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R 8 V Sharks

Panther Pete

Juniors
Messages
1,798
We are 3 from 8, that is what we are.

Exactly, we found another way to lose. I wish I could be as optimistic as others but until we change the things we are doing to lose these games at the death it will keep happening. Dumb penalties especially in the first half continue to haunt us but in these tight games we need our experienced players and particularly our half back to get us over the line and it's just not happening. Sowards attempt at that final tackle was nothing short of embarrassing for an NRL player and all the while we continue to dish up this crap the losses are going to keep on coming.
 

betcats

Referee
Messages
23,956
Most half backs are employed for their game breaking abilities, not their defense. Many half backs are "covered" by other players or hidden in defense. Soward's defense has not really got much worse in the last year than it always was - at least he tries. We need to look at why Mansour is usually caught out of position and Hiku has no interest in defense. Once we address that, we might find our defense a bit better. I also noticed that Soward had to rush several kicks yesterday as the ball was getting to him very slowly - go and have a look and see what happened to the quality of his kicking game because of it.


Tom.

Soward isn't breaking any games open he has only 2 try assists for the season and no linebreaks or tries and less running metres than anyone else who has played regular fg for us this year. He only has his kicking game at this point which hasn't even been good for half our games. The club needs to start looking at other option right away Soward is done imo unless his form improves dramatically.
 
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Exsilium

Coach
Messages
10,348
Next week Whare should be back and swap straight in for Blake, alternatively I don't mind Yeo being in the centres and bringing in ET to the bench.

If segeyaro comes back we will see soward and Wallace back in the halves which will upset a lot of people but it could certainly be worse.

Soward is a confidence player and right now he's shot. i want him to bounce back but I can't see it sadly. If we still have Whare and Segeyaro out then I'd be happy to put soward to half, moylan to five-eighth, DWZ to fullback, peachey to centre, ET to the bench and a winger....anyone will do.
 

billypilgrimnz

First Grade
Messages
5,169
I realise it's the in thing to be the 'realist' on the forum, you and Frankus can battle it out, but we have a young, raw football side who are starting to play good footy and are showing signs of being a force, people should be allowed to get excited without the same negativity from the same people. It gets old.

How about you just ignore what I post, and I'll just continue to write what I want to write about the team?
 

TheFrog

Coach
Messages
14,300
You think Soward is a game breaker?

His kick won us the game against Parramatta. His kicking into the ingoal won us the game against the Roosters. His kicking put us in a winning position against the Dogs but a poor kick gave them the 7 tackle set that resulted in them scoring.

So there's good and bad there. But there's no doubt he can win you a game. He's done it many times both here and elsewhere. You can't just drop someone like that. Especially when we haven't got anyone viable to replace him with.
 

chrisD

Coach
Messages
14,769
We put Whare beside Soward before we consider dropping him. And get Moylan into the halves soon so we have the option to drop him, if not this season then in preparation for the next. Unfortunately with our record atm we need a few wins before we can afford to try moving Moylan.

Segs to the bench for the last 20, 80mins is too long for Wallace. He missed his tackle in the 65th.

Lats has to make way (though we know I'd prefer did), and I don't know about McKendry. JFH, Peachey and Matagi should not be dropped. For 30mins we toiled hard with offloads and all this good fancy stuff sticking to hand from players with all the wraps and couldn't get through their awesome defence. Then Matagi comes on and easy as you like puts Cartwright straight through. He makes it look easy, just like when he put TMM over against the Roosters. If only DWZ wasn't having a f**king pull behind play at the time.
 
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TheFrog

Coach
Messages
14,300
Actually as shit as Sowards tackle attemp was. Where the f**k were Hiku and Mansour? One or both of them should have been able to save him but he was left all alone on that edge. No one from our team was there chasing the break on that side. But 4 Sharks were putting distance on Soward easily.

Bingo. He was left posted, just like last week. The team and coach know what he can and cannot do, they have to make arrangements to not have to rely on him to save tries. It is not Soward's job to stop tries. It is his job to create them. He couldn't have hoofed it with a Valentine Holmes ten years ago, what chance is there now?

A bit like the Aussie cricket team of a dozen years ago relying on Glenn McGrath to get them the last 20 runs to win a Test. When it reaches that stage those whose job it really was have already failed.

And while I'm here, why were Moylan and Martin left to stop Ennis barging over? Where were the forwards? This side still has defensive issues, no doubt about it.

In any case, we didn't lose because Holmes or Ennis scored. We scored 4 tries to 3. It was goalkicking that lost us the game.

Someone yesterday on Channel Nine was talking about goal kickers, and Daryl Halligan was called the greatest ever goal kicker (not sure I agree with this myself but he's up there). The same Daryl Halligan who kicked 1 from 5 in the 1991 Major Semi Final, a game that would have put his side in its first grand final in 48 years. Every kicker, even the best in the game, has an off day.
 
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mxlegend99

Referee
Messages
23,334
His kick won us the game against Parramatta. His kicking into the ingoal won us the game against the Roosters. His kicking put us in a winning position against the Dogs but a poor kick gave them the 7 tackle set that resulted in them scoring.

So there's good and bad there. But there's no doubt he can win you a game. He's done it many times both here and elsewhere. You can't just drop someone like that. Especially when we haven't got anyone viable to replace him with.
. That was one of very few where our kick chase had a chance at getting it.. his kicks were shit in that game too.

His pinpoint kicks aren't very pinpoint anymore. His goalkicking is shit now. He's at his absolute worst defensively now.
 

BxTom

Bench
Messages
2,674
I did not say that Soward was a game breaker, I said that they are employed to be a game breaker. Half backs should be organising the attack and , if on song , they certainly can be game breakers. In the case of Soward, he is the best that we have available at present. Will he improve? There's certainly room and potential (or there was). As to whether he will regain lost form is anyone's guess. The point of my last post was to say that most half backs are not employed for defense.

Tom.
 

billypilgrimnz

First Grade
Messages
5,169
Bingo. He was left posted, just like last week. The team and coach know what he can and cannot do, they have to make arrangements to not have to rely on him to save tries. It is not Soward's job to stop tries. It is his job to create them. He couldn't have hoofed it with a Valentine Holmes ten years ago, what chance is there now?

A bit like the Aussie cricket team of a dozen years ago relying on Glenn McGrath to get them the last 20 runs to win a Test. When it reaches that stage those whose job it really was have already failed.

Hiku was making a tackle on someone else, and Mansour missed Holmes as well. Soward didn't need to hoof after shit if he makes the tackle.
 

billypilgrimnz

First Grade
Messages
5,169
It's all a moot point as we have no-one else to replace him with. Shuddering at the thought of Wallace in the halves again.
 

Pomoz

Bench
Messages
2,994
Actually Frog, he most certainly could have hoofed it with Homes 10 years ago. He was blisteringly fast in his prime, especially over the first 40.
 

betcats

Referee
Messages
23,956
I did not say that Soward was a game breaker, I said that they are employed to be a game breaker. Half backs should be organising the attack and , if on song , they certainly can be game breakers. In the case of Soward, he is the best that we have available at present. Will he improve? There's certainly room and potential (or there was). As to whether he will regain lost form is anyone's guess. The point of my last post was to say that most half backs are not employed for defense.

Tom.

All players have to tackle. Yes halves are usually poor defenders but when you are defending as bad as Soward is this year you have to be offering a lot more with the ball then he is to keep your spot.

Soward just isn't a good player anymore, the back injury seems to have done him and his confidence is shot.

Id put Moylan in the halves this week and give him a proper run there for a month, we aren't a good enough team defensively to be a real threat this year, we wont go on any runs with our soft defence. Use this year to see if Moylan is a half or not so we know whether we need to buy one for next year.

And goalkicking needs to be addressed, im not saying go out and buy a goalkicker but if soward is the best we have it is a huge weakness.
 
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Pomoz

Bench
Messages
2,994
On the plus side, we have a forward pack who can match it with anybody. We matched them in the forwards and at times, we were on top of them. I have to give a huge wrap to Merrin, he had an amazing game. Hard metres, lots of tackles and he got belted plenty of times but kept going.

JFH? Was he that good in the lower grades? I have been overseas for three years so I haven't seen NSW cup. He looked like he could be a star in the making. Fearless, strong and explosive. More please (9 minutes off the bench? Behave).

If we can get a new halfback next year, we are a real strong shout of winning the big one.
 

betcats

Referee
Messages
23,956
On the plus side, we have a forward pack who can match it with anybody. We matched them in the forwards and at times, we were on top of them. I have to give a huge wrap to Merrin, he had an amazing game. Hard metres, lots of tackles and he got belted plenty of times but kept going.

JFH? Was he that good in the lower grades? I have been overseas for three years so I haven't seen NSW cup. He looked like he could be a star in the making. Fearless, strong and explosive. More please (9 minutes off the bench? Behave).

If we can get a new halfback next year, we are a real strong shout of winning the big one.

JFH could still be playing NYC. I first noticed him in NSW cup early last season(never heard of him before then) he was manhandling blokes and just smashing I couldn't believe he was just 19. He is coming along very nicely.
 

Pomoz

Bench
Messages
2,994
JFH could still be playing NYC. I first noticed him in NSW cup early last season(never heard of him before then) he was manhandling blokes back then. He is coming along very nicely.
Really? He is is already built like Uluru. What were his parents feeding him? Give some to young Cleary quickly, we need him to beef up asap.
 

Pomoz

Bench
Messages
2,994
I think JFH's cameo give us a hint why ET is probably going to leave. Question: With Merrin, Yeo, Peachey, Cartwright and JFH where does ET play?

Answer: Sadly, at another club.
 

betcats

Referee
Messages
23,956
Yeah Pomoz JFH is a beast, a better prospect than RCG or Latu imo, the 3 of them together will be the backbone and engine room of our forward pack for a long time I think.

We have conceded 3 or 4 really soft tries the last two weeks, Hook should just have them on replay all week at training, it is killing us.
 
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hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
63,076
We should be developing Moylan in the halves now that TMM looks set to miss a long period of time so that when he's fit we can put them together and ditch Soward.

He has never been a big defensive liability for us before this year. Now he's f**king atrocious and his goal kicking is pathetic and if he was better at closing out games we would be a lot better than 3 from 8.

He had some nice kicks last week to close the game out. But he has given away 7 tackle sets a few times in those positions and cost us too. Moylan and TMM couldn't do worse and would atleast be setting us up for a decent shot at the 2017 premiership.

Instead we're going to be back to Soward and Wallace in the halves. That combination won't win shit and is stunting our development as a team.


I pointed this out a few weeks ago. Sowards kicking game in general is top 3 in NRL. But his tackling is horrible. And this passing and running game stinks!
 

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