What are we missing?

[aqua_duck]

honestly what are we missing?
*2 centres who can attack and defend, Tahu is good in attack but junk in defence, Sau and Naiqama are shit in both
*A backrower who gives a shit in defence, good riddance Zeb, welcome Beau Scott
*2 extra props who can make metres and not drop the ball
*A halfback who can take charge and execute
*A hooker who can pass backwards and also penetrate from dummy half

 

[Burwood]

Tonight we were missing one thing- Thurston. He wasn't playing and I'd go as far as saying that we would have won tonight.

 

[aqua_duck]

Yeh but there aren't any JTs on the open market

 

[Rod]

I realise that was a very frustrating loss, but Burwood is right, Thurston ripped us to shreds almost single-handedly and sometimes you just have to respect class.

I thought we were pretty good all in all, a million times better than last week. They got 2 lucky tries and one gifted to them by that pass that wasn't called forward. Sure we still aren't crossing the line with regularity but tonight we were doing everything but.

 

[RABK]

We'll just have to wait and see how active we are in the player market.

I'd be jaw dropped to the ground dumbfounded if Beau Scott is the only player Bennett signs. He'd surely be asking for Tinks to send the chequebook over after tonight.

 

[Burwood]

Yeh but there aren't any JTs on the open market

True, but only 8 months ago Cronulla supporters were in their forum asking the exact same question you are asking tonight. Yet here we are in 2012 and they are a top 4 team thanks to a player that should have been under contract at another club but was released early.

That player is of course Mark Taufua

 

[Whats Doing]

The biggest problem with the knights is we are a very slow football team.

We got blown off the park with the Cowboys speed.

It is one of the major reasons we struggle to put points on the board and we have only reached 20 points in a game once this year i recall.

Other problems

1. Roberts is not the answer at half back and does F@%k all in organising the attack. You only need to look at Sezer who has played less games than Roberts and has been behind beaten packs but he just controls the game brilliantly

2. We would have the slowest centres in the game and Sau really struggles in defence.

3. Zeb offers nothing and Costigan cannot last more than 20 minutes without a rest which is unacceptable for a back rower.

4. Hilder is just too slow at dummy half whilst Adams was much sharper.

On a positive note, I thought our front row was good and Cuthbo had one of his best games.

Some major changes are needed next year with speed in the centres, an organising half (Sezer is available with Gids to hooker), a backrower to assist Scott and a prop.

I would not be sorry to see Sau, Nagaima, Costigan, Hilder,Zeb, Faas, Evarn leave when their contracts are up.

 

[Rod]

I thought Evarn was very good tonight.

 

[aqua_duck]

Agree 100% about the speed thing, half of it comes down to lack of quick play the balls and half of is not having a quick dummy half. Our centres are below average.

 

[aqua_duck]

Can't believe we re-sign Sau last year

 

[Johns Magic]

We lack any sort of penetration in the backrow.

 

[Jobdog]

What are we missing?

Consistency in our performance. It's frustrating the regularity that we drift in and out of games. For the first 15 minutes tonight we looked the best we have all season, but then for the next 15 we were average. We went again for the final 10 minutes of the half and looked good.

The second half was decidedly average.

 

[doggone]

Heaps!

 

[RABK]

We lack any sort of penetration in the backrow.

This is the biggest thing i notice as well. And i know you're a student of the game like me JM and you probably watch sides like Manly, Brisbane, Souths and Melbourne who have halves who go to the line before passing to big mobile backrowers running good angles/lines who punch through the defensive line.

Mullen and whoever is his partner of the week don't take the line on and are passing to backrowers running flat lines straight into bigger defenders.

The manly and Brisbane game last night was an absolute clinic on how good halves getting flat ball to line running backrowers = line breaks and early ball to ball playing backrowers = overlaps.

We have hit up merchants in the backrow. No class there at all.

 

[Dogmatix]

It has been years since a Wayne Bennett coached team was good in attack. Coach Bennett is past it. Your team looked better under Rick Stone

 

[Fieldsguy]

I think you need 2 new centres, a creative backrower and a new fullback, and a captain who leads by example.

 

[doggone]

We need and good 6 and 7 look what one did for Cronulla.

 

[Jobdog]

We've got a good 6. And we've got an incredibly inexperienced 7.

 

[Whats Doing]

We've got a good 6. And we've got an incredibly inexperienced 7.

So have the Titans with an even more inexperienced half -5/8 but Sezer is killing it.

 

[RABK]

I'd like a halfback who moves to and across the line to hit forwards running into holes mixed in with the occasional double pump/dummy to keep the defence guessing. We are just so one dimensional as we never pass over the advantage line. It's always catch and pass 5 metres before the advantage line leaving the opposition defence 5-8 metres to adjust to the line the ball runner is taking. You need to move to the line and shut down the reaction time defenders have.

I can't blame mullen - he'll never be a brilliant ball player at the line. He's better throwing long balls at second reciever. But a quality halfback would be such a huge improvement for our side.

I actually look forward to watching Manly, Cowboys and Brisbane play more than the Knights because of the variety in attack i'll witness. DCE is great to watch.