Robinson has painted.................

[rented tracksuit]

I don't think anyone is asking for knee-jerk selections.

What we are asking for is that players are put in their correct position or grade. Nothing knee-jerk about that.

I thought it spoke the truth???

[Red.]

IMHO the coach's experiments have failed.

Joseph Sua'ali'i is not a centre. Put him back on the wing where he has shown he is effective.

Joseph Manu is not a 5/8. Put him back in his rightful position.

Luke Keary is not a 7. Put him back to 6 where he has won 3 premierships.

Sam Walker at 7 is a must.

I'm not even gonna start on the forward pack.

[Lydon]

We have injuries..have had all season.
Manu
Toops
Watson ..who does add spark.
Gus

Not an excuse so far this year

Also raises the question when we had most our players fit and on the field why did the Coach need to tinker with the side and move players out of position?

Surely that was the time to win as many
points as possible and let the team that spent all offseason together gel and work on combinations?

[Lydon]

IMHO the coach's experiments have failed.

Joseph Sua'ali'i is not a centre. Put him back on the wing where he has shown he is effective.

Joseph Manu is not a 5/8. Put him back in his rightful position.

Luke Keary is not a 7. Put him back to 6 where he has won 3 premierships.

Sam Walker at 7 is a must.

I'm not even gonna start on the forward pack.

Too much sense for the master coach!

[Bates]

himself into a corner. He learnt nothing from last season. Already we've lost 3 games we should've won. North Queensland, Dolphins and St George/Illawarra, all games we should've won, like last year and like last year, it's going to cost us big time. If we'd won those three games, we could afford a few injuries, as it is we are up shite Creek without a paddle. Robinson has been owned by Bellamy, Cleary, Bennett, Payten, and the newby from Stg/I'll, I can't remember his name. He has dropped our most creative player, he's moved our best player out of position and he continues to defy logic by persisting with Suallii in the 3 when the only success he's tasted is by playing 2. C'mon Robinson, what's the go??? Has the guru's spell been broken??? And now he's without Smith, Radley and Walker for a prolonged period. The final indignity will be losses to the dogs and tigers. Disgraceful. Politis must be p1ssed off big time. There is still time to salvage this season but can we with Robinson steering the ship? Watching the Roosters play in 23 is akin to getting teeth pulled without anaesthetic.

Wanka

[King Salvo]

I don’t see why Ray has been attacked for his post. I might not always agree with Ray but this time he’s hit the nail on its head. We have been pathetic to say the least , and 2 games we should have nailed ( cowboys and stains) will end up costing us in the long run.
Playing Suallii at centre was something worth starting the season with, but blind Freddy could see its not working , and after Toupo’s injury he sboukd have been put back on the wing because we have lacked any potency from that wing, and miss Toupo’s carries.

yes yes yes Robbo has won 3 premierships and I am forever grateful for the decade he has given us , but we can’t be ostriches and deny he has made some glaring errors, and I hope his pride doesn’t get in the way of admitting that , and make the necessary adjustments needed to get the team back on track.

It's easy to see that particular folk don't like Coach Robinson no matter what he does and certainly not solely for football related reasons either one has to say

His stance on particular social issues for instance - say's more about them than it does about Coach Robinson though.

Inane things such having a grudge because he wouldn't let them boo a certain player is daft primary school playground like reasoning.

All know the side is not playing their best footy but it is not even halfway through the season yet and the current ladder is rather condensed with only 4 comp points separating 1st to 11th and 8 points separating 1st to 17th

Who would have tipped Parramatta to beat Souths by 20 and Manly to beat the Raiders by 28 as both Souths and the Raiders were on 5 or 6 game winning streaks at the time and the Tigers to put 66 on the Cowboys.

It's not a comp where you can ink in who the 8 will be at the end of the regular season

Current Stats show that the Roosters are 10.6 completed sets for every try scored and 8.69 completed sets for every try conceded - during the premiership years they were around 6.9 completed sets for every try scored and over 12.8 completed sets for every try conceded on average

High set completions are not the be all and end all of determining a teams success in any particular game as teams could run 5 times from dummy half and kick on the 6th each set and achieve a 100 set completions % - they haven't really made the opposition D work though

It is what you do with the ball and that is where the so called spine comes into the equation - these players handle the ball more than others and generate the points and points scoring opportunities - if they are not providing this then you need other players to contribute in this area.

The Roosters are averaging 2.73 tries per game and conceding 3.82 tries per game so far in 2023.

The Roosters have always been top or near top in Errors/Handing errors including penalties conceded and low in completion rates which of course had no effect in winning games in their premiership years - as the offense could still keep the scoreboard ticking over and the defence held strong

Of course coaches will want their teams to improve in these areas especially reducing handling errors but if the score board is ticking over on regular basis in a game , the defence holds strong and you are winning they tend to be not overlooked but not a front and centre focus.

It's a different matter when you are not winning as these types of errors/handling errors and low set completions become magnified especially when not keeping the scoreboard ticking over and your defence is not negating these errors and are conceding points on a rather regular basis.

The players have to improve and not just as individuals but as a unit - they know how to play so they need to start remembering this.

There is only so much the Coaching staff can do.

[rented tracksuit]

What’s the way forward Captain google?

To try and disprove the majority consensus on here must mean you have a theory of your own right?

Out with it.

[bondi.boy]

We can still make the 8 IF the coach
puts Walker back at half
Manu at right centre
Suaali on the right wing or dropped
Keary at 5/8
Turpin to Hooker
Cheese to the bench
Radley on the bench as 14 or dropped
Brown to lock
Handbrake dropped.

It seems ridiculous to think that this team could MISS THE 8

Teddy
Toops/Paulo
Smith
Manu
Suaalii/Allen/Paulo
Keary
Walker
Brown
Angus
N Butch
JWH
Turpin
Collins

Lodge
Sitili
Radley
Smith/ E Butch/ Baker/ May/ Whyte

Not when you watch them play.
They can't even play without dropping the ball, wayward passes, can't even play the ball properly without losing it.
And, they get rag-dolled by bigger players ever game.
The ball dies at the goal posts and rarely makes it out wide when it should...when there are overlaps.

[bondi.boy]

I'm not joking about Wests being the benchmark for us to copy going forward.
They've built a new team.
Their attacking was superb against Cowboys.
Scored 66 points.
Cowboys had all their stars playing.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

What’s its dribbling about American sports got to do with anything on this site? Surely a dribbler.

I think Vasco was talking about Ray.

[Half time]

I agree with Ray!

[King Salvo]

I don't think anyone is asking for knee-jerk selections.

What we are asking for is that players are put in their correct position or grade. Nothing knee-jerk about that.

I know people bang on about the last 1/3 of last year's regular season and how the Keary and Walker switch was a catalyst for the change of fortunes and the 8 game winning streak ( Keary didn't play in the first of these games) - but was it ? - Watsons and E Butchers impact can't be underestimated either.

It could also have been the realisation if they didn't pull their fingers out and start winning then they will miss the 8 -we will never know if all 3/ 2 or only one of these was the deciding factor.

The same issues resurfaced again though in the Keary/Walker Partnership in 2023- yes a new dummy half but still the same fullback - someone needed to take charge whilst Smith was still learning Dare I say the Roosters Way - on field that is - Smith just to be the stock standard Dummy Half in the meantime

You can cover for one or two players underperforming in game but not all 4 of your spine players for various reasons at the same time one has to say due to the role they play in offense.

Whether Brandon Smith is a dummy half is debatable even though he won a Dally M for best dummy half.

Playing at 94kgs as a Dummy Half is not ideal for the game time and workload expected in playing this role especially when his contemporaries play at between 86 to 88 kg's.

Sam Walker playing at 78 kg's is a throwback to the weight halfbacks in the 1970's and 80's played at - be good if Brandon could give the 8 or so kg's he needs to lose to Sam Walker.

In my view Smith is very much an instinct player whose first thoughts are to run the ball something he was accustomed too at Melbourne.

Not sure if this has caused confusion with other players such as Keary and Tedesco who certainly like to get their hands on the ball as often as possible in each set and had already worked out how their combo would work - Walker seemed to be the odd one out as a result of this for want of a better word "confusion"

Not sure if I am imagining this but Smith's passes from dummy half to first receivers seem to be the slowest of any of the first choice dummy halves coupled with the Roosters first receivers standing the deepest and widest in offense of any of the teams.

If this is correct it may somewhat explain issues with the offense - not all though ? - even that small amount of time (which may seem negligible) for the ball to get to the first receivers gives the Opposition D that extra fraction of time to counter any offensive moves including when the first receiver is passing the ball to another player.

The slow service from Dummy Half to first receivers would also negate any advantage gained from any quick play the balls too

Seems to me the more suitable dummy half for the Roosters style of football is a dummy half that basically passes the ball to either of the halves and or Tedesco in a timely fashion with an odd run here or there from Dummy Half. , Plays 80 minutes . plugs the middle and makes 50 odd tackles

If Turpin is the dummy half elect then his game will be a simple one as I mentioned above and whether Walker is reinstated if he has recovered is to be seen as he would not have played since April 30 -4th June next game - 5 weeks

I get rather annoyed with Roosters players going to marker to basically have a quick rest or be like a traffic cop and let the dummy halves run past them- when at marker you are still a defender.

I liked the way the Roosters Tarsha Gale side markers worked as a unit - The second marker would put their hand on the first markers back either left or right to signal which way they were going in D so the first marker knew which way they had to go in D- They weren't there to have a rest and let the dummy half run etc.

I thought there was improvement in the second half of the Dragons game with Keary and Tedesco looking somewhat like their old selves and they will need to keep on improving.

Need to be better all-round in the basics as Individuals and as a Team

The way the game is now though they may as well play with 9 players as centres and wingers hardly get any good ball

If you move Manu back to centre will he get any decent ball in games - ditto Suaalii if he stays in the Centres no guarantee of that happening so Manu could well stay at 5/8

JWH and Lodge should never be on the field at the same time either - Teams will target the lack of mobility especially Lodges.

[Bondicigar]

How dare a footy season have unexpected results and teams that are performing below expectations.

Clearly a bloke who's won 3 premierships and in doing so led to a heap of cry-babies from other clubs successfully campaigning for substantial rule changes / crackdowns has learned nothing along the way.

--- [end sarcasm] ---

IMO 99% of the challenge is that we're a highly physical team and over-policing has taken away our dominance in that space. Players and Robbo are adapting but crackdowns have taken away a lot of potency from guys like JWH and Rads (plus Napa for argument's sake).

In contrast, other teams seem to get away with blocking our outside backs like Toops/Manu/Sua'ali'i so that they are less dominant. Crackdowns on aggressive forwards have meant less focus is given to such tactics.

Yes other teams have coped better but...

- The Storm are special as they are 'Project AFL Territory'

- Penrith have had ~3 years of dominance, not a decade of dominance. This is after at least a decade of people laughing at their '5 year plan' resulting in dismal performances.

- Who else has consistently adapted? Souffs arguably but they choke every year despite favourable treatment and have moved on 3-4 coaches (plus guys like Reynolds) during the last decade. IMO they have nowhere near the 'dominance' that Easts, Melbourne and Penrith have had.

It might sound like a cop-out but our expectation is ALWAYS that we'll make it deep into the final. IMO by assuming this, we often forget how much adaptation has been needed just to make the finals (particularly in seasons with barebones squads).

There is some merit in what your saying but none of it explains lazy feeble defence. Which has been the standard of late.

[rented tracksuit]

I think Vasco was talking about Ray.

Thanks mate. I must have read it differently as he quoted my previous post.

You don’t have to take a side but imo, sally is still the biggest dribbler on the site.

[rented tracksuit]

I know people bang on about the last 1/3 of last year's regular season and how the Keary and Walker switch was a catalyst for the change of fortunes and the 8 game winning streak ( Keary didn't play in the first of these games) - but was it ? - Watsons and E Butchers impact can't be underestimated either.

It could also have been the realisation if they didn't pull their fingers out and start winning then they will miss the 8 -we will never know if all 3/ 2 or only one of these was the deciding factor.

The same issues resurfaced again though in the Keary/Walker Partnership in 2023- yes a new dummy half but still the same fullback - someone needed to take charge whilst Smith was still learning Dare I say the Roosters Way - on field that is - Smith just to be the stock standard Dummy Half in the meantime

You can cover for one or two players underperforming in game but not all 4 of your spine players for various reasons at the same time one has to say due to the role they play in offense.

Whether Brandon Smith is a dummy half is debatable even though he won a Dally M for best dummy half.

Playing at 94kgs as a Dummy Half is not ideal for the game time and workload expected in playing this role especially when his contemporaries play at between 86 to 88 kg's.

Sam Walker playing at 78 kg's is a throwback to the weight halfbacks in the 1970's and 80's played at - be good if Brandon could give the 8 or so kg's he needs to lose to Sam Walker.

In my view Smith is very much an instinct player whose first thoughts are to run the ball something he was accustomed too at Melbourne.

Not sure if this has caused confusion with other players such as Keary and Tedesco who certainly like to get their hands on the ball as often as possible in each set and had already worked out how their combo would work - Walker seemed to be the odd one out as a result of this for want of a better word "confusion"

Not sure if I am imagining this but Smith's passes from dummy half to first receivers seem to be the slowest of any of the first choice dummy halves coupled with the Roosters first receivers standing the deepest and widest in offense of any of the teams.

If this is correct it may somewhat explain issues with the offense - not all though ? - even that small amount of time (which may seem negligible) for the ball to get to the first receivers gives the Opposition D that extra fraction of time to counter any offensive moves including when the first receiver is passing the ball to another player.

The slow service from Dummy Half to first receivers would also negate any advantage gained from any quick play the balls too

Seems to me the more suitable dummy half for the Roosters style of football is a dummy half that basically passes the ball to either of the halves and or Tedesco in a timely fashion with an odd run here or there from Dummy Half. , Plays 80 minutes . plugs the middle and makes 50 odd tackles

If Turpin is the dummy half elect then his game will be a simple one as I mentioned above and whether Walker is reinstated if he has recovered is to be seen as he would not have played since April 30 -4th June next game - 5 weeks

I get rather annoyed with Roosters players going to marker to basically have a quick rest or be like a traffic cop and let the dummy halves run past them- when at marker you are still a defender.

I liked the way the Roosters Tarsha Gale side markers worked as a unit - The second marker would put their hand on the first markers back either left or right to signal which way they were going in D so the first marker knew which way they had to go in D- They weren't there to have a rest and let the dummy half run etc.

I thought there was improvement in the second half of the Dragons game with Keary and Tedesco looking somewhat like their old selves and they will need to keep on improving.

Need to be better all-round in the basics as Individuals and as a Team

The way the game is now though they may as well play with 9 players as centres and wingers hardly get any good ball

If you move Manu back to centre will he get any decent ball in games - ditto Suaalii if he stays in the Centres no guarantee of that happening so Manu could well stay at 5/8

JWH and Lodge should never be on the field at the same time either - Teams will target the lack of mobility especially Lodges.

What… no American sports wrap? You are slipping!