Dragonslayer
First Grade
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- 7,692
One aspect, of many, has been the continued deterioration of our defense this year. In fact it has been deplorable a times.
618 missed tackles in 18 games at a tad over 34 a game.
5 games where we had over 40 missed tackles and we (obviously) lost those games. Particularly disturbing has been the last 2 weeks since the BBQ affair. 2 losses and missed tackles at 45 and 47 respectively.
When we have won games the missed tackle count is under 30. Yes a couple of anomalies eg: the Eels game, however our error rate was low that game in comparison. It also appears how lucky we were to beat the Warriors in round 16, and how in the hell did we lose the Tigers game in round 12!
How we are in the 8, and have been for some time, only points to how bad the teams below us were performing early in their seasons, however, some, like the Raiders and to a lesser extent, the Titans, are starting their runs to the finals, whilst we are hanging by a thread, we know sign of improving against the opposition over the final 6 rounds.
For me, the age of our roster is a contributing factor. Tried and true players, but on weary legs. I'm not going to be into Hook for his recruitment choices, as some had to made, and some currently on our roster need to cycle through and then out. In saying that, our young forwards aren't currently getting game time in either KOE Cup or JF, and with most missing last season also, their development is at least now 18 months in arrears.
I like the signings of Molo and Sua, and maybe GB. The will add something to help fix this defensive disaster, albeit next year. It was probably why we were into Finucane also.
Hook has to push past the 'old guard' mentality, especially next year, if we are to see any finals football, as old legs fatigue faster than they did even a year ago. I think we saw that in today's game.
We won't win another game until our defense is addressed, it can happen, we can see that when we do, we win quite well. Where does it go in between wins is the question Hook & Co must answer.
Round | Versus | Missed/Ineffect | Errors | Round | Versus | Missed/Ineffect | Errors |
1 | Sharks (L) | 42/6 | 15 | 10 | Storm (L) | 35/23 | 8 |
2 | Cowboys (W) | 27/12 | 12 | 11 | Sharks (L) | 36/11 | 13 |
3 | Manly (W) | 34/26 | 8 | 12 | Tigers (L) | 28/13 | 12 |
4 | Knights (W) | 28/14 | 16 | 13 | Broncos (W) | 22/22 | 9 |
5 | Eels (W) | 35/16 | 8 | 14 | Dogs (L) | 34/11 | 12 |
6 | Warriors (L) | 41/13 | 10 | 15 | Raiders (W) | 25/18 | 10 |
7 | Roosters (L) | 33/24 | 7 | 16 | Warriors (W) | 37/20 | 12 |
8 | Tigers (L) | 45/27 | 11 | 18 | Manly (L) | 45/10 | 14 |
9 | Dogs (W) | 24/16 | 16 | 19 | Titans (L) | 47/29 | 13 |
618 missed tackles in 18 games at a tad over 34 a game.
5 games where we had over 40 missed tackles and we (obviously) lost those games. Particularly disturbing has been the last 2 weeks since the BBQ affair. 2 losses and missed tackles at 45 and 47 respectively.
When we have won games the missed tackle count is under 30. Yes a couple of anomalies eg: the Eels game, however our error rate was low that game in comparison. It also appears how lucky we were to beat the Warriors in round 16, and how in the hell did we lose the Tigers game in round 12!
How we are in the 8, and have been for some time, only points to how bad the teams below us were performing early in their seasons, however, some, like the Raiders and to a lesser extent, the Titans, are starting their runs to the finals, whilst we are hanging by a thread, we know sign of improving against the opposition over the final 6 rounds.
For me, the age of our roster is a contributing factor. Tried and true players, but on weary legs. I'm not going to be into Hook for his recruitment choices, as some had to made, and some currently on our roster need to cycle through and then out. In saying that, our young forwards aren't currently getting game time in either KOE Cup or JF, and with most missing last season also, their development is at least now 18 months in arrears.
I like the signings of Molo and Sua, and maybe GB. The will add something to help fix this defensive disaster, albeit next year. It was probably why we were into Finucane also.
Hook has to push past the 'old guard' mentality, especially next year, if we are to see any finals football, as old legs fatigue faster than they did even a year ago. I think we saw that in today's game.
We won't win another game until our defense is addressed, it can happen, we can see that when we do, we win quite well. Where does it go in between wins is the question Hook & Co must answer.