Round 24 v Roosters

[franklin2323]

It's my belief once Luai or Burton is in the halves Nathan will be better.

I don't know how. Nathan is just very average so many dumb options last night

 

[OldPanther]

I don't know how. Nathan is just very average so many dumb options last night

It's happened before. Sometimes halves just clash. I'm open to being wrong but it's how I see it at the moment. See that sharks game. He seemed to have a burden lifted. Don't know if it's mental or a technical thing but it happens.

 

[Vicpanther]

It's happened before. Sometimes halves just clash. I'm open to being wrong but it's how I see it at the moment. See that sharks game. He seemed to have a burden lifted. Don't know if it's mental or a technical thing but it happens.

I think he is frustrated at jimmies lack of effort. The kid gives a 100% and for the last 6 months maloney has just plodded along. Give him a halves partner that wants to be there and is full of just as much energy and he will kill it.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Cleary has only played 3 games without Maloney the last 2 years, there’s not enough to go on to say he’ll be better just be he’s gone.

In fact Maloney was arguably the one more impeded by Cleary. When Maloney played and Cleary didn’t our record is 8 wins & 2 losses.



The attack won’t get better if Cleary is the main focus, we’ll continue to struggle. He just doesn’t have the natural instincts of a first receiver.

 

[OldPanther]

Cleary has only played 3 games without Maloney the last 2 years, there’s not enough to go on to say he’ll be better just be he’s gone.

In fact Maloney was arguably the one more impeded by Cleary. When Maloney played and Cleary didn’t our record is 8 wins & 2 losses.



The attack won’t get better if Cleary is the main focus, we’ll continue to struggle. He just doesn’t have the natural instincts of a first receiver.

That strengthens my argument that they clash as halves partners.

 

[herbert henry1908]

That strengthens my argument that they clash as halves partners.

But not to Cleary’s benefit. The only solid evidence we have is Cleary was getting in Maloney’s way.

If you go back to 2017 Cleary wasn’t doing heaps of ball playing or anything, he’s never been a natural first receiver. It’s forced.

 

[Flashstep]

Another assault on my eyeballs as we played ugly, boring Cleary ball. It was just the same as the rest of the season. Forwards deliver us field position, we fail to score because we are slow, dim witted, lack fitness, speed, movement, execution, vision and skill. Plodding, turgid, dumb football. The effort was there, but we just lack any sort of footy IQ as a team.

Other points:

• We don't need inspector Morse to solve the mystery of "Who at all the pies". RCG and Katoa are going down for a long stretch;
• Whare, slow and offers nothing but effort;
• RCG a better effort but not the level he could be if he had his confidence back and our Pie Face fitness regime was changed;
• JFH has had a brilliant season. Topping the tackle count and the metres run against the Premiers is no mean feat;
• We missed Mansour's metres, Crichton only delivered 32m and was very quiet. However, his speed and height were helpful in defence. Mansour may have been found out by the Rooster's pace and kicking;
• We have spirit and try hard, Dave's mate deserves credit for that. They know they were in a battle, we just can't create enough points to make it mentally tough as well as physically tough.

As the season has gone on, it has become more and more apparent that Nathan Cleary is not suited to halfback and is not good enough to play halfback in a team vying for the top eight. He is either a hooker, or a lock and I am not sure he would even be a good running 5/8th. He loves defence and doesn't shy away from the contact, but he simply doesn't have the skill and vision to unlock defences. This is his worst season in the NRL. Just awful as a halfback.

Can he improve? Well he is only 21, but he very rarely executes a pass to put a player into space or for a try. I like him because he always gives 100%, but sadly that isn't enough reason to be given the number 7 jersey. The number 7 is crucial to how a team performs and I fear as long as he is the number 7 we will never realise our potential. I really, really hope I am wrong. The biggest issue is that if he needs to be moved or dropped, we are asking his own Father to do that. Does anybody see a problem with that?

Just to add onto Cleary's coaching style, I think it's clear to everyone now that he wants us to play a low percentage game like the Bulldogs do, problem is our team is so dumb they can't even execute a basic game plan of defend well and complete basic sets.

Another problem is that over the years we have been stripped of players that possess any x-factor to break games open, it's almost like our team has no actual footy players in it, you see it clearly when there is nobody around in support when a break or half-break is made. No more Peachey, CHN, Merrin, Moylan, Latu to try and break games open, I think this these kinds of players helped Griffin a lot because we had the same problems in the red zone attacking wise but he had players at his disposal that worried the defensive line, right now we have to be the easiest team to read in attack by a f**king mile, and that's why teams are more than happy to concede penalties on their try line, they know we won't be able to crack them no matter how many times we try.

 

[OldPanther]

But not to Cleary’s benefit. The only solid evidence we have is Cleary was getting in Maloney’s way.

If you go back to 2017 Cleary wasn’t doing heaps of ball playing or anything, he’s never been a natural first receiver. It’s forced.

Even if only 1 game we have seen him be much better. It has been demonstrated to go both ways.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Even if only 1 game we have seen him be much better. It has been demonstrated to go both ways.

But correlation doesn’t equal causation.

If you look at the sharks game in detail the best attacking parts of Cleary’s game was his running, not ball playing.

In fact most of Cleary’s top shelf games have seen his running take centre stage.

 

[Fangs]

I can't wait for Clearyball in 2020.

 

[OldPanther]

But correlation doesn’t equal causation.

If you look at the sharks game in detail the best attacking parts of Cleary’s game was his running, not ball playing.

In fact most of Cleary’s top shelf games have seen his running take centre stage.

Nothing saying a 7 can't be a run first time. Stirling said exactly that. His running game will open up options for his passing.

 

[Vicpanther]

Nothing saying a 7 can't be a run first time. Stirling said exactly that. His running game will open up options for his passing.

Especially with Burton outside him who looks to be very technical.

I am actually a bit worried for luai. I can't see him being in first grade as a halves with the way Burton is playing.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Nothing saying a 7 can't be a run first time. Stirling said exactly that. His running game will open up options for his passing.

It’s possible, but I’ve seen enough to know he’s not a natural ball player. I have a bad feeling our attack will get even worse next year with him likely handling the ball more.



The mistake we made with Maloney & Cleary was not having Maloney as the on the back half. Instead we split the time between the two of them. 70/30 in Maloney’s favour would’ve seen us win more games.

 

[Dave's mate]

Signing Maloney at all was the real issue. 2016 told anyone with an idea that he was finished

 

[unKwn]

Signing Maloney at all was the real issue. 2016 told anyone with an idea that he was finished

winning a prem means your finished?

 

[franklin2323]

It's happened before. Sometimes halves just clash. I'm open to being wrong but it's how I see it at the moment. See that sharks game. He seemed to have a burden lifted. Don't know if it's mental or a technical thing but it happens.

There was one example last night I remember. He runs across field RCG steaming into a gap when attacking their line. Cleary takes the tackle... That is all him

 

[OldPanther]

Signing Maloney at all was the real issue. 2016 told anyone with an idea that he was finished

You mean 2017 when he tanked for $$?

 

[OldPanther]

There was one example last night I remember. He runs across field RCG steaming into a gap when attacking their line. Cleary takes the tackle... That is all him

Which is why I ask the question. Is it mental? Technical? Whatever the reason it happens.

 

[Dave's mate]

2017* phoned it in like he is now. He's all about the money and thats good for him but how he has fans is bizzare

 

[franklin2323]

Which is why I ask the question. Is it mental? Technical? Whatever the reason it happens.

He is robot. Can do game plans well but has terrible vision so can't play what is infront of him