Wow, that was honestly such a crazy game, great to get the win and re-bound from last week. However, I'm not super happy with the performance, a real rollercoaster of emotions that one because just as we looked the goods, we'd let the Warriors back into it. We were very up and down all game with moments of brilliance and then some moments where we looked like absolute crap. I really thought we were headed for back-to-back losses for a big there but gee the boys dug deep, really ramped up the energy and just found a way to win it which was great to see!
I'm going to be honest here, I don't actually think the attack was that great tonight until the last twenty minutes or so. It was good to see that we were a hell of a lot more energised then last week but for some reason, we looked a bit too frantic I thought and it looked like we were trying a little too hard. This meant that the attack just didn't flow, there was a lot of things miss-timed, pushed passes and over all, I think we just played a little too sideways rather then earning the right to go wide by getting the opposition through the middle first. I dunno, it just didn't really flow for most of the game. In saying that, we seemed to regain the mojo and from there, it all looked sweet as we played more direct and as a result, our sweeps were coming off which was fantastic to watch and that comeback was awesome. In terms of the yardage game, I think we did pretty well. The boys didn't struggle as much as last week to make meters as the energy was much higher which was good.
Defence wasn't great tonight I have to be honest. Not gonna lie, we are just not a good defensive team at the moment, it is our biggest issue and it needs to be fixed ASAP! I couldn't help but feel frustrated by the real lack of line speed tonight, the boys seemed to just take a few steps and then wait for the Warriors to come to them. This gave them huge, unneeded meters at times and gave them a massive amount of momentum which is a big reason they were able to push us to the end tonight I believe. Even when we had an opportunity to apply some defensive pressure, the line speed was average. I'm not sure whether it's a tactic or whether the boys were just fatigued but I don't like it. Then there's the fact that we had over 30 missed tackles AGAIN! This is quite simply not good enough for a Premiership contender and the better teams will seriously make us pay. Goal line defence was average too as every one of their tries was really soft in my opinion and were a direct result of laziness, clocking off or simple defensive errors. We were good enough to win but defence is a huge concern for us.
Johnston: AJ was pretty good tonight. I thought he was a bit more involved and his kick returns were really good. He's starting to run with some real aggression which is great to see. Safe hands at the back and despite having the off moment, he was good defensively. It's clear AJ is really growing in confidence.
Allan: Not too bad. Did his job in attack with some good runs but I still want so see him be a bit more involved. I guess that'll come with a bit more experience. He looked a little shakey defensively on that edge which is a concern but it doesn't help that he has Gags inside him who is really struggling defensively at the moment.
Turner: Was decent. Didn't do anything outstanding but he did his job, chiming in on attack to take nice hit ups and he was really good defensively I thought. He also looked alright running off Cody and Sutto when he sort of ran a second rowers line and came back at the defence on an angle. I'd be happy for Kyle to remain in the centres for the time being.
Gagai: A mixed bag. Looked really good on attack I thought, he threatened to break the Warriors open a number of times and looked really dangerous through some strong runs or breaking tackles. However, defence was a complete contrast. This is going to sound harsh but I think he is the reason for our right edge defensive woes as he is just average at the moment. I am actually quite shocked sometimes at some of the misses he comes up with. Like today, he seemed to get beaten almost every time. Something needs to be done about it because it is simply not good enough.
Graham: Was good. Like Allan, he could've been a bit more involved but he did his job with nice hit ups and didn't make a mistake in defence. I'd just like to see him get more ball.
Walker: Simply outstanding. Honestly, that is one of the best games I have ever seen him play and he is one of the main reasons we got the win today, without him, we would've lost because both times the Warriors were dominating in the game, it was Cody that sparked us back into action through sheer brilliance. I was just in awe of him today with the way he could create something out of nothing by playing what's in front of him. It was trademark Cody Walker x 10 tonight and he looked dangerous every single time he touched the ball. Four tries too, just wow!! Easily our best tonight.
Reynolds: We won but I thought he was a bit off again tonight. Despite a couple of misreads in defence, his first half was okay with a steady kicking game and he was creating opportunities for that right edge. His second half wasn't as good as he really struggled to adjust to the breeze at his back with his kicking. There were a few of his kicks that went way too long, the Warriors got a seven tackle set and that is not good enough in first grade. Reyno had two below par games now and he needs to lift. On a more positive note, his goal kicking was much better!
Tatola: Very solid. I'm really liking Junior this year, he has taken that starting role by the scruff of the neck and is making George have to fight his way back into the side. I loved his impact today as he ran with great aggression and was busy in both his stints to lay the platform. The forwards sort of lost their way a bit with both him and Tom off which is a credit to how well Junior is going.
Cook: Easily his best game of the year, he was brilliant. The running game really came out again tonight which is evidence that Wayne hasn't changed Cookie's style, it's just that the games so far haven't given him much opportunity to run. But the rampagig running game was back tonight as Cook picked the perfect times to run and that is a huge reason why we won tonight. That run he did to set up Cody was insane!! His service was great again this arvo and as always, it was a good defensive effort despit failling to stop Jazz Tevaga for his try.
T.Burgess: Probably Tom's best game of the year tonight. I must admit, he really annoyed me early on with a really lazy effort in the lead up to the Warriors first try which was in excuseable but I think he made up for it. The rest of his game was great, lifted his work rate and seemed to run harder instead of just trotting into the defensive line like he did at times against Manly. Was much improved from Tom.
Sutton: Another guy who I think had his best game of the year so far. He's been a bit quiet lately but was better tonight. He did make a couple of errors which contributed to huge missed opportunities but was otherwise good. he got more involved and that left foot step was back as he got on the inside of his opporsite a number of times and almost looked like breaking through. A pretty good defensive effort too.
S.Burgess: Sam was still good but was a litle more quiet by his lofty standards. As always made an impact with his hard running game and I'm sure Harris-Tevita would've been having nightmares but Sam fell victim to trying too hard at times which lead to errors from him. Loved his hit on Fussi though, that was awesome!!
Murray: A good, solid game from Cam. He ran hard as always and gave his all. Wasn't as outstanding as other games this Season but still pretty damn good.
G.Burgess: Not really much to report about George as he was alarmingly quiet off the bench. He looks a little under-done at the moment but his fitness will improve every week and I hope to see him back to his damaging best soon.
Nicholls: Like George, he was also really quiet. Did have a few good runs and didn't do anything wrong but didn't make an impact like he has in the last couple of weeks.
Lowe: I liked his work today. A very high work rate on that right edge and his runs were all class, generating some good post-contact meters. Run that perfect line off Cody for his try and that turned the game in our favour.
Knight: A good return game for him. Brought aggression which was evident in his runs and hits in defence. A beautiful play in the lead up to Lowe's try as he took the ball right to the line and delivered a lovely pass to Cody - It was Adam Reynolds like!!!
All in all, it's so great to get the win in that fashion as I saw some real belief out there from the boys but I'm not happy with the performance, defence is a huge issue and we have a lot to work on and we are still yet to see a complete 80 minute performance. Good to get a win though!
