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Rd15: Parra v Bulldogs GAME DAY thread @ BankWest Stadium 20/6/21

yy_cheng

Coach
Messages
18,007
Haven't read the whole thread but lussick is doing a really great job.

Against the Panthers and the good teams, we need to bring in the offloads. Otherwise they'll just steam roll us
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
84,160
Storm and Panthers are just two excellent sides.
One thing about those two that plenty of merkins overlook is how many toilers they have. Their effort areas are well ahead of most other teams, and this is obviously what makes their defence so good. However it is also a major reason their attack looks so fluid: decoy and support runners.

Here's the list of decoys+supports used by each team (per game because only some teams have had a bye) this year:

TeamDecoys+supports per gameLinebreaks per game ranking
Storm117.41st
Tigers115.9=11th
Panthers106.3=3rd
Sharks1069th
Titans105.77th
Chooks103.72nd
Rabbitohs100.56th
Dragons98.614th
Eels98.5=3rd
Knights97.4=11th
Warriors95.210th
Bulldogs92.616th
Seagulls91.25th
Raiders908th
Cowboys84.513th
Broncos77.815th

Source: https://www.nrl.com/stats/

It looks like there is a correlation between effort in attack and linebreaks, though some teams are rewarded more for effort than others, which is no surprise.

The outliers are also interesting. The poor old Tigers and Sharks (and to a lesser extent the Titans) are high on effort but struggle to break the line. Meanwhile the Eels are behind only the Storm and Roosters for linebreaks, but our big, powerful team isn't especially hard working. This is obvious in defence too, particularly when we face a run of possession.
 
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Messages
19,103
I just think our attacking structures are poor and won't bother the top sides, even BA's biggest fans have to agree we could be doing so much better in the assistant coaching department. So many sets today where it was slow block play after slow block play and then a settler to get back into the middle of the field to set up for another slow block play.

I'd argue we have the most tries scored off kicks, the top sides will defuse and nullify Moses kicking game so much better. We'll see where we really are in a couple of weeks i suppose.

I agree that there is plenty of room for improvement (as there is for most sides), but I don't get the level of criticism.

Do we actually have the most tries scored off kicks (serious question)? I guess that is possible. But it's not as if we aren't scoring heavily otherwise.
 

Bandwagon

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
41,834
I just think our attacking structures are poor and won't bother the top sides, even BA's biggest fans have to agree we could be doing so much better in the assistant coaching department. So many sets today where it was slow block play after slow block play and then a settler to get back into the middle of the field to set up for another slow block play.

I'd argue we have the most tries scored off kicks, the top sides will defuse and nullify Moses kicking game so much better. We'll see where we really are in a couple of weeks i suppose.
I reckon we'd have the most scored off midfield bombs, or at the least the most restarts off same, but then that's one of Moses' great strengths, some of those kicks are just phenomenal.

So if that's the case, then it's playing to our strengths, and it'd be a concern if we weren't.


Every opposition coach seems to acknowledge we are dangerous in attack, particularly through the middle, if we are to beat the Storm or Penrith, it won't be by going around them, it'll be by going through them, and a kicking game plays a big part in that in both tiring their forwards and keeping their edges honest in defence.

Everyone loves a slick backline move, but I'm pretty certain a try off a kick is worth the same as a try off the end of a slick play, so I couldn't really give a toss how we score, as long as we do score.

It's defending those shifts where we lack if anything, not our ability to put them together.
 

IFR33K

Coach
Messages
17,002
I agree that there is plenty of room for improvement (as there is for most sides), but I don't get the level of criticism.

Do we actually have the most tries scored off kicks (serious question)? I guess that is possible. But it's not as if we aren't scoring heavily otherwise.

heard or read somewhere, that we do have the most tries off kicks this season. As we did a few years ago too.
 

Gary Gutful

Post Whore
Messages
51,727
They mentioned it in commentary at the start of the game - we have the most tries off kicks (23) and Mitch Moses is the leading individual (15).

Those numbers would have changed by the end of the game...
 

hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
58,499
It’s odd that tries off kicks by us are seen as a negative by some, however Nathan Cleary is applauded by causing the most line dropouts. Isn’t a line dropout a failed try attempt off a kick ?

If Haze scored off Browns kick it's a great kick.
There is an element of luck scoring off a bomb. But there is no luck in placing the bomb at the correct height,location or a player chasing timing. That takes skill and practise. If that's our only chance or best odds of scoring then why the he'll wouldn't we use this weapon????
 
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