Round 1 vs Eels

[Abacus]

Given his discipline today, I'd be sending RCG on a few 2.5km time trials this week. Its alright to talk up how much more you've enjoyed pre-season, as long as you perform to expectations once the season starts.

 

[tripster]

He wasn’t, and he didn’t.

My recollection must be mistaken then. Who were the officials in that game? The penalty count was also lopsided.

 

[DaveMc]

My recollection must be mistaken then. Who were the officials in that game? The penalty count was also lopsided.

Grant Atkins and Tim Roby.

 

[franklin2323]

Given his discipline today, I'd be sending RCG on a few 2.5km time trials this week. Its alright to talk up how much more you've enjoyed pre-season, as long as you perform to expectations once the season starts.

He and Cleary are examples of what is wrong with our side

 

[TheFrog]

I can only imagine that the theory behind bombing to Ferguson was that, he isn't as good on kick returns when after he catches a bomb and then starts running, as he is when he is the second man (i.e. if we kick to the full back of Sivo, then good chance Ferguson takes the next hit-up and makes a lot more metres).

We were better off when he was at the Roosters. They have so many dangerous players you don't think up tactics just to nullify Ferguson. If this was the tactic it was a dismal failure.

 

[Pomoz]

We’ll need Luai to come good. Cleary is a robot.

And as I’ve said before this is not to say Cleary isn’t a good footballer, he absolutely is. He’s just not a particularly good number 7.

I can't help think he would be a great hooker in the nuggety Steve Walters mode. He doesn't have 10% of the football nous of Cameron Smith, but he tackles well and can kick, he could ne a brilliant no9 with some training. Lua looks more of player than him already, because he has that football brain training can't build and money can't buy.

 

[Pomoz]

Cleary was exactly what about 35% of fans have called him his whole career.

Sooner he moves out of the 7 the better.

Other then that...

Eels forwards>Panthers. Beaten on line speed and enthusiasm all day. Even after Brown went off (Eels best foward FYI Panther fans).

Sele/Blake our best all day. Unfortunate injury to Sele. Blake caught a cold.

Dally M Points

3: No one
2: Really?
1. N.Cleary (Threw one decent pass to Blake late, deserves a medal)

You obviously din't see Tamou's 56 tackles and 133 meters. Cleary isn't worth the bus ride home let alone a point. Did you nod off during the game?

 

[Pomoz]

So much for Goulds 22 million rugby league academy..........a big waste of money.

So true, because it can be judged by todays game. A very sensible thing to do.........

 

[Pomoz]

Tamou was streets ahead of any other player on our side today, tremendous effort. Anyone who doesn’t have him with the 3 points needs their head read cough @Fangs cough.

Good to see RCG play the ‘hard man’ role again & deliver nothing but soft runs, poor defence, poor passes & a couple of needless penalties. The blokes been a fraud the last 12 months.

I thought his running was terrible but he made 40 tackles at 91% efficiency so he gets a pass from me. We had no go forward except from Jimmy and JFH. The rest of the forwards barely made 60 metres. To be fair to JFH he also made 46 tackles and 124m. It's just a shame the rest of the forwards were running in concrete boots.

I think the forwards have put weight on in the off season so it will be a few rounds before they are fit enough to benefit from the extra muscle. The Knights will beat us comfortably. We are not fit enough yet. DWZ and Cleary were both looking underdone.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

You obviously din't see Tamou's 56 tackles and 133 meters. Cleary isn't worth the bus ride home let alone a point. Did you nod off during the game?

Tamou was the best player on the field.

 

[The Realist]

. We are not fit enough yet. DWZ and Cleary were both looking underdone.

Edwards was way off as well and Mansour not much better. Come to think of it, out of our entire backline only our centres were injury free. Everyone else was coming off surgery or a recent niggle of some sort. That might be a silver lining as you'd hope the lot of them have some improvement in them.

 

[ram raid]

The No 7 is welded to nathan's back for 5 years ( or at least for as long as Ivan's there ) so it's a waste of time wondering about any options...

Clearly is a fine halfback and most clubs would swap him for theirs. Just need to keep the expectations in line with reality.

 

[franklin2323]

Clearly is a fine halfback and most clubs would swap him for theirs. Just need to keep the expectations in line with reality.

Rightly or wrongly. He is an origin winning half and paid accordingly. ATM that price is well over his performance that brings these questions up

 

[Panther_Daz]

Tamou was outstanding, he really put in and became the forward leader we expect of him. However we should be expecting dominant performances from him every week given his salary. That is what the highest paid middles in the NRL do each week. Let's see how the next month goes with him but promising signs yesterday.

RCG has completely lost it. He tries to act all tough by putting a big shot on every now and then but really he is another Napa. Struggles to make over 100m per game on a consistent basis. For what he is paid he is not delivering. I won't be surprised if this is his final year at the club.

Cleary has extremely poor peripheral vision, that will never develop. What you see now is what you will get with Cleary for the next 5 years.

 

[The Realist]

Cleary has extremely poor peripheral vision, that will never develop. What you see now is what you will get with Cleary for the next 5 years.

He will get better tactically and with game management, but we are paying him in the hopes he'd become the next Thurston where as in reality it looks as though he is like a lesser version of Pearce.

 

[Panther_Daz]

He will get better tactically and with game management, but we are paying him in the hopes he'd become the next Thurston where as in reality it looks as though he is like a lesser version of Pearce.

He is like a Townsend. Which isn't a bad thing. Townsend won a comp.

Pearce is a pretty decent club footballer to be fair. I think he cops it unfairly.

 

[franklin2323]

He is like a Townsend. Which isn't a bad thing. Townsend won a comp.

Pearce is a pretty decent club footballer to be fair. I think he cops it unfairly.

Reynolds, Pearce and Townsend are 3 very limited halves all decent club records. That is all we need from Cleary. He is good at following game plans..Just need some unpredictabilty around him

 

[Panther_Daz]

Reynolds, Pearce and Townsend are 3 very limited halves all decent club records. That is all we need from Cleary. He is good at following game plans..Just need some unpredictabilty around him

Pearce is more than limited.

Reynolds and Townsend wouldn't be on a million.

We need to change our game plan. We aren't good enough to go around teams.

Play through the middle. Have our forwards offloading and get support players around them. Edwards, Cleary and Maloney are all good support players.

 

[martielang]

Gotta give credit to Parra as well. Thought they played really tough despite losing Brown early. While Jennings made a few errors, he looked dangerous most times he touched the ball.

We were terrible but it is only Rnd 1, plenty of time to come good.

 

[Panther_Daz]

Gotta give credit to Parra as well. Thought they played really tough despite losing Brown early. While Jennings made a few errors, he looked dangerous most times he touched the ball.

We were terrible but it is only Rnd 1, plenty of time to come good.

Parra did a great job. Brown was looking very dangerous prior to injury. No Ma'u, Terepo and Paulo either.

Mahoney looked sharp and it is clear Dylan Brown has a lot of potential.