Match Discussion: Round 14 vs Melbourne @ AAMI Park, Melbourne / Wurundjeri

[Zoidberg]

Have you seen Val play this year? Lols

Exactly. Surely it’s just an age/injury possibility thing for Gags. Can’t be based on form.

 

[mozza91]

Weird nobody in the media brings up Gagai when they talk about the much vaunted ‘Queensland loyalty’ . Been one of their best players for years and they drop him for no reason for some plodder from the Cowboys.

 

[Knight Tales]

Saw a stat today that claims KPP has played 962 minutes and has yet to score a try. that is appalling and says it all about our attack.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Rarely have I seen social media ( posts from FOX to NINE ) so united in the condemnation of the refs. I missed watching the game but it sounds like the ref had a freaking howler bordering on sinister.

Shame when the refs decide the outcome.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Saw a stat today that claims KPP has played 962 minutes and has yet to score a try. that is appalling and says it all about our attack.

seen a stack of times he's ready to offload and the players around him standing flat footed and just watching him go to ground.

 

[Peppers]

Happily, I don’t suffer from the dunning-Kruger effect when it comes to how I think of my own knowledge of rugby league. So this is a genuine call for answers: why is it that we get steam rolled every week? We seem to be the weakest and least physical side in the competition. I’m never worried about how the other team’s back 5 are going to outclass ours on the back of a slick backline movement. No, every week I look at how they are going to make 70ms a set from 1 out runs and dummy half scoots. What’s doing? Can someone explain lol

I was at the game on Sunday and can maybe shed a little light on this. Had seats high up right on halfway and what was strikingly obvious, particularly after our first set of forward interchanges, was just how passive our line speed is. Whether we are coached to slide and adjust I don't know but Jack Hetherington literally moved 1 meter up from the refs line, stopped and waited for the Storm ball runner to run another three meters before the tackle impact (not to pick just on Jack Hetherington). Crossland led the line but got absolutely cooked doing it and started to make a few simple misses. The Saifitis, Hetherington and Leo are relatively mobile for front rowers but they don't seem to sprint off the line in defense like the Storm forwards did.
No great revelations here but its the line speed (linked to fitness or lack of athleticism? who knows.). Our positioning, spacing and marking up and counting of numbers in defense was pretty good - they just didn't attack in defense enough if you know what I mean.

 

[Knight Tales]

Our defensive structure is about numbering up on your opposite and being passive to ensure the numbers are there in contact. It might by imagination but it leads to less line breaks against us due to less gaps being offered. Can also allows us to cover for a lazy marker or defender quicker.
Ciraldo has mastered the art of fast line speed and basically entrapping the ball player to make you play faster and increase the error risk.

 

[Woosh]

Didn’t expect to feel that the refs cost us this game but here we are.

Has the rule been tweaked with players running outside shoulder from round 6?
Identical situations

 

[Rod]

No they've been ruling these pretty consistently so far this season, and then on Sunday randomly decided that this one was different.

Annoying as while the black and white rulings weren't perfect, at least they didn't lead to clear inconsistency like the above.

 

[Apey]

We all know Hastings wouldn't have got there but yeah it's frustrating when they seemingly pick and choose to use discretion in obstruction rulings. Graham Annesley talked about one from the Dogs vs Eels today in his briefing and discussed discretion. Okay, where was the discretion on that awful JWH on Dylan Edwards obstruction call?

 

[mozza91]

The Refs are as solid as a lemonade sandwich when it comes to consistency. Especially when a favourite like Melbourne is involved.