Rd4 2024: 4pm Eels v Tigers GAME DAY THREAD @ Commbank Stadium Apr 1st

[JokerEel]

lol yeah if only we were paying him more. Imagine how good we’d be going if Moretti was on overs ffs

Not my point...

The point was he should have been selected over players that were signed externally...

Talent identification is shit at this club

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I’m annoyed but this bad loss as well but I disagree with anyone who says starting with Paulo and Matterson was a poor coaching decision. There’s nothing wrong with starting with your best players and trying to get the ascendancy early. That’s not the reason why we lost.
Ivan Cleary deserves a lot of credit for having his son missing and not have his team miss a beat. Obviously we don’t have the structures to overcome the loss of our halfback as effectively.

They lose without Cleary sometimes as well.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

From Last week all we had to do was bring Sanders in leave Brown at 5/8 Blaize at centre Harper on the wing.

Yeah we would’ve won for sure if we did that. Good job coach.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

We have Utilities FFS

Hands
Harper
Moses
Blaize
Cini
Jirah


All cover every position!

I gave you a lol since nobody else did

 

[JokerEel]

Yeah we would’ve won for sure if we did that. Good job coach.

How did we go today?

Good job coach?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Effectively with Carty out he made 3 changes to the starting pack...
Kelma as needed, Paulo and Matto for Joe O and Hopgood.
Help me understand this madness...actually don't.

Coaching to the conditions? Isn’t that what he’s criticised for not doing?

 

[JokerEel]

I gave you a lol since nobody else did

I was being serious though thought you would have been proud of the use of utilities..

 

[JokerEel]

Coaching to the conditions? Isn’t that what he’s criticised for not doing?

Is losing a condition?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It's just what every passionate parra fan is thinking right now. Go to the local pubs and clubs speak to the parra fans and get there opinions on the matter.

We ain't out to get BA like all his defenders on here think we are.

BA is deep down a good man and like all of us wants us to win a comp. But he simply can't do it.

If BA walked tomorrow most parra fans would go well done you gave it your best shot the first 4 or 5 years were done in difficult circumstances. And hey the club is in better spot now then the position Ricky walked away from in 2013 when he took over.

But since covid he has had no excuse.

Get Wayne Bennett on the blower and offer him the world seriously we have a good enough squad. Just the polish for Wayne to finish off.

We don't lose today if Bennett is coaching Parra.

Bennett’s never lost a game he was expected to win?

 

[the phantom menace]

To me it felt like we were struggling at half time, and the plan - presumably to have Paulo start as a pseudo half in attack, and Matto starting to do the Joffa starting role while covering the Hopgood starting role - didn't really gel at all.

A key part of the outcome was how poorly we executed during the 10mins when Galvin was off, and when we were in the lead in the second half. A score of any sort there (penalty, try, even a repeat set) to take advantage of the extra man would have likely sealed the day for us.

But there was no game management and poor on field leadership/organisation - or dare I say it, adaptability - during that vital period. End result no change in score, Tigers grow in confidence, momentum swings the other way, Galvin comes back on and lays on a try to make a game of it.

 

[lucablight]

They lose without Cleary sometimes as well.

Since 2022 their record is 12 out of 15. That’s a pretty damn good record to be without someone who is considered the best player in the game. Do you think we’ll come close to that?

 

[JokerEel]

Bennett’s never lost a game he was expected to win?

Wayne never loses!

 

[Gary Gutful]

Wayne never loses!

The only thing Wayne ever lost was his sense of humour.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Very, very funny first few pages . . . with all the "smash them, we'll kill them, it's only WT", and such.

Exactly. If we took them lightly why wouldn't the players? Everyone thought the Tigers were shit, including the Sharks last week. I don't reckon it'll be so easy for you next week.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

The fans that turned up deserved something better then the rubbish we tossed up.

Even the crowd was quiet. Up by eight points and we just wanted it to be over.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

BA coached side has never won 4 weeks in a row without byes interrupting them.

2019 round 19 to 22 is the best a BA coached side has ever done in consecutive weeks when it comes to winning streaks without a break.

The other times we have won more then 4 games in a row were in 2017 when we had 2 byes in a 6 game winning streak so never had more then 3 weeks straight of winning.

2020 the 2 month covid break split up the 5 game streak at the start of the year. 2 wins before the break then 3 straight after.

Last year we won 5 straight games but we had 2 byes in that period. So split the wins in 2 and 3 week patches.

That's facts the BA defenders can't challenge.

4 weeks in a row is the best BA can manage.

He also can't make the finals five years in a row. The best he's managed is four.

 

[Parra Pride]

it seems geniused that we wouldn't play Sanders, a halfback , in a halfback position, particularly when he has all these wraps on him and is already being circled by clubs, but I guess that's the BA way.

The leading contender of those clubs being coached by someone (admittedly a f**king trackhead) who is one of the best halves to have played the game.

 

[the phantom menace]

FFS, it's not rocket science BA. I'm not thinking a young Sanders solves much being brought in as a fresh untested at senior level 7, so:

1. Talagi - since he was attempting that position in Cup anyway
2. Sivo - should be last chance... but won't be
3. Penisini
4. Simonsson - over Harper, or he and Blaize can swap positions
5. Russell
6. Brown
7. Gutherson (for Moses - not unofficially Paulo!!)
8. RCG
9. Lussick/Hands
10. Ofa
11. Lane - should be last chance...
12. Tuilagi (for Carty)
13. Hopgood (ffs!!)

14. Hands/Lussick - interchange at 30mins, and at 55mins for some variety, can even have both on for final 25mins if suitable.
15. Paulo - on at 20min, off around 60min
16. Matterson - on at 20min for the duration
17. Moretti - on at 30mins, off around 60mins
(...one interchange still to spare...)

18. Greig - must be our next forward up, start Matterson on an edge if Lane has another poor game

Also not jumping on the "sign Bennett" bandwagon - I think at this stage/his age he wouldn't offer much after his current contract other than some behind the scenes value. But the club should have been quietly working toward our next coach, ever since BA missed the 8 last season.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

So no more right? One and done

Do you punt? There are always roughies getting up. Last week I backed the Tigers and this week the Dragons. If the Tigers were paying more I would've backed them too.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Interesting I had a conversation with someone about 30 minutes before kick off and he asked me how Parra will go. I said they should go ok but you just never know, I think his son was kind shocked and said "No dont worry, we've got this". But the bloke I spoke to understood what I meant and said there wasnt much of this doubtness back in the 80s and late 90s and 2001.

That's because we had a better side than every other team. Now we don't.