Roosters Defence - not to be considered invincible.

[Doctor]

The Panther's final try highlighted the weakness in the Roosters' game - their defence is not invincible.
The fake field-goal attempt exposed the Roosters' vulnerability under pressure out wide. Walker failed to read the play, and the forwards were too busy trying to do what they would normally do (i.e. get into the ball-carrier's face) rather than remain patient and watch the play unfold and therefore make tackles as a result.
Unfortunately for the Roosters in this instance their defence was shown to be rough and dominating, unless of course the ball moves too fast for their defence to catch up to the ball carrier.

It gives other sides some concept of how to get around what is an otherwise intimidating defensive line - send it wide but only after drawing all the big men in.
The Roosters won't use that one try as a reason for the loss - the Panthers played very well throughout - but if anything it does signal that the Roosters are just ahead of other sides, but they there is no reason why other sides cannot adapt to the changes in how the game is played.

 

[ozzie]

It was a great piece of thinking on priddis's behalf - he deserved the MOM. I think if you look the inside backs where also moving in and Walker if he had styed out would have left a gap in the centres - the same result would have happenned.

Hodges loss this year to us was ablow as his defence is a lot better than hegarty's.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

It was a great piece of thinking on priddis's behalf - he deserved the MOM. I think if you look the inside backs where also moving in and Walker if he had styed out would have left a gap in the centres - the same result would have happenned.

Hodges loss this year to us was ablow as his defence is a lot better than hegarty's.

Hegarty was one of your better players tonight.....his defence was ok & he was one of your best in attack!!

I doubt it would've made much difference to tell you the truth......it was basically there last tackle options & kicking game.....they where disgracefull!!

Im a huge Fittler fan but i must say that was the worst game i've ever seen from him!!

Grothe Jr would of done alot better job then Byrne!!

 

[foetus_head]

Maybe Wesser better take the place of Minechello, cause if he plays like that Australia are GOOOOONEEEE, you know, just like you guys!

And Fitler, woah...talk about gracefull, his kicking game was inspiring, I love my footy, dont you???

(I know I cant spell his name right, but I only know the spelling of real players names, you know, like Joey Johns)

 

[ozzie]

It was a great piece of thinking on priddis's behalf - he deserved the MOM. I think if you look the inside backs where also moving in and Walker if he had styed out would have left a gap in the centres - the same result would have happenned.

Hodges loss this year to us was ablow as his defence is a lot better than hegarty's.

Hegarty was one of your better players tonight.....his defence was ok & he was one of your best in attack!!

I doubt it would've made much difference to tell you the truth......it was basically there last tackle options & kicking game.....they where disgracefull!!

Im a huge Fittler fan but i must say that was the worst game i've ever seen from him!!

Grothe Jr would of done alot better job then Byrne!!

Hegarty is far better on the wing for us - as a centre he tends to come out of the line a lot and even though he played well tonight in defence the three players Walker, Hegarty and Bryne leave a lot to be desired in defence. Hegarty isa vg player as a winger..

I can't argue about the kicking they may aswell as have passed th ball to either the wingers or Wesser. no low kicks over the top to make them pick the ball up, horrid kicking near the line.

No arguement with yours

 

[MR GEORGE]

panthers won and it is great well done to them.

 

[Doctor]

Either the likes of Fittler, Wing and Finch were flat, or else they were contained well by the Panthers - I'd argue it was a very fine balance between the two.

I'm not much of a fan of Fittler, but I respect the unequivocal statistics that outline the Rooster's reliance on him to provide options. His kicking game was ordinary by his standards, and more than likely his should restricted his ability to provide the usual runs to the line and passing game.

I respect the fact the Roosters are an extremely good football side with him on the paddock, but Fittler's performance wasn't there and the Roosters lacked 5th tackle options and general direction in a lot of cases.

Minichiello's performance, as I've mentioned elsewhere, leaves big question marks about his big-match form. He worries me a lot of the time, and if he is to be given a Kangaroo spot (no doubt he will be in there somewhere), he really needs to improve on current big-match form.

It is rare to see him drop two easy balls in the one game, but I just think the pressure got to him - unless someone comes up with a better explanation, I'll stick to my theory that he isn't as great as people claim he is.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

It was a great piece of thinking on priddis's behalf - he deserved the MOM. I think if you look the inside backs where also moving in and Walker if he had styed out would have left a gap in the centres - the same result would have happenned.

Hodges loss this year to us was ablow as his defence is a lot better than hegarty's.

Hegarty was one of your better players tonight.....his defence was ok & he was one of your best in attack!!

I doubt it would've made much difference to tell you the truth......it was basically there last tackle options & kicking game.....they where disgracefull!!

Im a huge Fittler fan but i must say that was the worst game i've ever seen from him!!

Grothe Jr would of done alot better job then Byrne!!

Hegarty is far better on the wing for us - as a centre he tends to come out of the line a lot and even though he played well tonight in defence the three players Walker, Hegarty and Bryne leave a lot to be desired in defence. Hegarty isa vg player as a winger..

I can't argue about the kicking they may aswell as have passed th ball to either the wingers or Wesser. no low kicks over the top to make them pick the ball up, horrid kicking near the line.

No arguement with yours

Lomu was very disapointing also along with Cayless!!

They where very flat tonight.....i wonder if they underestimated the Panthers or the game last week took alot out of them!!

Morley was brillant though.....i feel the game of his tonight has made him the best backrower in the game at present!!

 

[ozzie]

I don't think that as a fullback you would play minni before Lockyer - but he's a vg winger..I think the pressure and the wether put him off - but did you see the positioning of his hands to catch one ball - he had no chnace to catch t..

but for his first year in the position he can only improve.

I don't think Wing had a great gamein the first half in fact hardly sited, came into a bit of form in the secon half but well outplayed on the night by Priddis. We certainly didn't get a roll on as usual.

 

[ngunity]

Maybe Wesser better take the place of Minechello, cause if he plays like that Australia are GOOOOONEEEE, you know, just like you guys!

I think you'll find Lockyer is Australia's Number one #1 (hehe), unless he's injured or something (??) and as he should be, there's a lot of daylight between Lockyer and the rest of the fullbacks in the game, the man's awesome

Easy on Miniciello, it was bloody wet out there, I don't think it's far to get into him for spilling the ball in that much rain and pressure.

Roosters need to avoid finding a scape goat and cop it on the chin

 

[ozzie]

wow hang on - I am the ony Rooster fan in here and I never made him a scape goat..you are agreeing with me...

the reamining posters are basically Newcastle fans, who can have a good conversation when they want to especially original-Chook.

 

[ozzie]

It was a great piece of thinking on priddis's behalf - he deserved the MOM. I think if you look the inside backs where also moving in and Walker if he had styed out would have left a gap in the centres - the same result would have happenned.

Hodges loss this year to us was ablow as his defence is a lot better than hegarty's.

Hegarty was one of your better players tonight.....his defence was ok & he was one of your best in attack!!

I doubt it would've made much difference to tell you the truth......it was basically there last tackle options & kicking game.....they where disgracefull!!

Im a huge Fittler fan but i must say that was the worst game i've ever seen from him!!

Grothe Jr would of done alot better job then Byrne!!

Hegarty is far better on the wing for us - as a centre he tends to come out of the line a lot and even though he played well tonight in defence the three players Walker, Hegarty and Bryne leave a lot to be desired in defence. Hegarty isa vg player as a winger..

I can't argue about the kicking they may aswell as have passed th ball to either the wingers or Wesser. no low kicks over the top to make them pick the ball up, horrid kicking near the line.

No arguement with yours

Lomu was very disapointing also along with Cayless!!

They where very flat tonight.....i wonder if they underestimated the Panthers or the game last week took alot out of them!!

Morley was brillant though.....i feel the game of his tonight has made him the best backrower in the game at present!!

Lomu? didn't see him hope he goes well at Cronulla. Morley was our best by a mile - Cayless, imo, didn't have a bad game - except that bluudy stupid move of his to listen to the ref he was offside and let priddis go through. On TV you could hear Bill calling him ofside, maybe he was, but thts not my point. If it had been me I'd have still tackled him and give them the penatly rather than the 6 points.

 

[HoLLuS]

..i was at the game....and one word sums it up well for me...'gutted'...although i prepared myself....half way through the first half...we just didn't have 'it', that same 'it', that we've had for the past few months...penrith just were too dominating, i don't think the wet weather was beneficial for us either...

to individual performances...I thought Hegs was our most dangerous...definately should get a test call up...Morely was his usually bruising self, Ricko was agin fantastic in defencs, i though cayless was ok...lomu had a shocker, first hit up he falls over, second hit up he loses it...Walker was well......CRAP....as was Finch, couldn't handle the pressure..i don't totally agree with comments made about Freddy, i thought apart from his kicking game, given the circumstances of his injury blah blah...he was trying everything...it just didn't pay off...anyways....there's always next year as they say..i just hope there is enough motivation to get past tonight.......

 

[Danish Moo Cow]

I don't think the Panthers really beat the Roosters around the edges or up the middle or anything like that. They simply piled on the pressure with posession. 400 odd tackles from the Roosters was amazing, and in those conditions it doesn't leave much in the tank for those last 20 minutes, or when you're trying to streak down the side-line with a lock forward chasing you.

The Panthers played the perfect wet weather football. Box it and seal it for years to come, that was probably the best preperation and performance in a grand final for a long, long time. Would've been interesting if the rain stayed away though.

 

[Doctor]

Box it and seal it for years to come, that was probably the best preperation and performance in a grand final for a long, long time

You're right, it is the sort of performance you wish you could bottle up and inject into your players for next season. I felt the same way during the 2001 Grand Final with that first 30 minutes by the Knights. Unfortunately, with the exeption of the odd game since then, we've never really matched that kind of intensity.

Even though I've been critical of the Roosters for all their arrogance and momentum going into the Grand Final, and even though Phil Gould said prior to the match that there were no excuses for losing, they were ready, the Panthers still produced a mighty performance.

Chief Harragon talked about fairytale Grand Finals in his pre-match walk along the sideline, and it turned out to be a very good contest. I'm glad the match, until the final Penrith try, proved to be close until the end.

In some ways Roosters fans can take consolation from the fact their side was just outgunned on the night. The Roosters forwards have nothing to be ashamed of - they did their job for most of the night. They stuck to what they've done all year, intimidation, Morley getting into people's faces quickly. It must have been worrying for Panthers fans, but not unexpected.

Thankfully for the Panthers though, their players didn't seem as phased by it as other sides have been. I mention the Knights because they're the side I've seen all year, and quite frankly they were blown away in 20 minutes of football three weeks ago. That is the sort of smash-up job the Roosters do on sides, and the Panthers could have been forgiven for falling over into a heap and letting the Roosters take the game from them.

But to their credit they hung in there, seemed to focus on making minimal errors, even if it meant not gaining as many metres, and they came away with an 18-6 fairytale victory.

The Roosters probably dropped too much ball towards the end, but there is no shame in dropping the ball in such a wet game. By my reckoning both sides could have been forgiven for dropping much more ball than that. It was wet, raining constantly, and miserable conditions - the Roosters handled it well, it's just that the Panters handled it better.

 

[Holla if ya hear me]

Really the rooster forwards can hold their head up high-Geez id hate to run into Morley and Cayliss.Fitzgibbon seemed to go missing at times
They just didnt have it in th backs where Finch,Fittler and Walker let them down in terms of their usual dominance.Some of Fittlers passes were painfully obvious that the shoulder is crook.Minichello didnt help
But it turned on that magnificent Sattler tackle! :shock:
Wing is a glorified benchie and always will be :shock:

 

[CrankYanker]

Really the rooster forwards can hold their head up high-Geez id hate to run into Morley and Cayliss.Fitzgibbon seemed to go missing at times
They just didnt have it in th backs where Finch,Fittler and Walker let them down in terms of their usual dominance.Some of Fittlers passes were painfully obvious that the shoulder is crook.Minichello didnt help
But it turned on that magnificent Sattler tackle! :shock:
Wing is a glorified benchie and always will be :shock:

you really are a sorry girl arent you?

ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA About football whatsoever.

"a glorified benchie" hahahaha, classic. Do you have any original thought in that pea sized ineffective brain of yours? I know that the human brain is 80% water, but the amount in yours could solve our water shortage crisis.

such an expert in all things league arent you?

have you any clue as to the importance these days of a bench player. do you? any clue at all? i seriously doubt it.

craig wing has been amongst the top 5 players all year across all teams. a fact recognised by all forms of the media and those associated with the game.

i suggest you crawl back into the hole from where you emerged and think up something original for the beginning of season 2004.

absolute girl with no idea at all.

the difference between you and a bucket of crap is the bucket.

 

[Holla if ya hear me]

Really the rooster forwards can hold their head up high-Geez id hate to run into Morley and Cayliss.Fitzgibbon seemed to go missing at times
They just didnt have it in th backs where Finch,Fittler and Walker let them down in terms of their usual dominance.Some of Fittlers passes were painfully obvious that the shoulder is crook.Minichello didnt help
But it turned on that magnificent Sattler tackle! :shock:
Wing is a glorified benchie and always will be :shock:

you really are a sorry girl arent you?

ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA About football whatsoever.

"a glorified benchie" hahahaha, classic. Do you have any original thought in that pea sized ineffective brain of yours? I know that the human brain is 80% water, but the amount in yours could solve our water shortage crisis.

such an expert in all things league arent you?

have you any clue as to the importance these days of a bench player. do you? any clue at all? i seriously doubt it.

craig wing has been amongst the top 5 players all year across all teams. a fact recognised by all forms of the media and those associated with the game.

i suggest you crawl back into the hole from where you emerged and think up something original for the beginning of season 2004.

absolute girl with no idea at all.

the difference between you and a bucket of crap is the bucket.

Yeah...Well until he takes the Jumper of Buderus in the test team and stops being a fill in player [Which is why he is a benchie -you stick!]
hell always have to wait in line.GF was his day to show up and he didnt
Sounds like you got a little bent over losing the tin cup so you can kiss my arse and the horse i rode in on.

 

[ozzie]

Box it and seal it for years to come, that was probably the best preperation and performance in a grand final for a long, long time

You're right, it is the sort of performance you wish you could bottle up and inject into your players for next season. I felt the same way during the 2001 Grand Final with that first 30 minutes by the Knights. Unfortunately, with the exeption of the odd game since then, we've never really matched that kind of intensity.

Even though I've been critical of the Roosters for all their arrogance and momentum going into the Grand Final, and even though Phil Gould said prior to the match that there were no excuses for losing, they were ready, the Panthers still produced a mighty performance.

Chief Harragon talked about fairytale Grand Finals in his pre-match walk along the sideline, and it turned out to be a very good contest. I'm glad the match, until the final Penrith try, proved to be close until the end.

In some ways Roosters fans can take consolation from the fact their side was just outgunned on the night. The Roosters forwards have nothing to be ashamed of - they did their job for most of the night. They stuck to what they've done all year, intimidation, Morley getting into people's faces quickly. It must have been worrying for Panthers fans, but not unexpected.

Thankfully for the Panthers though, their players didn't seem as phased by it as other sides have been. I mention the Knights because they're the side I've seen all year, and quite frankly they were blown away in 20 minutes of football three weeks ago. That is the sort of smash-up job the Roosters do on sides, and the Panthers could have been forgiven for falling over into a heap and letting the Roosters take the game from them.

But to their credit they hung in there, seemed to focus on making minimal errors, even if it meant not gaining as many metres, and they came away with an 18-6 fairytale victory.

The Roosters probably dropped too much ball towards the end, but there is no shame in dropping the ball in such a wet game. By my reckoning both sides could have been forgiven for dropping much more ball than that. It was wet, raining constantly, and miserable conditions - the Roosters handled it well, it's just that the Panters handled it better.

mate make that post in my name - becaue you are spot on - we just lost to a better team on the night..no excuses will be entered into.