We're doing alright

[Eelementary]

Here everyone is complaining that we don't perform well enough. Well, in 2005 we did perform well enough - and where did that get us?

We're 6 weeks away from the finals. Anything can happen between now and then. We're yet to welcome back our courageous skipper, our lethal fullback and I believe our best option at lock, Daniel Wagon. Flying in under the radar, playing less than perfect football at this stage, could be the best thing that ever happened to us. ;-)

 

[JessEel]

Just an update to go with this... Burty said last night he's 5 weeks away... and counting down!

 

[Eelementary]

That's great news!

See? #Always look on the bright side of life#

 

[Twizzle]

we're still third on the ladder, better than last year considering all the players we let go

 

[JOB 3:14]

I know it's not all doom and gloom, but it was just a very bitter pill to swallow, considering we were on the verge of blowing Manly away.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Here everyone is complaining that we don't perform well enough. Well, in 2005 we did perform well enough - and where did that get us?

I'm sick of staying positive. Every year we start poorly and I defend this team of f**king losers to other fans and every year they let me down.

If ever there was a day when a team with any heart was going to win a match it was yesterday - we were at home, in front of 20 thousand, against our arch rivals, and against the smug little scumbag who betrayed us.

Mate, the Knights or even the Panthers would've won yesterday, especially after leading at halftime. The Bulldogs would've put 50 on them and put Lyon in hospital.

But not us. Manly are a team known for losing big matches and we still managed to let them smash us in the second half.

I'm sick of defending them.

We're 6 weeks away from the finals. Anything can happen between now and then. We're yet to welcome back our courageous skipper, our lethal fullback and I believe our best option at lock, Daniel Wagon. Flying in under the radar, playing less than perfect football at this stage, could be the best thing that ever happened to us. ;-)

I seriously doubt it but I certainly do hope you're right.

 

[hineyrulz]

I'm sick of staying positive. Every year we start poorly and I defend this team of f**king losers to other fans and every year they let me down.

If ever there was a day when a team with any heart was going to win a match it was yesterday - we were at home, in front of 20 thousand, against our arch rivals, and against the smug little scumbag who betrayed us.

Mate, the Knights or even the Panthers would've won yesterday, especially after leading at halftime. The Bulldogs would've put 50 on them and put Lyon in hospital.

But not us. Manly are a team known for losing big matches and we still managed to let them smash us in the second half.

I'm sick of defending them.



I seriously doubt it but I certainly do hope you're right.

I have to agree, yesterday we had the chance to put Manly away and send that fat prick away a loser. Instead in the 2nd half we come out with a bad attitude and get blown away in the end.

 

[lucablight]

So pretty much what you're saying is that we should sit here and hope our team flukily gets it together during the finals instead of hoping they build up to something and get it right now?

 

[PARRA_FAN]

If we want to stay 3rd or 4th, we can only afford to lose 1-2 more games.

We're still able to match with the top sides, and pretty comfortable position, but lets not get too carried away when we play teams like Cronulla, Dragons. Every game's a elimination semi.

 

[CrazyEel]

Yeah, I think we have done very well so far this season, to be honest better than I expected at the beginning of the year actually.

Apart from the Tigers I don't think we have played a full game at our best yet and am starting to feel that for once we are actually building to having our best games when it will matter most. And that would indeed make for a pleasant change.

 

[ParraDude_Jay]

So because we played well in 2005 and didn't win, by playing poorly in 2007 we will win?

... makes sense.

 

[Eelementary]

So pretty much what you're saying is that we should sit here and hope our team flukily gets it together during the finals instead of hoping they build up to something and get it right now?

If you want to do well now, rather than at the time it really matters, then so be it.

And this isn't about "we played well in 2005 and lost, so we play poorly in 2007 and win". It's about the fact (which people seem to be forgetting) that we're not putting 80-minute performances together, we're missing key players and we're still competitive with the top teams.

Once again, the point of the thread was to highlight the fact that we have 6 weeks to go of the regular season, and in that time we may see our key players start to come back. Combine that with some fine-tuning from the coaching staff, and we're alright. I'd much rather be flying under the radar and have everyone dismiss us, as compred to flying high and choking as we've done so often before.

 

[Eelementary]

And what's all this praise for the Bulldogs? They were extremely fortunate against the Dragons. Ryan should have been sent off, El Masri's first try was not a try and SBW's try was a questionable toss of the coin at best. The Doggies aren't travelling as well as you people seem to make them out to be.

 

[hippy]

I'm sick of staying positive. Every year we start poorly and I defend this team of f**king losers to other fans and every year they let me down.

If ever there was a day when a team with any heart was going to win a match it was yesterday - we were at home, in front of 20 thousand, against our arch rivals, and against the smug little scumbag who betrayed us.

Mate, the Knights or even the Panthers would've won yesterday, especially after leading at halftime. The Bulldogs would've put 50 on them and put Lyon in hospital.

But not us. Manly are a team known for losing big matches and we still managed to let them smash us in the second half.

I'm sick of defending them.

Awww Poupou. I know it is difficult but I thought you were the one person who could smack away all the negative critters with me!

Do not give up on them yet. There were promising signs yesterday! There really were. We just need to dig a little big deeper - we are almost there!

Keep your head up! Don't let the negative vibes get to you - it is no fun being a Negative Nelly! ;-) It is so much more fun to be idealistic!

 

[goboggo]

LOL at Pou pou. I think it would have been much more frustrating watching on tele. At the ground it felt like we were part of that Manly-Parra history. I enjoyed the day, and still think we can go alright. If I was watching on tele I would have been throwing stuff around the room.

This is a different team to the Parra teams of the last few years and I don't know why people are surprised at the way we play tbh. This team has a lot of kids who won the lower-grade comps, and they did it without having to dig too deep. They were too good for the other lower-grade teams. Hagan's Newcastle sides also played with that "you score one, we score two" mentality. So the week-to-week battle and the ability to be up for the entire 80 minutes was always going to be a struggle. This doesn't mean we can't win the comp. It's just a different way of getting there.

The comparison to '05 is interesting though, because it shows how the two teams differ. In '05 we really built into a solid unit. We had a structure that allowed us to turn the screws on teams so that we would run over the top of them by the end of the game. But as we saw this didn't help us for the big games when teams stood up to us.

This side is based more around natural ability. Sure, they haven't really put together a consistent 80 minute performance yet, but neither did Penrith in '03 - until the Grand Final, a game in which they played with much more intensity than any other game that year. We can make it to the second-last week of the season (and possibly even the GF) on natural talent alone, but we need something extra to win it.

Have we left it too late to really aim up find that bit of extra tenacity that we need? Possibly, and possibly this side won't blossom until next year. But the good thing is that we have a tough few games ahead. Our draw might be the biggest aid to our cause, as it gradually prepares us for Finals Football.

And we definitely need our senior forwards back on the park. The guys that step up from Prems are good players, but they aren't Premiership winning material yet. We might be able to carry one of them for big games, but no more.

 

[Eelementary]

LOL at Pou pou. I think it would have been much more frustrating watching on tele. At the ground it felt like we were part of that Manly-Parra history. I enjoyed the day, and still think we can go alright. If I was watching on tele I would have been throwing stuff around the room.

This is a different team to the Parra teams of the last few years and I don't know why people are surprised at the way we play tbh. This team has a lot of kids who won the lower-grade comps, and they did it without having to dig too deep. They were too good for the other lower-grade teams. Hagan's Newcastle sides also played with that "you score one, we score two" mentality. So the week-to-week battle and the ability to be up for the entire 80 minutes was always going to be a struggle. This doesn't mean we can't win the comp. It's just a different way of getting there.

The comparison to '05 is interesting though, because it shows how the two teams differ. In '05 we really built into a solid unit. We had a structure that allowed us to turn the screws on teams so that we would run over the top of them by the end of the game. But as we saw this didn't help us for the big games when teams stood up to us.

This side is based more around natural ability. Sure, they haven't really put together a consistent 80 minute performance yet, but neither did Penrith in '03 - until the Grand Final, a game in which they played with much more intensity than any other game that year. We can make it to the second-last week of the season (and possibly even the GF) on natural talent alone, but we need something extra to win it.

Have we left it too late to really aim up find that bit of extra tenacity that we need? Possibly, and possibly this side won't blossom until next year. But the good thing is that we have a tough few games ahead. Our draw might be the biggest aid to our cause, as it gradually prepares us for Finals Football.

And we definitely need our senior forwards back on the park. The guys that step up from Prems are good players, but they aren't Premiership winning material yet. We might be able to carry one of them for big games, but no more.

Very interesting points.

On 2005, my initial point was only to say, "Hey - in 2005 we did exactly what people are complaining about us not doing now, and we choked!" And look at us now - a team with rookies and missing key players and we're still competitive against the top sides without us hitting our full strides. Did we play brilliantly on Sunday? No. No way. We could have done better. But in essence, that's what pleases me - we lost by only 8 to a full-strength Manly side, currently sitting pretty in second place, whilst we had all sorts of disruptions, didn't play our best and switched off a bit. There's a bit there to be happy about, is all I'm saying.

 

[eels_fan_01]

Manly and Parra played one of their best games this year and Manly came on top this time although i think our 2nd half is a problem you cant really bag their effort on Sunday in my opinion.