What was it we were saying?

[westie]

So we played a good team... and, predicatably, we lost. The only predictable thing was that we weren't thoroughly hammered. Nicely enough, I think this was partly due to us turning up and playing well in a big match - though had Parra actually bothered to offload the footy, we'd not have been in contention. Mick Hagan actually did something good while in charge I spose.

As I've said for a while, we've a few players who simply aren't competent at this level... especially in key positions. Sure, players like Moltzen look flash when we're going forward, but they simply aren't available to do things like the good players do when the pressure is on.

Compare him to the top halves and fullbacks who produce trys when things are slow. Hell, compare him to Farah, our hooker who got wide twice to set up our last two trys while Moltzen and Lui shifted the ball or were simply not involved.

I don't think I need to point out that Lui is useless - we've all seen it for 2 weeks, if it wasn't obvious before. When Flegg was 21's it was ludicrous to consider pulling a half from that grade who hadn't played reserves... now it's acceptable to play a dude from 20's? Explain that one.

Ayshford? Well, compare him to Collis. Collis catches, bounces, accelerates and puts something on (if niff nuff inside him gives him the ball). Ayshford catches. Stops to sum things up. Takes off, usually towards the sideline, limiting his options and is either smashed or pushed into touch. Offers nothing except size. Peni was physically superior and far more talented (though can't catch atm).

Our pack did a job tonight, our 2 key play makers did their thing, even letting our sh*ttest players cross simply out wide. Unfortunately they lacked the support from 1 and 7 that the teams who win matches have and the killer instinct outwide.

Look what Inu did twice, the exact same move he and Tahu have been pulling on us for years, skip left around some sh*t house centre and stroll over (or send winger in). Compare this to Ayshford getting smashed or Sleau Ryan going out for his first try and dropping it for the second having been given a clear run.

Chuck in Hodgo, Prince... even Fitz, Elf, Whaturira et al to replace some reserve graders and we win that game, or at least have a decent crack.

With Tuiaki gone, we're in a very bad way.

Allow me a bit of a boast here to say I was right these last few weeks - you can however have a go as I blew a bit of cash on parra at 13+. Though I still maintain we'd have been blown off the park if they'd come with a game plan to offload at will.

 

[MacDougall]

I don't get you. What are you trying to achieve? I mean, I'm not as quick to call you out as everybody else but I don't understand what you want to achieve by making a thread like this. We played good tonight, Parra played good. Parra ARE a better side on paper. We won six on the trot when given no hope to make the eight. Our team has turned up for once when we all had lost hope. Yet you complain. Incessantly. Every week, something is wrong.

You're just a bloody wanker. Go support another team you malfunctioning automaton.

 

[sando88]

lui was only real dissapointment. wasn't involved in any attacking plays, yet he was certainly involved in all of the defending ones if u can call it defence

if tuiaki wasnt injured i feel that we would win, yeah he's only a winger but most of the game plan went out of the window with the reshuffle

 

[gronkathon]

Not a Magpie Junior = Westie thinks is sh*t

 

[TimmyB]

Absurd.

The only thing that wasn't predictable was the fact we weren't hammered. The thing is, you were the only one that predicted we would be hammered. The fact that we weren't is NOT incidental to your argument. It decimates your assertions.

 

[westie]

Ignoring the piss-take/sh*t stir that you've missed, what did you guys actually think? We played really well, and we're taken apart by a side who didn't play well? This after 6 weeks of talking the team up deluxe?

 

[MacDougall]

From my original reply.

"Parra played good. Parra ARE a better side on paper."

First time I can remember saying the Tigers played good and were beaten by a better team.

 

[westie]

So the obvious questions - why does Anderson take half a year to have his side performing better than a team which Sheens has had full control over for a number of years. How many teams are better than us? Why is there always that many teams better than us? What are the plans to improve this? Is it the guys that prove themselves to be inadequate against teams which can field a half decent line up (remembering some of the sides we beat were top 4 last year and will compete for titles before we do)?

 

[MacDougall]

So the obvious questions - why does Anderson take half a year to have his side performing better than a team which Sheens has had full control over for a number of years. How many teams are better than us? Why is there always that many teams better than us? What are the plans to improve this? Is it the guys that prove themselves to be inadequate against teams which can field a half decent line up (remembering some of the sides we beat were top 4 last year and will compete for titles before we do)?

Well because Sheens isn't a great coach I suppose, as far as playing positions and selections. I know he is a great tactician.

I said before this game. If I looked at all the clubs and had them all playing to their absolute potential I think Parramatta is the only one that beats us. Melbourne, Brisbane and St George are on our level IMO.

We have some curse on us. I don't know what's happened and we get called whingers on LU a lot but we have suffered through some of the worst refereeing, bounces of the ball and injuries to key players in the history of club RL. I know fellow supporters would agree. Rival club supporters probably wouldn't. I don't think there are always clubs better than us. Not since 2004 anyway. Before that we just had terrible coaches and admin.

I think Humphreys is moving the club inside. Looking to alternative routes to bring in players. Alternative sponsors and the like. Club has a tidy image. We are grooming our youngsters better than we ever have.

You have to remember, despite how it appears. Ryan, Lawrence, Moltzen, Ayshford are all young young men. Even Benji is still young and learning. With the natural progression of their maturity and skill they will improve and next year, even without a signing the team would be better (if they lost nobody). In saying that we HAVE lost some players (and signed some strange ones) but we have kept the young players that look the goods. There's always that Sam Burgess rumour.

Mate you really should just be stoked that we are still talking finals for this year. Seven weeks ago we all were saying "four year curse, we're bound for the spoon".

 

[mean_maori_mean]

lui was only real dissapointment. wasn't involved in any attacking plays, yet he was certainly involved in all of the defending ones if u can call it defence

if tuiaki wasnt injured i feel that we would win, yeah he's only a winger but most of the game plan went out of the window with the reshuffle

Sheens is the dissapointment.

Why would he pick lui at this time of the season???

I dont care how lewis form is atm - pick ffs at least he is experienced and has that confidence and ability to help out farah - marshall.

 

[TrigaTheTiger]

Bottom line - even when fully fit, we are two, maybe three players away from being a top side.

Thats when the teams fit.

Horrendous recruitment
Horrendous coaching

 

[Leaguelegend20]

I was at the game, and we played well, besides Lui. Stupid for Sheens to pick him. Shudv gone for Hanbury or Lewis

 

[Highlander]

sheens is the dissapointment.

Why would he pick lui at this time of the season???

I dont care how lewis form is atm - pick ffs at least he is experienced and has that confidence and ability to help out farah - marshall.

i agree

 

[tiger_nick]

westie i agree with alor of what you said however:

it was 4 tries all and we had morris and ayshford on the wings with a 2 man bench.

we didnt get a penalty in the second half (again!)

corey payne forward pass to morris was an absolute joke. we would have a full set of 6 inside their 20 just before halftime.

bryce gibbs a f*cking genius!!! i hope the club demands that he gives back his pay for the week. giving away an 8 point try, we still would have been in the game even after haynes try. also he gave away two other penalties that lead to tries. the guy is a complete and utter spastic who wouldnt make the top 17 of any other nrl or esl team.

it is guys like him who got fat contracts after 2005 that are the reason we cant sign anyone decent. i wish the club would f*ck him off forever

 

[madunit]

Watching the game it appeared that Lui was playing as five eighth, he got f**k all opportunities, he was left standing around like a brown cow most of the game.

I put it down to the Sheens strategy for the game and the unfortunate backline struggle.

We lost the game on the back of poor last tackle options and yet another woeful kicking game.

Lewis should have played last night. If ever a good kicker is needed, it's when you're against a side where one of it's best players is at fullback.

Marshalls midfield bomb early in the first half when all his players were off-side. That was dumb, it meant that no matter what happened, Parra were going to be gifted a penalty for Off-side play.

Sure it may not have lead to a try, but it's silly decisions like that which f**king cripple momentum, which is something the Tigers rely on to compete in games.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

I am proud of the effort, but I'm sick of saying that.

Every year its the bounce of a ball we are whinging about, a refs call that we are whinging about. The best teams overcome these situations. We never do. We always fall just short.

Moltzen is not a fullbacks arsehole. Tonight showed what Sheens did wrong for 3/4 of the season - pick a fullback at fullback and a halfback at halfback.

 

[tiger_nick]

Watching the game it appeared that Lui was playing as five eighth, he got f**k all opportunities, he was left standing around like a brown cow most of the game.

I put it down to the Sheens strategy for the game and the unfortunate backline struggle.

We lost the game on the back of poor last tackle options and yet another woeful kicking game.

Lewis should have played last night. If ever a good kicker is needed, it's when you're against a side where one of it's best players is at fullback.

Marshalls midfield bomb early in the first half when all his players were off-side. That was dumb, it meant that no matter what happened, Parra were going to be gifted a penalty for Off-side play.

Sure it may not have lead to a try, but it's silly decisions like that which f**king cripple momentum, which is something the Tigers rely on to compete in games.

i didnt get our kicking game. our first kick was a great kick to the sideline by marshall. i commented to my gf that that would be our gameplan, to kick it out and limit haynes kick returns. however the first kick was the only time we did it.

after that we were subjected to 3 mid field bombs (2 lead to hayne breaks and another a penalty) and running it on the last at least 3 or 4 times, all around halfway, none even slightly looking like making a break.

it really defied belief. we seemed to want to limit hayne so just get caught with it on halfway as oppossed to letting him run it out on his goalline?

 

[madunit]

The truth be known, our kicking game is a worst case scenario tactic, when it doubt, kick it out.

That sh*t needs to change if you want to seriously compete in the finals. When you have guys returning the ball like Boyd, Patten, Hunt, Hayne, Slater et al, they will make big metres and stifle your momentum immediately all game long.

We need to have a kicker who can get the ball in the corners.

Personally, if any side needs to have the old tactic of kicking the ball into touch every time, as they used to in the old days, it's the Tigers.

Our pack works great when they are set, as opposed to running back. Over recent weeks our best defence has come from scrums, drop outs and kicks where the opposition has had to turn around and pick the ball up.

We need a good kicker, just for their kicking game at halfback over these last few weeks if we're to have a decent crack at the finals.

Now is the time to bring Lewis in.

 

[westie]

on the live shot, which is where the ref was and pretty much in line with the pass, the ball seemed to be a long way forward. The second replay made it seem back, but it was from a camera with a dodgy angle. If we're talking dodgy decisions look no further than ryan

 

[westie]

on the live shot, which is where the ref was and pretty much in line with the pass, the ball seemed to be a long way forward. The second replay made it seem back, but it was from a camera with a dodgy angle. If we're talking dodgy decisions look no further than ryan