Player Ratings

[The Devil]

Polglase did some great work to set up McManus' try. Very Gidley-esque.

Polglase didn't really put it on a platter, Mcmanus still had to beat 2 defenders on the way to the line, but what Polglase did do was draw another two defenders to allow Mcmanus to have a shot at the line. Carmont should take pointers from Polglase.

 

[Pika]

It depends on the situation, but from what I saw he should've stayed on his wing and tried to make it 3 on 2 rather than 2 on 1. You'd be surprised how much a player can hesitate when he's got a marked man outside him, a marked man inside him, and a hole that he's not sure he can fit through. You're much more likely to score if you just have a defender inside you than if you have one inside and outside you.

The winger coming in basically means that if they pass it they'll score.
If the winger stays out, there's a chance that the inside defenders can come across in time to make the tackle on the centre.

The golden rule for wingers in defence is to stay on their opposing winger. If you do that, you've done your job and you can't get blamed. That way you've given your team mates the best opportunity to get to the ball-runner in time.

Very true.

I think he tried to position himself between the centre and the winger. Tighe was commited to the ball carrier, and that left Jim with two. Difficult situation.

Had he stayed on his winger, the centre would have walked in as the numbers were good for the Dogs. Nothing looks worse than a winger watching his man only to have an extra number on his inside stroll in.

He got caught in no mans land when the pass hit the winger at pace on the chest. Good try. Jim may have backed his pace to run down his winger perhaps?

 

[Big Tim]

The 2 playe the balls before the try were forwards running at the line.... that compressed our forwards in defence and left only 3 players, including Jimmy, on that side of the field.... they had 5.

So he should have stayed on the wig and forced the forwards to spread out???

Then Hughes would have scored a try much like Terrence's.

In the end he may as well have, as El Masri kicked the goal, but many other teams dont have the same kicker as the Dogs. I would prefer not to concede a try, but if we do, on the sideline is preferable.

In any case, McManus wasnt found out of position in the second half when we had a tactics change.... so why not blame the coaching staff?

 

[Pika]

So he should have stayed on the wig and forced the forwards to spread out???

Then Hughes would have scored a try much like Terrence's.

Is this directed at my comments?

We pretty much agree Big Tim......

 

[Johns Magic]

So he should have stayed on the wig and forced the forwards to spread out???

Yes.

Even though I highly doubt the number of players you stated is correct(it doesn't take forwards three play-the-balls to get back 10 metres...are you trying to suggest that players can't run sideways after making a tackle?), I still say yes, he should stay on his wing.

The above quote, if you look at it properly, is pretty ...for lack of a word...laughable. The obvious answer is YES. That's how you defend in a backline. You get the guys coming into the defensive line to slot into the "A-marker" position, and the guy already at A slides across to B, B to C, etc.

5 on 4, or 1 on 0...I know which I'd rather back to stop the try.

Let me turn the original question back onto you...Should he have come in and left his winger unmarked, allowing him to stroll in untouched(which is exactly what happened).

The fact is they scored...that should be prooof enough that what he did was the wrong option.

5 on 4 may still concede a try, but nowhere near as often as 1 on 0.

 

[BG]

5 on 4 may still concede a try, but nowhere near as often as 1 on 0.

Unless the 1 is named McIlwain... ;-)