Our Spine tonight verses the top 3 sides

[Parkway_Drive]

A different sort of post and a different sort of perspective from me.
I thought we did quite well to get as close as we did against the best team in the Comp at the moment playing at their home ground

But if anyone seriously thought we would have beaten the Storm tonight, I would want to take the drugs you have been taking.

Which gets me onto another thing. I know Watson is a pretty bright young man who is studying I believe but the other 3 members of our spine would not have very high IQ's by the sounds of it from observing how they go about their off field business and speaking to media etc.

But their on field rugby league IQ seem to quite limited as well.

Compare them to a spine of Smith, Cronk, Munster, Green (who is not much chop compared to the other 3). Smith and Cronk are probably two of the smartest players to have played the game, we really had no hope.

I like Pearce and he sometimes plays some fantastic games but he is not a player with a cool composed head who can read a defence, he seems to be a player who plays to a plan and if the plan is not working has no plan B or stills try to execute that plan.

Friend was my favourite player for a long time but this season I would be happy to see the back of him, and a lot of the bad habits started to creep into his game last year.(e.g kick happy on 4th tackle when no one else in the team knows it is going to happen etc)

Fergo at Fullback well just lol, I wonder if Robbo put him there just to take him out of that right edge?...just joking.

Compare our spine to the other top 3 sides makes for some red faced executives and coaching staff at the Roosters I would imagine.

Storm
Munster (Tough, quick, strong, more a runner but can ballplay and also strong defender, appears quite footy smart) Has played about 30-40 FG games so not very experienced but looks like an elite player already.
Green (Experienced, smart, not very talented but doesn't over play his hand, a good foil for the other 3 playmakers in the spine, appears to have some footy smarts) Experienced
Cronk (Probably the most meticulous footballer I have ever seen, not a real natural half but has made the position his own and is the best 7 in the comp as JT wears a 6. Dead Heat with JT and just behind Smith for football iq, leader) very experienced
Smith (Probably the smartest footballer I have ever seen and probably ever will. Not the most naturally gifted footballer I have ever seen but would be in my top 5 players I have seen, Football IQ the highest I have seen, grubby player but so smart can get away with it peerless leader) very experienced

Sharks
Barba (Brilliant instinctive attacking footballer and when confident can defend and play well positionally) experienced in position
Maloney (Very smart football wise and a leader) very experienced in position
Townsend I haven't seen a lot of him probably just average) experienced in position
Ennis (A pest but has footy smarts and a leader) very epxerienced in position

Cowboys
Coote (Very footy smart and leader, not a running fullback but positional play best in comp and ball plays like a second 5/8th) experienced
Morgan (A perfect foil for Thurston and strong and fast running 5/8, not afraid to take control if JT is out or hampered and is is quite footy smart) experienced
JT (Peerless natural and fiercely competitve footballer probably the best I have seen,as far as football iq goes I rate him with Cronk a bee's dick behind Smith, JTcan spot a weakness in an opposition defence better than anyone, leader) very experienced
Granville (A very smart, creative and quick dummy half) experienced

Roosters tonight

Fergo (Brilliant runner when confident but error prone) 3 games at Fullback all shockers including the game with the Raiders
Watson (Second game at 5/8th) Cannot evaluate properly, looks like a promising ball running 5/8, however more ideally suited to the bench utility role at this stage of his career.
Pearce (A strong quick half with a decent enough running game and good long kicking game, organising game and a great passing game when on, great defender but on too many ocassions for someone so exerienced comes up with poor options for a top level half) very experienced but sometimes I could be excused for thinking he is a 20 game teenaged rookie.
Friend (Tough, hardworking, number 9 but seems to have lost form and pace like he did in 2012) Very experienced like Pearce sometimes I think he has only played about 20-50 games, reason could be playing fatigued but doesn't appear to have a high footy iq. Also seems to get caught out by refs when trying to get away with things unlike Smith or JT.

It is a bit of a rambling post as server gave me the missing human verification error due to an essay being written but what do you think?

[Johnny Tobin]

I say that on paper our spine with Fergo at fullback is pretty good. Sadly they don't play on paper.

[roosterproud]

fergo as full back is a joke. Latrell gets no quality ball and fergo runs around ready to catch a bomb driving around like a forklift. stiff arms out front. full backs know to jump and take the ball on your chest. manu for crapley next week please trent

[Intercept]

Yeah, good post Parkway. I was only thinking to myself this morning that there is a huge disparity in footy smarts between us and the top sides at the moment.

We managed to win a premiership in 2013 with Pearce and Maloney in the halves. To me, they are both 6 or 7 out of 10 halves. Yet, our ability to open up opposition defences that year was aided by having SBW on the right edge and the speed of Jennings on the left edge.

So, to my thinking, even if Keary can replicate Maloney, we are still going to be short of the best teams unless we can add potency elsewhere. I can't see the next SBW anywhere so it leads me to believe that our fullback needs to be a good ball player. Latrell could well develop into that player but it would be a few years away, I think.

Roster management certainly will be interesting over the next two years. If we want immediate success we need to buy a player that makes a big difference. That would probably mean some big sacrifices to make room under the cap.

[Guest]

fergo as full back is a joke. Latrell gets no quality ball and fergo runs around ready to catch a bomb driving around like a forklift. stiff arms out front. full backs know to jump and take the ball on your chest. manu for crapley next week please trent

Hahaha, it was so funny watch Blake the Forklift Fergo trying to catch a high ball. So mechanical and wrong in every way.

[milanja]

I don't think we should be comparing our spine to the top teams, we should compare it to the knights,titans and dragons and we still come out near the bottom.

[Intercept]

I don't think we should be comparing our spine to the top teams, we should compare it to the knights,titans and dragons and we still come out near the bottom.

I get what you're saying, Milanja - that's where we're at - but I think the point of comparing our team to the top teams is that they are the benchmark, that's the level we need to reach if we hope to lift the trophy anytime soon.

[Intercept]

Classic call Roosterproud! Fergo 'driving around like a forklift'! No chance of catching anything like that.

[Mickie Lane]

A different sort of post and a different sort of perspective from me.
I thought we did quite well to get as close as we did against the best team in the Comp at the moment playing at their home ground

But if anyone seriously thought we would have beaten the Storm tonight, I would want to take the drugs you have been taking.

Which gets me onto another thing. I know Watson is a pretty bright young man who is studying I believe but the other 3 members of our spine would not have very high IQ's by the sounds of it from observing how they go about their off field business and speaking to media etc.

But their on field rugby league IQ seem to quite limited as well.

Compare them to a spine of Smith, Cronk, Munster, Green (who is not much chop compared to the other 3). Smith and Cronk are probably two of the smartest players to have played the game, we really had no hope.

I like Pearce and he sometimes plays some fantastic games but he is not a player with a cool composed head who can read a defence, he seems to be a player who plays to a plan and if the plan is not working has no plan B or stills try to execute that plan.

Friend was my favourite player for a long time but this season I would be happy to see the back of him, and a lot of the bad habits started to creep into his game last year.(e.g kick happy on 4th tackle when no one else in the team knows it is going to happen etc)

Fergo at Fullback well just lol, I wonder if Robbo put him there just to take him out of that right edge?...just joking.

Compare our spine to the other top 3 sides makes for some red faced executives and coaching staff at the Roosters I would imagine.

Storm
Munster (Tough, quick, strong, more a runner but can ballplay and also strong defender, appears quite footy smart) Has played about 30-40 FG games so not very experienced but looks like an elite player already.
Green (Experienced, smart, not very talented but doesn't over play his hand, a good foil for the other 3 playmakers in the spine, appears to have some footy smarts) Experienced
Cronk (Probably the most meticulous footballer I have ever seen, not a real natural half but has made the position his own and is the best 7 in the comp as JT wears a 6. Dead Heat with JT and just behind Smith for football iq, leader) very experienced
Smith (Probably the smartest footballer I have ever seen and probably ever will. Not the most naturally gifted footballer I have ever seen but would be in my top 5 players I have seen, Football IQ the highest I have seen, grubby player but so smart can get away with it peerless leader) very experienced

Sharks
Barba (Brilliant instinctive attacking footballer and when confident can defend and play well positionally) experienced in position
Maloney (Very smart football wise and a leader) very experienced in position
Townsend I haven't seen a lot of him probably just average) experienced in position
Ennis (A pest but has footy smarts and a leader) very epxerienced in position

Cowboys
Coote (Very footy smart and leader, not a running fullback but positional play best in comp and ball plays like a second 5/8th) experienced
Morgan (A perfect foil for Thurston and strong and fast running 5/8, not afraid to take control if JT is out or hampered and is is quite footy smart) experienced
JT (Peerless natural and fiercely competitve footballer probably the best I have seen,as far as football iq goes I rate him with Cronk a bee's dick behind Smith, JTcan spot a weakness in an opposition defence better than anyone, leader) very experienced
Granville (A very smart, creative and quick dummy half) experienced

Roosters tonight

Fergo (Brilliant runner when confident but error prone) 3 games at Fullback all shockers including the game with the Raiders
Watson (Second game at 5/8th) Cannot evaluate properly, looks like a promising ball running 5/8, however more ideally suited to the bench utility role at this stage of his career.
Pearce (A strong quick half with a decent enough running game and good long kicking game, organising game and a great passing game when on, great defender but on too many ocassions for someone so exerienced comes up with poor options for a top level half) very experienced but sometimes I could be excused for thinking he is a 20 game teenaged rookie.
Friend (Tough, hardworking, number 9 but seems to have lost form and pace like he did in 2012) Very experienced like Pearce sometimes I think he has only played about 20-50 games, reason could be playing fatigued but doesn't appear to have a high footy iq. Also seems to get caught out by refs when trying to get away with things unlike Smith or JT.

It is a bit of a rambling post as server gave me the missing human verification error due to an essay being written but what do you think?

Jesus mate what a spiel, not bad.
I would just love to know what Andrew Johns does when he go's to training as the halves coach. There is something terrible wrong at the Roosters in regards to applying pressure to opposition teams & not getting repeat sets. Having a halfback who has been playing FG for 9 years & having an immortal as the halves coach the only kick Pearce can do when the Roosters are in the opposition 20 is a cross field kick to an outside back, Ash Taylor has been playing FG for 5 minutes & can maintain pressure for the Titans & get repeat sets yet Johns & Pearce have no idea.
The score was 14-6 last night & the Roosters were in the game & all they had to do was roll the ball into Melbourne's in goal & get repeat sets & put them under pressure yet Pearce continually put kicks into the air handing the ball over to Melbourne.
The Roosters have nothing in attack when they are in the oppositions 20 other than a cross field kick & it has to be addressed.
Cronk, Thurston, Taylor, Seizer even Adam Reynolds can all do this one requirement that is needed from your halfback yet Pearce, Johns & Robbo do nothing about it. It bloody shits me. If they got that right then I think the other 3 in the spine will benifit.
Pearce has to be shifted to hooker with 2 new halves & Mitchell to be our FB.

[ism22]

I say that on paper our spine with Fergo at fullback is pretty good. Sadly they don't play on paper.

Yeah on paper...

1. Australian rep outside back who is an absolute freak when he finds form/confidence
6. A kid who is a damn good ball runner, but can't kick or defend
7. NSW rep half... dispite what critics say, he's a good ball runner and a good kicker (his kicking game was all we had v Gronk and Smith's last night and it did the job)
9. QLD's #2 hooker (better than Farah, Ennis, Rein...etc too)

Alas, we have been beaten by inferor spines all season. IMO we just have too many new players, not enough experience and this has made us an immature squad.