Rd8: 8pm EELS v Broncos GAME DAY THREAD @ TIO Stadium - Darwin 21/4/23

[Poupou Escobar]

Which team doesn’t care about completing sets? And which team doesn’t like controlling possession?

lol which team doesn't care about taking risks?

This shows you where teams prioritise risk over completion rates: https://www.nrl.com/stats/teams/?competition=111&season=2023&stat=1000210

 

[The Predictor]

Well I agree six games is a small sample against which to judge Paulo compared to previous years, however I wasn't the one claiming he has been particularly bad this year. I agree he's had some quiet games, but that is the case every year. What I think aids the perception that "Paulo has been shit this year" is the fact that he has had two quiet games following his two week suspension. Prior to that though he destroyed Melbourne and Penrith, which is the distant past for people relying solely on observation.

In the industry we call this recency bias. I am of course talking about the fashion industry.

Paulo is not a consistent performer for example like RCG, that can’t be disputed, but then again, look whom I’m talking too…..sigh

 

[Noise]

lol which team doesn't care about taking risks?

This shows you where teams prioritise risk over completion rates: https://www.nrl.com/stats/teams/?competition=111&season=2023&stat=1000210

Do the Tigers take the most risks? Or are they just shit and error prone. I doubt the Tigers coaching staff are happy with their completions in 2023. Do we take the 3rd most risks? Or are we also just error prone this year. I reckon every team on the bottom of that list would like to be higher. I don’t think it indicates which teams prioritize taking more risks.

Teams that take more risks would have a combination of high number of passes, high number of offloads and a higher number of early kicks. Not necessarily just low completions.

 

[TheRam]

But then i am guessing lattrell and cody doesn't study the game eithet.

Dyl should be a 1 but then we have a brilliant 1 already.

I was listening to matty johns, who is someone i really agree with on his views, he said, melbourne were soo good because they had cooper who just managed the game and theb 2 naturals in billy and muster who did stuff. He said, cronk had 2 fb to choose from

Of course they had cam who stuck to the gameplan.

Mitch hasnt been able to control the game like cronk, thurston, sterlo just yet but he should now start doing this so then dyl and guth injects themselves when they see opportunities

I though somebody would bring these types of players up, but my post was already miles long and I didn't want to add to it any further. But they are totally different types of players. Players like Cody and Latrell are almost totally instinctual and naturally gifted in speed and hand eye coordination and Latrell has size and power to throw in the mix too. So they can get away with less tuition then the average player. Also many players of Aboriginal heritage are gifted with superior space awareness which has been proven academically/scientifically.

Also as a side note, I think it was the CSIRO that release their study about 20 years ago now that showed that Aboriginals could find their way around the large remote plains, valleys and deserts of Australia (without having been there before) way better and wouldn't get lost compared to the European man. They worked out that the Aboriginal brain is better developed then the European brain when it comes to space-memory and intuition. That is how they could survive in such a harsh landscape and not get lost and make it back to their local area and tribes. Australia is a massively big place and there has never been that many people.

Back on topic, players like Dylan and to a slightly lesser extent Ponga, don't have that undeniable almost sixth sense that they do. They have talent, but it is more in the speed, strength and stepping side of things. But if you don't then add a proper education on to your shortcomings, then coaches will workout what they are and shut you down. Ponga just needs to workout how to be equally as good on both sides of the field and then he will be the attacking weapon(baring injury) that we all know he can be, so he is a little different. But they both need to learn how to manage a game and bring the rest of the team on board and know what they should all be doing.

Neither has that down pact by a long shot. But never confuse natural instinct that the Cody's of this world display so naturally for organisational skills which I am talking about, which players like Thurston added to his impressive armory of natural skills that he possessed as a younger footballer. Ask Thurston how much study and practice he put into plays with Gavin Cooper for example. I guarantee it would have been an ongoing and endless pursuit and adjustments over their entire career. And don't ask me about Cronk and his mantra of PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.....

 

[JokerEel]

The poor guys that pay for the LU server space.. The cost must have exploded once The Ram joined up..

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Paulo is not a consistent performer for example like RCG, that can’t be disputed,

Yeah that's what I said, so obviously I agree.

but then again, look whom I’m talking too…..sigh

ffs

 

[Happy MEel]

I've given you plenty of facts. Your argument amounts to "because sports journos said so". We know their agenda.

You have provided some facts. None of which amount to anything else but wild speculation regarding Waqa’s salary.

 

[the phantom menace]

Well it did and I showed you why.

I respectfully disagree.

But make sure you keep enjoying this argument with yourself, (not actually) backed up by your selective stats...

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Do the Tigers take the most risks?

They are the only team to have thrown more offloads than us this year. We have led that stat every year since 2019. Last year no team got close.

Or are they just shit and error prone.

Well there are low risk offloads and high risk offloads (see Paulo vs Cartwright). It depends on the abilities of the players to make decisions, throw offloads, and be there in support.

I doubt the Tigers coaching staff are happy with their completions in 2023. Do we take the 3rd most risks? Or are we also just error prone this year. I reckon every team on the bottom of that list would like to be higher. I don’t think it indicates which teams prioritize taking more risks.

Even with the right players, more offloads increases the risk. The thing is, where risk is positively correlated with reward (to a point) you can't just aim for zero risk or you'll never score any points. So it's a balancing act between too much risk and not enough. This year we are getting it wrong, and so are the Tigers. But it comes down to players making decisions. Coaches can tell them DON'T OFFLOAD, and drop them if they do. But more likely is they'll go through the video and show good offloads and bad ones, or stop training and make the point, and see if it helps the players' decision making on the day. In the heat of the moment they don't control the player like its Playstation.

Teams that take more risks would have a combination of high number of passes, high number of offloads and a higher number of early kicks. Not necessarily just low completions.

Agreed, but completion rates are a good heuristic. And every team can increase their completion rate if they want to. I'd say coaches are comfortable with completion rates no higher than about 80%. Others might even see that as too high. The Dogs had the best completion rate in 2021 and ran last. They scored over 100 fewer points than the 15th best attacking team. They were too risk averse. But then they had the third worst defence and maybe didn't trust themselves to cover the reduced possession.

 

[the phantom menace]

He is averaging more metres per game this year ffs. It doesn't mean he is playing well.

If your stats don't mean anything relevant... then why do you bother posting them (and getting all bitter and twisted when they are questioned), champ?

 

[the phantom menace]

See above, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify my position.

Clarify yourself deeper into a black hole of forum implausibility, more like...

 

[the phantom menace]

I'll keep posting them as long as ignorant, opinionated merkins keep hating them.

You mean so long as people don't click this?

https://forums.leagueunlimited.com/members/poupou-escobar.16713/ignore

Actually, I reckon you'd keep on posting your irrelevent shitty stats regardless of whether people hated them, reacted to them or ignored them...

 

[Poupou Escobar]

You have provided some facts. None of which amount to anything else but wild speculation regarding Waqa’s salary.

I'm not the one speculating. I don't claim to know how much he's on. I'm just unconvinced by your speculation. You haven't justified it well enough, sorry.

 

[Happy MEel]

I'm not the one speculating. I don't claim to know how much he's on. I'm just unconvinced by your speculation. You haven't justified it well enough, sorry.

Actually, you are the one speculating.

Since MON came to the club we have consistently let merkins go than overpay for them.

You yourself have argued we have no idea what merkins are paid.

He was unwanted by his club and got a payout.

Pure speculation

There's no reason Penrith would've had to pay stupid money to re-sign Blake, especially being aware of his shortcomings. For the same reason there's no way we would have agreed to match it given he was unwanted by his current club, a known quantity at NRL level, already mid-20s, and playing poorly at the time.

Pure speculation

O'Neill would have passed unless he was a genuine bargain, like RCG and Moses turned out to be.

Pure speculation.

Lol.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Actually, you are the one speculating.

You yourself have argued we have no idea what merkins are paid.

Pure speculation

Pure speculation

Pure speculation.

Lol.

The difference is I am not treating my speculation as fact. Waqa Blake might be on $500k, I just don't see any reason why he would be. It's certainly not a verifiable fact that entitles you to criticise the people supposedly responsible for said unproven fact. The rest of the speculation is at least supported by facts, rather than resting on more speculation by the media.

lol

 

[TheParraboy]

I love the game day thread after game day...

 

[IFR33K]

He's younger than DCE.

has dce had a dozen knee recos?

 

[Happy MEel]

The difference is I am not treating my speculation as fact. Waqa Blake might be on $500k, I just don't see any reason why he would be. It's certainly not a verifiable fact that entitles you to criticise the people supposedly responsible for said unproven fact. The rest of the speculation is at least supported by facts, rather than resting on more speculation by the media.

lol

But you are speculating nonetheless. I’m also not treating it as fact but the evidence points to Waqa being on very good coin.
I haven’t used this evidence either to criticise said merkins for the recruitment so I’m not sure why you’ve brought that up. I’m critical of the merkin (Hodgson) playing first grade. I’m actually thankful BA realised what most of us here realised long ago, that Waqa needed to be dropped to NSW Cup. Let’s hope it doesn’t take as long for him to come around with the frail pensioner.

 

[King-Gutho94]

I love the game day thread after game day...

Might need a Post mortem thread maybe

 

[Poupou Escobar]

has dce had a dozen knee recos?

Moving the goalposts now? I thought you didn’t like his age.