Rumours and Stuff

[lingard]

I think there is evidence to support this

he has worked as a "consultant" for halves from various clubs over the years and as far as I can tel he has not made one scrap of difference to any halves' performances

We should get Brett Finch.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Not sure how we win this week.

By playing our best and having the Storm not play their best? If Paulo plays we deserve to be slight favourites.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

ROFL!

Even with their injuries, they are a more clinical outfit than ours, with much more experience in big matches.

It's not exactly a big match. They can afford to lose this one and still be in second place.

We may win, but there is no way I would have us as favourites.

We will probably be at full strength while they're missing a bunch of merkins, including possibly three quarters of their spine.

 

[Noise]

It's not exactly a big match. They can afford to lose this one and still be in second place.

We will probably be at full strength while they're missing a bunch of merkins, including possibly three quarters of their spine.

Is Papenhauzen or Hughes out?

 

[eels_fan]

They can afford to lose this one and still be in second place.

not if we win by 43.... haha

 

[eels_fan]

Is Papenhauzen or Hughes out?

hughes more than likely is. As well as Smith & Munster. 3/4 starting spine players

 

[Eelementary]

someone just loaded up on Melbourne as the odds have now flipped with us $1.95 to Melbourne $1.85

Yeah, I'm happy with that.

 

[Eelementary]

It's not exactly a big match. They can afford to lose this one and still be in second place.

We will probably be at full strength while they're missing a bunch of merkins, including possibly three quarters of their spine.

True, true.

I just think that Bellamy's history shows that he demands execution of his gameplans every week, regardless of the roster; I would be surprised if the Storm aren't at their clinical best on Thursday.

But we do have the advantage, in the sense that we will be at full strength.

 

[hindy111]

We need atleast a change to line up. Maybe start Stone and bring N.Brown on after 25mins.

 

[Noise]

We need atleast a change to line up. Maybe start Stone and bring N.Brown on after 25mins.

Our middle is working fine. What would Stone offer that Brown can’t do?

 

[hindy111]

Our middle is working fine. What would Stone offer that Brown can’t do?

Reverse the thought.

Imagine injecting Niakuore and Brown at same time once the defense has been softened.

 

[Noise]

Reverse the thought.

Imagine injecting Niakuore and Brown at same time once the defense has been softened.

Bit of a myth. When Niakuore and Brown would come on the opposition will also have made changes in the middle and have fresh players on.

 

[yy_cheng]

We are making too many errors and it seems to me we are getting less six agains which probably made our attack look better when the rule was first introduced

 

[Glenneel]

I doubt we'll ever be the best. The Storm and Roosters have too many advantages. But we can be third best in any given year, and maybe even catch those two in a year where they're ravaged by injuries. This could be that year. It's very exciting.

We nearly have the roster to be the best bar a few flaws. Lack of a real speedster could hurt us along with the continuing poor defence and attack on the right side.

Is Sivo carrying an injury since Moanly game as his form has dropped off a cliff?

 

[Glenneel]

Firstly check the post prior to yours. BA identified before the restart that this season would need to be managed as there aren’t any byes to refresh players.
Secondly, Guthos try, players in support and Johns’ usual comment of Moses firing all his bullets in the opening 20 minutes. Extend that out to the opening 20 rounds. No point showing all your cards if you don’t need to. It’s what I would do.
Thirdly, the drop in intensity is across the board. Rorters/Panfas aren’t as intense as when we played them, Scum have been up and down too. Obviously that’s neither he nor there, because even though we can improve, so can they. Due to our respective starts, the top 4 can afford to drop off. The likes of Sharks, Tigers and Souffs cannot. This may or may not effect them at the back end. Who cares? The only thing that matters is whether we can turn it back on. That Panfas game I think will be the test, with a soft reset next week.
Fourthly I don’t think we’ve been unusually lucky in our wins. Our defensive intent has been fine, just our attack has been basic. As I said above, there’s evidence of a more complex attack. But if we’re winning without really doing anything isn’t that a good thing?

I could be wrong but it appears our passing/offloading has diminished big time and our support play has dropped off. At least twice last week Lane made a half break and looked for support but there was none. Our 1% effort areas have dropped off as well as our defensive intensity. To me they are playing like a tired team yet Panthers and Storm look refreshed and energised. To me our team has been managed poorly in a season with no byes, this falls directly on BA and the other coaches.

 

[Glenneel]

No but I think it's good enough, or else we wouldn't have the second best defence in the NRL. I'll keep coming back to this. The idea is to win games, and that requires attack and defence. I don't have a problem with our defence. Of course we're going to concede tries, and when we do it'll most likely be around our weakest defender Mitch Moses. Teams organise to generate overlaps on that side, and against an overlap the outside backs can't just "stay on your man, idiot". The outside defenders need to make a decision against superior numbers and it's up to the opposition to read that and make the correct play. If Blake and Ferguson just rigidly mark their man you'll find Moses by himself against a fullback and an edge forward. That would be a disaster a lot more often than what's currently happening.

When Sivo and Jennings scored all their tries this year did you stop and wonder why the opposition defenders let them get outside them?

Just think how good our overall defence would be if our right side was better defensively. Of course that side needs to improve, and I have no idea why you're even arguing against it. Maybe Ram was right and you are a goldfish.

 

[84 Baby]

I could be wrong but it appears our passing/offloading has diminished big time and our support play has dropped off. At least twice last week Lane made a half break and looked for support but there was none. Our 1% effort areas have dropped off as well as our defensive intensity. To me they are playing like a tired team yet Panthers and Storm look refreshed and energised. To me our team has been managed poorly in a season with no byes, this falls directly on BA and the other coaches.

That’s another one, offloads are down comparatively to 6 weeks ago. Although I don’t think our defensive intensity has dropped, just that not building pressure ourselves means we’re being placed under more pressure.
And that is the other possibility that perhaps it isn’t a conscious change but one out of simple tiredness. Same result but.
I dispute that Panfas look refreshed though. They look as ragged as us at times. Just Cleary admittedly is in a bit of a purple patch that shoulders a lot of that. That’s not good news for us though because they can play better than they are right now (although can Cleary?) and I reckon like us, they’re targeting our matchup to be hitting all cylinders.
And the only reason Scum look refreshed is because they’re having injury replacements every other week. And like Cleary, Papenhuyzen is in a bit of form.
And there’s no way you can judge the season management decisions until the end of the season. But yes that decision is on BA and the staff.

 

[84 Baby]

Just think how good our overall defence would be if our right side was better defensively. Of course that side needs to improve, and I have no idea why you're even arguing against it. Maybe Ram was right and you are a goldfish.

Then oppositions would probably target our left side more. Or up the middle.
I know we don’t like comparing to the Rorters, but it’s the thing I’ve admired about them, their frontline defence isn’t great, it’s above average certainly but they still concede metres and line breaks. But their scramble defence is light years ahead of everyone else (or was past few seasons), to the point where you could make a clean break against them, run to their 20m and their line would still look relatively comfortable with anything you throw at them

 

[Noise]

Then oppositions would probably target our left side more. Or up the middle.
I know we don’t like comparing to the Rorters, but it’s the thing I’ve admired about them, their frontline defence isn’t great, it’s above average certainly but they still concede metres and line breaks. But their scramble defence is light years ahead of everyone else (or was past few seasons), to the point where you could make a clean break against them, run to their 20m and their line would still look relatively comfortable with anything you throw at them

I reckon a lot of that has to do with attitude. All 13 bust their arses to get back into position. A lot of other teams will have players that amble back, particularly if the break is made on the opposite side of the field.

 

[I'm a loser baby...]

Then oppositions would probably target our left side more. Or up the middle.
I know we don’t like comparing to the Rorters, but it’s the thing I’ve admired about them, their frontline defence isn’t great, it’s above average certainly but they still concede metres and line breaks. But their scramble defence is light years ahead of everyone else (or was past few seasons), to the point where you could make a clean break against them, run to their 20m and their line would still look relatively comfortable with anything you throw at them

What if I threw a bucket of diarrhoea?