Gone missing: 75 tries

[Talanexor]

Wow, I think you're all overthinking this.

The reason there have been 75 fewer tries scored this season is simple:

The Cowboys defence no longer leaks like a sieve.

 

[beave]

^ this

 

[Poupou Escobar]

More trys don't mean better games...........

Seriously, the NRL can't win. You have games with shitloads of points scored and everyone whinges that the players are soft and can't defend 'like the old days' and then the defence gets a hell of a lot better people whinge that the aren't creative enough........... f**k me.

True.

There is a happy medium somewhere but I think it'll be achieved by putting off-field structures in place (ie. non-elite competitions and the way the salary cap is allocated) to encourage the development of playmakers.

Because at the moment most of them are being pushed out of the game before they've had time to mature.

 

[beave]

I agree that we don't have as many quality halves as what there was in years gone by.

For mine, the main reason with this is that clubs seem to get lads at a young age who are somewhat athletic and try to turn them into footballers instead of the other way around.

Identification of holes in defensive lines, overlaps and basic football 'brains' seem to be lacking in some respects, example last night in the Roosters Warriors games, one of the chooks went down busted in the last 15 mins (can't remember who) on the chooks right had edge. The Warriors had the ball and for the whole set while the trainer was dealing with the chook player on the ground, the Warriors never went that way to take advantage of the felled player. Simple shit like that just makes me shake my head and what goes through the lads heads when they can't even see this obvious shit and take advantage of it?????

 

[ANTiLAG]

My argument is that Union going pro has stolen the halves...

Nothing will be the same. But we sure as hell DO NOT need more clubs. 16 max.

Merge and or relocate but NO NEW teams.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I think the 10m rule played a considerable role in smaller players (ie. halves) becoming defensive liabilities. There's really no small centres coming through any more either.

 

[Pete Cash]

Players are getting stronger and faster as well so they can press up in defence quicker. Even with the 10m.

 

[DecoyRunner]

They wanted ten metres to open it up for the attack, but the best attacking football is still played at the line. Watmough got huge praise for his play before the line against Brisbane a couple weeks ago. His play that night put him in line for a Blues jersey.

 

[Hallatia]

I fell asleep for the first time in ages watching the Eels v Dragons

the speed of the ruck has slowed down considerably with a pedantic focus on playing the ball imo.. It's good tidying it up but f**k its slower..

You mustn't have been watching many Dragons games this season; they put me to sleep nearly every time I watch them play. Yeah their tactics have kept them at the top of the ladder, but they win at the expense of the game. It seems to me like they win at the expense of everything other than winning.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It's not the Dragons' responsibility to play exciting football.

Their job is to win however they can. It's up to the NRL administration to provide incentive for clubs to:

a. Recruit and develop creative attacking players

and

b. Play a style of football that allows those players to shine

 

[Loudstrat]

There is a clear lack of creativity in the game at the moment. This is what makes the game boring teams far to concerned with completion rates rather then what they do when they actually have possession of the football.

This makes the good games arm wrestles and the bad games tedious because the mistakes are just from rucking the ball out rather then enterprising play.

The game is far far too structured the policing of the rucks is fine. The problem is certain teams have had a policy of the past 3-4 years of just taking 5 hit ups and kicking the ball. Because the play the ball was so fast teams didn't really have to be creative.

Now the game has slowed down it will take more creativity or a perfect structure to break opposition teams down.

I have been watching the game for 25 years and from 2008 onwards has been the worst period of football going. Teams are too scared to take chances which leads to a boring game.

there are three great structured teams in the NRL and there are 2-3 entertaining teams. The rest are just terrible they have no creativity they just think taking 5 hit ups and kicking the ball is perfectly acceptable.

This is really the main problem there is a huge lack of talent in the game

There is a huge lack of talent in the halves

20 years ago

1992

Halfbacks

1. Stuart
2. Langer
3. Alexander
4. Sterling
5. Toovey
6. Taylor
7. Simon
8. Blake
9. Goldthorpe
10. Freeman

All of these halfbacks played at a state of origin level or higher in there careers.

You also have

11. Coleman (good club player for over a decade)
12. Healey (good club player for over a decade)
13. Polla-Mounter ( A good club player for a decade)
14. Rodwell ( rookie of the year that year )

Goldthorpe played SL - that's like playing Metro Cup.
Likewise, Simon played during the SL era - obviously if Stuart was available....

As a comparison (just to see how it goes against your point:
Halves 2011:
Thurston
Wallace
Prince
Mullen
Pearce
Hornby
Cronk
7 Origion players - all picked in an era when there wasonly 1 Origin, not 2

Cherry Evans
Townsend
Sandow
Hodgkinson
Robson
Walsh
Liu
Johnson
Orford
All bar Townsend, Robson and Johnson and orford (who has won a comp and a Dally POTY - are young up and comers destined for rep jumpers.

Five Eigths

1. Lewis
2. Kenny
3. Daley
4. Walters
5. Lamb
6. Lyons
7. Dymock
8. Florimo
9. Hagan
10. Carter

All of these players played state of origin or above in there career.

The rest

Speechley (Good club player for a decade)
Coyne ( He was okay )
Trindall ( Hugely talented a good club player for a decade)
Neil ( Good club player for a decade or so)
Robinson ( Rookie of the year 1991)
Hall ( good club player for a decade)

Our halves nowadays are nowhere near as good nowhere near the depth. Even 10 years ago there was so much more talent.

This is why there are fewer tries the players are not as creative or talented or allowed to express the talent they have.[/QUOTE]

Pivots 2011:
Lockyer
Campese
Bird
Marshall
Foran
Soward
Finch
7: All Origin or better

Carney
Graham
Sutton
Mortimer
Burns
Keating
Henry
Thompson
Carney a Dally M POTY, Morts a Dally M rookie, Graham, Henry and
Thompson are early in their careers.

And last year 2 long term rep players retired. And one (Hohia) has changed position


The game is so totally different - the hookers role has changed dramatically and so has the locks and the wingers.

 

[Loudstrat]

You know what I like about this season? Teams hve to earn tries. Not long ago a repeat set meant a try. Last year markers were penalised for not being square when the ball player moved off the mark. Last year markers could not dive on a ball if the dummy half wasnt there. This year they can. The ruck is clean. The obstruction rule has been cleaned up. If that means no tries but better, fairer rules, great.

The amount of crap teams that scored off back to back sets in recent years was diabolical.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Is loudstrat seriously trying to say the halves today as as numerous and of the same quality as 20 years ago or is this some dry sense of humour?

 

[Loudstrat]

Queenslanders say Heather is the best ever dont they?

Just a comparison - although Kenny, Sterlo and Wally were well past their best, and many would not have played rep football if not for the split comp.

 

[ANTiLAG]

The split comp rep awards were not dished up till 95. 97 being the other year of drastic effect.

I certainly do not rate Heather higher than Lewis. Lewis was on a par with Kenny, if not below Kenny heads up. Freddy and Daley were both better than Heather on my reckoning. So put Heather where you will. Which is 5th or worse going by the names I've already mentioned.

The halves from 90-92 crap all over the halves from 10-11. Sure John Simon gotta run in 92 with Stuart's injury. But he was in career best form. And Brandy was upset about his brother, and they probably thought Toovey was too small after 1990 - not to mention he still had to beat out the others...

 

[DecoyRunner]

Throw Phil Blake in there as well. Close to top of the heap on his day.

 

[anjado]

Goldthorpe played SL - that's like playing Metro Cup.
Likewise, Simon played during the SL era - obviously if Stuart was available....

As a comparison (just to see how it goes against your point:
Halves 2011:
Thurston
Wallace
Prince
Mullen
Pearce
Hornby
Cronk
7 Origion players - all picked in an era when there wasonly 1 Origin, not 2

Cherry Evans
Townsend
Sandow
Hodgkinson
Robson
Walsh
Liu
Johnson
Orford
All bar Townsend, Robson and Johnson and orford (who has won a comp and a Dally POTY - are young up and comers destined for rep jumpers.





Our halves nowadays are nowhere near as good nowhere near the depth. Even 10 years ago there was so much more talent.

This is why there are fewer tries the players are not as creative or talented or allowed to express the talent they have.

Pivots 2011:
Lockyer
Campese
Bird
Marshall
Foran
Soward
Finch
7: All Origin or better

Carney
Graham
Sutton
Mortimer
Burns
Keating
Henry
Thompson
Carney a Dally M POTY, Morts a Dally M rookie, Graham, Henry and
Thompson are early in their careers.

And last year 2 long term rep players retired. And one (Hohia) has changed position


The game is so totally different - the hookers role has changed dramatically and so has the locks and the wingers.[/QUOTE]


John Simon played state of origin in 1992 as has already been pointed out. Goldthorpe may have played in Super League but was halfback for the 2nd best team in the competition in 92,93,96. Super League tri series was as high a standard as state of origin at that time period.


Let me ask you would you take today's halves over the halves of 1992 even with Sterlo,Kenny and Lewis past there best ?


The reason there are so many halves that have played origin is because the standard of NSW halves have been garbage the likes of Pearce and Wallace are probably the 2 worst halfbacks NSW have ever had.


All the NSW halves of 20 years ago would walk into the current NSW side. Over the current incumbents.

Guys like Matt Rodwell and Will Robinson would be seen as future origin halves. When back in those days they wouldn't of even got a look in.


Yes the role of the Hooker and Fullback and Lock have changed. Which should make the game better and would make the game better if we had a good standard of halves which we don't anymore.

The standard of halves is the lowest it has ever been. There are some exceptions Marshall,Lockyer,Cronk,Thurston are all fantastic players in there own right. The rest are either way way too inconsistent or too young or just aren't very good.

 

[Chook Norris]

You mustn't have been watching many Dragons games this season; they put me to sleep nearly every time I watch them play. Yeah their tactics have kept them at the top of the ladder, but they win at the expense of the game. It seems to me like they win at the expense of everything other than winning.

Actually, i'll admit - i havent watched many of their games :lol:

I put myself off watching Dragons games 3 years ago actually.. so i don't know why i bothered this time. Broncos games are also a bore imo

 

[bottle]

Actually, i'll admit - i havent watched many of their games :lol:

I put myself off watching Dragons games 3 years ago actually.. so i don't know why i bothered this time. Broncos games are also a bore imo

Didn't you watch the one October 3 last year? Good game that.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Didn't you watch the one October 3 last year? Good game that.

f**king boring actually.

Wet weather grindfest where one team shit itself at halftime. Brian Smith master motivator once again.