Gone missing: 75 tries

[RWB]

Compared to the first 12 rounds last year to the first 12 this year there have been a massive 75 less tries scored.

There's no doubt that the new interpretations have lead to this and it's seen a brand of footy where holding onto the ball and playing field position will win you the game.

I don't know, each to their own but I reckon it's showing and I've found myself struggling to watch a lot of games this season, the moments of brilliance that we all love seem to be fewer than ever before.

Listening to the Tigers talk about completion rates just doesn't sit well with me let them play their expansive footy. Don't get me wrong there will always be a place for discipline in League look at the Dragons last year but now just seems like overkill

I really hope the season picks up after origin.

What do you think has it been an underwhelming season or am I just a sore loser?

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

The refs are definitely not policing the ruck very well.

 

[Cumberland Throw]

I dont know why but I am definately watching less games and taking less interest...

This may explain it

 

[Chook Norris]

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..

 

[harmichael]

there is no incentive to play expansive footy when you can do a dummy-half run or a one out hit up for a risk free 8-10 metres.

 

[besthalfbackPEARCE]

Bill Harrigan adjusted the rules to suit the Dragons style of play after his and Archer's bias towards them became a little bit too obvious.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

Last year players were constantly walking off the mark to illegally take the markers out of play. There is no wonder there were more tries...

This year there is more offloading and 2nd phase play than I can remember previously.

 

[Whos Ya Daddy]

Not allowing players to walk off the mark and get a roll on has curbed a lot of attack.

But they should never have been allowed to do it in the first place.

I don't have a problem.

 

[Whos Ya Daddy]

Last year players were constantly walking off the mark to illegally take the markers out of play. There is no wonder there were more tries...

This year there is more offloading and 2nd phase play than I can remember previously.

This.

 

[RWB]

Last year players were constantly walking off the mark to illegally take the markers out of play. There is no wonder there were more tries...

This year there is more offloading and 2nd phase play than I can remember previously.

Not allowing players to walk off the mark and get a roll on has curbed a lot of attack.

But they should never have been allowed to do it in the first place.

I don't have a problem.

Fair enough, they're just enforcing rules that we always whinge about but should the rucks not be cleared more quickly. Smithy put it brilliantly when he said it's almost like defenders are jumping off the top rope to join a tackle at the moment.

To me it seems like there's too much wrestling on the ground and not enough footy.

 

[Stagger Lee]

Don't get me wrong there will always be a place for discipline in League look at the Dragons last year but now just seems like overkill

What do you think has it been an underwhelming season or am I just a sore loser?

Well the dragons are the 4th highest point scorers this year and the roosters are one point from the worst so I guess the fault might be with your team :sarcasm:

But seriously the speed of the ruck is IMO the mean reason.

 

[RWB]

Well the dragons are the 4th highest point scorers this year and the roosters are one point from the worst so I guess the fault might be with your team :sarcasm:

But seriously the speed of the ruck is IMO the mean reason.

Doesn't that say a lot though, that the Dragons are the 4th highest. Taking nothing away from them they're a great side but their attack at its best could put you to sleep although it has been somewhat more entertaining this season... a little.

The season is poised for players like Campese to return from injury, Hayne to prove all his critics wrong, Carney to make another great comeback, Thurston to continue what he's doing but on a larger scale & Benji to be flicking balls left right and centre. At the moment the comp just seems subdued.

Open up the game Harrigan... please!!!

 

[Whos Ya Daddy]

Fair enough, they're just enforcing rules that we always whinge about but should the rucks not be cleared more quickly. Smithy put it brilliantly when he said it's almost like defenders are jumping off the top rope to join a tackle at the moment.

Why weren't you complaining about this during 2002-2004 when the Roosters were the gang tackle late flop kings?

 

[anjado]

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 )

The only two teams who had below average halfbacks were North Sydney who had Jason Martin who was the rookie of the year in 1990. Also Balmain who had Brian Smith who was a Rugby Union international and once played city country.

Only Gold Coast had a poor halfback in Ali Davys or Jason Twist.


There is only one really poor halfback out of all of these.

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.

 

[Whos Ya Daddy]

Open up the game Harrigan... please!!!

Illegal play the balls leading to increased dummy half running isn't exactly opening up the game.

 

[RWB]

Why weren't you complaining about this during 2002-2004 when the Roosters were the gang tackle late flop kings?

Because I was 12-14 then, I didn't even know what a forum was let alone bother trying to analyse the game. Freddy was king and that's all that mattered.

Please add something rather than trying to make this a personal bagging contest... it seems there's already enough of those threads around.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

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..

Then you clearly cannot enjoy a good contest. Parra v Dragons was one of the best this year. There mustn't have been enough errors or missed tackles.

 

[Raiders_Premiers]

jdfgharugbsdb;ogahsrtkhgi@&# you said something bad about the Dragons, how dare you!!! f**k YOU!!!!!!!11

 

[oldmancraigy]

Not to make TOO big a point of it, but the weather has been much worse this season than last.

More rain = less tries (as a general rule).

 

[broncos2012]

Meh I got so f**ken shitted off last year when a marker was penalised for not being square when it was the guys fault who was playing the ball walking forwards

Also clubs are getting really good at gang tackling a guy and holding him up... then when the ref calls held they fall over... the ultimate way to slow the play the ball down. It has been happening for ages but IMO it is happening a lot more lately.