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Some real honesty

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,572
See i take the opposite view.
I see a side that is top 4 and proven in this comp who's compass is totally scrambled and cannot get it back.

I link it all to the point last year where the 7 tried and failed at SOO level and refused to move on.
We were flying in the leadup to game 1.
From that point we have nose-dived to the point where we are now probably going to miss the finals.

And rather than Fitz saying to the bloke - 12 months ago - go away and get your head together the whole joint has walked on eggshells because of who he is and bent over backwards to accommodate him.

The fact the main man is so far out of form has quickly filtered through to every aspect of the side.

Hynes is done.
Hynes may be done, but I don't think it's necessarily set.

Hynes doesn't impact forwards slowly walking back behind the play the ball to get play driving up field. Hynes doesn't impact no one except for the person receiving the ball to be moving to make defence make decisions.

What Hynes does control is his running game, his decision-making (i.e. deciding to try to tap on rather than taking the tackle), etc.

You could take Hynes out of the team and it wouldn't get better. He has absolutely no impact on the team - which is a problem at the moment. However, he isn't dragging the teams performance down.
 
Messages
22,165
easy target when there are many many other duds like uele and kaufisi bludging in the forwards doing sweet f**k all.
honestly what do they offer?

we have a test player who simply refuses to do any dirty work. only nice lines near the tryline for him

we have a captain who's impact is very minimal. he's aged like bread, not wine.

we have a fullback off contract who simply, didn't attempt to jump for the ball with the game in the balance, being not shielded by three blokes who are all very experienced. then the next time he was bested by the bloke making more effort.

f**kn nicho hynes tho.
 

Special K

Coach
Messages
19,700
I agree with the last two posts. Nicho for the most part hasn’t been a problem. The game vs Broncos he was diabolical in the last 15 minutes. He went into his shell vs Tigers. Hasn’t been perfect but I have more of an issue with our inability to make metres if a team shuts down our back 5 out of yardage.

The counter I guess is he should kick us out of trouble but yeah that’s hard when we have sets like the weekend when we made 19 f**king metres.
 

Cheese sandwich

First Grade
Messages
5,870
I agree with the last two posts. Nicho for the most part hasn’t been a problem. The game vs Broncos he was diabolical in the last 15 minutes. He went into his shell vs Tigers. Hasn’t been perfect but I have more of an issue with our inability to make metres if a team shuts down our back 5 out of yardage.

The counter I guess is he should kick us out of trouble but yeah that’s hard when we have sets like the weekend when we made 19 f**king metres.
After kennedy or whatever winger brings back the kick return that next hit up for some reason is usually someone taking the ball flat footed way behind the ruck and getting tackled in pretty well the same spot. Absolutely infuriates me.
 

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,572
It’s not just the backs catching the ball flatfooted. Even AFB is lucky to be moving when he receives the pass.

One positive though - I thought Toby has actually brought energy whenever he has come on. He may have his faults, but he works.
 

Bookie

Juniors
Messages
300
Weird right. Like if I’m Will Kennedy I’m flying through at the chance of an offload. ET used to do it. No one ever does it.

Too much structure. I mean god forbid we make a break and ruin the 4 hit ups and chipped bomb we don’t contest
No one’s done it since the 90s.
Even in 2016 I’d watch every other team smash 4-6 offloads per half. We never had it.
 
Messages
22,165
between our slow guys like trindall hynes, kennedy and katoa (wing)and ronny being on the wing the guy who needs to back up on the sniff around job is brailey really hey.

play super direct through him
 

Frenzy.

Post Whore
Messages
53,597
Hynes may be done, but I don't think it's necessarily set.

Hynes doesn't impact forwards slowly walking back behind the play the ball to get play driving up field. Hynes doesn't impact no one except for the person receiving the ball to be moving to make defence make decisions.

What Hynes does control is his running game, his decision-making (i.e. deciding to try to tap on rather than taking the tackle), etc.

You could take Hynes out of the team and it wouldn't get better. He has absolutely no impact on the team - which is a problem at the moment. However, he isn't dragging the teams performance down.
He's the halfback. He's the one who is supposed to be calling the points on the field the forward need to be to set HIM up to be able to play. He's supposed to be the driver there. He should be getting up them if they are slacking off.

He has a lot of impact on the team. All of it negative. I don't even think the team trusts him.
 

Frenzy.

Post Whore
Messages
53,597
Why does nobody in the team understand support play?
This concerns me. Not because I don't think they can. We all watched them doing it coming through the Jets for years. A lot of it off Mr McGoo. HIs deft skills and kicks and blokes like Will, Tricky etc following Bill.

It concerns me because it almost looks there is a no offload, no back up mentality. One where they just have to be ready to transition of defence ALWAYS. Pretty negative if in any way real
 

Since 73

First Grade
Messages
7,599
There was a great try last week by the bulldogs.
Sexton ran straight and picked up mahoney on the inside.

Slow defenders hate inside support because they've turned their shoulders out. Most will just make a half hearted effort through tiredness and the fact the ballrunner has gone.
Dolphins are running up huge scores because the young 7 is a true exponent of this play. I'd bet $5 Kristen Wolf has him watching Cronk/slater and JT/bowen videos.
There were some grabs doing the media rounds before the last SOO game where Joey tore the Toads a new one in 2005.

What is it all these 7's do?
Straighten the attack.
Then look out before playing back inside.

What does our 6 and 7 do?
Nothing remotely close to this.
Sideways.
Sideways.
Sideways.

What does ramien do?
Sideways.
Whos Hynes favourite runner?
Nikora?....Plays out to this guy heading back into defence.
Brailey?
Scoots and then runs sideways and circles looking for a runner.

Our straightest runner?
Mcplod.
But never looks like passing. Dives for a quick PTB.

Wonder what % of our tries are scored outside the centre third of the field?
 

Since 73

First Grade
Messages
7,599
...2nd phase play and support play are 2 different things.

Our 2nd phase looks more often than not like this:
Ball runner - generally OK - runs into defenders, halts, turns arse-about and flops it out the back. Teammate recieves the ball and immediately goes sideways with a pass to a guy who is well covered by defence and who then tries some poor SBW imitation lob which invariably results in the ball being lost or a tackle being made 15 metres back from where OK originally passed back.
There's nothing spontaneous about this, nor instinctive. It is pre-meditated and thus OK hits the line telegraphing the play and defensive line umbrellas and halts it going any further.

As a rule, we do not run support play in the centre third of the field
 

Frenzy.

Post Whore
Messages
53,597
There was a great try last week by the bulldogs.
Sexton ran straight and picked up mahoney on the inside.

Slow defenders hate inside support because they've turned their shoulders out. Most will just make a half hearted effort through tiredness and the fact the ballrunner has gone.
Dolphins are running up huge scores because the young 7 is a true exponent of this play. I'd bet $5 Kristen Wolf has him watching Cronk/slater and JT/bowen videos.
There were some grabs doing the media rounds before the last SOO game where Joey tore the Toads a new one in 2005.

What is it all these 7's do?
Straighten the attack.
Then look out before playing back inside.

What does our 6 and 7 do?
Nothing remotely close to this.
Sideways.
Sideways.
Sideways.

What does ramien do?
Sideways.
Whos Hynes favourite runner?
Nikora?....Plays out to this guy heading back into defence.
Brailey?
Scoots and then runs sideways and circles looking for a runner.

Our straightest runner?
Mcplod.
But never looks like passing. Dives for a quick PTB.

Wonder what % of our tries are scored outside the centre third of the field?
Ask, and you shall receive

From https://www.statsinsider.com.au/sport-hub/nrl/left-right

1751612096566.png
 

Since 73

First Grade
Messages
7,599
Ha. Here's one I prepared earlier.

So we are top 2?
Surprise surprise Sgt Carter!

I checked the data for 2019 and the average is high 20s and 1 or 2 in the 30s.
Average this year high teens so a trend of the game.
Support play through the middle is in decline.
I would say most tries in the middle are forwards like Tom and AFB crashing over.

I imagine coaches are terrified of poor ball security and would rather hit it up the middle than ball play.
Would there be a spot for a Gav Miller today?

Interestingly with this trend of one out hitups through the middle I reckon ball security is as bad as it's ever been.
 
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