vs. Australia 4 Nations

[Cold Roses]

Bad effort to let Fergusson out.
Not sure about why a penalty.

Unforgivable effort there. A repeat set was essential. Had them under pressure.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Offloads making it entertaining, Aussie has great scramble defense.
50/50 there on Kahu pass that found the ground.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Blair you idiot, cant go over player like that, 5th tackle penalty.
Aussie taking the 2.
4-14
Have to score twice in 9mins.
Dont see it happening.

 

[Cold Roses]

Really poor errors and dumb penalties have cost us any chance of competing in this game.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

And a SKD special.
He can't play again can he?
How.did we get ball back?
What a stupid kick from the scrum!!!!!!
Anyone know it was on?

 

[Burns]

Can't see anything that can be improved for the match against Aus in the Final

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Really poor errors and dumb penalties have cost us any chance of competing in this game.

With less than 5 to go main positive is keeping Aussie out in second half.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

That's the off the cuff shit that seems to be how we can score.
Thank f**k SKD caught it.
SJ missed conversion. f**k.
8-14
2mins to go.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

SJ gets the kick right for a repeat set in final mins

 

[Philip_Smith007]

SJ dances thru the line to be held up!
f**kity f**k f**k
Great defense by Aussie

 

[Cold Roses]

Can't see anything that can be improved for the match against Aus in the Final

I think we can take massive confidence out of the last 15 minutes of that game. We showed we can seriously trouble the Australian defence if we can just get up into their 20 metres consistently. They just need to play an offloading game up in the line. Reduced errors and not conceding dumb penalties and we're in that game.

 

[Cold Roses]

With less than 5 to go main positive is keeping Aussie out in second half.

2 tries apiece in the end. The game against Scotland is the perfect opportunity to see if we can get our attack to click leading (hopefully) into the final.

 

[Cold Roses]

That SJ to Proctor right edge really isn't working. We made good inroads into the Australian right edge defence when Lueluai started getting the ball on our left side.

Did Eastwood make it back on the field? Small minutes if not.

 

[LeagueNut]

Can't see anything that can be improved for the match against Aus in the Final

I'm with Burns, it'll be an Anzac final and we'll go down by 20 - 30 points. Bugger all go-forward, no game management, no Plan B. We look tired and out of ideas, Australia look calm and composed - plus they've probably got another two or three gears to use if they need to.

And WTF was that first tackle kick from the scrum.

 

[Rich102]

Oi. Oz.
Do you have a whare-back guarantee with your tips?

 

[jaseg]

The game smacked of a coach who is still very much figuring out how to do his job.

Taupau needed more minutes, not less (what the @ keeping him held back for so long). Same with Mau.

Sounding like a broken record at this point, but Takairangi should've been in this squad, and he should've been in this team over butterfingers. Without SKD we had a very good chance at scoring two more tries today - the ball to Johnson following the Rapana break, and the 2-on-1 break engineered (by Johnson?) on the right hand side inside Australia's half.

TL offers nothing yet again at 6, and this time over-commits in defence to gift the Kangaroos both their tries. Some seriously loose tackling in that first half an hour across the board too. Would be lovely to have a Te Maire Martin to inject off the bench... it's not like Brown offers anything, and if Luke really needs 10-15 minutes off (I doubt it), TL can move to dummy half.

Beale was... ok. Did a couple of above average things, and a couple of below average things. Would have preferred a guy who can make plays (a stronger runner - Fus - would be nice in those early tackles).

Ref was bad, unsurprisingly. I don't think the guy knows what offside is. Not sure if there was a set during that whole game where the Kangaroos were onside for every tackle. Most sets they were pretty clearly offside for 2-3 tackles (brilliantly, one time the ref yelled "go" to the line... who were already 3 metres in front of him. no penalty though, of course). Inconsistency in ruck rulings was frustrating too.

Why can't we just have a neutral ref? If nothing else, to avoid a seriously bad, unprofessional look. Are the people running this thing actually that rubbish at their jobs?

 

[Rich102]

Agree about the neutral ref. Let's not have any allegations of bias. (I didn't think he was bad.)

How long are we going to keep giving away stupid penalties?

I think Aussie have another gear, not sure we have.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

In regards to Beale, I just don't see how you hope to achieve beating the best side in the world (I know what the rankings say, Australia are the best) by picking a guy who's been playing reserve grade most of the year. Same with Lewis Brown. You know what you're getting with these journeymen. They're squad fillers at NRL level expected to shape up to the best in the game.

I think we all know SKD can't play another game, as well.

All you can defend Kidwell with is you hope he's learning/holding something back for the final.

 

[jaseg]

Agree about the neutral ref. Let's not have any allegations of bias. (I didn't think he was bad.)

How long are we going to keep giving away stupid penalties?

I think Aussie have another gear, not sure we have.

Yeah, while I did think the ref had a bad game, in no way am I thinking it was caused by some sort of bias - but the fact is, administrators are making it very easy to give the game a black eye with this nonsense. I also don't think the ref is to blame for the defeat - if there's a main causal factor, SKD is probably it.. for the second game vs them in a row.

------------

The interchange is annoying me. I'd love to see a schedule something like

20m
Blair off, Taupau on

30m
Bromwich off, Eastwood on
Taumalolo off, Mau on

HALFTIME

50m
Harris off, Taumalolo on

55m
Taupau off, Bromwich on
Eastwood off, Blair on

60m
Proctor off, Harris on

65m
Blair off, Taupau on
Leuluai off, Martin on

70m
Mau off, Proctor on

If injuries strike, you don't bother rotating the edge guys in and out during the second half (preferably just leaving Ma'u out there for the duration) and use those changes as necessary. The edge rotation is really only in there because the Storm guys look tired, and Ma'u needs more minutes. Easy enough to take one off at the 50m mark and have Ma'u play out the game from that point.

This assumes Blair starting, Martin (getting 15 mins) on the bench for Brown, and gives the following minutes if no interruptions (also means the longest any middle plays without interruption is 30 minutes - both Taumalolo stints and Bromwich's first half);
60 Taumalolo
55 Bromwich
50 Taupau
40 Ma'u
30 Blair
25 Eastwood
70 Harris
70 Proctor

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

From memory, I don't think Mau, Blair, JWH/Beastwood, Proctor or Harris has made over 100m in the last 3 games.
Lewis Brown a wasted spot on the bench. We're better than what we've showing, but jeeze were making in difficult for ourselves hey.
Fusitua to centre next match? Martin at 6 and TL on the bench for Lewis Brown.