KOE (ex Canterbury Cup) and Jersey Flegg

[AyiosYiorgos]

How did Tamale play?

Don't think he played, was named, but then taken out of the team, that's what o heard, maybe someone can confirm.

 

[Desperate Dragon]

Tamale is listed as one of the try scorers, so he definitely did play.
Was interchanged with around 3 minutes to go, so possibly picked up a late injury??

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Looks like he did play, my bad..

 

[Desperate Dragon]

All good AyiosYiorgos.
You post plenty of good mail here.

---

 

[Dragonsteve2]

DS 2
Don’t get me wrong it’s a great result especially when just a week or 2 ago the sad sack brigade were calling for Goodwin’s head and as usual bagging the club for giving him a job.

My concern is that many think KOE cup form instantly translates to the NRL and therefore instantly demands elevation.

In amongst that they sometimes ignore the fact of how poor the opposition in KOE cup might have been.

Very fair point, OT. But KOE Cup is all we have to evaluate the guys outside the top NRL 17.

If we consider the Mary and Griffin eras, we could make the judgment that many players who looked good in the level below, KOE or NSW Cup, didn't make it at NRL level because of the much higher standard in the latter. But when you see blokes like Ford, Robson, Garrick, Saab and Host make the grade quickly at other clubs, alternative judgements can be put forward. Plenty will point to the coaching. For me it can be a bit more subtle. Confidence is such a big factor in elite sport that being uncertain of your spot can limit performance. I would argue that only one local junior amongst the forwards under the two coaches I mentioned was selected with such consistency that he has been allowed to develop and that is Blake Lawrie. The chopping and changing with Host, Sele and Leilua was detrimental to all three. In the half dozen games of KOE Cup I saw last season Ford was a very strong 80 minute player, but with his four or five 20-25 bursts off the bench in NRL it was hard for him to show his improvement. After his last couple of games, I am now wondering whether Burns has reached a new level and whether it's time for him to have a string of games in the NRL especially with Sua out.

It would be good if Hook sticking with Toby Couchman is an indication that he has learnt from the Ford experience. If he has, he should be looking at Burns. But if he leaves Sullivan in the lower grade much longer it will show he has learnt nothing.

 

[blacksafake]

Very fair point, OT. But KOE Cup is all we have to evaluate the guys outside the top NRL 17.

If we consider the Mary and Griffin eras, we could make the judgment that many players who looked good in the level below, KOE or NSW Cup, didn't make it at NRL level because of the much higher standard in the latter. But when you see blokes like Ford, Robson, Garrick, Saab and Host make the grade quickly at other clubs, alternative judgements can be put forward. Plenty will point to the coaching. For me it can be a bit more subtle. Confidence is such a big factor in elite sport that being uncertain of your spot can limit performance. I would argue that only one local junior amongst the forwards under the two coaches I mentioned was selected with such consistency that he has been allowed to develop and that is Blake Lawrie. The chopping and changing with Host, Sele and Leilua was detrimental to all three. In the half dozen games of KOE Cup I saw last season Ford was a very strong 80 minute player, but with his four or five 20-25 bursts off the bench in NRL it was hard for him to show his improvement. After his last couple of games, I am now wondering whether Burns has reached a new level and whether it's time for him to have a string of games in the NRL especially with Sua out.

It would be good if Hook sticking with Toby Couchman is an indication that he has learnt from the Ford experience. If he has, he should be looking at Burns. But if he leaves Sullivan in the lower grade much longer it will show he has learnt nothing.

Good post.
We really need a back rower with some pace who can run the right lines & to me Burns fits the bill, especially now with our best forward out.
Also FFS Hook pick & stick with Bud.

 

[TheRev]

It's great that we got a win today, but it's been an awful season.. and a lot of the players being called for promotion have barely begun playing NSW Cup, they are totally not ready for 1st grade.. the ones that are excelling, are actually the 1st graders that have dropped back in Musgrove, Sullivan, JHunt, Burns.. they are 2-3yrs in front of the others.

There are always exceptions, and good on Toby Couchman (way ahead of host/jdb at his age).. but we can't promote too many at once, that's one of the problems promoting Sloan/Amone/Sullivan together, too many rookies developing at one time... let alone spine players... totally different if its 1or2 dropping into a well-oiled 1st grade squad.

Having said that, Hook will run his favourite selections into the dirt before he considers a promotion, and refuses to communicate with players he does drop.. what a flop of a man manager.. so I can't wait for a new coach, be wonderful if it was mid-season so we could give a few cup players a taster of 1st grade.. get something out of 2023.

 

[Lovemedragons]

OT, I travelled up from Wollongong today in the hope of seeing a Dragons' victory, at a time when the NRL team is in the doldrums. After the disappointing JF performance and 0-12 down after 6 mins I'll take a 30-18 victory in NSW Cup especially because the team played well and at times played with some real speed

As you'd know there's been lots of criticism of recruitment or lack of it for the NRL team. But today it was at least easy to see why the 2 Finaus were picked up as well as Tamale. And there is good reason to look forward to a 2nd Couchman playing in the NRL and a 2nd Feagai. Both played strongly today.
Also good to see Musgrove again showing he'll work hard when dropped to the Cup team. And you can see why Lui-Toso was given a go - he runs so hard and straight, admittedly in another shortish stint. Meanwhile the way Burns played he deserves to be close to a recall to the NRL.

The pattern of the past 2 seasons was repeated today. If Sullivan plays NSW Cup there's every chance of a strong performance. Without him no chance. But he had help today from Herring and Stewart who was like a jack in the box,seeming to appear out of nowhere wherever he was needed. Possum would have loved his performance. Also Lobb
impressed with 3 tries, great catch of a bomb for one and beating several defenders in the corner for another.

At least let me be happy for moment or two!

I’ve been seduced by watching Burns in NSW cup before but was quickly brought down to earth when his defence was exposed in just about every NRL appearance he made. He misses tackles under any sort of pressure.

 

[Dea]

We need a strong NSW Cup side each year to put pressure on our NRL side.There has been a weakness in the past with our lower grades unfortunately. Good to see Sully pushing our team forward.

Pressure only comes if the coach is willing to make team changes… which he isn’t

 

[BLM01]

Good post.
We really need a back rower with some pace who can run the right lines & to me Burns fits the bill, especially now with our best forward out.
Also FFS Hook pick & stick with Bud.

Why is not Couchman playing that role as I think he could handle it. He keeps getting used in the middle and being told to tuck it under his wing

 

[Dragon David]

Why is not Couchman playing that role as I think he could handle it. He keeps getting used in the middle and being told to tuck it under his wing

The Couch doesn't have the right Coach!

 

[blacksafake]

Why is not Couchman playing that role as I think he could handle it. He keeps getting used in the middle and being told to tuck it under his wing

Agreed
It looks to me like he’s being used in the middle to get used to NRL or am I giving Hook too much credit & he’s just being used ad a safety first middle.

 

[Reddragon]

I’ve been seduced by watching Burns in NSW cup before but was quickly brought down to earth when his defence was exposed in just about every NRL appearance he made. He misses tackles under any sort of pressure.

You would think with good coaching that Burns would have been given that feedback and told what to work on in the NSW Cup. Then you'd expect the coaching staff to monitor how that is going. You'd think that would be the case, but you can never be sure.

 

[Old Timer]

You would think with good coaching that Burns would have been given that feedback and told what to work on in the NSW Cup. Then you'd expect the coaching staff to monitor how that is going. You'd think that would be the case, but you can never be sure.

He's a big body with pace that runs good lines (providing Hunt gives him some ball) but is not good defender.

No doubt he has been told to work on his defence so what is it that people would have Hook do?

FFS tackling is a basic requirement and despite all his promise and skills Pnga and a few others could very well end up out of the game due to poor tackling technique and some of those players have been coached by the very best at both club and rep level.

Remember when Bryce Cartwright was going to be the next big thing well his career tailed off very quickly and he still can't defend well so some have certain skills but can't perform necessary tasks and I fear Burns is one of them?

 

[blacksafake]

He's a big body with pace that runs good lines (providing Hunt gives him some ball) but is not good defender.

No doubt he has been told to work on his defence so what is it that people would have Hook do?

FFS tackling is a basic requirement and despite all his promise and skills Pnga and a few others could very well end up out of the game due to poor tackling technique and some of those players have been coached by the very best at both club and rep level.

Remember when Bryce Cartwright was going to be the next big thing well his career tailed off very quickly and he still can't defend well so some have certain skills but can't perform necessary tasks and I fear Burns is one of them?

Agree to a point OT but he does have skills which we are seriously lacking in & should be used more often from the bench.
Just my two bobs worth.

 

[Old Timer]

Agree to a point OT but he does have skills which we are seriously lacking in & should be used more often from the bench.
Just my two bobs worth.

My good friend you make a very salient point.

We have players with both upside and downside and often very much more up than down but we so under utilise their upside that their downside becomes the dominant characteristic that we see on the paddock.

So you two bob's worth is far more gold than silver.

 

[possm]

It seems to me that young players are not taught to tackle well. I would like to see a legal tackle to be one that is below chest high and more often than not hip high sliding down to leg takcles. Yes I know, you need to stop the offload but it the all players did this the game would be more exciting and most probably safer injury-wise.

 

[DfL]

I was impressed by Jayden Sullivan’s performance against roosters -
120 metres
4 try assists
3 tackle breaks
2 line breaks
1 line break assist
He needs to at least be put in for mbye. He has done this back to back weeks now.

 

[The Villain]

I was impressed by Jayden Sullivan’s performance against roosters -
120 metres
4 try assists
3 tackle breaks
2 line breaks
1 line break assist
He needs to at least be put in for mbye. He has done this back to back weeks now.

Was it him with the line break and flick pass?
And who was 14?

 

[DfL]

Was it him with the line break and flick pass?
And who was 14?

Yes that was him and no 14 was haele finau had great moments in the 20 minutes he did get