feeling right now, but I hope you take some solace in the fact that you are supporting a great club, that is doing a fantastic job of bringing through league players that play the game to a great standard. Your club has developed a model that I’d love to see mine emulate.

Good luck in 2021.

Thanks mate, what a year we have had...its been amazing ride.

 

[Munky]

Won’t be significant changes, 80-90% of this squad will be there.

Injuries though, we were blessed this year.

Yet Ivan swapped a utility back in for a fully fit centre.

If To'o or Mansour go down there is a chance Yeo still start on the wing (... again).

If the squad stays fit they will be a force but holy shit did the stars align this year.

We could barely field a first grade bench in 2004 and 2014 in the prelims.

 

[Fangs]

Something Nathan Cleary is going to have to address is how he plays in big games. His finals series this year hasn’t been great, and he’s also never had big games in Origin. Despite an excellent year, he really needs to learn from that.

He has had a great year. And a poor finals series.

He and Luai didn't control the game. Drop outs went out the window. Kicking game went to shit. They must learn from this.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Injuries though, we were blessed this year.

Yet Ivan swapped a utility back in for a fully fit centre.

If To'o or Mansour go down there is a chance Yeo still start on the wing (... again).

If the squad stays fit they will be a force but holy shit did the stars align this year.

We could barely field a first grade bench in 2004 and 2014 in the prelims.

Staines is ready to play the wing, the big conundrum will be right centre.

 

[Black Diamond]

He has had a great year. And a poor finals series.

He and Luai didn't control the game. Drop outs went out the window. Kicking game went to shit. They must learn from this.

They will. These boys need our accolades, they have been amazing, they will lead from this

 

[franklin2323]

Cleary was horrible this finals series

 

[WestyLife]

It just made no sense to change what had been working.

Being able to attack on the right makes the left more dangerous as well, because you’re not constantly going that side.

Tyrone May isn’t a centre.


But I’ve gotta stress, there’s a whole heap of reasons we lost.

It's not just two players changing positions. The attacking structure and interchange both get effected. It's pretty massive. Terrible completions also hurt and Nathan tried for one repeat set all game.

 

[Black Diamond]

It's not just two players changing positions. The attacking structure and interchange both get effected. It's pretty massive. Terrible completions also hurt and Nathan tried for one repeat set all game.

Yep Naden and Lenui Should have been in lineup....tha team worked

 

[Fangs]

It is an absolute choke and we can't change that. We were 100% the best team of 2020 and botched it when it mattered.

We need to do a proper review and come back much better next year.

 

[Original Name]

Before the recency bias starts against Naden and May I swear there were like 6 guys commentating on here that supported Naden being dropped and didn't believe in him.

 

[franklin2323]

Cleary gave them 2 tries.

It was a choke no other way to say it