Semi final - Parra v Storm LIVE GAME DAY thread 21/9/19

[Tooooks]

I think the Roosters are the best team in the comp. well drilled plus individual brilliance. The storm don’t have that.

I’d say they have both. In spades.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

There's a merkinhair between the Storm and Roosters. The Storm attack better through the middle, the Chooks attack better on the edges. Both defend well from sideline to sideline.

It's cool that Canberra will be in the grand final and I hope they win, but they are probably going to lose to whichever side they end up playing.

 

[Soto]

Coming down here today I always had in the back of my head that we could get flogged, and it became a reality. And that sums up Parramatta perfectly though, they never fill you with confidence and no matter what you never know what could happen.

Proud of what the boys have achieved this year after last years debacle. The issue is we now need to build on this but I remember 2 years ago exactly heading home from Melbourne in 2017 saying don’t worry next year we will get it, and that’s far from a sure thing with Parramatta, in fact seeing us win a spoon next year wouldn’t surprise me. Yea call me negative but it is the harsh facts with this club, yes the teams young and future stars like Mahoney and Brown will learn a lot from tonight but tonight was a prime example of boys against men. We have no idea how to handle big games against big teams on big occasions, totally overwhelmed. Tonight also showed just how badly we need some real punch in the middle with our forwards, they had us covered sideline to sideline and we needed to dent them in the middle but we just don’t have the forwards. RCG is a start but we seriously need another 2 atleast. I know we are going hard for atleast one more but tonight exposed our forward frailties. I’m sure the whole week was focused around having a good start, What did we do? We lost the ball on our first set coming out of our end. Followed by allowing Addo-Carr to run 70m and score an arsey try.

It just shows that are we really ever learning? 2 years on and what has changed?

Anyways I’m proud of what had been achieved, the boys came over and thanked us and that was good to see, our supporter base is great and I always say it, god help anyone the day we win, our fans are special. But in saying that it just seems like that day may never come, we are just miles off and judging off recent times i don’t know if that gap will ever be bridged.

Onwards and upwards to next year, who knows what is in store for us, I just hope we can build on what we have done this year.

Great post. U have nailed it..we need more hardnosed forwards. RCG will be a great acquisition. We need to get 2 more. The 2 targets should out of these three...Matterson, Fifita, Arrow. If we land them our pack and our 17 becomes a side with a top notch pack. Our bench tonight and most of the year has lacked punch..Lets not forget all the top 4 teams are littered with Origin or International players...we have 1..Fergo.
Signing the above also brings rep level and big game experience.
I dont want our team to be overawed or overwhelmed by the opposition. Nathan Brown tried to pump the fwds up but he was a lone ranger. Dylan Brown was our best player by a country mile..
Fwds win matches, backs decide by how much.
Although tonight was a meek performance it was a great season after last year's debacle...
Some smart recruitment, hopefully Flanagan as an assistant coach and we make top 4 next year with every opportunity to go all the way

 

[T.S Quint]

Well that sucked.
I never really thought we would win, but was hoping for a better contest than that.
Not a great way to end the year but we did well to get to the second week of the Finals, and hopefully we can build to better things from here.

As shit as tonight was, I’d still take this over finishing last again. Hope the Storm get belted next week.

 

[Avenger]

Would Arthur consider Flanagan as an assistant coach or would he be threatened by it? Works out well. Arthur has a contract for 2 years and Flanno has to be an assistant for the same period.

 

[fourplay]

Bad idea because after 2 years he will become a head coach again for another club and they always try take half the squad with them including the young up and comers.

 

[TheParraboy]

Bad idea because after 2 years he will become a head coach again for another club and they always try take half the squad with them including the young up and comers.

could replace Arthur as head coach should we bumble and falter the next 18 months

 

[Jake the snake]

I don’t think Brad is good enough to take us to the promise land. He had his chance yesterday but proved once again that he’s just an average coach. When I say average I’m not meaning anything bad but he’s just normal and will never achieve anything or win any major trophies.

And the way I judge that is if you swap coaches last night and give us Bellamy. We win that game no doubts! We knew what Melbourne were going to throw at us, we Could not stop it because the players still had their head up their arses from last week and it’s the coaches job to get them back down to earth and up for the game week in week out. That’s what good coaches do. We weren’t even in the ball game. We win the toss and then we elect to kick it to them... what the frig?!

On the first set we Brown chucks a dumb pass to Paulo and he drops it. The game ended on the first set as we never got the ball back again and we never had the mental toughness to get back in the game

It’s another failed finals campaign under BA. I’d be signing Flannagan and an assistant ASAP with the view to take over. That’s one coach who has the will to win.

 

[Twizzle]

 

[Eelementary]

Tbh, what we are lacking is big-game experience in key positions.

Michael Jennings and Blake Ferguson are our only truly experienced Rep, and Finals, experienced players.

This team has talent - you don't finish 4th, and 5th, in three years without some ability -, but they lack big-game leadership.

Arthur has shown improvement - he no has a 25% Finals win record, so it's heading north.

 

[Noise]

The dam refs are at my hotel breakfast. Wasn’t there fault but merkins!!

 

[Avenger]

It’s not that we lost, the Storm were always going to be tough.
It’s how we lost.

Mentally piss weak. Again. How can you destroy a team one week and then get destroyed yourself?

It’s been an obvious improvement and you cannot take away from that but a top 4 spot next year is the aim. Anything less should not be acceptable and if we miss out in 2020 like we have in previous years after a breakout season (2010 and 2018 immediately come to mind) we bite the bullet and seek a new direction under a new coach.

 

[Gronk]

I don’t get how most of you unload with buckets of vitriol on the players and coach after a loss. This time last week all the players and coach were heros. Now the same roster are lacking. I doubt many would admit to the hypocrisy.

@Bazal was spot on. We had the ball for only 5 sets in the first half vs the kings of control and slow play. Storm have been working their way up the field and coming away with points for decades. Sadly we got them in the wet, after a loss and at home. Dare I say a perfect Storm.

Sad/bad day at the office indeed, but f**k me some of you wrist slitters are posting predictable rubbish. What did I say yesterday? If we lose the arm flappers will emerge from the soil.

 

[Avenger]

32 nil is not acceptable.

 

[Bandwagon]

Tbh, what we are lacking is big-game experience in key positions.

Michael Jennings is our only truly experienced Rep, and Finals, experienced player.

This team has talent - you don't finish 4th, and 5th, in three years without some ability -, but they lack big-game leadership.

Arthur has shown improvement - he no has a 25% Finals win record, so it's heading north.

Moving forward we've gained some valuable experience this year, and we have great many players who are 24 - 26 years old who have now gained some finals experience, have plenty of footy left in them and at that age should be coming into their peak age over the next coupla years.

All we lack is a bit of experience at one or two merkiny hard heads in our pack to lead from the front. Nrown certainly has that in him, but I reckon he needs a little help out there on that front. If we can somehow cover that base, with our spine improving, which I believe without doubt it will. We will be genuine top four contenders for the next few years.

 

[Gronk]

I agree with BA on everything

 

[Bandwagon]

32 nil is not acceptable.

I agree, what's unacceptable about it though is that we are a better team than that.

We just need to learn how to refocus and stay in the game when things just aren't going our way..

 

[Avenger]

I agree, what's unacceptable about it though is that we are a better team than that.

We just need to learn how to refocus and stay in the game when things just aren't going our way..

The soft underbelly is slowly being removed. Forwards is where it’s at. I’d try and buy someone like Arrow ASAP.

 

[strider]

The dam refs are at my hotel breakfast. Wasn’t there fault but merkins!!

You are having breakie with Cameron Smith?

 

[IFR33K]

The soft underbelly is slowly being removed. Forwards is where it’s at. I’d try and buy someone like Arrow ASAP.

We need major changes IMO.

BA needs help and a quality assistant like Flanno would be awesome.

I love gutho as much as the next bloke, but he’s too slow to become elite.

We’re still light on forwards. We need to have some fear factor. We currently have f^*k all.

I’d also still be happy to punt MJ