What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Round 25 - Rabbitohs vs Dragons: Saturday 4th September 7:35pm @Sunshine Coast Stadium

Jim Rockford

Bench
Messages
3,082
This Year is one of the forums best and brightest Jim.

They were having a really good season before the nrl and their own officials killed it.
After dealing with those sore loser Rorter scum it's refreshing to have an opposition fan who has some class. I actually have a bit of a soft spot for the Drags as I've got a couple of really good friends who are longtime Saints fans.
 

Jim Rockford

Bench
Messages
3,082
They might like to give off the illusion of not being scared but deep down I believe they fear wasting another promising chance of winning a Premiership. Premiership windows don't last forever so you have to capitalise on them when they're open.
 
Messages
15,385
After dealing with those sore loser Rorter scum it's refreshing to have an opposition fan who has some class. I actually have a bit of a soft spot for the Drags as I've got a couple of really good friends who are longtime Saints fans.
This Year? is one of my favourite forumers.

Something nice too about the traditional sides going into battle. A lot of history to draw on and relish for both sides.

I thought you wouldn’t win, but you’re right, it’s a real statement to put your third tier on and win comfortably.
 

This Year?

Immortal
Messages
31,275
This Year is one of the forums best and brightest Jim.

They were having a really good season before the nrl and their own officials killed it.
Thanks for the kind words mate. Tonight is more about the baby Bunnies who were able to achieve something they will cherish on their debut, led by one of their most underrated but most appreciated players.
 
Messages
15,385
Thanks for the kind words mate. Tonight is more about the baby Bunnies who were able to achieve something they will cherish on their debut, led by one of their most underrated but most appreciated players.
All you guys needed was a few twists and turns in your favour this year. As you know, I was pleased you had such a good competitive run with arguably, a much less competent side.

The spirit is re-emerging.

Hooks gotta be worth that extra year.
 

Steenson123

Juniors
Messages
486
Burns has to be in the backline somewhere contra Cleary. I thought he ran hard and often and looked aggressive. Over 200 metres playing with a novice squad most of whom have played only a handful of games this season. Impressive for mine and he could have scored a runaway to boot. Hence the alternate backline could be:
Alex J
Burns
Gagai [Maroons version]
Campbell
Paulo or Milne.
Burns also has a lot of experience, is playing against his old mobb and it appears as though Taaffe requires more time. Any other support for Burns?
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,609

handyman2190

Bench
Messages
3,386
Burns has to be in the backline somewhere contra Cleary. I thought he ran hard and often and looked aggressive. Over 200 metres playing with a novice squad most of whom have played only a handful of games this season. Impressive for mine and he could have scored a runaway to boot. Hence the alternate backline could be:
Alex J
Burns
Gagai [Maroons version]
Campbell
Paulo or Milne.
Burns also has a lot of experience, is playing against his old mobb and it appears as though Taaffe requires more time. Any other support for Burns?
My problem with burns is his brain snaps,ok he intercepted but why throw that pass, die with the ball a metre out on the first tackle, he also has lost speed,but that isnt a issue, yet, he seems to throw bad and misguided passes every game he plays, look he isnt a bad backup ,permanent first grader he isnt,how many times did he look injured last night? A few he couldnt take a season,and if he goes to cronulla i doubt he would be permanently in first grade
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,609
After watching the replay, here's my full report,

Taaffe: Has copped a little bit of critcism for a 'mixed performance' but I must have been watching a different game to everyone else. While I still think he can be better, I thought he was pretty damn good. His positional play at the back was basically faultless and he returned the Footy with a lot of intent which is good. he needs to go lower into contact though as the Dragons were able to drag him back a few times. I thought he chimed into the backline pretty well and looked dangerous a number of times. Last night proved his pasing game is good as we saw his successful quick hands a few times and it was sublime play from him to provide the final pass for Milne's try. He also forced a line drop out with that tidy little grubber. The only real negatives of his night were that one dropped bomb, which I'll forgive him for, and the poor attempt to tackle Ravalawa. I think Taaffey did enough to be our fullback going forward. He'll have the full squad around him next week and will only get better. Gonna be tested with bombs from Cleary, that's his challenge.

Milne: Pretty good game for Taane. Loved his work coming out of our end, really strong carries and plenty of them. He had a hand in creating two really big chances, the first was Burns' disallowed try (which I thought was a try) and then the pass for Burns' line break in the first half which we almost scored off. He was safe under the high ball and didn't make any errors. Rewarded with a nice try. The only negatives for him was his failure to clean up the kick for the Dragons first try, and then coming in off his wing to open the space up for St George Illawarra's final try. He didn't need to come in at all as Burns had his man. That try was caused by Taane. Still, it's really nice to know we have a solid winger to fall back on in the Finals if need be.

Burns: Has also copped a bit of critcism for his performance last night but I thought he was great personally. Right from the start, he looked really keen to be involved. That was evidenced with his running game as he got busy and got dirty with the tough carries. When he found himself in a bit of space, he looked really elusive with that left foot step and he was way on top of Bird in that first half. It's a shame that try was taken off him and it was a shame again when he didn't quite have enough pace to score off that line break. Still, he should be very proud with the 219 meters he made (which topped the run meters for us), big effort. Without the ball, I can't fault his work either. good game Burnsy.

Graham: Cammy was fantastic, certainly one of our best. Was gifted both his trys, yea, he didn't have to do a lot for them but it's the effort to get himself in the frame to score those tries which is impressive. Really lead the way for our young backline with constant strong carries and constant good meters, he was massive in this area. That shows in the stats as he picked up a massive 173 meters. gave the Dragons defenders some headaches when attacking their line with his ruinning and passing game, loved his final pass for Jaxson in that second half and it was a shame Jaxson stuffed it. Super impressed with Campbell's defence too! Nothing got passed him. They put on some dangerous shifts down our right a number of times but Graham was either able to shut it down straight away or show some great scramble to recover and eventually get his man.

Paulo: He had a mixed night. I liked his running game as his carries were pretty strong and he got through plenty of work and he didn't really put a foot wrong defending. However, he bombed two tries that could have seen us with a massive win. He scores them and it breaks the Dragons and we win big. Both times, he took it way too easy, looked way too casual and paid he price. It's not good enough and we need better, heading into the Finals especially. It's a shame he let his night down with that because he's been going really well in recent times.

Marshall: Benji had a night out! There's been some question marks from all of us over his form but Benji certainly answered our questions last night. In a very young side, he had to go out and be a leader and that's exactly what he did. Conrolled the game beautifully and directed the boys around the park well. Created plenty of opportunities down both sides in attack with his passing game as he was taking the ball right to the line and then delivering a crisp pass, similar to what reyno and Cody do. I thought his kicking game was near perfect as he constantly had the Dragons coming out of their own end, in the first half especially, and that 40/20 he kicked was just brilliant. Held his own in defence too. Well done old fella!!

Ilias: From the old fella to the young fella on debut, Lauchie really impressed me last night. It was a very solid debut. Fantastic to see him score with one of his first touches, that was a really nice kick and an even better chace. the rest of his kicking game was quite solid too. Loved his work on the attack as he was digging right into the line and putting on some good passes. It was nice playmaking. There was a couple of times his quick hands lead to a line break or a half chance. Great play by him in the move for Taane's try too. Can't criticise him in defence either. A really strong debut, great stuff. Need to see more of him but from what I saw last night, I'm actually feeling like I want him at halfback next year.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,609
Tatola: Had to be a real forward leader last night and I thought he succeeded with that role. Went about his business with little fuss but just kept going and going. Plenty of really good carries and helped dominate their pack in both attack and defence. 16 for 136 with 25 tackles (none missed) is a great effort.

Mamouzelos: Super impressive!! He was one of our best, there's no doubt about that. Firstly, I'll touch on his defence. He was mega in this area, a massive effort all throughout his stint on the field. 50 tackles in 66 minutes is just monumental stuff and he didn't even look that tired either! Looks a real goer. Great in attack too, controlled the game from hooker like a guy who had played 150 games! He knew when to run, when to pass short, when to pass long and he took the right option every time. Brought the forwards onto the ball really well because his service was exceptional. He just looks so cool, calm and collected for a young fulla. Did have the one error but we'll forgive him for that. really excited about this bloke!

Cartwright: His first game in a long time but he went well before he went off with that injury. Didn't make a huge impact but I wouldn't say he made no impact if that makes sense. 13 runs for 92 meters aint bad at all in limited minutes.

Host: Had a really good game, as I knew he would. Looked super strong out on that left edge and he had a good combination running off both Benji and Lauchie. There was a number of times he ran a really good line, got a short ball and poked his nose through the line to make some great meters. Ran hard coming out of our own end as well on his way to cracking the 100 meter mark for the game. Liked his work as a decoy runner when we went left and then it was great ball playing from Hosty to start the second half as he was at first reciever for Taane's try.

Su'A: Strong game. He was also one that had to be a bit of a forward leader and I thought he did that. Really aggressive in his running and he looked hungry to get his hands on the ball and get into it. Ran some strong lines off Benji and the Dragons edge defence had a hard time controlling him at times. Liked his defence too, no lazy efforts or anything like he can do sometimes. So he had a good game, whether it's enough to earn a spot in the side for the Finals or not, I don't know but he's certainly in the frame.

Nicholls: Captain GOAT!! Very special night for Nicho captaining the side and he didn't disappoint. Put in a good captain's knock. His effort was great as he got very busy, taking 17 runs in his time on the field. A lot of them were pretty strong too, using his footwork and driving forward to put up plenty of meters, 164 of them in fact. No issues in defence either. Great performance, he's hopefully primed to lead the pack in the Finals.

Hawkins: Came on late and went okay. Didn't do a hell of a lot apart from a bit of ball playing and a few good kicks so there's not a lot to comment on but he looked okay.

Moga: Made his club debut off the bench and actually surprised me a bit. Played front row for maybe the first time in his career but didn't look out of place at all! Came on and made some really good impact. As I say, I was quite surprised as I didn't expect him to go that well in the middle. Cracked 100 meters off 9 runs. His shoulder charge was a little silly though.

Mago: Super impressed with the way Pati played!! He looked really hard to stop. Ran super hard on every run, went into contact hard and kept those big legs pumping to keep driving and driving. Was a great show of strength on almost every run. Great impact off the bench for 134 meters, 59 of them coming post-contact. Form like this could see him get a spot in the 17 for the Finals.

Moale: A good effort in his second NRL game. Not a lot to speak about but he had some good carries and 69 meters in limited minutes isn't a bad effort. No doubt he's a star of the future.

As I said, just super proud of the Baby Bunnies! They went great, really good signs for the future.

We've now wrapped up the Regular Season in winning fashion and what a Regular Season it's been! Our most successful ever as it's the first time we've ever recorded 15 wins. That's a huge achievement and to hear Wayne say this is probably the best Season he's coached is massive. It's been a great effort from everyone to get where we are.

However, there are bigger fish to fry and although it's been an amazing Season to date, eyes have to be on the bigger prize. We've fallen short the past three years and we don't want to feel that again so it's now time to really get cracking and perform. Bring it on!!
 

handyman2190

Bench
Messages
3,386
Tatola: Had to be a real forward leader last night and I thought he succeeded with that role. Went about his business with little fuss but just kept going and going. Plenty of really good carries and helped dominate their pack in both attack and defence. 16 for 136 with 25 tackles (none missed) is a great effort.

Mamouzelos: Super impressive!! He was one of our best, there's no doubt about that. Firstly, I'll touch on his defence. He was mega in this area, a massive effort all throughout his stint on the field. 50 tackles in 66 minutes is just monumental stuff and he didn't even look that tired either! Looks a real goer. Great in attack too, controlled the game from hooker like a guy who had played 150 games! He knew when to run, when to pass short, when to pass long and he took the right option every time. Brought the forwards onto the ball really well because his service was exceptional. He just looks so cool, calm and collected for a young fulla. Did have the one error but we'll forgive him for that. really excited about this bloke!

Cartwright: His first game in a long time but he went well before he went off with that injury. Didn't make a huge impact but I wouldn't say he made no impact if that makes sense. 13 runs for 92 meters aint bad at all in limited minutes.

Host: Had a really good game, as I knew he would. Looked super strong out on that left edge and he had a good combination running off both Benji and Lauchie. There was a number of times he ran a really good line, got a short ball and poked his nose through the line to make some great meters. Ran hard coming out of our own end as well on his way to cracking the 100 meter mark for the game. Liked his work as a decoy runner when we went left and then it was great ball playing from Hosty to start the second half as he was at first reciever for Taane's try.

Su'A: Strong game. He was also one that had to be a bit of a forward leader and I thought he did that. Really aggressive in his running and he looked hungry to get his hands on the ball and get into it. Ran some strong lines off Benji and the Dragons edge defence had a hard time controlling him at times. Liked his defence too, no lazy efforts or anything like he can do sometimes. So he had a good game, whether it's enough to earn a spot in the side for the Finals or not, I don't know but he's certainly in the frame.

Nicholls: Captain GOAT!! Very special night for Nicho captaining the side and he didn't disappoint. Put in a good captain's knock. His effort was great as he got very busy, taking 17 runs in his time on the field. A lot of them were pretty strong too, using his footwork and driving forward to put up plenty of meters, 164 of them in fact. No issues in defence either. Great performance, he's hopefully primed to lead the pack in the Finals.

Hawkins: Came on late and went okay. Didn't do a hell of a lot apart from a bit of ball playing and a few good kicks so there's not a lot to comment on but he looked okay.

Moga: Made his club debut off the bench and actually surprised me a bit. Played front row for maybe the first time in his career but didn't look out of place at all! Came on and made some really good impact. As I say, I was quite surprised as I didn't expect him to go that well in the middle. Cracked 100 meters off 9 runs. His shoulder charge was a little silly though.

Mago: Super impressed with the way Pati played!! He looked really hard to stop. Ran super hard on every run, went into contact hard and kept those big legs pumping to keep driving and driving. Was a great show of strength on almost every run. Great impact off the bench for 134 meters, 59 of them coming post-contact. Form like this could see him get a spot in the 17 for the Finals.

Moale: A good effort in his second NRL game. Not a lot to speak about but he had some good carries and 69 meters in limited minutes isn't a bad effort. No doubt he's a star of the future.

As I said, just super proud of the Baby Bunnies! They went great, really good signs for the future.

We've now wrapped up the Regular Season in winning fashion and what a Regular Season it's been! Our most successful ever as it's the first time we've ever recorded 15 wins. That's a huge achievement and to hear Wayne say this is probably the best Season he's coached is massive. It's been a great effort from everyone to get where we are.

However, there are bigger fish to fry and although it's been an amazing Season to date, eyes have to be on the bigger prize. We've fallen short the past three years and we don't want to feel that again so it's now time to really get cracking and perform. Bring it on!!
As usual, an excellent report, its a shame these young fellas havent had consistent game time to enhance their development, but next year will be different. I hope a few get in a lot of goal kicking practice in the off season and they can build up a little, they were gassed.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,609
Congrats on the win tonight and good luck in the finals. I lurk here now and then because I enjoy @callmack1's post that ooze of passion and positivity, even as an opposition fan it is nice to read.
I wish I could add something constructive tonight but I am so distraught over that loss that I cannot think straight, which I guess is as most flattering as it can be from an opposition fan.
Thanks mate, appreciate it.

Hard luck last night and this Season. Surely things will change and the Dragons will be on the up soon.

As usual, an excellent report, its a shame these young fellas havent had consistent game time to enhance their development, but next year will be different. I hope a few get in a lot of goal kicking practice in the off season and they can build up a little, they were gassed.
Cheers man.

It was telling the lack of game time they've had but hopefully Covid settles a bit and they can get a good run at Reserve Grade next year if some of them aren't in the top 17.
 

Jim Rockford

Bench
Messages
3,082
As usual, an excellent report, its a shame these young fellas havent had consistent game time to enhance their development, but next year will be different. I hope a few get in a lot of goal kicking practice in the off season and they can build up a little, they were gassed.
Excellent point Handy. They should have been given some gametime earlier in case we found ourselves in this very position. Considering we threw them in the deep-end they did bloody fantastic and will have derived a lot from that.
 

Stubby

Juniors
Messages
63
The finals are here we have a healthy roster anything can happen let’s leave it to Wayne to pick the team next week we only have to nullify penriths kicking game more pressure on the kick and if they use blockers bring it to the attention of the officials
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,606

Glory Glory what a great win last night to round off the regular season. The young blokes all did us proud I thought and Benji controlled things beautifully and controlled the tempo of things allowing the young guys to do their stuff off the back off that. I thought Ta’affe was quite solid got involved in attack, he had that poor error under the high ball though and got ragdolled a bit at the back. I’m not sure Wayne will play him next week as Penrith will target him big time and it could destroy his confidence early into his career. I was disappointed with Paulo last night he was too casual and bombed 2 tries it was so poor. I thought Campbell and Burns were very strong in the centres they had big games. Taane was also solid bit he had an error cleaning up a grubber that let a try in and a bad read on the Dragons last try.

Ilias well there was some very good signs I thought he was pretty good and involved was great to see him score a try as well. You could tell he’s not quite ready yet though but that’s understandable given there has been pretty much no reserve grade for 2 years. I thought Junior was very strong for us and Cartwright played well but went down late with an injury, he’s so injury prone. Mamozelos controlled the ruck very well picked the right times to run and was great in defence. I will say though sometimes he picks the ball up and doesn’t pass straight away, he will have to learn to pass off the ground more to give quicker and efficient service but I’m sure he will learn that. That dog shot from McGuire on him was bad now where are all the articles about that there aren’t any funny that it’s disgraceful.......

Hosty and Su’a were both pretty strong for us doing their jobs very well. And our goat Nicholls played 50mins and was tireless as usual a strong game from him as we come to expect and he did a bit of ball playing too which was good to see. Hawkins didn’t play many mins so not much to say about him. Moga did a good job until that brain freeze shoulder charge. Patrick Mago was very strong I thought great energy and post contact metres I was impressed with him and young Moale played good minutes and showed he can handle it at this level.


So all in all a pleasing win great to finish regular season on 20 wins I don’t think we have done that before. Now we can look forward to next week, we aren’t expected to win and have been written off but let’s hope Wayne has something up his sleeve.
 
Top