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The non-event: Panthers save their worst for last
Phil Gould | September 7, 2009
THE big match was a non-event. Promoted as a sudden-death, last-man-standing battle for the final spot in the play-offs, this game never threatened to fire at any stage and failed to live up to the hype.
Please don't blame the Knights for this big disappointment. They turned up ready to play and gave as well as their tired bodies could give. I will talk more of them in a moment. The Panthers, on the other hand, were an absolute disgrace.
I've never seen such an inept performance from a first-grade football team in such an important match.
In yesterday's Sun-Herald I questioned whether they had the mettle to stride into enemy territory in front of a hostile crowd and produce a win. Their recent form suggested they couldn't - and they didn't. The 35-0 scoreline flattered their appalling effort. Defensively they were ineffective everywhere. This is where you show your commitment and desire. The Panthers gave no indication of either.
Their defence line looked staggered and indecisive. They were beaten on the outside, inside and everywhere in between. I never saw them hit anyone in anger.
In attack they looked amateurish. The Knights defence appeared fragile at times, however, the Panthers looked absolutely clueless in their attempts to capitalise.
Some of the fundamental flaws in their attacking structure and plays defy belief, especially when you consider this was round 26 of the competition and these blokes have been training together for the past 10 months.
The ball movement was slow and laborious. The big men lumbered on to the ball at half-pace and failed to put a dent in their opponents. Decoy runners overran the ball players and even got in their way.
The key attacking players in the team, namely back-rower Frank Pritchard and centre Michael Jennings were starved of quality possession and their attacking opportunities limited as a result. Not that either went looking for extra work - for highly paid and reportedly influential players, they were lazy for mine.
Poor execution and endeavour aside, this team had no definable direction to their play. I could not recognise one solitary tactic or purpose in their attacking raids. Never at any time did they look as though they even recognised potential weaknesses in the Knights' defensive line let alone attempt to exploit them.
At this point let me excuse their captain Trent Waterhouse from all criticism. He at least busted himself tirelessly trying to lift his team and keep them in the game.
Anyway, enough of the losers, let's talk about the Knights. They were competent, without being brilliant. There was nothing in the Knights' performance that suggests they should've been such comfortable winners. However, they had an obvious plan to their attack and the execution was clinical.
Their forwards advanced the ball with ease against the submissive Panthers defence. Halves Scott Dureau and Jarrod Mullen took every opportunity to kick long early in the tackle count to continually turn the big Panthers forwards around. An enthusiastic kick chase team gained every inch out of these tactics and they were able to contain the Panthers at their own end of the field for most of the contest.
This selfish attitude to dominating field position will take you a long way in big matches.
When they did look to move the ball they took the Panthers on down the right-hand side of the field with both long-side and short-side raids.
This is normally Penrith's most dangerous attacking side of the field so I suggest they aimed to get strike players like Pritchard and Jennings making a lot of tackles to wear them out.
They got more than they bargained for because the young sensation Jennings had no answer to the aggressive ball running and footwork of his veteran opponent Adam MacDougall.
"Mad Dog" MacDougall has made a career out of beating the best and torturing the worst of his opponents. He toyed with Jennings yesterday in a five-star display, scoring one try, having a hand in another, and making ground every time he carried the ball. It was pretty to watch.
All in all it was a spirited and well-constructed victory - albeit against inferior and unmotivated opposition.
The Panthers showed no fight and they leave the arena in shame. The Knights live to fight another day - and fight they will.
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqnews/panthers-save-worst-for-last/2009/09/06/1252201133790.html
********************
Couldn't have put it better myself, for a team playing together for 10 months they looked pathetically inept, can't believe we're stuck with this tripe for another 2 years :x
Phil Gould | September 7, 2009
THE big match was a non-event. Promoted as a sudden-death, last-man-standing battle for the final spot in the play-offs, this game never threatened to fire at any stage and failed to live up to the hype.
Please don't blame the Knights for this big disappointment. They turned up ready to play and gave as well as their tired bodies could give. I will talk more of them in a moment. The Panthers, on the other hand, were an absolute disgrace.
I've never seen such an inept performance from a first-grade football team in such an important match.
In yesterday's Sun-Herald I questioned whether they had the mettle to stride into enemy territory in front of a hostile crowd and produce a win. Their recent form suggested they couldn't - and they didn't. The 35-0 scoreline flattered their appalling effort. Defensively they were ineffective everywhere. This is where you show your commitment and desire. The Panthers gave no indication of either.
Their defence line looked staggered and indecisive. They were beaten on the outside, inside and everywhere in between. I never saw them hit anyone in anger.
In attack they looked amateurish. The Knights defence appeared fragile at times, however, the Panthers looked absolutely clueless in their attempts to capitalise.
Some of the fundamental flaws in their attacking structure and plays defy belief, especially when you consider this was round 26 of the competition and these blokes have been training together for the past 10 months.
The ball movement was slow and laborious. The big men lumbered on to the ball at half-pace and failed to put a dent in their opponents. Decoy runners overran the ball players and even got in their way.
The key attacking players in the team, namely back-rower Frank Pritchard and centre Michael Jennings were starved of quality possession and their attacking opportunities limited as a result. Not that either went looking for extra work - for highly paid and reportedly influential players, they were lazy for mine.
Poor execution and endeavour aside, this team had no definable direction to their play. I could not recognise one solitary tactic or purpose in their attacking raids. Never at any time did they look as though they even recognised potential weaknesses in the Knights' defensive line let alone attempt to exploit them.
At this point let me excuse their captain Trent Waterhouse from all criticism. He at least busted himself tirelessly trying to lift his team and keep them in the game.
Anyway, enough of the losers, let's talk about the Knights. They were competent, without being brilliant. There was nothing in the Knights' performance that suggests they should've been such comfortable winners. However, they had an obvious plan to their attack and the execution was clinical.
Their forwards advanced the ball with ease against the submissive Panthers defence. Halves Scott Dureau and Jarrod Mullen took every opportunity to kick long early in the tackle count to continually turn the big Panthers forwards around. An enthusiastic kick chase team gained every inch out of these tactics and they were able to contain the Panthers at their own end of the field for most of the contest.
This selfish attitude to dominating field position will take you a long way in big matches.
When they did look to move the ball they took the Panthers on down the right-hand side of the field with both long-side and short-side raids.
This is normally Penrith's most dangerous attacking side of the field so I suggest they aimed to get strike players like Pritchard and Jennings making a lot of tackles to wear them out.
They got more than they bargained for because the young sensation Jennings had no answer to the aggressive ball running and footwork of his veteran opponent Adam MacDougall.
"Mad Dog" MacDougall has made a career out of beating the best and torturing the worst of his opponents. He toyed with Jennings yesterday in a five-star display, scoring one try, having a hand in another, and making ground every time he carried the ball. It was pretty to watch.
All in all it was a spirited and well-constructed victory - albeit against inferior and unmotivated opposition.
The Panthers showed no fight and they leave the arena in shame. The Knights live to fight another day - and fight they will.
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqnews/panthers-save-worst-for-last/2009/09/06/1252201133790.html
********************
Couldn't have put it better myself, for a team playing together for 10 months they looked pathetically inept, can't believe we're stuck with this tripe for another 2 years :x
crazy:
