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After watching the replay, here's my full report,
Mitchell: Not his best game but I thought he was still pretty damn good. Because it was such a grinding game, Latrell didn't get many attacking opportunities so his performance last night involved a lot of great kick returns and strong hit ups which was good to see. he was pushing up around the ball and wanted to be involved. Still had some silky touches and put AJ in space off some great passes a few times, it's a shame his 'try assist' wasn't to be. He was safe under the high ball and very dominant in defence, he saved our arses a few times there. Then how about his 40 meter run from the in-goal?!! That was an absolutely incredible piece of play, no other player could do that! Was huge in the context of the game as it changed the momentum and actually set up our victoryu in my opinion. The only negatives of his night was the silly high on Nofoaluma. No need for that at all and it's going to cost him at least three weeks. Not happy with that.
Johnston: Not a bad night, didn't do anything super special but he was good I thought. Really strong running game again tonight and this is an area AJ has really stepped up in. He used his speed on a few kick returns and runs which saw him look pretty elusive at times. Putting his hand in touch when it looked like a try was a huge error though, the game could have been very different if he got that but who am I to judge I guess, it didn't cost us the victory in the end. Stoked he got a win in game 150.
Gagai: Another unbelieveable game from Gags, it's honestly crazy how much work he gets through. All game he just kept going hard and taking the tough runs which saw him end up with an outstanding 151 meters off 15 runs. Brilliant finish for his try, that was awesome support play and the step inside to score was awesome. The only negative was his defensive read which lead to Garner's try. He slid out instead of staying in on Garner which created a massive hole. But oh well, Gags was still very good.
Graham: Not a bad game from Cammy at all. Like most of our outside backs, he was heavily involved and was huge in getting us out of our end. Ran for over 110 meters and some of those runs were huge, I remember two he had where he picked up 10-15 meters which is a great effort. Defended most of the play that came his way and had some really good reads but I do believe it was him that caused the Tigers first try. He hung on his inside too long and couldn't get across to Leilua quick enough which saw Luciano get on his outside and beat him. This forced mansour to come in which created the space for Nofoaluma and lead to the try.
Mansour: Pretty good game from Sauce. Firstly, I want to praise his work under the high ball. It's probably not his strong point but despite being bombarded with bombs from Brooks and Doueihi, he handled it very well and didn't drop a single one. Was strong coming out of our end and on attack which saw him ran for 100 meters. Did his job on defence too, he's copping it from people online about causing Laurie's try but I watched the game back and looked at it closely, it was Campbell's fault as I explained earlier. Sauce did what he had to there.
Walker: Bit of a quiet game for Cody. It wasn't one of those games where he went missing because he was trying hard and was involved, I just think the Tigers handled him really well to their credit. Was involved in basically all of our sharp attacking raids that looked nice and he did create some opportunities. Really stood up in the play for our second try though. Great vision and hole running to take the pass from Junior, go straight through and set up Gags to put us back in the game. That was a huge play.
Reynolds: Rocks and diamonds. Over all, it wasn't the best game from Reyno. While his general play kicking wasn't bad, it wasn't anything special, not like anything we've been used to in the past that's for sure. He set Murray up for the openeing try off a beautiful pass, that was awesome play but apart from that, didn't do a lot in attack. I've gotta say though, without him we perhaps don't win that game. The second biggest play of the night was his 2 point field goal. That has to be one of the biggest and best field goals I've seen. Such a high risk play, if he misses that, we lose. Thankfully, he nailed it, huge play from Reyno. So that drew us level but he then missed his next two opportunities to actually win the game which is very unlike him.
Burgess: For the second week in a row, Tom should take a bow and for the second week in a row, he was our best player. A huge game from Tommy!! Super busy in both his stints as he got through plenty of work and plenty of meters. The Tigers pack was really sticking it to us but Tom was standing up and ensuring they didn't get fully on top. In the end, I think he ended up with over 200 meters again which is huge! And then what do I say about that final play in golden point?!! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!! Just a monumental run that channelled his brother's 2014 Grand Final effort. To run like that and score the match winner was just so awesome, a try that will stick in my mind for a long, long time to come. I'll honestly tell my kids about that one.
Cook: Steady, solid game. Didn't do anything special but played his role to perfection. His service was perfect and he was bringing the forwards onto the ball really well. Still ran and probed out of dummy-half which was good to see and he asked a few questions of the Tigers middle defence. Speaking of defence, Cookie was immense in that area that's for sure, topping the tackle count for us with 52. Then there was that play to win the game that I just spoke about. Such great vision from Cookie to recognise the defence had all eyes on Reyno so he hit Tom short and well, the rest is history! Cook's role in that play is being under-valued I feel.
Tatola: Had a bit of a quiet first stint but boy didn't he step up in his second?!! A really massive effort in that second stint with the game on the line and he contributed a big part in laying the platform for our comeback. Broke the game open with a pearler of a pass to Cody which lead to that try, certainly not what I'd expect from a front rower but Jeez I loved it!! Did his job in defence with the only negative of his game being giving away that silly penalty that allowed the Tigers to get out to eight in the second half.
Host: Backed up a strong game last week with another strong one last night. I thought he was really good. Not too many highlights to talk about but he did make 78 meters which is a good effort considering the minutes he played. Loved his defence too, in a lot of the tackles where we drove them back, Hosty was involved. Not sure where he sits with Keaon returning next week. Would be tough to drop him out of the 17.
Su'A: His usual, consistent performance. Hard running on that right edge, every run he had was full of aggression and 100% effort which lead to good meters. Found himself with a bit of room to move at times but I once the play got shut down, I was pleased with how he didn't panic (as he has in the past). Solid in defence, shutting down a few plays on our line and put a good whack on young Simpkin to welcome him to grade.
Murray: Monumental game from Cam! He's been good all year but I think this was certainly his best performance yet. He was in everything and as we know and love, didn't shy away from anything. Quality run after quality run and texbook tackle after textbook tackle. Finished up with 173 meters and 41 tackles which is huge! The grinding, arm wrestle style of game is built for Cam and he thrived last night. Got a meat pie too, what a try that was!! Straight through and then some dazzling footwork to beat Laurie and slide over. An arousing play from Mr Arousal himself haha.
Marshall: Got a decent abount of minutes and I was really looking forward to him carving up his old side and being instrumental in our comeback but he didn't really do anything sepcial to note. That's not a knock on Benji, it was just other players around him really stood up to get us the win.
Nicholls: Really good game from Nicho, loved his impact off the bench. We were caught in a grind and he came on and didn't skip a beat, we didn't go backwards hile he was on. I want to make special mention of his role in our fantastic set in golden point. He had two, yes two, mega runs in that set which put us in position to win that game. He's the unsung hero of that match winning set.
Knight: Limited minutes (as expected) in his first game back so there's not too much to talk about but he did have a few good runs. It's just really good to finally have him back and hopefully he can build on last night in the coming weeks.
Arrow: While he perhaps didn't have a huge impact like he has in games in the past, I thought he was still pretty good. Came on and ran hard, tackled hard, that's all we can ask of our big name recruit. He certainly contributed in a big way to that win.
So man, oh man, what a crazy game!!! So happy to win that one but we do have some stuff to work on heading into next week. Stoked to pick up the two points in the fashion we did though!
Mitchell: Not his best game but I thought he was still pretty damn good. Because it was such a grinding game, Latrell didn't get many attacking opportunities so his performance last night involved a lot of great kick returns and strong hit ups which was good to see. he was pushing up around the ball and wanted to be involved. Still had some silky touches and put AJ in space off some great passes a few times, it's a shame his 'try assist' wasn't to be. He was safe under the high ball and very dominant in defence, he saved our arses a few times there. Then how about his 40 meter run from the in-goal?!! That was an absolutely incredible piece of play, no other player could do that! Was huge in the context of the game as it changed the momentum and actually set up our victoryu in my opinion. The only negatives of his night was the silly high on Nofoaluma. No need for that at all and it's going to cost him at least three weeks. Not happy with that.
Johnston: Not a bad night, didn't do anything super special but he was good I thought. Really strong running game again tonight and this is an area AJ has really stepped up in. He used his speed on a few kick returns and runs which saw him look pretty elusive at times. Putting his hand in touch when it looked like a try was a huge error though, the game could have been very different if he got that but who am I to judge I guess, it didn't cost us the victory in the end. Stoked he got a win in game 150.
Gagai: Another unbelieveable game from Gags, it's honestly crazy how much work he gets through. All game he just kept going hard and taking the tough runs which saw him end up with an outstanding 151 meters off 15 runs. Brilliant finish for his try, that was awesome support play and the step inside to score was awesome. The only negative was his defensive read which lead to Garner's try. He slid out instead of staying in on Garner which created a massive hole. But oh well, Gags was still very good.
Graham: Not a bad game from Cammy at all. Like most of our outside backs, he was heavily involved and was huge in getting us out of our end. Ran for over 110 meters and some of those runs were huge, I remember two he had where he picked up 10-15 meters which is a great effort. Defended most of the play that came his way and had some really good reads but I do believe it was him that caused the Tigers first try. He hung on his inside too long and couldn't get across to Leilua quick enough which saw Luciano get on his outside and beat him. This forced mansour to come in which created the space for Nofoaluma and lead to the try.
Mansour: Pretty good game from Sauce. Firstly, I want to praise his work under the high ball. It's probably not his strong point but despite being bombarded with bombs from Brooks and Doueihi, he handled it very well and didn't drop a single one. Was strong coming out of our end and on attack which saw him ran for 100 meters. Did his job on defence too, he's copping it from people online about causing Laurie's try but I watched the game back and looked at it closely, it was Campbell's fault as I explained earlier. Sauce did what he had to there.
Walker: Bit of a quiet game for Cody. It wasn't one of those games where he went missing because he was trying hard and was involved, I just think the Tigers handled him really well to their credit. Was involved in basically all of our sharp attacking raids that looked nice and he did create some opportunities. Really stood up in the play for our second try though. Great vision and hole running to take the pass from Junior, go straight through and set up Gags to put us back in the game. That was a huge play.
Reynolds: Rocks and diamonds. Over all, it wasn't the best game from Reyno. While his general play kicking wasn't bad, it wasn't anything special, not like anything we've been used to in the past that's for sure. He set Murray up for the openeing try off a beautiful pass, that was awesome play but apart from that, didn't do a lot in attack. I've gotta say though, without him we perhaps don't win that game. The second biggest play of the night was his 2 point field goal. That has to be one of the biggest and best field goals I've seen. Such a high risk play, if he misses that, we lose. Thankfully, he nailed it, huge play from Reyno. So that drew us level but he then missed his next two opportunities to actually win the game which is very unlike him.
Burgess: For the second week in a row, Tom should take a bow and for the second week in a row, he was our best player. A huge game from Tommy!! Super busy in both his stints as he got through plenty of work and plenty of meters. The Tigers pack was really sticking it to us but Tom was standing up and ensuring they didn't get fully on top. In the end, I think he ended up with over 200 meters again which is huge! And then what do I say about that final play in golden point?!! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!! Just a monumental run that channelled his brother's 2014 Grand Final effort. To run like that and score the match winner was just so awesome, a try that will stick in my mind for a long, long time to come. I'll honestly tell my kids about that one.
Cook: Steady, solid game. Didn't do anything special but played his role to perfection. His service was perfect and he was bringing the forwards onto the ball really well. Still ran and probed out of dummy-half which was good to see and he asked a few questions of the Tigers middle defence. Speaking of defence, Cookie was immense in that area that's for sure, topping the tackle count for us with 52. Then there was that play to win the game that I just spoke about. Such great vision from Cookie to recognise the defence had all eyes on Reyno so he hit Tom short and well, the rest is history! Cook's role in that play is being under-valued I feel.
Tatola: Had a bit of a quiet first stint but boy didn't he step up in his second?!! A really massive effort in that second stint with the game on the line and he contributed a big part in laying the platform for our comeback. Broke the game open with a pearler of a pass to Cody which lead to that try, certainly not what I'd expect from a front rower but Jeez I loved it!! Did his job in defence with the only negative of his game being giving away that silly penalty that allowed the Tigers to get out to eight in the second half.
Host: Backed up a strong game last week with another strong one last night. I thought he was really good. Not too many highlights to talk about but he did make 78 meters which is a good effort considering the minutes he played. Loved his defence too, in a lot of the tackles where we drove them back, Hosty was involved. Not sure where he sits with Keaon returning next week. Would be tough to drop him out of the 17.
Su'A: His usual, consistent performance. Hard running on that right edge, every run he had was full of aggression and 100% effort which lead to good meters. Found himself with a bit of room to move at times but I once the play got shut down, I was pleased with how he didn't panic (as he has in the past). Solid in defence, shutting down a few plays on our line and put a good whack on young Simpkin to welcome him to grade.
Murray: Monumental game from Cam! He's been good all year but I think this was certainly his best performance yet. He was in everything and as we know and love, didn't shy away from anything. Quality run after quality run and texbook tackle after textbook tackle. Finished up with 173 meters and 41 tackles which is huge! The grinding, arm wrestle style of game is built for Cam and he thrived last night. Got a meat pie too, what a try that was!! Straight through and then some dazzling footwork to beat Laurie and slide over. An arousing play from Mr Arousal himself haha.
Marshall: Got a decent abount of minutes and I was really looking forward to him carving up his old side and being instrumental in our comeback but he didn't really do anything sepcial to note. That's not a knock on Benji, it was just other players around him really stood up to get us the win.
Nicholls: Really good game from Nicho, loved his impact off the bench. We were caught in a grind and he came on and didn't skip a beat, we didn't go backwards hile he was on. I want to make special mention of his role in our fantastic set in golden point. He had two, yes two, mega runs in that set which put us in position to win that game. He's the unsung hero of that match winning set.
Knight: Limited minutes (as expected) in his first game back so there's not too much to talk about but he did have a few good runs. It's just really good to finally have him back and hopefully he can build on last night in the coming weeks.
Arrow: While he perhaps didn't have a huge impact like he has in games in the past, I thought he was still pretty good. Came on and ran hard, tackled hard, that's all we can ask of our big name recruit. He certainly contributed in a big way to that win.
So man, oh man, what a crazy game!!! So happy to win that one but we do have some stuff to work on heading into next week. Stoked to pick up the two points in the fashion we did though!
