Match Discussion: Round 13 vs Knights @ McDonald Jones Stadium

[The Silverdale Phantom]

Not at all. You have been red pilled. Welcome aboard.

Lol

 

[Phil Gould]

For years and years and years at the end of the season I have had hope for next season. We are a fair way of the end of the season but I see no hope of us finishing top 8 next year. I think we are stuck with some mega buck dud players next year as well. Then after so many years of failing who would want to join us\? So we pay big bucks for average players and dance the same dance all over again.
I think I am the most disappointed I have ever been in 50 years as a Wests supporter.

I feel the same way. Usually the hope for next year comes from the run home, when the Tigers play some of their best footy, keeping alive that slight mathematical chance they have for making the 8.

 

[Tigerm]

While we were poor, the knights and the warriors showed men will always beat boys. Blake Green looked like he had been at the knights for years, didn’t he.

Not sure where go from here, I don’t see some of the players getting offered contract extensions, but we need to replace them, we don’t have a line of players knocking on our door, so hoping Madge and recruitment have some surprises coming.

 

[Wizardman]

Was yesterday the last time we see Benji in a Wests Tigers jersey? If Madge sticks to form, he'll be dropped.

I love what Benji has done for the club but I f**king hope he retires at the end of the year.

 

[Tiger05]

I love Benji but he should hang up his boots. Watching him get burned is painful.

 

[League WTF]

This is all poor right. You have to threaten when you have the ball. We don't have any attack. That has to improve. We are always going to lose playing defensive footy when you have the ball. This is coaching.

This is what I’ve been saying the whole time. Effort will only get you so far. Benji and Grant can’t do it alone in attack. These 2 are the main reasons why we are even scoring points this season.

Without Grant, all Newcastle had to do was nullify Benji and it was game over for us. Mbye is not a hooker and AD offers nothing in attack (at fullback). I don’t even want to talk about Brooks or see him again this year.

Newcastle had players like Ponga lurking behind Pearce and Green which constantly puts our defence in 2 minds.

I admired that Madge gambled on Talau and Asu when Talau was going so well on the wing. It’s still too early to judge that combo but fix the bloody spine first!

 

[Pezz70]

Some comments from tonight.
It would appear that Newcastle are the new Raiders when it comes to playing the Tigers.

Doueihi. Is not a 1st grade fullback, is he a 5/8 though because they won’t give him the flick after 1 season.
Nofoaluma. He tries With ball in hand, what 1st grade coach has improved his defence or his positional play when in defence? Question to forwards, who lets a winger take the 1st hit up after a kickoff, at least DN ran hard when he did.
Talau. I’ll defend him, it was his 1st game in the centre’s, he tried.
Kepaoa. As above, would anyone prefer Jennings?
Brooks. It’s all been said.
Marshall. As above.

Mybe. I actually thought Mybe went ok in the 9, his service from dummy half was better than a Reynolds or Taylor offers so I’m sure he will play there again.
Aloiai. Is not a gun, he offers nothing as a starting prop.
Mikaele. Offers less than Aloiai.
Lawrence. Tries but his best days are well and truly past him.

We actually need some big, strong, tough Polynesians, hopefully Blore and Utoikamanu come good.

You have to look at what’s happening inside Nofo before you criticise him. He did make an error last night that led to a try, but the real problem is with Marshall. He is too slow up and misses tackles or is ineffective , this leaves the two outside him in limbo. That right side was far more effective with Reynolds defending there.

 

[Pezz70]

I'm starting to come around to your way of thinking.

Look at how flat we are attacking the opposition line, whereas the Knights were deep af. Their depth allows them to spread the ball and get some momentum before the defence gets there, whereas when you are flat like we are, the defence just rushes up and shuts everything down. No one gets any momentum and nothing happens. Surely attacking shapes come back to coaching.

Take another look when we are coming out of our own half. Simple one out running most of the time. Players aren't running options, so the defence knows who to target and they slow the play the ball down and we don't put ourselves in position to make an attacking kick that might get a try or a repeat set. In defence as well, we don't seem to wrestling or slowing down the play the ball. The Knights just rolled up the park like they did against us in Round 2 and provided a platform for their backs to work off.

I know it's not Madge coughing up the ball early in the tackle count, but are players being coached to stand the way they do or are they just not doing what they are told?

Take a look at how every team comes out of their half, it’s all one out or dummy half running, every team in the NRL plays their defensive attack in this manner. The problem with us yesty and last week was that we got bashed, the play the balls were too slow.

Packer had 4 hit ups yesty. Went missing!!! Big time!

Mbye 59 tackles, got stood up by Ponga for a try and made some silly errors, didn’t offer much in attack as a hooker, I thought his passing was ok but I’m not sure he was up to speed as to where he should have been going most sets. There’s no lack of effort from Mbye

 

[Front-Rower]

Packer had 4 hit ups yesty. Went missing!!! Big time!

Made 37 tackles which was in the top 5 tackle made stats for the team. Hardly went missing, more like making up for Aloiai going missing in defence.

 

[Pezz70]

Made 37 tackles which was in the top 5 tackle made stats for the team. Hardly went missing, more like making up for Aloiai going missing in defence.

When your team is getting bashed you’ve got to have a run! Minimum hit ups for a prop should be 12-15, absolute minimum!!!
Let’s have a look at starting props figures this week: hit ups/tackles
Packer - 4/37
Takeahou- 27/37
Laurie- 15/37
Collins - 11/21
Kerr- 10/28
Paseka - 18/26
Tapau - 12/34
Aloiai- 12/23
Saifiti- 18/25
Klemmer- 20/27
Welch - 15/30
Napper- 13/23
Bromwich- 16/23
Tatola- 14/28
Lodge- 10/20
Haas - 19/50
Burgess - 15/21
Fisher-Harris 20/30
Papaali- 17/47
Tamou - 14/25
Liu- 14/19

Now tell me Packer put in!!! What his 37 tackles does say is that the knights ran plenty of traffic straight up the guts because we were pathetically soft. What would be a telling stat is how many of those tackles was Packer first contact. I’ve got nothing against Packer, when he is on song he adds a nice bit of starch to the side, trouble is he is a one game every now and then prospect

 

[benched tiger]

WT ...in line to be one of the top four worst teams in the comp, they are playing like they deserve the spoon, it’s also time to call it quits on a number of players.

 

[Ron's_Mate]

I love what Benji has done for the club but I f**king hope he retires at the end of the year.

I think he will have to, can't see the club offering him an extension.

 

[Pezz70]

You obviously know more about league than me Pezz seriously and I doubt we will agree on much ever. That’s ok but I won’t budge on the importance of the coach creating the motivation and clarity etc for the players when they run out, or why even worry about whose the coach ..once the respect for the coach disappears everything including motivation disappears ..I doubt Benji will be back next year..I think Madge is doing his head in..

Funny enough I agree with elements of this post. The coaches role includes tactical and or strategic coaching and providing clarity on roles and expectations to players, when players successfully execute these roles they’ll generally be rewarded. Motivation and player attitude though is primarily internal. Words are words and that’s pretty much all the coach can provide in terms of motivation. It’s up to the individual to take those words on board. Even losing respect for the coach is borne by the individual. One of the biggest problems with regard to individuals in the game today is that they are not mentally resilient. They are spoilt, short sighted, seeking instant gratification, if something doesn’t quite go to plan dummy’s are spat, sooking begins and somebody else is always to blame.(Hence the nullification of contracts every other month) It is the scourge of the current generation. These kids need to sit down, look inside themselves, realise the gift they have been given, that their time in the game is short and dig deep to realise the motivation they all have within them. You don’t get into the NRL without hard work and if you want success you’ve got to work harder, you have to take the bad with the good.

No but Brooks is less of an answer than all of them, right?

Theres no answer among the halves that we have at our disposal the way they are presently playing. Walters and Benji were made to look good against Brisbane. Brisbane have nothing. If you look at the performances this year all of our best, in my opinion were with Brooks and Reynolds. We played some really good games against top opposition, without a win. Benji in the side we got beat by Gold Coast, Warriors and flogged by Newcastle. Put your personal opinions aside and dig through the results.

In the Newcastle game late in the second half there were a couple of real good attacking opportunities developed when Douiehi moved into the front line in attack. He threw some really nice passes after a very ordinary game otherwise. I’d give AD and Brooks or AD and Reynolds a run. Maybe Kepaoa a run at fullback. Mbye back to left centre and Talau on the wing.

 

[gordsy]

I think it's a bit of fatigue from a hard pre season, not hard enough training during covid and a lacj of pride on the jersey. Too many people looking around saying well if he's not trying why should I. Usually the leaders in the team feel this during a game and lift. The problem is we have no great leaders and therefore we rarely life. We are two years away from being fit and hard, so we need to buy guys from good systems like Roosters, Storm etc. We will get better but it will take time. We need to stick with Madge and trust in the process. We simply don't have the players right now.

 

[Tigerm]

I think it's a bit of fatigue from a hard pre season, not hard enough training during covid and a lacj of pride on the jersey. Too many people looking around saying well if he's not trying why should I. Usually the leaders in the team feel this during a game and lift. The problem is we have no great leaders and therefore we rarely life. We are two years away from being fit and hard, so we need to buy guys from good systems like Roosters, Storm etc. We will get better but it will take time. We need to stick with Madge and trust in the process. We simply don't have the players right now.

I think we have no choice but to accept this.
I think it was Darius Boyd who said for the Bronco's that "some blokes are just happy to be playing first grade", that sounds like us.