R12 // Warriors 38-18 Knights @ Mt Smart // Sun 2.00pm

[Izz]

Living in NZ obviously I get the public and media response to Warriors games, and for the most part they were quite impressed with us on Sunday.

I thought it was the best you've played all season, tbh.

 

[K-Man]

I thought it was the best you've played all season, tbh.

What a result! Our best football is enough to get within 20 points of a mid-table opposition. No wonder Wayne has us playing this ultra-effective grinding style.

If we can maintain this form we'll be serious contenders for a solid 1-12 losing margin against the might of the Wests Tigers. Heady days, my friends.

 

[K-Man]

I know we're sick of hearing words like trying/determination etc. but as I've been saying for a few weeks the only thing standing between our current performances and a couple of wins is attacking potency and taking better options when we have the chance. I say it every week but we still haven't seen a sweeping backline play with Boyd out the back and taking the right pass option. Maybe teams are wise to it now, I don't know, but every time we try and spread it wide it looks laboured and predictable.

The only thing? Yeah, the only thing standing between the Socceroos and winning the World Cup is attacking potency and taking better options too. Basically, just being infinitely better than they actually are. Wayne should address this at training. Oh wait, we haven't changed our attacking style in 3 years and we're not going to.

Bring on those credible losses with high completion rates and the right attitude, because we have 13 of them to come.

 

[K-Man]

I know we're sick of hearing words like trying/determination etc. but as I've been saying for a few weeks the only thing standing between our current performances and a couple of wins is attacking potency and taking better options when we have the chance. I say it every week but we still haven't seen a sweeping backline play with Boyd out the back and taking the right pass option. Maybe teams are wise to it now, I don't know, but every time we try and spread it wide it looks laboured and predictable.

You're right on this. However I also think it has to do with not earning the right to shift the ball wide. We never do it with any momentum gained up the middle. We just do it because hey it's the fourth tackle now and that's what we do on the 4th tackle. No result? Okay let's take a Chris Houston settler on the fifth tackle so that we can safely put up a chip-bomb straight to an unchallenged opposition winger. Phew, lucky we didn't concede a try from inside our opponent's 20m zone by throwing an intercept pass...another set of possession survived!

 

[Rod]

The only thing? Yeah, the only thing standing between the Socceroos and winning the World Cup is attacking potency and taking better options too. Basically, just being infinitely better than they actually are. Wayne should address this at training. Oh wait, we haven't changed our attacking style in 3 years and we're not going to.

I know you're just exaggerating for effect, but a pretty stupid comparison nonetheless.

We have a backline that can score points, we've seen them do it. On paper it's still one of the better ones in the comp. It's not a case of wishing they were 'infinitely better'. They are already good enough.

We are struggling for forward impact, and we need games like that from Tyrone on a regular basis. We need attacking threats other than our backline if the backline is to prosper. It's a lot easier to defend a backline movement if Chris Houston and Robbie Rochow are the most dynamic forwards you have to contend with.

I won't disagree with you that perhaps our attacking strategy does need a revamp, however for me that's a different issue from the points I was making about our performance on Sunday.

 

[K-Man]

I know you're just exaggerating for effect, but a pretty stupid comparison nonetheless.

We have a backline that can score points, we've seen them do it. On paper it's still one of the better ones in the comp. It's not a case of wishing they were 'infinitely better'. They are already good enough.

We are struggling for forward impact, and we need games like that from Tyrone on a regular basis. We need attacking threats other than our backline if the backline is to prosper. It's a lot easier to defend a backline movement if Chris Houston and Robbie Rochow are the most dynamic forwards you have to contend with.

I won't disagree with you that perhaps our attacking strategy does need a revamp, however for me that's a different issue from the points I was making about our performance on Sunday.

I am exaggerating, but saying that we just need to fix up our attacking ability is also oversimplifying. Attack is 50% of the game and we have the worst one in the NRL, so I feel the issues are more complicated than fixing it, or we'd already have fixed it. I understand what you're saying, but honestly I'd be more hopeful if we were losing because our completion rates were down and while we looked great at times we just couldn't quite get it right for 80 minutes - this would mean there is hope. As it stands, what hope is there? Our stats are fine, but we are so awful it doesn't matter.

I truly believe we could finish a match without a single handling error or penalty conceded and still lose. That's a massive problem. Way more massive than sorting it out in a few training sessions.

 

[K-Man]

I know you're just exaggerating for effect, but a pretty stupid comparison nonetheless.

We have a backline that can score points, we've seen them do it. On paper it's still one of the better ones in the comp. It's not a case of wishing they were 'infinitely better'. They are already good enough.

We are struggling for forward impact, and we need games like that from Tyrone on a regular basis. We need attacking threats other than our backline if the backline is to prosper. It's a lot easier to defend a backline movement if Chris Houston and Robbie Rochow are the most dynamic forwards you have to contend with.

I won't disagree with you that perhaps our attacking strategy does need a revamp, however for me that's a different issue from the points I was making about our performance on Sunday.

Agreed. But the forwards are too much of an issue for this to happen. The backs are classy but with our forward pack it means nothing. Put our backline behind a decent pack and I do believe they would be killing it and we'd all be saying what amazing form they were in. I feel sorry for them. They get the ball with absolutely no space and no momentum every single match.

I think overall we're actually in agreement about most of the issues to be honest.

For me what's the most concerning is when people attribute effort and discipline to an improved performance, despite getting smashed. If our discipline is good and our errors are down and we are STILL bad, to me it only proves how far below the required standard we are.

Teams go through ruts when they can't hang onto the ball and it costs them games, but they come good when they improve their attention to detail and their class shines through. That's not our problem at all. Our problem is that our attack is so unbelievably below par that nothing else we do well even matters.

 

[Rod]

Yeah agreed with almost everything there mate, you make valid points and we are probably on the same page mostly. I agree it's concerning we play a good game in terms of discipline, ball control etc. and still get out-attacked by 20 points. I honestly don't have an answer beyond the obvious,.

The other thing is that while our attack has copped a lot of the heat, our defence hasn't been up to scratch this year. If you want to rely on set-completions and low error rates to grind teams down, your defence simply must be top-drawer or else we find ourselves in the situation we currently have, needing to score at least 20+ to win every week, which we obviously can't handle.

 

[Izz]

The other thing is that while our attack has copped a lot of the heat, our defence hasn't been up to scratch this year.

You don't lose Uate late to injury and have a fullback who gives a toss and the tale might've been a lot different.

That being said, i did think you guys were gassed by the 60 minute mark.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

The way Boyd brings the ball back doesn't help our forwards either. It's harder for them get back to take a hit up and the defence is more set against them. Odavis wasn't a player that could poke his nose through the defence, but he made every available meter by bringing the ball back at a million miles an hour. We need more of that from Boyd.

 

[aqua_duck]

Yeah agreed with almost everything there mate, you make valid points and we are probably on the same page mostly. I agree it's concerning we play a good game in terms of discipline, ball control etc. and still get out-attacked by 20 points. I honestly don't have an answer beyond the obvious,.

The other thing is that while our attack has copped a lot of the heat, our defence hasn't been up to scratch this year. If you want to rely on set-completions and low error rates to grind teams down, your defence simply must be top-drawer or else we find ourselves in the situation we currently have, needing to score at least 20+ to win every week, which we obviously can't handle.

What frustrates me is the lack of fight in the team, 5 times this year we've been in the game up until halftime and as soon as the opposition get that early try in the 2nd half we've given up and let in several more after that.