Round 8 vs Roosters

[sammymills]

Ok I have had a few days to calm down. Yes it was a horrible loss. But so many teams getting blown off park this year. Roosters copped a flogging last week from Penrith. Penrith done by sea eagles who we beat.

broncos have been atrocious for 2 weeks and then flog Canterbury comfortably.

whilst we do need a lot of improvement we have been going ok, hopefully they can learn and move on.

 

[SAP58]

Ok I have had a few days to calm down. Yes it was a horrible loss. But so many teams getting blown off park this year. Roosters copped a flogging last week from Penrith. Penrith done by sea eagles who we beat.

broncos have been atrocious for 2 weeks and then flog Canterbury comfortably.

whilst we do need a lot of improvement we have been going ok, hopefully they can learn and move on.

Yes its a strange comp, look at the Dolphins today looked unbeatable in the first half let by 18 & got lapped. Watching the Tigers against the swamp boys at the moment the Tigers will give us lots of problems next week. They are the type of side we have problems with adlib football.

 

[jeffdragon]

Agree, personally don't think its the train wreck everyone sprucing. What is out of wack are the rules of the game! See Melbourne and Penrith losses, Souths vs Canterbury one week then Canterbury vs Brisbane the next. You need possession to win now. Ridiculous that it is i think the game is actually worse, too chancy on ref calls, sin bins, 6 again.. can’t believe the crowds love it so much.

Strangely, we were still on that game until Liddle couldn’t juggle the intercept and they scored. Agree with you that we have to play forwards with side lateral ability only and with the speed of the game wed be crazy if we don't ensure they are in the run on side every week.

Tupou always plays strong against us and the way he took the ball up following Lenu’s charges was way above our best in that area. Still i saw effort; we’ll win again, getting the team smarter is the coach’s biggest challenge.

Illas pushes over kicker penalty.
Tigers players same on Trindall.
Nothing.
And how did Chrichton get off elbowing Illas face on the ground.

 

[Inisai Toga]

Illas pushes over kicker penalty.
Tigers players same on Trindall.
Nothing.
And how did Chrichton get off elbowing Illas face on the ground.

Don't know! Should have been 2-0 to us, instead Easts get the penalty and score… Later had a 2 man overlap near our line and went the wrong option. We then knock on next ruck and Easts end up scoring. Similarly, we take the intercept we score instead Easts score under the posts. Sliding doors stuff, however, feel we do it too often for too long for it to be a one off or simply blame refs. Got to improve between the ears…quickly….

 

[KingFlanno7]

Anyone defending the piss weak performance in the last 2 ANZAC day games is surely taking the piss. Blame this blame that we were absolutely horrible from the kick off. Maybe Flanno jr should get a stint in reserve grade aswell seeing as he left all the kicking to feather boot Illias why doesn't he cop any flack? Flanno jr is easily the worst 6 in the comp right now he offers absolutely nothing.

 

[SAP58]

Whilst my long weekend started off terribly it ended on a high watching the swamp boys lose the un loseable this afternoon. They had so many opportunities to ice that game but it shows $1m Hynes is a myth. Cant wait to respond to all the swamp team supporters who have given it to me ALL weekend !

 

[bathtime]

Agree, personally don't think its the train wreck everyone sprucing. What is out of wack are the rules of the game! See Melbourne and Penrith losses, Souths vs Canterbury one week then Canterbury vs Brisbane the next. You need possession to win now. Ridiculous that it is i think the game is actually worse, too chancy on ref calls, sin bins, 6 again.. can’t believe the crowds love it so much.

Strangely, we were still on that game until Liddle couldn’t juggle the intercept and they scored. Agree with you that we have to play forwards with side lateral ability only and with the speed of the game wed be crazy if we don't ensure they are in the run on side every week.

Tupou always plays strong against us and the way he took the ball up following Lenu’s charges was way above our best in that area. Still i saw effort; we’ll win again, getting the team smarter is the coach’s biggest challenge.

The game was hard to watch around the time the chooks had 86% possession we get penalised for Ilias getting hit in the head, biff biff biff, by an attacking forward before they fall to ground and getting elbowed to the head a few more times. Later Kyle Flanagan grabs a rooster round the shouler and we get penalised for high shot. At least one of these led to a try.
We were cooked early. Gutho had an unlucky day like a goalie in a penalty shootout. Three times perhaps,he could of made a hero tackle but didn't, Glad it wasn't Sloan, some here would have had him shot.

 

[Sloan Ranger]

Should the Dragon's forwards stood up for Ilias when he was being thumped by Crichton?

 

[Lovemedragons]

Yes its a strange comp, look at the Dolphins today looked unbeatable in the first half let by 18 & got lapped. Watching the Tigers against the swamp boys at the moment the Tigers will give us lots of problems next week. They are the type of side we have problems with adlib football.

They’re halves are going to have a lot of fun with our anchored forwards to run around.

 

[Draginzaaar]

Should the Dragon's forwards stood up for Ilias when he was being thumped by Crichton?

Yes, then the bunker would have intervened.

 

[baggygreen man]

Finau was the man on the spot for his try because the kid was keen to have his hands on the ball. To be honest he was not getting much from his centre Holmes and this surprised me as the two made a dangerous partnership in the Rabbits trial match in which Finau scored a brilliant quaddie. Seems tho, that their combo is still a work in progress given the mixup leading into our sec try.

 

[justadragon]

I can't wait to watch our mob make Galvin look like Andrew Johns.

Our only hope is if the Tigers are off their game.

If they're on (like Roosters yesterday), we're no chance.

You are right mate, we always seem to make the Roosters halves look like immortals, last year it was Walker. With 29% of the ball in the first half surely we would be kidding ourselves to think we could win anything. I was just so disappointed with the middle defence in how ordinary it was made to look, even when they had 12 men they were charging up the middle. Same ordinary effort as last year. I would assume that this rollacoaster ride will be continuing for the rest of the year. I really wouldnt like to see them in finals just to be cannon fodder in the first week, I have been embarrassed enough over the last 15 years.

 

[baggygreen man]

In the short term, the one area of improvement would be for the Dragons to defend in a straight line. Too often they hgad peiople coming up whilst the rest of the line hung back, which created some gaps.

Organizing the defensive line is up to the custodian and we have one of he most experienced in the comp in Gutho. So seems he is falling down in this aspect. Not good mentoring if it is his job to drum into Sloan the fundamentals of playing at the back.

 

[baggygreen man]

Also, the Dragons need to mix up their kicks a bit.

Ilias has shown he has a good short bomb, needs to use it more as well as the grubber into their in goal and even a chip kick. He is not being coached correctly on the short kicking skills, either that or he lacks vision which all the best halfs possess.

 

[Sloan Ranger]

Yes, then the bunker would have intervened.

I agree. No way Weyman, Scott and Smith let that happen to Hornby with no retaliation. If you're going to let your half back get monstered, what's the point of continuing. The game is lost at that moment.

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

Was the worst try on Friday the 77th minute to Teddy ie the miss by Holmes one on one ?

that killed me that one

or was it the 78th minute miss by Holmes in defence when we shifted to up and in defence and he just got worked over by the nasty no13 Victor?

 

[Draginzaaar]

Ilias has shown he has a good short bomb, needs to use it more as well as the grubber into their in goal and even a chip kick. He is not being coached correctly on the short kicking skills, either that or he lacks vision which all the best halfs possess.

You can't grubber into the in goal from halfway.

 

[Draginzaaar]

Was the worst try on Friday the 77th minute to Teddy ie the miss by Holmes one on one ?

that killed me that one

or was it the 78th minute miss by Holmes in defence when we shifted to up and in defence and he just got worked over by the nasty no13 Victor?

The worst 2 were Gutho not taking the man with the ball.

 

[Slippery Morris]

When it comes to the big games where the fans are looking confident they may chalk up a win, the Dragons always seem to disappoint the last 2 season. The games with the biggest crowds are the ones they have been hammered in the most or embarrassed. The games Saints get small crowds and are expected to lose they like to surprise us with a win. Very frustrating team to follow.

Goes to show a team of young halves like the Roosters had on ANZAC day out performed guys with much more NRL experience. Flanno simply has to give the younger guys a run and stop banking on the guys playing poorly to eventually come good. HE simply has to pick on form not the name. If Flanno is not around after this contract he will have himself to blame with his selections especially his son and picking players who simply don't want to play for him.

Roosters simply wanted the win more. They were more enthusiastic and had hunger to win on this special occasions. Saints players were more interested in just being present. They freeze when the big games come up. They are no way near capable of not only making the finals but coming close to winning a finals game.

 

[Sloan Ranger]

You can't grubber into the in goal from halfway.

Getting beaten up by the opposition forwards doesn't help either.