I couldn't see this posted anywhere,
so here it is, Gould's monday rant. It isn't so bad on us, tis more of a Parra bash.
These Sharks are of the hammerhead variety
Phil Gould | June 23, 2008
THE Sharks were too tough for the Eels - simple as that.
They didn't play better football. They weren't more skilful or tactically superior. Nor were they entertaining in their delivery. The Sharks just took it to Parramatta with their usual brand of physical confrontation and wrestlemania defence. They wrapped themselves around their opponents and slowly squeezed the life out of them.
Parramatta came into this game after two big wins over a couple of injury-weakened teams in the shape of the Raiders and the Tigers. Neither of these sides had the grit, the forward muscle nor the discipline in defence to counter the brilliance of Parramatta and the Eels took great delight in beating up on these smaller opponents.
But yesterday was a totally different story. The Sharks made sure this was going to be a very physical encounter. From the opening tackles of the game they raced up on the Parramatta forwards and delivered several punishing shots. They sent a clear message that if Parramatta were going to beat them they would have to pay the price.
Parramatta have earned a reputation this year as being something of a pretty football team. Under the pump they have looked soft in the belly and soft in the head. They have the ability to blow sides away with their skill levels and they can score tries from anywhere on the field. But do they have the toughness to win a competition? Can they win the knock-down-drag-them-out games that go down to the wire? Can they succeed in matches where brilliance takes a back seat to physical confrontation?
These are the games the Sharks specialise in - maybe because they play in these sorts of games every weekend. There can be no doubt the Sharks have the necessary steel; and they also have a resolute 80-minute attitude that keeps them in many a contest long after other teams would have thrown up the white flag.
Every week they manage to scratch up 16 or so points and they protect these points as though their lives depend on it. The way they've defended this season they've managed to convert these meagre scoring totals into plenty of close, hard-fought victories. This is the way the Sharks play and as they sit with the leaders after 15 rounds of the competition, they've delivered a warning to all-comers that unless you are prepared to play tough for the full duration, you don't stand a chance against the Cronulla boys.
Midway through the first half the Eels had an 8-0 lead, but the Sharks were winning the game.
Parramatta didn't look at all comfortable with the style of game being played. The Sharks were in their faces and getting under their skin. The Sharks continually bashed the Eels into error.
They also put the Parramatta kickers under enormous pressure and this virtually negated any advantage the Eels should have gained from the strong breeze at their backs in the first half.
The Sharks, though, have real trouble in turning physical superiority into an advantage on the score sheet. They can dominate possession and field position against any side in the competition, but they can't keep the scoreboard ticking. They're trying to improve their attack. There's real evidence emerging in their football of the long hours spent rehearsing set plays at training.
They can move the ball from one side of the field to the other in a twinkling with any number of running patterns involving playmakers and decoy runners. However, for all their intricate plays and obvious hard work, their execution lacks finesse. They have no one in their team who taunts the defenders and asks them to make a mistake.
Well, actually, that's not quite right. I think their five-eighth Brett Seymour could do it if entrusted with a more adlib role in the attacking process. He looks to me as though he is under-utilised.
In the meantime though, the Sharks just seem happy enough to keep grinding out the narrow wins.
It's not pretty; but then again the big end-of-season games are usually won in this vein. It's high time the Parramatta boys woke up to that fact as well.
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/new...merhead-variety/2008/06/22/1214073053774.html
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