Strength and Conditioning Issue

[shaggs]

Are we physically weak?

Are the better teams, prepared better each and every week?

Are our defensive issues a direct result of a lack of power and strength?

Do we sit and wait on the line, rather than move up because we aren’t conditioned enough to maintain any sort of intensity?

The S&C guys had us tuned to the minute in 2016. These same techniques burnt the squad out over the next two seasons. Every club needs new ideas and methods, but have we got those guys?

For me, the squad doesn’t look hard enough. They don’t hit and stick. They don’t hit hard. This is a training thing. If you feel mentally that you can compete in every play, then you are more likely.
We start each game flat, are we overdone Pre game?

Penrith are the benchmark, because they are strong, fast and fit.
Even an under strength roosters side barely missed a beat, because every member is physically up to whatever task. They know any bloke will a job in any position when needed.

Thoughts?

 

[Card Shark]

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head but I feel it’s part of an overall problem that someone mentioned about no more hard arses leading the team.

I’m thinking we had a less than intense off-season & now its coming back to bite us.

I’m interested in your thoughts...do you not come from this sort of background?

 

[shaggs]

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head but I feel it’s part of an overall problem that someone mentioned about no more hard arses leading the team.

I’m thinking we had a less than intense off-season & now its coming back to bite us.

I’m interested in your thoughts...do you not come from this sort of background?

Yes and no.
In a past life. I always say I’m an exercise and sport scientist trapped inside a radiation scientists mortgage.

My main concern is the hit and stick, we get bumped off a lot. And apart from talakai how many guys find their front and win the ruck with the ball. Every play, Penrith wins the ruck. Both attack and defence.

This is a strength issue. Not hard enough.

 

[bluefox68]

So, the person we should be poaching is not a Penrith player, but a Penrith trainer?!

 

[Frenzy.]

Are we physically weak?

Are the better teams, prepared better each and every week? Don't know

Are our defensive issues a direct result of a lack of power and strength? Yes, we have team of kids not conditioned to the NRL

Do we sit and wait on the line, rather than move up because we aren’t conditioned enough to maintain any sort of intensity? Yes- as above. I think they are working on better to keep the line than take up some blokes fats but staggered

The S&C guys had us tuned to the minute in 2016. These same techniques burnt the squad out over the next two seasons. Every club needs new ideas and methods, but have we got those guys? Don't know

For me, the squad doesn’t look hard enough. They don’t hit and stick. They don’t hit hard. This is a training thing. If you feel mentally that you can compete in every play, then you are more likely.
We start each game flat, are we overdone Pre game? - My thoughts are elsewhere in this medium but in essence these thoughts dovetail into mine.

Penrith are the benchmark, because they are strong, fast and fit.
Even an under strength roosters side barely missed a beat, because every member is physically up to whatever task. They know any bloke will a job in any position when needed.

Thoughts?

 

[Frenzy.]

So, the person we should be poaching is not a Penrith player, but a Penrith trainer?!

No. We need a 200 game forward. Tamou fits the bill.

 

[ghoti]

Yeah I think pretty much hits it on the head

The attack/defence/inconsistency issue is kinda comin down to physicality in a sense...
As you both alluded to above, the timing of youth to firsts is out of whack, ball skills are at an NRL level but physicality is a year or two behind. Good example of what we're NOT is 2016's youth vs experience balance...Bird, Holmes, Capewell etc were a little underdone but had good strong developed and experienced players around em to cover for them in games and to train against...this year it's all youth and bodies waiting to fill out (c.f. Ronaldo, Kennedy, Wilton) all struggling to dominate in contact. First 10 mins of the Penrith game there were three in the tackle grabbing at thighs and shoulders and failing in the wrestle to the ground...it's hard to be at the top of the comp in the contest, but even in training you have sub-standard bodies to train against so how can you meet the top 4 standard in games? I'm hoping this year gets the bulk of the squad experienced for next year and we fill in a couple senior guys (fkn NEED a Tamou for sure if Friday showed us anything) to buffer the squad for a serious contender run in 2022/2023.

 

[snout]

Its frightening how quick a club can lose its DNA/culture.
The slide from what we were just over 3 years ago to what we are now.
From Bon scott and Angus to NKOTB.

But its also exciting how quick a club can lose this new culture.
Because at the moment we are gay.
Not that theres anything wrong with that.

The answer is the right buys.
Because ghese guys DO NOT HAVE IT.
Woods.
Brayley.
Kennedy.
Williams.
Sorenson.
Others.

The injection of JUST 2 guys in 2016...ennis and maloney... into what we already had took the rest of them to another level.

We need a James graham. A josh jackson. An Andrew mcullough. An ethan Lowe. Chad macqeen. Blokes who have played SOO, are looking for a 1 year deal and can bring some steel.

Oh yeah, and phfark sharon woods off to anywhere but here.

 

[Chimp]

Yes and no.
In a past life. I always say I’m an exercise and sport scientist trapped inside a radiation scientists mortgage.

My main concern is the hit and stick, we get bumped off a lot. And apart from talakai how many guys find their front and win the ruck with the ball. Every play, Penrith wins the ruck. Both attack and defence.

This is a strength issue. Not hard enough.

Agree with this in principle, but there are some other nuances that play a part in terms of technique and tactics.

In attack, Penrith clearly set out to hit the gap between the markers and A defender hard and fast - they’re don’t do much of the struggling for an extra few meters - they fly in at full speed and aim to either bust or hit their front and get a quick ptb, for the next drive - and they keep rolling tackle after tackle until they’ve left defenders on the ground, then Api darts, or they fire it wide early. You can see very clearly this is an approach they take week after week - we don’t seem to have that set defined way of playing.
In terms of defence, again, whilst strength and conditioning certainly is a huge part, our defensive structures across the park are dreadful. We don’t seem to jam in up the middle, and our edge defenders (apart from Dugan) are like headless chickens - it’s entirely a game of chance as to whether they choose the right runner to defend.

 

[BatteredFlake]

Intensity in training as well as game ...Right buys , Cull some who dont get it and never will. Get Lewis, Gallen , Ennis , around the club more .and find their current equivalents , AND a Fullback
Im thinking its more this .. than needing a head coach to scream and yell, kick arse etc! I just don't see intensity, and focus and commitment as being instilled through ranting, raving tantrums by head coaches. Surely having hardheads in the side leading the way and systems in place that make focus and intensity a state of mind in training and even more in game day is the more effective way to go .

 

[Blues Riff]

Not to rub your noses in it Sharkies, but check out the excellent video series "Preparing the Panthers" It filled me with great confidence over the off season. Probly make you guys sick though. See you in the finals.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHQOq_bsBkhLDFB0-6iJctncJ01PFMuDI

 

[chewsta]

One thing that has always bugged me is our warm up before games. It's twice as long as any other team warm up ive ever seen. Its flat out from start to finish and most of our guys are drenched and sucking in the big ones by the end of it. As has been mentioned, we have quite a few blokes that are in their first few games of NRL. Surely the massive warm ups we do are fatiguing some of these blokes before the whistle has even been blown.

 

[Cheese sandwich]

4th tackle settling hit ups aside, we miss Gal a lot more than i ever thought we would. This side has a lot of promise going forward but as has been said a few old hard head forwards are needed.

Such a pity fifita is busted as he's the perfect forward leader this pack needs at the moment.

 

[Tiger Shark]

This place is turning into the Sharks Facebook groups more and more each day. That's not a good thing haha

Now we're blaming the S&C coaches? Do you know who's our is, or his qualifications ? Probably not but it's something else to blame and whack "issue" on the end of I guess.

As for intensity of off season it was mentioned by a few it was the most intense there's been at the Sharks in years. And it's Bomber's first proper pre season, he seems like a coach that adapts and learns so it'll only get better.

As it's been wisely mentioned, a lot of these guys are still kids. Some have only had one or two preseasons in total. There's al ot of development to be made with these guys and we probably won't be a genuine threat till 2022 imo. Gives the current group experience and sprinkle in some good recruitment/ jettison dead wood *cough cough Moylan cough cough* and a full cap to work with.

I agree we need a few more hard heads. Shame we lost Jmoz the little bitch. He would have been great to have around. Think we need some more experience in the middle, so for that I like the Tamou interest. Think he'd be perfect for the squad.

 

[Craigshark]

I wouldn’t know, but just looking at how fit Morris looks I doubt pre season training would have been a bludge.

Agree with others. We need Tamou or a player like him.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

As Tiger Shark said still a lot of younger guys in the team adjusting to what’s required in First Grade. Newtown is a big step up.

But the first tackler falling off can be also put down to a lack of intensity. When that game kicked off against the Panthers on the weekend we were as flat as the Adelaide Oval Cricket pitch.

No intensity, no grit and a lack of enthusiasm.

The old saying if you run harder and tackle harder than the opposition you have a great chance of beating them.

Well this year we have been losing a lot of the collisions and been in cruise mode way to often.

 

[Frenzy.]

Not to rub your noses in it Sharkies, but check out the excellent video series "Preparing the Panthers" It filled me with great confidence over the off season. Probly make you guys sick though. See you in the finals.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHQOq_bsBkhLDFB0-6iJctncJ01PFMuDI

Doesn't make me sick Riff. It's great and validates everything I've been saying about Sharks kids.

Not that I need validation

Being a genius and all

 

[Frenzy.]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHQOq_bsBkhLDFB0-6iJctncJ01PFMuDI

HAHA "From yoga to yoyo tests, the Panthers kick off pre-season training under the watchful eye of Head of Performance Hayden Knowles."

You know we've been going steadily backwards since our yoga coach got the arse.

Has there been a replacement?

 

[Blues Riff]

HAHA "From yoga to yoyo tests, the Panthers kick off pre-season training under the watchful eye of Head of Performance Hayden Knowles."

You know we've been going steadily backwards since our yoga coach got the arse.

Has there been a replacement?

Best bit's the Army Boot Camp (ep 6/7)

 

[bluefox68]

Not to rub your noses in it Sharkies, but check out the excellent video series "Preparing the Panthers" It filled me with great confidence over the off season. Probly make you guys sick though. See you in the finals.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHQOq_bsBkhLDFB0-6iJctncJ01PFMuDI

Mate - I think you'll find that there are a lot of RL supporters going for Penrith in the finals (including me). I lived in Bathurst for 11 years, coached junior (Bathurst) Panthers out there, and my two sons played for them for years!

Once the Sharks exit in Week 1 (LOL) - it'll be Panthers all the way!!!