Is defense our biggest issue?

[BrotherJim05]

Like most people I used to think so, and I still think it is pretty average.
However, I feel like defense is not the real issue we have.

I'm not expert, but it seems that we are constantly putting ourselves on the back foot through our own ball handling errors. Stupid mistakes like forward passes, kicks going dead (the list goes on) are allowing the opposition to not over-exert themselves in defense. As they have all that spare energy, they can hit us up the middle with everything they have.
Maybe we hold them out for a set or two, then we get the ball, make an error and have to defend again.
Any team that has to do this for too long would completely fall apart and that's what I feel is happening to us.
Then as we have been defending for so long, we have no energy in attack and the stupid errors compound. Pretty much just a snowball effect.

I really feel like the WT need to focus on completing their sets and the defense part of our game will fall into place. Again, I'm not expert.

What are you thoughts?

 

[Matchball]

Yes. It's our biggest.
We can score enough points to be competitive but can't keep them out.

 

[ucantseeme]

If you didn't know the outcome of last weeks match but I told you the Tigers had scored 24 points. What would you guess, win or loss?

 

[super_coach]

Its not that simple, yes our defense is poor but their are reasons. Our basic structure is bad, we dont get to our fifth tackle kick enough, we seldom get repeat sets,we give a lot of late tackle penalties away, our kicking game is poor, our kick chase is poor, this all puts pressure on your defensive game.

Last week in the heat and first game of the season we were always going to get smashed as we gifted them a lions share of the ball and Widdop controlled the game so well.

Its been the same for a long time,apply pressure and the Tigers will crack big time. Its not all doom and gloom, it was only week one and their were a heap of new players playing their first NRL game together

 

[BrotherJim05]

Its not that simple, yes our defense is poor but their are reasons. Our basic structure is bad, we dont get to our fifth tackle kick enough, we seldom get repeat sets,we give a lot of late tackle penalties away, our kicking game is poor, our kick chase is poor, this all puts pressure on your defensive game.

Last week in the heat and first game of the season we were always going to get smashed as we gifted them a lions share of the ball and Widdop controlled the game so well.

Its been the same for a long time,apply pressure and the Tigers will crack big time. Its not all doom and gloom, it was only week one and their were a heap of new players playing their first NRL game together

I agree with you completely.

There were some positives coming out of it, e.g. Tupau and Tedesco. I think that we can really pinpoint our flaws now and build on our strengths.

Woods and Farah both didn't play to their 100% ability so if they come out guns blazing against GCT, hopefully we will see the whole team lift. I just really hope Galloway plays.

 

[Tiger05]

I also don't think it is our defence that is the real issue. Its that when we have the ball we do stupid stuff and that puts us under more pressure than we need to be under.

Yes we need to be strong defensively however we need to do a lot better when we have the ball as well.

 

[Shanghai Charlie]

Defence seems number one.
As soon as Saints scored on first visit in our 22 it seemed like nothing had changed.

Overpaying poor quality players is also a huge issue.
Blair 500K
Anasta 200K
Marshall and his power base.
As well as paying contracts for players at new clubs.

Years of poor coaching systems.

Years of board fighting and instability.

 

[magpie4ever]

Defence, defence and defence. As said, defence wins game or once your defence is right the rest comes together.

 

[Ron's_Mate]

Structure & discipline - teams like Manly & Storm have it. Part of the problem has been our lack of an organising halfback. Hopefully Brooks will bring this as he gets used to first grade.

 

[benched tiger]

Our defence is appalling if it is not sorted out we will be lucky to win a game !

 

[innsaneink]

We are also putting ourselves on the back foot by preventing offloads, not wrapping up the ball, poor marker defense which allows opps a roll on, no communication as the widdop/witt try showed where open half of the line sat and waited, didnt push up with the short side, no hitting hard and dominating, no attitude, no one leading the way saying ''follow me''...we have no one like a JWH or Plum to hammer someone and inspire the rest, we put ourselves on the back foot with blokes like Blair Gavet* & Paterson hanging hands out like hills hoists and slapping blokes, we put ourselves on the back foot by justifying ref tip sheets by always having a hand on the ball, blatant stripping etc etc all because we cannot compete in D

* Gavet debut I was guilty of criticising him I think he deserves a break here....but still one or two of his efforts were cringe stuff

 

[macnaz]

Just a fact to consider now before the Manly v Souths game , last year I did the sums on forward pack size compared to the eagles and we were a bigger pack .. 2014 the Tiger pack (with Fulton named ) weighs a total of 624kg averaging 104kg a a forward compared with Manly 598kg averaging 99.6kg a player . I BET being a smaller pack to the Tigers again their pack doesnt meekly surrender field position against other teams like we do.
Ps. Souths total 637kg averaging 106kg a forward .
We have no size excuse to be intimidated every week .. its our piss weak attitude .

 

[madunit]

I see Panthers are shopping around 2 of their top line props for next season to ease salary cap pressure.

Get on it I say.

Boy do we need Folkes back at the club.

 

[Matchball]

I see Panthers are shopping around 2 of their top line props for next season to ease salary cap pressure.

Get on it I say.

Boy do we need Folkes back at the club.

Head coach?

 

[boonboon]

Last tackle options and efforts are our major issue for me and have been for a while.

The issue is when you have a poor kick to finish your set every time - the pressure is never on the opposition and is always on your team as the opposition gets a natural roll on. This then leads to players having to give away a penalty to allow our defence to set.

It also means you miss out on 2 tries a match and this means that we are defending more sets. Also any penalty we give away the opposition si already in a good position as we never trap them down near thier own in goal. Poor kicking also means our forwards don't get time to recover while the opposition is pinned down and hence they are tired.

Please note last week Farah was horrible - I'm a big supporter but when I watched the game back a 2nd time he had a shocker with silly penalties , poor kicks and generally not leading as he should - I will give him a break because he is normally better and also he had been sick all week

 

[madunit]

Head coach?

any role.

 

[innsaneink]

We came first in missed tackles for Round one with a whopping 48 or thereabouts.
Lets see how we fare compared to everyone else this weekend

 

[Tigers Tale]

I see Panthers are shopping around 2 of their top line props for next season to ease salary cap pressure.

Get on it I say.

Boy do we need Folkes back at the club.

I was just getting on here to make mention of this...good buys both of them.

 

[Perth Tiger]

I think our biggest problem is that we're appeared physically weaker than the dragons, particularly in the forwards, which exaggerates the problems higlighted above.

I was getting sick of every forward getting pushed back and dominated in the contest in both attack and defence. Taupau was the one exception there.

 

[DanOz]

Bad performance no doubt, but it's Round 1. I live in hope...