Qual. Final v Manly, SFS

[alien]

The next headache for Souths coach Maguire will be who to cut out of the team to make room for the return of the suspended Queensland State of Origin backrower Ben Te?o
Te?o will be an automatic selection into the Souths starting side for the grand final qualifier, meaning right edge backrower Kyle Turner may be forced to the bench.

Interesting. I thought Teo would have started from the interchange since it will have been a while since he has played.

 

[Newcastlerabbit]

Has Newcastle Rabbit ever posted something other than an article? Or is it your acquired role to do that? Just curious

Yep.

 

[Rabbits20]

Interesting. I thought Teo would have started from the interchange since it will have been a while since he has played.

I thought Teo would start off the Bench as well. Coming on after 15 mins for Turner.

But Madge will probably go with back row of Teo, Sutton and Sam. Turner, McQueen, Tom and Clark on the bench with L. Burgess missing out.

I guess we have missed Teo in defence he rarely misses tackles. He hits hard in defence.

 

[souths1908]

Turner has played too well to be dropped. So that means Teo off the bench like he was in Origin, could provide a lot of impact seeing as it is his last 2 games. L Burgess to drop off the bench

 

[Mr Spock!]

We need the Roosters to get up so we can't face them in a prelim. If Roosters win it would be Penrith next week versus winner of Cowboys v Broncos. I think the Cowboys will win and play Penrith with the winner facing us in the prelim.

Whoever we play will be very tough to beat.

The way the Cows are playing they might be favourites against the Roosters. Heck they've beaten us twice this year.

Storm has the easier draw of Dogs and Manly.

Hope the dogs beat em up.

 

[rabbitohs95]

Bad thing is we play either the Roosters or Cowboys.

The good thing is we have a period of time to rest up our battered and bruised players and we get an opponent that will be deserving of a preliminary finals spot.

Gonna be a great game i just hope the boys are up for it and have learnt from their last encounter with either team.

 

[Rabbits20]

Bad thing is we play either the Roosters or Cowboys.

The good thing is we have a period of time to rest up our battered and bruised players and we get an opponent that will be deserving of a preliminary finals spot.

Gonna be a great game i just hope the boys are up for it and have learnt from their last encounter with either team.

I would rather play the Cowboys I think we have more of a chance against them. Last time we played the Cowboys we were without G. Burgess, Sutton and Te'o but they are all there for the upcoming game which will make a difference. If we shut down Thurston which we have in the past against them it would go a long way to winning.

If we play Roosters Jake Friend will be back, Napa will be back. Guerra will play against Cowboys and I only expect Hargreaves to be suspended for a week so he will play. The Roosters roll on that they will get with a few players back would be bloody hard to stop.

Also a match against Roosters would be around 75 000 people with so much pressure on which we may not handle. Against the Cowboys there would probably be around 40 000-45 000.

I think Roosters will narrowly beat Cowboys and we will meet them. What a nerve racking match it would be. I guess we can take positives from our last 15 mins against Roosters and we were without Adam and had an unlucky sin bin and only lost by 4.

 

[doyen]

Sutton had a blinder last night. Probably the 3rd best player on the park. Looked dangerous everytime he got the ball near the line.

Sutton is definitely one of our best & more skilful players but,IMO,he is not a 5/8 & never has been.
He was terrific against Manly in the posse he should have been playing for the last 6 or 7 years.
His service has been too slow.This has been highlighted by the efforts of the side with Keary & Reynolds in the halves.
I now believe we have a great chance to go to the next step & take the p/ship & JS looks like he can play a significant part in his new role.

 

[Rabbits20]

Lets hope whoever we play an injury or 2 or a suspension out of next weeks game can help us the following week. At least we won't have any suspensions or injuries heading into the game.

In the preliminary we need to keep it simple and play our natural game not go into our shells otherwise that will bite us again. High completion rates and strong kicking game with some repeat sets is required. Also stopping offloads is very important.

 

[doyen]

Lets hope whoever we play an injury or 2 or a suspension out of next weeks game can help us the following week. At least we won't have any suspensions or injuries heading into the game.

In the preliminary we need to keep it simple and play our natural game not go into our shells otherwise that will bite us again. High completion rates and strong kicking game with some repeat sets is required. Also stopping offloads is very important.

I think we have the basics down to a fine art--the structures,the discipline etc!!
Keary is providing the X factor that had been absent,Reynolds seems to have blossomed as the major player in the halves & JS has shown very promising signs as a genuine ball-playing forward.
Hence the side is playing scintillating footy;the most exciting to watch in years.

 

[Rabbits20]

I think we have the basics down to a fine art--the structures,the discipline etc!!
Keary is providing the X factor that had been absent,Reynolds seems to have blossomed as the major player in the halves & JS has shown very promising signs as a genuine ball-playing forward.
Hence the side is playing scintillating footy;the most exciting to watch in years.

Need to keep doing this in the prelim though and we will be right. The pressure will be on. Keary has the X Factor I agree and he is complementing Adam great. We need John to do the same in a couple of weeks as well. I'm sure Madge will remind him not to become too involved.

Yeah it's very exciting watching us play at the moment especially with our great speed and energy out wide. All they need is just a little bit of space and then they create.

I'm enjoying Dylan roaming around a lot as well he's creating good opportunities. It's great Madge is allowing him to do it. Same goes for Alex Johnston popping up at times.

 

[The Chello]

Wow - what an impressive performance from the 'predictable' Rabbitohs! First 65 mihutes were probably the best I've seen for a long time. Shame about the last 15 mins and it was good to see Madge go off his nut in the dressing but did anyone see the last few seconds where he had a smile on his face? Was it all for the cameras and opposition? Maybe some of it but they deserved a rev up as finals football is for 80 mins no matter how far in front you are......
I think this was a turning point in Reynolds' career. He showed great composure in this game and some smarts as well. Deft grubber kicks for tries for Keary and himself were just class, especially the first one when we had made a break. Looks like Keary called it but great execution - these two really combine well.
Sutton played great as well, he looks great running at the line with the possibility of that off load, a great extra card up our sleeve. The side played really well as a team tonight.
I find it completely incredulous that Lyon and Toovey seem to implicate that GI is to blame as to how he carries the ball. What a complete load of crap that is. If they don't grab his legs and lift him, it never happens. Are they blaming Alex McKinnon as well? f**kwits....
Manly whinged all week about not having the home semi, whine whine whine. They whinged all game as well, whine whine whine. I agree that it's not fair about them not getting ahome ground advantage but FFS this has been in for years, every club knows where the finals are going to be played so get the *&^* over it and move on!!!!

I can't see Watmough playing again this season with his report. Lyon was apart but I don't think he has a case really.
On Manly - their commitment was not questioned they were just out played. There is seriously something wrong with DCE either injury or mental wise, he is just not the same player from earlier in the season, pre origin. He just looks not interested which I'm sure is not the case. It's blatantly obvious that him and Watmough do not agree but does it extend to other players as well? Who knows.... One player who has class and integrity is Foran. Really like the way he plays the game..

Now shame about the roosters losing last night - gee they had some dud calls. The refs in their game and Broncos were ordinary to say the least.
Means we may play them or the Cowboys in the qualifying final. I was hoping for a Roosters V Souths GF but that's not going to be the case. The boys will freshen up and really appreciate the extra week off at this time of year, they have had a tough run in to the semis and this will be a blessing for them. Te'o will be back and will be interesting where Madge slots him into the side.

 

[souths_pride]

I think we have the basics down to a fine art--the structures,the discipline etc!!
Keary is providing the X factor that had been absent,Reynolds seems to have blossomed as the major player in the halves & JS has shown very promising signs as a genuine ball-playing forward.
Hence the side is playing scintillating footy;the most exciting to watch in years.

I wouldn't say that we have it down to a fine art. I thought against Manly, for the first 60 minutes, we did the basics very very well. However, for alot of games this season we've got away with things like poor ball security, bad last-tackle options etc. because of our talent and our excellent defence. Also, part of the basics includes playing for the full 80 minutes and we've been found wanting on quite a few occasions this season. Make no mistake we have a really really good chance of winning the title this year, but I wouldn't say the footy we're playing is as good as it was last year.

 

[alien]

The way the Cows are playing they might be favourites against the Roosters. Heck they've beaten us twice this year.

if thurston has one of his great games then cowboys can definitely beat the roosters next week. i'm hoping they do.

 

[souths_pride]

if thurston has one of his great games then cowboys can definitely beat the roosters next week. i'm hoping they do.

To be honest I fear the Cowboys more than the Roosters. On their day, the Cowboys are arguably the best side in the comp given the players they've got. The problem with them is they've got ALOT of players who are inconsistent. When they find that consistency, like they have been lately, they can be unstoppable. When they best us at ANZ a few weeks ago they produced arguably the perfect half of football; we were powerless. The thing with the Roosters is that they will always give you chances due to their ill-discipline and their recklessness with the ball; they did it last night against the Panthers. It baffles me why they don't tidy up those aspects of their game. At times it seems like they don't care about giving away penalties. So in that respect I feel more comfortable about playing the Roosters than the Cowboys.

 

[Rabbits20]

To be honest I fear the Cowboys more than the Roosters. On their day, the Cowboys are arguably the best side in the comp given the players they've got. The problem with them is they've got ALOT of players who are inconsistent. When they find that consistency, like they have been lately, they can be unstoppable. When they best us at ANZ a few weeks ago they produced arguably the perfect half of football; we were powerless. The thing with the Roosters is that they will always give you chances due to their ill-discipline and their recklessness with the ball; they did it last night against the Panthers. It baffles me why they don't tidy up those aspects of their game. At times it seems like they don't care about giving away penalties. So in that respect I feel more comfortable about playing the Roosters than the Cowboys.

Whoever we play will be tough to beat. I agree on the Cowboys they are playing really well and if they knock over the Roosters they will be extremely confident of knocking us out. They can play faultless footy like they did against us where they didn't make an error for 55 minutes. When they play well and hold the ball their forwards are brilliant and Thurston is very hard to stop.

The Roosters do give you opportunities. They will get their full team back most likely in 2 weeks and we will have to be on our game especially in our defence for the full 80. We would have to shutdown Pearce as well.

 

[alien]

either team at their best will be tough but i'd prefer rabbits to play cowboys. rabbits will have the higher percentage of people in the crowd no matter who they play, but even more so if its against cowboys. if rabbits were to lose, then i'd prefer the cowboys to make the gf, rather than easts. in saying that, i think souths can go all the way this year....

 

[doyen]

I wouldn't say that we have it down to a fine art. I thought against Manly, for the first 60 minutes, we did the basics very very well. However, for alot of games this season we've got away with things like poor ball security, bad last-tackle options etc. because of our talent and our excellent defence. Also, part of the basics includes playing for the full 80 minutes and we've been found wanting on quite a few occasions this season. Make no mistake we have a really really good chance of winning the title this year, but I wouldn't say the footy we're playing is as good as it was last year.

Sths are a well-drilled,highly structured,highly disciplined side with the basics well & truly in place.
TBO,I haven't enjoyed watching Sths play in the last couple of years because of the game based around bash & barge,kicks,tackle,crosskicks etc--complete lack of imagination.
Thankfully this all changed when JS was injured & we were able to give Keary a fair time to settle in.
The transformation of the team's approach has been quite dramatic,IMO,with the team now having the skill & courage to move the ball more creatively in attack.
We have had for a while now a great defensive base to protect but until recent weeks[ie. after JS's injury]we have not had the ability, particularly in the halves,to take advantage of our basic skills in the cauldron of finals.JS was our problem at 5/8--this problem has now been eradicated & the results are very evident.
Our new 5/8,Keary,is a definite X-factor; Reynolds has had a load lifted from his shoulders & subsequently has taken his game to a much higher level since JS's "injury."
JS's injury was a blessing in disguise!!!
I do believe now that because of the above changes & the opposition we will face,we do have a huge chance of being premiers.
Manly appear to be dead ducks with injury & attitude.The Storm & their stars are history.The Roosters don't seem as settled or as "good."
You never know what might happen in the future but the good luck seems to be falling in our direction.

 

[hurricane57]

Sths are a well-drilled,highly structured,highly disciplined side with the basics well & truly in place.
TBO,I haven't enjoyed watching Sths play in the last couple of years because of the game based around bash & barge,kicks,tackle,crosskicks etc--complete lack of imagination.
Thankfully this all changed when JS was injured & we were able to give Keary a fair time to settle in.
The transformation of the team's approach has been quite dramatic,IMO,with the team now having the skill & courage to move the ball more creatively in attack.
We have had for a while now a great defensive base to protect but until recent weeks[ie. after JS's injury]we have not had the ability, particularly in the halves,to take advantage of our basic skills in the cauldron of finals.JS was our problem at 5/8--this problem has now been eradicated & the results are very evident.
Our new 5/8,Keary,is a definite X-factor; Reynolds has had a load lifted from his shoulders & subsequently has taken his game to a much higher level since JS's "injury."
JS's injury was a blessing in disguise!!!
I do believe now that because of the above changes & the opposition we will face,we do have a huge chance of being premiers.
Manly appear to be dead ducks with injury & attitude.The Storm & their stars are history.The Roosters don't seem as settled or as "good."
You never know what might happen in the future but the good luck seems to be falling in our direction.

I agree totally with all you say Doyen, however, you didn't mention the calibre of the Souths backline.
Auvaa, Walker, Johnston backed up by Inglis.
Even Lote is playing champaign football and deserves an extension.

I can't remember the last time Souths had a backline that absolutely sparkles with pace and ability.
This backline is the equal of any backline going round. They made Manley's look second rate not once but twice. Against the Roosters Souths did no good till late in the second half the ball got wide and bang, eighteen points.

Maguire must change/tweak things a little to make full use of these guys because the likes of Walker Auvaa and Johnston can win that elusive 21st premiership.

 

[souths_pride]

I agree totally with all you say Doyen, however, you didn't mention the calibre of the Souths backline.
Auvaa, Walker, Johnston backed up by Inglis.
Even Lote is playing champaign football and deserves an extension.

I can't remember the last time Souths had a backline that absolutely sparkles with pace and ability.
This backline is the equal of any backline going round. They made Manley's look second rate not once but twice. Against the Roosters Souths did no good till late in the second half the ball got wide and bang, eighteen points.

Maguire must change/tweak things a little to make full use of these guys because the likes of Walker Auvaa and Johnston can win that elusive 21st premiership.

To be fair, in the game against the Rooster, I thought we kept the ball within the forwards because of the weather conditions. However, that was a mistake because the conditions weren't that bad; the Roosters certainly didn't hold back. What baffled me was that it took us until the 60th minute to realise this and we got beat as a result. Against Manly, our backs flourished from a solid effort by our forwards. This whole nonsense about relying on the power and strength of our forwards is a media storm created by people who don't know what they're talking about. Every team, in order to be successful, needs AT LEAST 1-2 big front rowers. You don't necessarily have to have a big back row but we've gone that way. Just ask Willie Mason - he'll tell you just like he did when he politely informed the Dragons about their lack of depth in their front row!