Yaya, slaying the Dragons from St George!! We are two out of two!! That was a really interesting game as I think the Dragons were certainly the better team in the first half as we were just making too many errors, have shoddy edge defence and were just getting out-enthused. I must admit, I was very frustrated at half time as we didn't look all that good. However, there was a massive turnaround in the second stanza and we played the way we should, tidying up those areas and boy oh boy, didn't we look great?!! I'm really proud of the boys for the way they faught back.
Attacking wise, it was a bit of a mixed night. That first half was a real tussle for momentum and it shifted so much throughout. There were times when we looked awesome, the forwards were rolling, quick play-the-balls were coming and ball movement looked slick. However, when that momentum deviated slightly, I must admit, we struggled. It was hard for the boys to get out of our own end and our attacking plays looked quite slow and not crisp. We also dropped a lot of ball which was super frustrating! That obviously all changed in the second half though, that second half performance is us. Gee, we looked good! Just relentless rolling though the middle and the kicking game was friggin outstanding! The boys sharpened up and we looked super lethal everywhere, paticularly that left edge. The effort and energy levels returned to where they should have been all game it was just great to watch!
Defence was pretty mixed too. Again, in that first half, we lacked intent for the most part and the Dragons were rolling and just getting over the top of us. There was some poor misses through the middle which almost lead to tries and I have to say, that right edge defence was simply just not good enough. Both Sam and GI were getting caught out which put Gags under huge pressure and he couldn't handle it. This is my biggest concern from the game, our right edge defence and it's the biggest work on for sure. To the boys credit though, they did turn it around and it was much tighter in the second stanza but it still needs work.
Johnston: AJ really impressed me tonight and I'm gonna go as far to say that that was one of his best games at fullback so far. Safe as houses at the back and he didn't look scared of contact at all tonight, all his kick returns were brought back at high speed and they turned into very strong runs. Also loved his slight of hand for Graham's try as he just held the pass for long enough, a nice try assist. His support play was also great as he could've easily been the one to score our first try as he was there with Murray in support. Well done AJ!
Gagai: I have to be honest, I think he was poor tonight. He did have a high envolvement with strong runs and nice kick returns but some of the missed tackles he racked up tonight are simply not good enough at NRL level. There was a lot of arm grabbing from him and he got beat a lot, it's not good enough. Also had about four errors which was very disappointing. Gags has some work to do.
Inglis: Not too much to say about GI as just like last week, I think he was there just to do a job and get some match fitness. Again, like Gags, he seemed to struggle defensively though and his lateral movement didn't look great but I'm sure this will come in time. No doubt he needs to improve. Seemed to pick up an injury too and looked quite ginger. I think we should give him a rest next week.
Burns: Simply outstanding again!! Burns is really leading the way for the rest of our backs as he was in everything tonight. A high work rate to help the forwards, broke a lot of tackles, had some awesome runs, strong defensively and just looked really good overall. He really came alive in the second half though and looked lethal, what a grab for his try!! I'm loving Burns' work at the moment.
Graham: Also had a solid night. Loved his intensity in his runs and he was pretty busy all night doing the tough runs which was good to see. Awesome try too, nice finish!!
Walker: Cody was one of our best tonight. He was just constantly setting things up on the attack and looked super dangerous every time he got the ball. Cody is what sparked our attack into clicking and I loved seeing him go over for a try.
Reynolds: Reyno's kicking game was handled pretty well in that first 40 as he certainly wasn't as effective as he was last week. However, as the game wore on, he became more and more dominant to the point where he once again had the ball on a string and produced a very classy second half. It was reyno's kicking game that allowed us to win.
Tatola: He looked pretty strong while he was on but I'm a little disappointed he isn't getting more minutes. Loved his defensive work though, he was busy during that time.
Cook: Another nice, consistent performance which is just the way we like it. He brought the forwards coming onto the ball so well tonight with those little paces he first takes out of dummy half before passing. I actually thought he controlled the ruck really well, especially in the second half. Cookie still had some nice runs and once again, I enoyed his defensive work.
T.Burgess: Despite a couple of errors/penalties, Tom was solid. Had two good stints with solid runs which laid a nice platform for the team to work off.
Sutton: Not sure what happened with Sutto, he was looking good and came off, saying he was "weezy," I think he just has the flu which is fair enough to come off.
S.Burgess: The try scoring freak haha!! That's now three for the Season!! What a performance from him though, he was just in everything, it was amazing. A massively high work rate, such strong runs and solid defence (although defensively, he does need to work on his inside cover), inspirational stuff.
Murray: Man, this kid is just, wow! Another awesome game from Cam. that try he scored was incredible and I just loved his performance throughout the night. Strong runs and a high workrate, typical Cam!!
Knight: Certainly made an impact from the bench with nice running and gee, he plays with aggression!! The chicken wing tackle was a bit of a shame and I wouldn't be suprised to see him suspended soon which will be a shame.
Nicholls: Not a lot to say as he was steady. Nicholls did his job and it was a paticularly strong defensive performance from him.
Lowe: Had more minutes tonight and looked awesome. A great runner of the ball wih no fuss, I like that!!
Turner: I think he was out thre mainly for defence as he didn't take many runs. However, he did his job and that's all you can ask for.
Overall, I'm stoked. However, we still can't get carried away. Only Round 2 and ther is a lot to work on!
