What now?

[thickos]

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to appreciate all of us are hurting right now. We're all passionate Raiders fans (legend deep down I know you haven't lost the passion mate), and no one likes seeing the side drop 5 in a row to slide from first to 9th.

All of us are armchair experts - what is the answer?

Attack is again proving a problem, Newcastle excluded we are vying for the worst attack in the comp with Souths. Even with Jason Smith present we weren't piling on the points. Again, the same problem from 2004 is biting again - we have no idea in the opposition 20. Why? Is it the cattle, the coaching?

Attitude I think has to be a big part of it. Some of the tries yesterday were soft. Patten didn't have a finger laid on him. Where was the urgency on the grubber for Anasta's try?

Each week there are a number of reasonable performances individually. Alan Tongue was heroic against the Broncos, Lomu was good, Schif made a good return. Thompson killed em up the front. Yesterday Ale looked like he belonged in the top grade, and Josh Miller - take a bow. If only everyone else played with the same heart.

If only.

For every good individual peerformance, there is a dud one. Dead wood and guys on borrowed time. But despite the injury toll we put out on the paddock what should be a reasonable team. And if we're so tight knit as a club, where are the strong team performances? We look like 17 individuals out there.

The Raiders Army have a simple slogan 'Believe.' After Penrith I believed. That was a comeback of heroic proportions.

It was also our last victory.

Where did that fighting spirit go? Because at the moment I am finding it hard to believe.

The fire will always burn, but the light is getting harder to see each week.

 

[Raider_69]

what now? well ive got some rope and a few sharpe objects... raiders party at my house?

 

[legend]

Prayer. And lots of it.

We are a team devoid of ideas and we play to the simplest game plan imaginable and still manage to f**k it up royally!

 

[brenno]

Somebody get a witch doctor onto Weyman and Jason Smith and get them back on the field asap.

 

[Boing Boing]

Good post 69. The first game I've missed this year. I know the pain, I've had many long trips home this season. God knows what will happen next week.

 

[legend]

How about punt the coach? Even our 2003 game plan was far more attractive. We used to just roll over the ad line but this year our forwards bar Miller and Adamson are going backwards or at best, sideways.

 

[Raider_69]

ok ive thought about it... here's what we do
we hope and pray something happens between now and next season to change things, such as elliot getting the punt, or elliot learning how to coach, or our players start doing something... ill keep the rope and sharpe objects on stand by, if nothing changes come 2006... ill buy more rope, sharpen the objects and we'll kick season 2006 six off the in style

 

[legend]

I'm there!

 

[ausraider]

How about punt the coach? Even our 2003 game plan was far more attractive. We used to just roll over the ad line but this year our forwards bar Miller and Adamson are going backwards or at best, sideways.

Iam with you on this one legend.Past 3 seasons this coach has brought nothing new to the team.Same boring one dimensional plays every week.Oppositions know what we are going to do even before the ball is kicked.Withers has no idea of even how to be imagnitve in attack without Smith.This week is really looking bleak but lets hang in there with the boys and if the saying has any merit of after every defeat you get closer to a win lets hope its this week against the sleak looking Cowboys.As for my game plan for this week Elliott plan. A we play through the middle for first 3 tackles than let the backs rip in for next two.Surprise the opposition by running on the last on the very first set and no mid field bombs.Find open space with kicks with good chase.Lets play little expensive but within our limits and with big Cowboys forward tackle in numbers without letting off loads.This is where the fast backs will hurt us.Tongue to be on Thurston all day long.
By the way I think Boxhead Walters would make a good coach?What do you guys think.

Team
1 Schif
2Chalk
3Ale
4 Howell
5Frawley
6Carney
7Withers(until Smith comes back)
8Lomu
9Woolford
10Miller(if fit)/Thomson
11Hindmarsh
12Tongue
13Campese

14Kahler
15Croker
16Hodgson
17Thomson/Raston

 

[twistedbydesign]

Somehow we are gonna need to score some tries this week, there is no way we can keep the Cowboys down to a couple of tries and sneak a win.

It is plain to see that Linc and Campo haven't the playmaking skills to create enough opportunities. Even though his not playing especially well I think Carney on the bench in place of Gafa is worth a go.

Maybe we could create some opportunities by running some mobile forwards, Hodgson, Tongue and Rothery come to mind, a couple of passes wide and trying to catch them out on the fringes. Chalk and Shif are reasonable support players who may be able to capitalise if these guys can beat a tackle or get an arm free.

I dunno, but the current tactics won't work, thats for sure.

 

[Raider Crusader]

At the moment we don't have a real 'prop' to give us go-forward (except maybe Miller). No more charging up the middle, because we don't have the big men to do it. I say we let Miller, Thommo, and Hindy take the first few hit-ups, and then spread the ball out to the fast guys.
Howell, Chalk, and Frawley can break the line, and this is where we will actually score some points. Get guys like Withers and Schif running out wide to support a half-break by someone like Howell and we'll score for sure. At the moment, running up the middle ain't working, so we need to move the ball out wide...

 

[legend]

I don't understand what is so hard about scoring a try? Have a look at the Patten try. If Schif hit the line at full speed off a decent inside ball against a sliding defence, he would score 9 times out of 10. It's just a matter of the player with the ball in had sliding to the right, getting the defence to slide with him, then turn it back on the angle to a player hitting the line at speed. It's very simple but extremely effective.

I guess it's just me but I always thought a run around then a hand off to an inside player would be effective or to further complicate matters, have two runners in a run around movement, starting with the half to the five eighth, then back to the half with a runner inside and outside. It would create confusion for the opposition and give the half three options against a defence that could be sliding in different directions.

Campo's bombs were hideous.

 

[Raider_69]

ok ive thought about it... here's what we do
we hope and pray something happens between now and next season to change things, such as elliot getting the punt, or elliot learning how to coach, or our players start doing something... ill keep the rope and sharpe objects on stand by, if nothing changes come 2006... ill buy more rope, sharpen the objects and we'll kick season 2006 six off the in style

Good news
after this weeks team was named i decided to bring forward the party, its this weekend before we get spanked by the cowboys

 

[Purtell The Turtle]

I keep saying it, the attack problem is a lack of DEPTH. Runners aren't running onto the ball, decoy runners are fooling nobody. You need Depth to create something, and we don't know how to do that at this stage. Get depth, some decoy runners, and you will score tries. Works when J.Smith is on the field.

 

[ausraider]

I keep saying it, the attack problem is a lack of DEPTH. Runners aren't running onto the ball, decoy runners are fooling nobody. You need Depth to create something, and we don't know how to do that at this stage. Get depth, some decoy runners, and you will score tries. Works when J.Smith is on the field.

J Smith knows how to orgarnise the attack.He dictates players where to run and so forth.Gaffa doesn't know if he is on the field playing or watching the game from close range.He has been Mr destroy it so far, with so much appreciation from Elliott for him I haven't seen him do anything even close to exciting, now let alone fixing it Elliott. I just hope that the score doesn't get too embrassing.We must be just about tipping NewCastle for the injury count now.I know its harsh to throw Carney in the mix when we know that this could be a real belting, but Smith coming back next week CArney has to take #7 with Withers to bench.At least than we are looking towards our future.

 

[Brimmer]

BODIES IN MOTION

I agree with schif happens on this one. We are pedestrian in the backline. We need all players hitting the line at full pace.

 

[Macko8]

yeah brandon pearson(costin) was a good example a few years back....can some1 tell me whether his related to Jack Pearson in PL?

 

[legend]

Chalk would be awesome at it too if he was given a chance. If I have one criticism of Schif, it's that he doesn't hit the line at pace often enough, bette still, hardly at all. He jinks and steps but if he ran like a bull at a gate then he would break the first tackle almost every time.

 

[thickos]

Chalk is an awesome hole runner, no doubt about that.

There was a classic case of bodies NOT in motion on the weekend - we spread it wide (for once!) when we were down by 12, and along the line it went... no drifting across field, no hitting it at pace - we generated an overlap out to Howell just by passing it quickly enough but he was so flat footed he stood no chance to do anything on his little run downfield.

What made me even more mad was the simplicity of the Patten try, hitting a pass from Corey Hughes at pace and scoring untouched. It's not that hard to do Raiders!

Everyone's hurting right now because, even if we do lose, we want the team to have a dig and play with some heart - something for us to be proud of.