Team for round 9.

[Guest]

Mind game? more like a game plan to me...with everyone complaining bout the coach doesn't have a game plan. I believe they are looking at doing the same they put on against the warriors/saint...any team rely on their forward to ly a good platform in order for their backs to perform, so here you go...they put more forward on the bench in order to sustain the intensity right through out the final min.

[Guest]

Taka needs to pull his finger out.

vs Cowboys - 46 minutes for 3 hit ups and 21M
vs Dragons - 23 minutes for 4 hitups and 10M

If Mitchell came on for the last 23 minutes last week I have no doubt we win. He would have run rings all over the tired Dragons pack.

Those are crap stats but in Taka's defence, he is on the outside of the worst 5/8 in the comp as well as Mini gets in between and regularly farks things up in the backline. Given decent ball Taka will show his worth.

Chook.

[roosterproud]

i cant wait too see morts and mitchell over the origin period. i think smithy knows how fragile braith is with his 5/8 number, so i believe he will slip in morts as 7 and run him around , then rest braith after when pearce comes back with morts in 5/8. mitchell will be running the jets with killer and will be available for jake as a reserve and or morts

[ism22]

Mind game? more like a game plan to me...with everyone complaining bout the coach doesn't have a game plan. I believe they are looking at doing the same they put on against the warriors/saint...any team rely on their forward to ly a good platform in order for their backs to perform, so here you go...they put more forward on the bench in order to sustain the intensity right through out the final min.

Because that worked so well in the final minute against St Cr@p.

[Guest]

If they play like they did against the Dragons they will win this easy.

we had enough ball inside the dragons 20 to beat any team. problem is we have no structure or set plays to revert to. We are impotent in the opposition 20 and its been like that for 2 years. The problem is a combination of coaching, a slow/non-creative hooker and slow backline. Watch the storm inside an opposition 20

[Guest]

Sometimes us fans can't see what it's going on on the training field, I also question BA's performance sometimes, and I believe in a kind of captain, don't say much but his action do the talk, and on BA's case, he is not that kind of captains and that's where we kinda figure out what's his role for this team.
He could be the only person in the team he's got that leadership skills out of all the young guys everyone want

[stsae]

we had enough ball inside the dragons 20 to beat any team. problem is we have no structure or set plays to revert to. We are impotent in the opposition 20 and its been like that for 2 years. The problem is a combination of coaching, a slow/non-creative hooker and slow backline. Watch the storm inside an opposition 20

I agree with the impotence thingy MM.

After watching a few old Freddy games, with that potency inside the 20 he had, that Wally Lewis like ability to make space open up for himself near the line, hitting holes with pace and surprising power for their size, not to mention that step.

It would be nice to have a 5/8 that had that ability. Bwaiff has the physical size and build similar to Wally and Freddy, he just doesn't seem able to use what he has to any great effect, never really has.

IMO from inside the 20 blokes who can fool defences and isolate slower forwards using power or pace or a step will dominate and regularly provide points. We lack that type of player.

Sure the game plan for repeat sets has been woeful at times, although Pearce seems to be improving slowly in that area, we don't have enough in the way of angles and challenging defences inside the 20. Too much inside ball shit to Mini, who runs too upright especially near the line, and too much forwards trying to punch holes without footwork or skill.

We need to deceive defences in that area and use a bit of skill instead of trying to steamroll over teams. It hasn't worked for us inside the 20 now for years, at least since we've retained our 5/8.

IMO that's what Maubs, Gurrera and Arona types should be doing, being used inside the attacking 20.

[Thirteen]

Mitchell is not the saviour. Friend just needs to get his fitness back up to where it was last year.
We looked great with 4 forwards on the bench last week and bringing in Mitchell takes away a bit of that impact that was so successful against a better forward pack than the Knights.

Good team overall, I just wish we had Maloney and SBW in there somewhere.

That's rubbish! For what reason would you think he is not as fit as last year?

[Guest]

Taka needs to pull his finger out.

vs Cowboys - 46 minutes for 3 hit ups and 21M
vs Dragons - 23 minutes for 4 hitups and 10M

If Mitchell came on for the last 23 minutes last week I have no doubt we win. He would have run rings all over the tired Dragons pack.

glad im not the only one noticing. even look at the week before - his stats werent that much better. since the game where he created that try off that kick close to the line, he has been sub-par. he should make way for mitchell.

also agree with the person proposing arona and bosden swap. i too cant understand the hate for arona. doesnt give away penalties or drop the ball nearly as much as some of our other forwards, has a quick play the ball and great feet and ball skills. also has a really good footy brain. his yardage and tackle stats have also been consistently strong. these types of quiet achiever type players like bosden, arona and even guerra are what you need to balance the 'big guys' in your side both from a cap perspective and also balance perspective

[Funky Chicken]

I really can't see where the hate for Arona comes from.

I will say though, he should be coming off the bench and Bosden should start from what i've seen the last couple of weeks.

I've said before, i see a bit of ballplayer in Arona and he could come on in the last 20 of each half and create a few things with his offloads close to the line imo.

He's just infront of Cordner at this stage for mine. A stint at the Jets would do Boyd good imo. He's had a taste of the tough stuff, he's only young and it will make the cranky bastard more hungry to get back to the top level i think.

Bosden should start because he looks like he wants to dive in head first and eat up as much work as he can. That's why i would start with the Boss and then throw Arona in to mix it up a bit with the ball in his hands.

But hey, i'm no coach, wtf would i know in the grand scheme of things.

Once again Greedy I find myself agreeing with you 100%, keep up the good work

[Guest]

I really can't see where the hate for Arona comes from.

I will say though, he should be coming off the bench and Bosden should start from what i've seen the last couple of weeks.

I've said before, i see a bit of ballplayer in Arona and he could come on in the last 20 of each half and create a few things with his offloads close to the line imo.

He's just infront of Cordner at this stage for mine. A stint at the Jets would do Boyd good imo. He's had a taste of the tough stuff, he's only young and it will make the cranky bastard more hungry to get back to the top level i think.

Bosden should start because he looks like he wants to dive in head first and eat up as much work as he can. That's why i would start with the Boss and then throw Arona in to mix it up a bit with the ball in his hands.

But hey, i'm no coach, wtf would i know in the grand scheme of things.

Once again Greedy I find myself agreeing with you 100%, keep up the good work

I can talk footy occassionally funky one.

[Guest]

we had enough ball inside the dragons 20 to beat any team. problem is we have no structure or set plays to revert to. We are impotent in the opposition 20 and its been like that for 2 years. The problem is a combination of coaching, a slow/non-creative hooker and slow backline. Watch the storm inside an opposition 20

Can we possibly make a pact to stop referencing the Storm when talking about how we should be? We are at a completely different development point to the Storm and there is no other team anywhere near them when it comes to attack in the opposition 20.

It's starting to remind me of the way that Ricky Stuart coaches halfbacks - "ok, the game plan is that you throw a 30 metre three man cutout and hit the winger on the chest off the back of the scrum - you know, like I used to do".

[Guest]

I can talk footy occassionally funky one.

ill add a bit of weight to your argument; over the last 4 weeks arona has averaged:
100.5 metres and 12.25 carries per game
48mins/game
22.25 tackles and 1 missed/game
only 1 error and 1 penalty conceeded
1 linebreak and 3 tackle busts.

admittedly there is scope for improvement - more offloads and tackle busts in particular but as a base, they are excellent numbers. to average mid 20 tackles and 100+ metres a week with so few errors, missed tackles and penalties conceeded you are right up there with the best players. we know he has those touches in his game of quality and skill so its only a matter of time before he steps it up again

[melon....]

It won't happen while Anasta is at the club.
People need to realise this and get over it.
Anyway, why the push for Mortimer?
Has he suddenly become some superstar player??

Because Mortein has shown he:

Tackles above his weight - something Anasta cant do.
Runs in support - Something Anasta cant do
Passes teh football - something Anasta is hopeless at
Has a decent kicking game - Something Captain Crapper doesnt have
Can score a try - Something Anasta does once a season every third season.


Basically because anyone is a better option that Captain Crapper.

[redwhiteblue]

Can we possibly make a pact to stop referencing the Storm when talking about how we should be? We are at a completely different development point to the Storm and there is no other team anywhere near them when it comes to attack in the opposition 20.

It's starting to remind me of the way that Ricky Stuart coaches halfbacks - "ok, the game plan is that you throw a 30 metre three man cutout and hit the winger on the chest off the back of the scrum - you know, like I used to do".

That would be refreshing.