Kearney

[B-Tron 3000]

Actually it was three things:

1. Edge defence - we couldn't stop teams when they went wide against us

2. Kicking game - we failed to make the opposition work for their field position

3. General attack - in games where we dominated possession we should have been up by 4 or 5 tries, not 1 or 2.

I'd add to that (or, rather, expand on point 3), and perhaps this is why Mark thinks we are mentally weak - I think we lack the experience to know how to win down the stretch. Sure we've got experienced players, but how many experienced (or natural) playmakers do we have?

In the Storm game, for instance, when they needed to score, they had Cameron Smith totally dominating their attack. Every ruck he was out probing at the defensive line, by either running it himself or passing to the most approriate person. EVERY play - bar none - put a strain on the defensive line. You could sense we were going to crack, but not because we were mentally weak, because their chief playmaker was consistently moving the ball to positions where our defenders had to make decisions, and eventually one of them made the wrong one.

Smith can do this because he is smart, experienced and - very importantly - is comfortable in the system that Melbourne have.

Compare that to what we did when we needed to score. We took 3 or 4 tackles where not much pressure was put on the defence, and then we flung it two off the ruck to Jarryd in hope that he did soemthing with it. Of course he couldn't because he didn't have decent halves or even a really enterprising dummy-half, and so didn't have the luxury of the defence having been shifted and moved around every play (or even being wary of someone else) - the opposition were all breathing down his neck. In addition, Jarryd was trying to be a 6 - a spot where he is inexperienced - in a new(ish) system for him. He doesn't have the luxury of years of being used to the system and his role.

Why do you think so many of his passes at the end of the close games went to ground? Because he is a bad player? Obviously not. Because he is mentally weak? You've seen him in Origin, right, when he steps up? The answer is because he was being asked to perform a role that he is simply not that experienced at, in a system he is not used to, at a time of the game when everyone in the defensive line is fully concentrating and focussed.

If we were mentally weak we wouldn't have fought back from the Penrith debacle by hitting the post with a FG in extra time - we would have packed it in on fulltime. If we were mentally weak we wouldn't have kept putting ourselves in positions to win games for so long without a win. Sure, by the time the Roosters game came around there was a concern about winning close ones, and we gave them that game somewhat through our nerves, but that would happen to anyone who had been through what we had - it is of itself not proof that there is some sort of inherent mental weakness in the club.

 

[lingard]

So Willie Tonga, Ben Roberts, John Mannah and so on are all bad buys?
The fact we are signing a host of juniors and re-signing our best young players isn't worthy of mention for you?
:lol:
If our recruitment for next year wasn't all that good, then tell me what constitutes a good recruitment phase.
:lol:
The crap that gets posted here.....

No, they`re not bad buys - and they might turn out to be terrific buys. But, for mine, Willie Tonga has always been just a little bit over-rated and he is in the autumn of his career; Ben Roberts is, by most people`s estimation, an unknown quantity; and we really don`t know how John Mannah will go. Only Sandow looks likely to be a great buy. The point is that our recruitment could end up being only average. Frankly, I don`t care. I`ll still support Parra no matter how they go - and on paper they do seem much better than last year. Still not a team I would expect to go much better than about sixth, but who knows. We still need a better hooker and possibly a better five-eight before I`ll start talking up our premiership chances. I`m looking forward to next year, though. At least we`ll probably play a more attacking brand of football, which will please me. I`m not interested at this stage in where we finish in the premiership. Doesn`t matter.

 

[lingard]

Mannah couldn't get ahead of Cordoba or Tautai at the Sharks.

Yeah, well I guess recovering from cancer will do that to you. :roll:

 

[lingard]

Del, I really don't appreciate the condescending crap mate.

We were in games up until the 65th minute, but failed to go on. We had leads of over 18 points (thats 3 tries) yet we managed to lose on several occasions. I can't see how that is a kicking game issue. I can't see how putting that on any one player is the best "Judgement", We failed as a team. Come the 65th minute we shut up shop. It was plain for all to see. I saw it on Television round 1 against the Warriors. I saw it with my own eyes in Townsville, I saw it live at Parramatta Stadium against the Roosters. Hell against the Roosters we could predicate it, the phenomena had become that repetitive.

Regardless of Robson in the halves (was he there for the last 6 games, no yet we still did it). Regardless of Mortimer playing or not. Regardless of Hayne being in 1 or 6. Regardless of different players shifting to centre or second row. We had a problem regardless of changes and it wasn't a problem scoring points . It was a problem of checking out of the game. Something our senior players will have to take responsibility for, as well as the coaching staff, now we have new head trainers and assistants and what all, that is great, we haven't changed the head coach, and the senior players are still the same, so now tell me how are we going to fix this problem, or are we thinking that all of a sudden with some new players here, when we get to a match winning lead we are finally going to go for the jugular ?

I`ve been watching rugby league for the last 47 years. I reckon I know a thing or two. And I reckon that our roster this year was THE WORST in the NRL by the length of the straight and then some. If you can`t understand that that could be the reason we lost a lot of games in the last 15 or 20 minutes, then I give up. I looked and I looked and I looked, and I`m damned if I could see any mental weakness or lack of attitude or guts. Mate, with a roster like that, we should have lost 50-nil every game. Now, I`m completely unconvinced about Stephen Kearney - he might be good, he might not. I`m not prepared to make a call yet. And I don`t really care one way or the other. But for a team like we had this year to be competitive in most games, someone had to be doing something right. The players worked their guts out and played way beyond themselves. The coach? Dunno about his tactics, but I reckon he got their attitudes right. So there`s something. It remains to be seen what he can do with a better squad.

 

[HevyDevy]

In a way, yes.

Plenty of those teams we took a lead against had obviously come into the game taking us lightly.

And as Souths' example shows, if teams really wanted to give us a flogging they should have hit us on the edges from the opening whistle. It's not like we had quality defenders out there to stop them.

Instead most of them tried to control the ball, and played us up the guts until they felt like they were going to lose.

Well if they took us lightly and that's the reason we led in those games then perhaps we didn't have such a promising season after all.

 

[HevyDevy]

I`ve been watching rugby league for the last 47 years. I reckon I know a thing or two. And I reckon that our roster this year was THE WORST in the NRL by the length of the straight and then some. If you can`t understand that that could be the reason we lost a lot of games in the last 15 or 20 minutes, then I give up. I looked and I looked and I looked, and I`m damned if I could see any mental weakness or lack of attitude or guts. Mate, with a roster like that, we should have lost 50-nil every game. Now, I`m completely unconvinced about Stephen Kearney - he might be good, he might not. I`m not prepared to make a call yet. And I don`t really care one way or the other. But for a team like we had this year to be competitive in most games, someone had to be doing something right. The players worked their guts out and played way beyond themselves. The coach? Dunno about his tactics, but I reckon he got their attitudes right. So there`s something. It remains to be seen what he can do with a better squad.

Rubbish.

 

[Kornstar]

Rubbish.

I think it makes people feel better if they make it sound as drastic as possible......their point is proven even more that way, apparently!!

 

[HevyDevy]

I think it makes people feel better if they make it sound as drastic as possible......their point is proven even more that way, apparently!!

True although with 47 years of rugby league fandom behind him how could we possibly dispute his infinite knowledge?

 

[Parra Pride]

True although with 47 years of rugby league fandom behind him how could we possibly dispute his infinite knowledge?

My 10,000 years of Rugby League fandom shall dispute it. :sarcasm:

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Well if they took us lightly and that's the reason we led in those games then perhaps we didn't have such a promising season after all.

Bear in mind we weren't taken lightly in every game, but we certainly must have been in at least some of them - we had a shit roster and at one stage we were coming last. Of course some teams took us lightly, and rightly so.

Anyway, it wasn't a promising season at all - we finished 14th.

What was promising was the way the young guys developed, and the quality of the recruitment for next year.

 

[HevyDevy]

Bear in mind we weren't taken lightly in every game, but we certainly must have been in at least some of them - we had a shit roster and at one stage we were coming last. Of course some teams took us lightly, and rightly so.

Anyway, it wasn't a promising season at all - we finished 14th.

What was promising was the way the young guys developed, and the quality of the recruitment for next year.

Yes I agree with this. Also, having Maitua there for the whole year will be a massive bonus.

 

[HevyDevy]

... Although like I have said earlier I'm worried about our lack of a dummy-half.

 

[The EELiminator]

... Although like I have said earlier I'm worried about our lack of a dummy-half.

maitua? although that would leave a hole to fill elsewhere

 

[HevyDevy]

maitua? Although that would leave a hole to fill elsewhere

wtf?

 

[The EELiminator]

wtf?

move maitua to dummy half

 

[Tony Bongo]

Yes I agree with this. Also, having Maitua there for the whole year will be a massive bonus.

I think it will be a massive bonus for Maitua as well. It must be incredibly difficult to get back into the swing of things after 2 years on the sidelines. Let's hope he proves that this year was just a warm up and next year we will see what he is really capable of.

 

[Stagger eel]

Rubbish.

I think it makes people feel better if they make it sound as drastic as possible......their point is proven even more that way, apparently!!

It's certainly not as bad as lingard suggests but it was the worst roster in the comp that's also been acknowledged by the experts..

 

[born an eel]

It's certainly not as bad as lingard suggests but it was the worst roster in the comp that's also been acknowledged by the experts..

while we were missing some players in important positions, we need to remember that most of the squad has been re-signed.

If it was such a bad line up we would have seen a greater turn-over of players, in particular the main 18-20 players who played a majority of games.

 

[Kornstar]

It's certainly not as bad as lingard suggests but it was the worst roster in the comp that's also been acknowledged by the experts..

Are these the same experts that change their opinion depending on their current agenda?

It's funny how people bag people in the media constantly, only to then use them to try and prove their arguement.

I get that our roster wasn't the best but I can't cop that it was the worst either! It seems to make people feel good to think it though, then they get to use that as an excuse to talk up how great the coach must be for us to just avoid the spoon.......

How about we all just accept this year as a write off for many reasons and stop making excuses just to defend the coach and then further to that, attack other posters for having the audacity to question the coach!

I think people have a right to not be 100% confident on a rookie coach, he now has the systems he wants in place, new players and a respected recruitment guy, so the last piece is his execution. Imo there is a lot of pressure on him because barring a massive injury toll, he will now be expected to perform.

I look forward to next year, lots of things to be excited about but it doesn't mean I can't be weary of the possibility that we may not live up to the promise.........it has happened too many times before!!!

 

[Maroubra Eel]

We still had a couple of origin and international players. So I don't think we were the worst team ever to lace up the boots.