Bad day at the office

[Rooster_6]

We all have them.

They scored 5 tries in the first half, 4 of them very fortunate. 2 bombs that swayed in the wind & could've gone anywhere, 1 that came off the back heel of Thurston and just happened to land in Tate's lap & the other which was bumbling around on the ground & again could've gone anywhere.

The second half just sort of played itself out with the result already a foregone conclusion, 2 tries to 1.

I'm not saying luck played a solitary role in our demise, there's still a lot to be taken out of this game. Our reaction to the scoreboard pressure was very disappointing as seen in our completion rates, our ability to get back into the grind of the game was non-existent & again our yardage game coming out of our own end was weak like it has been against the better sides this year.

But we battled and we kept on trying, we sustained an 8 minutes onslaught after half time without conceding a point and our reads on their structured plays on the fringes all night were perfect. I've never seen Thurston so kick happy inside the opposition 20 and ironically looking at the scoreline it was because we were shutting down their structured play well.

Guerra & Friendy deserve a huge pat on the back but it's hard to be critical of the rest of the side, a lot of our errors and our inability to get back into the game can be put down to fatigue and trying too hard to get back into the game. Not because they didn't care or because they were lazy.

I just don't think we should be too concerned about the result, the SOO period we're about to enter is more concerning.

[Andrew Walker]

The analysis you have given of the game is bang on R6 I have said earlier in the night That if we get to play this side again I think we will beat them

[mightyrooster]

Agree R6.

[Bansai Pipeline]

In the context of the rest of the season, that performance was concerning.

With the exception of the ANZAC Day match, we've been well off the pace.

We've been pretty close to shit all year.

[liver1971]

I find most of your posts very informative and knowledgeable on league however certain players like Sbw were ineffective and the fowards led by jwh lacked penetration As you noted 16/25 completion rate is horrendous. It was that poor handling that put us under pressure to begin with, that led to fatigue. Keeping the cowboys out for 8 MINS doesnt constitute resilience if you ask me.Thurston has a wonderful kicking game and was successful, so why wouldnt he continue to do so. YOUR right Friend and Guerra were standouts,but nearly all of them arent beyond critism because they simply were good enough and lacked discipline. Theres always next week to look forward to,I certainly believe we can bounce back to go back to back, contrary to some lunatic doomsdayers

[Tommy Smith]

25 sets is horrendous. That's an unheard of number of low sets.

But that loss was very predictable. In fact our last 4 losses have been predictable...not a good sign.

[Chook Norris]

In the context of the rest of the season, that performance was concerning.

With the exception of the ANZAC Day match, we've been well off the pace.

We've been pretty close to shit all year.

indeed. We haven't really strung together some very solid wins at all IMO. Last week's game against the Tigers was also terrible despite the fact that we won. It was a worrying performance tonight though, especially tonight.

People say that as long as we get the 2 points, nothing else matters. However, it does matter. The way we play matters, and I don't think I can confidently say we're building much at all. It's been a very inconsistent season and one that hasn't been characterised by strong attitude

[Guest]

Good thoughts R6 although what was concerning was how easy they rolled through us up the middle and how poor our go forward was. Napa for mine is ineffective off thr bench and I cant see what the fuss is about with him

[PKR]

A positive re this game is that Daley might not choose any of our boys for Origin and they will be free to play for the Roosters.

[Guest]

Agree there was a lot of bounce of the ball moments that went the Cowboys way and didn't fall the same way for the roosters and the windy night up there proved difficult for both sides.

What concerned me was the ease of the Cowboys yardage particularly at the front end of the game, where they largely strolled up the field every set. Our ability to contain the cowboys forwards was a real concern.

You rightly point out there was a couple of exceptions to the rule in Friend and Guerra. I thought Mitchell Aubusson had a dig and Minichello was good. Friend, Aubusson and Minichello have always had a personal competitive nature that I can't remember games regardless of how they are travelling that these guys ever switch off.