Match Discussion: Round 25 vs South Sydney @ Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park / Wanngal

[Knight Tales]

Plan for next season. Actually use the next two weeks to play, or at least attempt to, up tempo against two sides who love to throw the ball around. Side provided some small proof last night that when they have a go they can score points quickly. O’Brien is six years into his contract next season. He needs to lose his obsession with low risk footy.

 

[perverse]

Plan for next season. Actually use the next two weeks to play, or at least attempt to, up tempo against two sides who love to throw the ball around. Side provided some small proof last night that when they have a go they can score points quickly. O’Brien is six years into his contract next season. He needs to lose his obsession with low risk footy.

Mate, we played open and expansive footy last year, then immediately put it away the next year. I've got no faith that anything we do will carry onto next year. Honestly the off season is the worst thing that can happen to us. I remarked upon it way earlier this year - but it feels like we carry nothing from season to season as a team. Every year we start like we've never met each other before.

Of all the annoyances I have with AOB, this may well top the list. Absolutely nothing that happened the year previous seems to carry over. We start out like a brand new club into the competition every year.

 

[mozza91]

I’d love for us to make the finals obviously. But where we are now, relying on not 1 but 3 teams to lose games while we win our last 2 means we haven’t earned a spot.
And the way we have played this year, finishing with a “pass mark” might not be the best thing for our players and coaches mentality going forward.

We’ve had an average year but if you make the 8 you deserve it. I agree it would paper over cracks given it’s a pass mark but f**k it I’m taking the finals appearance.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Hastings has a history of souring relationships wherever he goes. Don't think our club has done anything wrong. Look at Gamble. Came with a similar reputation but is turning his career around.

Getting Hastings, DSaf and Brailey off our books is going to be phenomenal. Cogger is Hastings on half the contract. Arthurs is probably on minimum wage and replaces Brailey. Su'a hopefully replaces DSaf. If we get Heighington off the books as well, that's a great start by O'Sullivan.

Bit of a difference between the 2. Gamble was loved by his teammates but had a rep at being a mouth on the field. Was only opposition who had an issue with him.

Hastings has had many a fall out with his teammates and club officials. I'd hoped he'd out grown all of that when he came here but it seems to not have eventuated unfortunately

 

[The Axe of Druss]

At the end of the day, would it really matter if we finished 8th or 9th/10th/11th?

We are not threatening for the premiership this year anyway, regardless of where we finish up.

Our players , especially our younger ones, getting finals experience would be valuable.

 

[Woody90]

I just don’t understand this way of thinking.

I think everyone would prefer us to be playing finals than not (as unlikely as it is).

There’s no denying though that we have a really bad pattern of not playing well for most of the season, falling into the bottom part of the 8, doing nothing in the finals and then taking the foot off the improvement pedal and regressing before the next season. I’d actually say the only good pre-season we’ve seemed to have over the last couple of years was after the 2022 season where we missed the finals.

The club really seems to consider finishing in the top 8 as a good season (not surprising as apparently we consider top 12 good enough from a coaching perspective).

Part of me thinks that any type of finals exposure is good for the squad but to me that’s only if we take the experience and let it motivate us and get better from it. For whatever reasons we’ve only regressed and taken the foot off the pedal after each finals experience.

I think we’d all prefer to play finals than not, but maybe on the other had the club needs to learn first hand that you can’t play bad football for most of the season and then expect to just limp in at the end.

 

[Yosh]

Just wish AOB would just get out of his own way. Instead of sticking to wet weather footy all year then loosening up with a couple of rounds to go every year, just let the lads rip from round one. Contest kicks, pass to our centres early, let Ponga get the ball whenever he wants it instead of always at the back of shape. Our defense is good enough to get into the top 8. If AOB just let things flow in attack, we would be top 8 easy.

This week and last week, we scored tries off contesting kicks. We don't do those stupid chip/bomb things Hastings was doing all year either. I bet we score a couple more tries off contesting kicks in the next 2 weeks as well. What was AOB thinking?

 

[Apey]

Can't embed but you can watch it if you click video on Facebook. Gus and Joey talking about Ponga.

 

[Zoidberg]

Can't embed but you can watch it if you click video on Facebook. Gus and Joey talking about Ponga.

They are just realising we don’t give Ponga the ball enough now?
He’s been getting it more the last few weeks compared to earlier this year.

 

[Woody90]

Can't embed but you can watch it if you click video on Facebook. Gus and Joey talking about Ponga.

I think Gus makes a good point that it’s hard to establish why he doesn’t get the ball. Does Ponga even want it? Do the halves have the confidence to tell him where he needs to be? Do the halves simply not know how to get him the ball? Are they coached to play away from him? Certainly a lot to unpack.

It’s why a dominant halfback is so important. We need someone who will tell Ponga where he needs to be and not to shy to do so. I think that’s why Hastings worked well with him last year. He reads the game well and isn’t afraid to instruct Ponga. Unfortunately though that wasn’t to be long-term like most of Hasting’s appointments.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

"He's a superstar, he could dominate the rugby league for the next four or five years ... everything he's done up to this time is just practice."

https://www.nine.com.au/sport/nrl/n...ns-brad-fittler-comments-20240824-p5k52z.html

 

[Knight Tales]

Mate, we played open and expansive footy last year, then immediately put it away the next year. I've got no faith that anything we do will carry onto next year. Honestly the off season is the worst thing that can happen to us. I remarked upon it way earlier this year - but it feels like we carry nothing from season to season as a team. Every year we start like we've never met each other before.

Of all the annoyances I have with AOB, this may well top the list. Absolutely nothing that happened the year previous seems to carry over. We start out like a brand new club into the competition every year.

Well we all know how to fix that one don’t we!

 

[Yosh]

If he doesn't get the ball for one set, he should just go into first receiver the next set. He just needs to get the ball. Screw setting up for him. Just get him the ball.

 

[Jono078]

I feel he's reverted back to hovering around the ruck too much.

Last year he played with this chip on his shoulder and wanted to be involved and make things happen, the same drive is not there this year. But he's not the only one.

 

[Apey]

I feel he's reverted back to hovering around the ruck too much.

Last year he played with this chip on his shoulder and wanted to be involved and make things happen, the same drive is not there this year. But he's not the only one.

Yep. I think both sides are true.

I've noticed him hiding behind the play the ball again since he came back from his foot injury. Then there are times he's in position for the ball and we don't give it to him.

We dont have a 6 or 7 right now either so that certainly isn't helping.

 

[Knight Tales]

We certainly miss the absolute epic work we did coming out of our own half on the back of KP, Marz and Dom from last year. They were relentless.