Match Discussion: Round 17 vs Penrith @ BlueBet Stadium, Penrith / Dharug

[slotmachine]

Arguably we should have gone and found another hooker during the off season

There was no argument at all, brailey had come off two season ending injuries in three years.

The club was happy to forfeit the season if brailey went down again, and here we are.

 

[Old dog]

Crosslands is no doubt doing his best and next year he will be better for it all. Absolutely he needs a break 10-15mins each side of half would be ideal.
At best next season we want him playing Cup with a quality backup playing with Brailey in top 17 then if injury etc then Crosslands on to bench, 14 that’s it.

 

[Burwood]

I don’t think AOB has a hard on for Crossland- I think it’s more a case of him knowing that he’s all we have at the moment and it’s no use publicly slagging the guy in the media when there’s no one within the club to step up into the hooking role.

No doubt they’re working really hard on improving his game, and hopefully behind the scenes the powers that be are still searching for someone to join the squad.

 

[Woody90]

I don’t think AOB has a hard on for Crossland- I think it’s more a case of him knowing that he’s all we have at the moment and it’s no use publicly slagging the guy in the media when there’s no one within the club to step up into the hooking role.

No doubt they’re working really hard on improving his game, and hopefully behind the scenes the powers that be are still searching for someone to join the squad.

While this very well may be the case, it doesn’t provide the fans much confidence when he says Crossland is doing a good job and as such they’re not looking for another hooker. Naturally makes people question the competence of the coach. I wouldn’t want him to publicly roast Phoenix either, but it would have been a lot more comforting to the fans if the club would also say that they were always on the lookout for players to improve the squad etc, at the same time as saying something nice about Crossland…rather than just point blank denying looking for another hooker.

I very much appreciate that there might not be any decent hooking options available (or wanting to come here), but as a fan I at least need to know that the coach and the club are competent enough to be aware that Crossland isn’t working and they’re at least attempting to improve it/look for an alternate option. They very well might be, but they’ve done literally nothing to reassure the fans that they know what they’re doing when it comes to this hooking issue…rather the opposite.

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

If we don’t lose Brails I reckon we are in the 8. It’s the ruck defence, distribution and goal kicking stuffing us. He fixes two of those.

Brails is important but a decent kicker is more important. We would have won more with one.

 

[perverse]

I don’t think AOB has a hard on for Crossland- I think it’s more a case of him knowing that he’s all we have at the moment and it’s no use publicly slagging the guy in the media when there’s no one within the club to step up into the hooking role.

No doubt they’re working really hard on improving his game, and hopefully behind the scenes the powers that be are still searching for someone to join the squad.

While I agree with you that there's no point in him hanging him out to dry publicly, I'm not talking about what he says to the papers. I think there's PLENTY of on-field and off-field evidence that O'Brien believes every bit of what he's saying. If he didn't, we'd be playing Mann more out of dummy half - AT LEAST to spell him a bit during games - and we'd have at least seen some smoke about us sniffing around other clubs for a hooker too I'd imagine, secrets being what they are in Rugby League.

No. For mine O'Brien and the club believe Crossland is doing a great job just as they've said. I think ALL the evidence points that way, and literally none of it in the other direction. I don't think they can even see that they've made a huge blunder in Brailey either.

If the club thought we had hooker problems, we'd be looking for a hooker - either on the short term or even the long term. But we aren't. We've made our bed and are happy to sleep in it apparently.

 

[Yosh]

All I see during this Origin game is the crisp passing out of dummy half... We aren't going to win many games if we can't pass out of dummy half. Seriously. Crossland might be the best option we have but we need to rest him during games. He is gassed so his passing gets worse as the game goes on...

 

[slotmachine]

Brails is important but a decent kicker is more important. We would have won more with one.

If brailey played against the broncos we win that game. We were camped inside their 20 and crossland was either continuously playing a crash ball with KP blowing up in the background or finding the grass with his pass.

 

[Woody90]

All I see during this Origin game is the crisp passing out of dummy half... We aren't going to win many games if we can't pass out of dummy half. Seriously. Crossland might be the best option we have but we need to rest him during games. He is gassed so his passing gets worse as the game goes on...

Im not sure it’s just the fatigue. He was shit from the get go against the Broncos.

If this were a good club you can guarantee we would be targeting a quality 9 acknowledging that Brailey is just going to keep getting injured. Keep Brails on the bench as an alternative hooker until his contract ends and f**k Crossland and Mann off.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

So does Luai cop a suspension for his headbutt and send off last night? Or is he free to play this week because Origin and because Penrith?

 

[Zoidberg]

So does Luai cop a suspension for his headbutt and send off last night? Or is he free to play this week because Origin and because Penrith?

Fines all around.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Fines all around.

Haha what a joke

 

[Apey]

The Crossdog as I have named him just now, or the 'Phoen' (is that like peon?) as the club have referred to him as, plays his 50th game tomorrow. Wowee.

 

[Old dog]

Crosslands 50th no matter the circumstances or ability is an achievement many fail to make.
Well done and congratulations to him.

 

[League Unlimited News]

 

[macavity]

Gunna be embarassing when they still towel us

 

[Woody90]

Will make it even easier for them given we always turn to shit against depleted teams.

 

[Zoidberg]

Worst thing that could happen is us getting an early try.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

We lose this, sack AOB now.

 

[Knight Tales]

wouldn’t mind if the Safs start off the bench and come on late in the first half. Need to change it up to beat this mob. Even with their B side they can get a result.