Match Discussion: Round 25 vs Brisbane @ Suncorp Stadium

[Silent Knight]

We’ve been throughly unimpressive in attack all year but coming 7th 2 years in a row beats the shit out of coming last every year and having other clubs fans pitying you.

Except for c*** Sharks fans at the time who enjoyed rubbing our faces in it. The schadenfreude I’ll feel when the Titans win by 12 points will be pleasurable.

 

[Apey]

Besides our overall attack being awful and Kurt Mann's existence, the two players I'm most worried about:

1. Ponga - besides just being woefully out of form (passes not hitting the mark, wrong decisions, looking about 1/10 as dangerous as we know he can be) my biggest concern is his care factor for this sport and his career in this sport. He could be an all time great with his talent if he had the drive, but he doesn't, and I'm not sure he ever will. If Kurt Gidley had his talent he'd be talked up as one of the best fullbacks ever. He's not a 'student of the game' to borrow a phrase from Gus. I wish he had that determination but I remain unconvinced that he ever will.

2. Best - his defence is a huge worry but I'm also concerned he lacks the finesse to be a great centre. He is a very strong ball-runner but he has trouble setting up his winger (not that Tuala would have scored off them today anyway). In the first half we actually created an overlap for once and he completely butchered it. He butchered that last attempt too. He's only young but I'm not sure he has it in him.

Oh and I needed Broncos 7 - 12, f**k you Milford, Best & Tuala.

 

[Knight76]

This result happened because we rested players and took Ponga/Pearce off at half time.

Clearly OB doesn't care about the scoreboard in this one. It's a dead rubber.

Having said that, whether this was a good idea or not will be judged by our performance against Parra.

We better come out running through brick walls or he will be roasted.

 

[Alex28]

I don't even know what that means.

You're slightly rose tinted, I'm slightly pessimistic.

Either way, we both have our opinions. The fact that yours is different to most doesn't make them "mopey f**ks" any more than yours makes you an "oblivious f**k".

Being oblivious is different to being realistic.

We are clearly the 7th best team in the comp. we aren’t at the level of the top 6 teams. We are where we are.

And, as part of that, we can’t rest half a team and win games. Today was always going to be a loss.

However, the way we have played the last 6 weeks, we can beat Parramatta. One win against an ordinary Storm team doesn’t make up for a shit second half of the season.

But all in all - we are average. We haven’t had the time and resources long enough to become a Penrith yet. We don’t have a sugar daddy like the Roosters. We need time to develop.

 

[Alex28]

I don’t understand your posts in this thread at all.

you said the team that ran out today was to see who made the bench next week? Then why play Pearce and Ponga?

what exactly were you expecting from this game without calling everyone here wrist skitters and f**king mopey.

you’ve gone on record saying the team is placed where it should be on the ladder and that should be the expectation.

have some ambition and set high goals for your team. I’m not alive to watch them be middle of the park the rest of my life.

Have some ambition - next week.

This week? What’s the point? Where does it get us?

Was it worth losing Klemmer next week for a nothing game?

You don’t understand my posts because I’m not acting like turning up next week is pointless. I don’t really care if you get it or not.

We won the last few weeks to get to the point that we have the luxury to rest players we need to rest. When we do, this whole forum is critical…

 

[Yosh]

We literally had our starting forward pack not play today. King was immense and it's sad to see him leave. Great bench prop.

We didn't win but attack was existent today. Wasn't pretty a lot of the time but some real good offloads and intent to move the opposition around. Players looked less rigid once Pearce and Ponga went off. Maybe everyone is exected to play a role when they aren't role players but creators and scorers?

I hope we keep Crossland. Has all the physical and technical attributes required to be a first grade half. Needs more tactical training. On minimum contracts, I could see all of Randall, Crossland and Johns offering something to the team through the course of a season.

Before the game I was worried a loss would be demoralizing but on the contrary, our youngsters looked good. Pastrami and Mamamia went okay for a couple of lads who haven't played much football the past two years. Sasagi is ten times the player Mann is. I don't care how raw he is, I would have him over Mann every day of the week and then some.

 

[TooheysNew]

Being oblivious is different to being realistic.

We are clearly the 7th best team in the comp. we aren’t at the level of the top 6 teams. We are where we are.

And, as part of that, we can’t rest half a team and win games. Today was always going to be a loss.

However, the way we have played the last 6 weeks, we can beat Parramatta. One win against an ordinary Storm team doesn’t make up for a shit second half of the season.

But all in all - we are average. We haven’t had the time and resources long enough to become a Penrith yet. We don’t have a sugar daddy like the Roosters. We need time to develop.

As is being mopey.

Your realism sees us as the 7th best team in the comp.

Mine sees us as the team that has barely improved in years, is well short of the 6 teams above us, struggles to beat the teams below us unless we are at our best, has failed to make an impact on the finals for the best part of two decades, and seems content with mediocrity.

Sorry, but I want more.

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

I missed this live except for a few short glimpses.
I was going to be critical of resting players but, after watching it, I'm not as much.
You could look at the team we had out there in the 2nd half and wonder what team you were watching. It's like the 2nd half of a trial game.
We did OK. The young guys did OK.
Right edge needs work in defence. Mann in particular but some of it was further in. We didn't have defenders out there we often rely on but Mann still needs to work on it.
Ponga cruised too much and his timing is out.
My biggest concern is Klem holding up with that rib injury.

 

[Johns Magic]

King was solid and I would always have liked to keep him, but his numbers were pretty inflated by kick return metres in this one.

Surprisingly Momoisea made 151m in 36 minutes

 

[macavity]

I thought the positives were Jirah , Pasami and Simi all looked like goers.

Randall and Jones are solid squad players.

I don’t think we will keep Crossland or Johns, and honestly they haven’t shown anything to demand it.

our best back 5 player the last two months has been Tuala.

 

[Alex28]

As is being mopey.

Your realism sees us as the 7th best team in the comp.

Mine sees us as the team that has barely improved in years, is well short of the 6 teams above us, struggles to beat the teams below us unless we are at our best, has failed to make an impact on the finals for the best part of two decades, and seems content with mediocrity.

Sorry, but I want more.

And so do I. But I know resting half our starting squad in a game that means nothing as to where we finish the main season is not the time to want more.

I also know that more takes time and resources - we have the resources, but it will take time to do it properly.

 

[Apey]

We are clearly the 7th best team in the comp.

I think that is very generous to say we are clearly the 7th best, and even then, not exactly a ringing endorsement in this year's comp. We had a very generous draw only vsing Roosters twice in the top 6.

 

[Allstar Knights]

Saulo goes hard but I thought Jirah stood out more from the two.

 

[Alex28]

I think that is very generous to say we are clearly the 7th best, and even then, not exactly a ringing endorsement in this year's comp. We had a very generous draw only vsing Roosters twice in the top 6.

We are better than Cronulla, Canberra and Gold Coast - beaten them all recently. We aren’t as good as Parramatta, Roosters or Manly - been pumped by them all this year.

Results don’t lie. I’m not really sure how you can twist that.

We must get better, but it will take time.

 

[Knight Tales]

We are no closer to knowing what side will show up next week. That attack today was simply not good enough. If the plan was to treat it as a trial then why risk the spine?

 

[TooheysNew]

Results don’t lie. I’m not really sure how you can twist that.

It's not twisting. By that logic the Broncos are a better team than us, and Parra are a better team than the Storm.

It's just context.

 

[Alex28]

It's not twisting. By that logic the Broncos are a better team than us, and Parra are a better team than the Storm.

It's just context.

Ok, we aren’t 7th best. We are terrible and are wasting our time turning up next week.

I mean, if you can’t beat them, join them right?

 

[TooheysNew]

We'll see.

 

[Old dog]

Today’s game was a case of half were basically reserve graders, young, hoping to make an impression the other half were first graders hoping carefully to play in the semi’s etc. Didn’t see one first grader put in the big efforts except maybe Klem until injured with the bigger efforts made by those that weren’t in the top 13, King, Toa, Sasagi, Crosslands, Momoisea, Saulo, Jones, they will all be better next year, minus King of course.

 

[Jono078]

Have some ambition - next week.

This week? What’s the point? Where does it get us?

Was it worth losing Klemmer next week for a nothing game?

You don’t understand my posts because I’m not acting like turning up next week is pointless. I don’t really care if you get it or not.

We won the last few weeks to get to the point that we have the luxury to rest players we need to rest. When we do, this whole forum is critical…

I actually don't know what you are arguing.

I never cared for today's result - go through my posts over the past 7 days. I wanted majority of starters to be rested and let the back-ups play this one, not caring for the end result. So no it was not worth losing Klemmer for, it also wasn't worth risking Ponga and Pearce, on more than just the injury front.

I'm also NOT acting like next week is pointless, I think it's so important that we should have not played certain players today to best prepare for next week and potentially beyond.

So yeah not sure what bone bone you've got to pick if you agree with the above which it sounds like you would..