Well that was really heartbreaking. I know it's only Round 2 but to lose it at that stage of the game really, really hurt and I feel we should have come away with the two points for sure but we let it slip. It was disappointing for sure but I think this was actually a really positive performance overall.
Whoever it was that said our trip to Perth would show in the last twenty, you were 100% correct. We looked tired in that last twenty, more tired then usual and more tired then we should be really. In the closing stages of the game, imo, we lost it on effort. We kind of dropped off, went into our shell and stopped attacking where as Penrith kept their energy levels up and kept coming hard, you could feel them getting on top of us. We got out enthused in the last quarter sadly.
From an attacking point of view, that first half was awesome. We were throwing it around without overplaying and the attack seemed to have a really, really nice balance. The forwards were rolling through and this meant we looked very dangerous all the time. The completion rate was better (yes, we made some errors but that's to be expected in the heat) and our overall dicipline was better. This continued into part of the second half but we kind of seemed to stall when GI went off. We kind of went into our shell and stopped attacking, we played a fair bit of one out footy and just didn't look as direct. As someone has said, it's almost like we were trying to protect the lead rather then extend it and you can't afford to do that in the NRL. Also as mentioned above, we seemed to just drop off and got out enthused by Penrith.
That last twenty was disappointing in terms of dicipline too. We gave away far too many penalties and gave them piggy backs out of their own end, we just can't afford to do this and it must be fixed asap.
I thought the back three were really fantastic tonight at getting us out of trouble. Every single one of them were doing the shit work and were really helping out the forwards. This is a great sign as we have lacked this in previous years.
Defensively, this game was actually extremely pleasing. It's clear we've been working on it and it was a huge improvement, defend like that last week and we would've won. Penrith threw so much at us all game but we were able to turn them away so many times. We showed real resiliance for most of this match and I was really impressed with the goal line defence, it was great and the Panthers didn't really break us down, their tries came through luck. Our line speed, first contact and third man in were way better too and we stopped their roll on well at times. It wasn't until the last twenty were this all kind of dropped off. We started to miss tackles, all these elements deteriorated and the grit kind of seemed to dissapear.
Anyway,
Johnston: Pretty decent. Much better then last week, his kick returns were strong and he got a lot more involved which was good to see.
Kennar: Was good. I friggin love Kennar! He's so powerful and boy did he show that today! Started our sets well and almost every run he took was really good. I liked the fact that he was busy too, he did a lot of work which really helps the forwards. Defensively he was stong and I thought he was safe under the high ball too. How good was his run to set up our first try?! Wow!
Gagai: Was a bit quiet. Don't get me wrong, he was solid and did his job well but it wasn't the explosive Gags we know. We need to get him more involved if you ask me, one of the strongest attacking weapons but he's not getting enough ball for my liking. Wasn't a bad performance by any means though.
Inglis: Was looking good until he was forced off. It was a big improvement on last week as he looked really strong, dangerous and had some really nice runs. We're statring to see his fend return!! Defensively he was stable too. He's slowing building but it's still gonna take time.
Jennings: Honestly one of the best games he's played. I've critisised him a lot in the past for not doing enough of the hard work and not being involved enough, well he stepped up big time tonight. So busy and they were all really good runs. Played a nice role in our first try. Defensively he was solid too, maybe a bit dodgy under the high ball but otherwise was great.
Walker: One of our best tonight. Man he was slippery in the first half and he created a lot of chances. Looked really, really dangerous. However he did kind of go missing at times, did some poor kicks and didn't direct the boys around as well as I hoped. However, his attacking prowess made up for that.
Doueihi: Not a bad debut, he had some nice touches and did his job. Looked a bit unsettled but that's to be expected.
T.Burgess: Was very good. His runs are looking really strong and I like what I saw. He's running harder than previous years and is finding some form. He had some good runs today and was pretty busy all game.
Cook: Really good first half. Constantly asking questions and looking really sharp, his try was just fantastic. However, he didn't have that same impact in the second stanza and didn't seem as free, I guess that was reflected in the whole side though. Still a big improvement on last week from Cook.
S.Burgess: Was good. Classic Sam really, inspirational runs all the time and a workhorse in defence. Was taking hit ups earlier in sets and created some real momentum. Yes, he gave away some penalties but it was otherwise a good performance.
Sutton: Was solid. A lot better then last week but didn't really stand out. He was a lot better in defence and did his job the whole game. I still don't want him playing 80 however.
Crichton: I actually wasn't impressed. He had a few good runs but the rest weren't the usual impact he provides. His dicipline was bad too, gave away heaps of silly penalties and he left Adam on his own to make first contact one on one when Merrin scored by coming in a bit for no real reason. Needs to aim up.
Murray: Was great. Fantastic work rate, fantastic runs. For a smaller guy, he's so strong and really gets those legs pumping. His defence through the middle is a big reason why we were better tonight too. I think Seibs took him off for too long though and we payed for it. A great performance from Cam though.
Fuimaono: Was okay. Strong runs as we've come to expect and did an okay job on that left edge once GI went off. He did miss some tackles and rushed in for no reason though which wasn't good but he was okay.
Nicholls: Didn't get many minutes but did his job.
Tatola: Was solid. Stong runs and he has a real positive attitude on the field.
G.Burgess: Made a few errors but I thought he was really good. Like Tom, he's starting to run harder and find some real form, I liked what I saw.
While it sucked we lost, this is a much improved positive performance moving forward. We have work to do and it will take time but I know we can get there!
