Panthers 3 2 1s

[Valheru]

Another good effort by the boys.

3 tries all against one if the contenders is no embarrassment and I thought we copped some harsh calls in that first half.

This is one of those games where we really missed keary, I reckon we win with him.

3 joey
2 rads
1 teddy

It is absolutely absurd that crighton is looking at 3 weeks for a crusher tackle that was completely accidental.

Anyways, with manly losing there was no damage to our ladder position done. The boys need to be ready to play against Brisbane on Friday remembering they beat us last time. Win and by the end if the round we are either in the top 4 or 4 points clear of manly.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Agree with all of the above but ignoring the Sutton factor, this game shows our depleted team is second tier with Storm, Souths and Penrith being tier one with possibly Manly knocking on their door. Nothing to be ashamed about as there’s no doubt a full strength Roosters would be duking it out with Melbourne for top honours.
Sam to me looks like he’s struggling at the back end of his first NRL season. With little in the way of reserves and introduced into the grade far sooner and playing more games than Robbo probably would’ve liked - on top of a shoulder injury, the kid has a ton of spirit and guts. I‘m no longer concerned by the amount of errors in our game as it’s clear some are trying too hard or simply playing out of position which can’t be blamed under the current circumstances. In spite of it all, we could still finish in the top four. That was the furthest thing from my mind by the end of round three. Some players will require a rest before the finals and it’ll be interesting to see how Robbo managers this with a shrinking roster. I’m also wondering why Jared played so few minutes. It had nothing to do with the sin bin apparently so does anyone know anything?

Anyway, onto Broncos sans Angus.

3 Manu
2 Rads
1 Teddy

 

[Headless Chook]

3. Manu
2. Radley
1. Verrills

I thought we had more than a Smokey’s chance of winning this one but to go down by just 6 points was not so bad.

Re Jared; he is either carrying an injury of some sort (unlikely) or Robbo is managing his workload so he has something in reserve for the final rounds and the finals. If remotely true I’m not a fan of it, hasn’t worked for the Cows with Tomo. Just let him rip and get the boys on the front foot.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

3. Manu
2. Radley
1. Verrills

I thought we had more than a Smokey’s chance of winning this one but to go down by just 6 points was not so bad.

Re Jared; he is either carrying an injury of some sort (unlikely) or Robbo is managing his workload so he has something in reserve for the final rounds and the finals. If remotely true I’m not a fan of it, hasn’t worked for the Cows with Tomo. Just let him rip and get the boys on the front foot.

They were looking pretty buggered by end of last year and Jared ain’t getting any younger so yeh, maybe Robbo is managing his minutes before the finals. I couldn’t give Verrills a point because of his many errors. Do you reckon he’s spooked by all the ‘cheese’ talk and is trying too hard?

 

[Valheru]

They were looking pretty buggered by end of last year and Jared ain’t getting any younger so yeh, maybe Robbo is managing his minutes before the finals. I couldn’t give Verrills a point because of his many errors. Do you reckon he’s spooked by all the ‘cheese’ talk and is trying too hard?

Let's not forget that JWH has had some massive minutes throughout the year as well with a couple of 80 minute performances.

On Verrills, I absolutely believe he is feeling the pressure to cement his spot. He really just needs to concentrate on tackling and getting good ball distribution. Everything else will come off the back of that foundation.

On a side note, I am really enjoying what I am seeing from Baker and E Butcher. We have the makings of a cracking front row/bench rotation over the next few years with them, Collins and the big dog as well. If Fifita pulls his head in he could be the 5th.

 

[Zadar]

I watched the game at at a bar, so there was no commentary, and wasn’t able to watch it without interruptions, so my score may be a bit off.

manu 3- looked like he was our main threa.
Radley 2- tackling hard and low, yet still has the touch in attack.
Teddy 1- I think he is trying too hard, and maybe he should trust the halves and rads to give him some quality ball, he is forcing to much of the play, but without him, we don’t go close to winning, it’s a tough position that Teddy has been forced be in.

I can’t say what I’d like about the refs/bunker/mrc as I have already been warned, but I’ll use the term (ably assisted) that some coaches have used to describe the game.

 

[H.H]

Yeah similar Zadar, although I was in the backyard, fire pit, music on, Mrs trying to talk to me and watching on a small laptop so tough to judge, but I'll go with:

3 - Manu
2 - Rads
1 - Ted, although he really overplayed his hand at times but it just comes down to trying his guts out and doing everything he can to get us the win.

Agree with the Keary comment above too and said as much to my mates on the night. Missed him badly there.

 

[Headless Chook]

They were looking pretty buggered by end of last year and Jared ain’t getting any younger so yeh, maybe Robbo is managing his minutes before the finals. I couldn’t give Verrills a point because of his many errors. Do you reckon he’s spooked by all the ‘cheese’ talk and is trying too hard?

Yeah fair point on Verrils, don't know what I was thinking. I offer the meagre excuse of too many beers at the time of posting. He's just trying too hard I think.

Interesting on 360, Slothfield said he spoke to Robbo today about why JWH only had 11 minutes. Apparently he has a broken finger on one hand and bruised blood vessels or something in the other as well as a dodgy back. Given where this came from, grain of salt etc.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Yeah fair point on Verrils, don't know what I was thinking. I offer the meagre excuse of too many beers at the time of posting. He's just trying too hard I think.

Interesting on 360, Slothfield said he spoke to Robbo today about why JWH only had 11 minutes. Apparently he has a broken finger on one hand and bruised blood vessels or something in the other as well as a dodgy back. Given where this came from, grain of salt etc.

Saw that too plus their unanimous defence of Crichton and the inconsistency that Robbo brought up.

 

[The Fanatical Rooster]

I tend to agree with the consensus on this one:

1. Joey
2. Rads
3. Teddy