Not your typical "I told you so " thread

[trewhella]

I was shattered.......sad...........yeah , sad is the best word for it.

Acceptable? Not really.
This squad is a work in progress.
Mistakes have been made, but we carry on.

I'm not happy with our overall record in the last , nearly 20 years , tbh.
But there has been a lot of other influences that we couldn't control that contributed to that.

This year at least we gotta give credit to a team that outplayed us.

My gut feeling is that Robbo's head ain't on the block.
Nick knows more than we do, and we gotta have faith in him...........................don't we?

But mate did they outplay us??
or did we beat ourselves?

[chopstiks]

I’d say they lost the game even before it started due to Robbos selections on Saturday.

Cowboys game plan for the past 3 matches has been simple and basic run out one out stuff and hold the ball. This should of prompted Robbo to go with all forwards on the bench.

Quite simple really. Also gave a hint the night before by Bennett playing Body injured, if Toops was fit start him if not don’t pay him at all.

Roosters looked flat all game there was no agression like the previous time they played cowboys. Maybe there heads were already on the drink.

Hargraves only making 40metres in comparison to Tal 200 metres.

Whos responsibility is it to get the players up ?

Did Robbo make a mistake with his bench ?

TMM scored their try on 25 minutes by just scooting past Pearce and a worn out JWH who typically would not have been there at that time. Why change a winning formula in your biggest game of the year.

[Game Fowl]

But mate did they outplay us??
or did we beat ourselves?

Trew - quite simply we beat ourselves
1. bench selection of Toops instead of another forward
2. No pressure on Morgo , why didn't CONNOR pester him alnight?
3. No pressure on kick receiver - "kick only as good as the chase "
4. Why not mix it up and attack their blustered backline instead of playing up the middle to their strength
5. Errors on errors, no respect for possession in key areas of the park
6. Line defence uninterested and reactionary seemed to wait for someone else to do the tough stuff
7. Couldn't match their enthusiasm, Friendy, Guerra tried all night and Boyd tried in patches

[eddie]

But mate did they outplay us??
or did we beat ourselves?

Like Game Fowl said, we cudda played a lot better.
Had we not made so many mistakes, putting pressure on the forwards, who knows what the result would've been.

But we gotta give credit where credit is due.
I don't think the cows could've played any better. They gave us nothing.

In short, I guess they outplayed us.

But putting all that on Robb's head is a bit rich in my opinion.
Tupou on the bench was a strange one, but it didn't cause all the mistakes that led to our demise, and I reckon Evans on the bench would've added bugger all.

The other thing is, if we did wanna replace the coach, damned if I could think of a better one .....................................Even Green couldn't make Pearce play like Morgan is at the moment.

[King Salvo]

But mate did they outplay us??
or did we beat ourselves?

We gifted them the game with schoolboy errors- their game plan was simple - High set completions/low errors and penalties /smart kicking game /slowing the game down to their pace/working as a team in defence and then waiting for the Roosters to implode. The pressure was on the Roosters and not them and well the Roosters failed again to handle the pressure of another prelim final.

[King Salvo]

Like Game Fowl said, we cudda played a lot better.
Had we not made so many mistakes, putting pressure on the forwards, who knows what the result would've been.

But we gotta give credit where credit is due.
I don't think the cows could've played any better. They gave us nothing.

In short, I guess they outplayed us.

But putting all that on Robb's head is a bit rich in my opinion.
Tupou on the bench was a strange one, but it didn't cause all the mistakes that led to our demise, and I reckon Evans on the bench would've added bugger all.

The other thing is, if we did wanna replace the coach, damned if I could think of a better one .....................................Even Green couldn't make Pearce play like Morgan is at the moment.

We gave them plenty though - twice regained the lead only to hand it back to them on a platter by losing the ball early in the next set and not being able to defend these and other errors throughout the game- Latrell's error in stopping in the line costing a try was a continuation of a poor night for him- poor read in defence which they scored from and two kick off out on the full- has a long way to go to be an established NRL player.

A fit Evans would have been better than an unfit Toops for obvious reasons- we had only 2 forward reserves with Watson a utility - JWH and Nappa despite all their bluster in targeting Big JT did not back it up- Freddy quite rightly ripped into both of them - they needed to stand up and do this on the field not at press conferences. Should be banned from ever saying such things again as it's like putting petrol on a fire as King Wally often say's

[trewhella]

Freddy was quite right.
Yes when you look at the stats both props were an embarrassment

[The Brain]

Freddy was quite right.
Yes when you look at the stats both props were an embarrassment

Ofcourse they out played us .The First 20 minutes The Cowboys gave it to us up until their first try after our first error when Liu dropped it they were way on top we had 41% possesion yet didnt lose the ball .Their forwards rolled and their kicking game was superior.
The second half was completely beating ourselves.

BY the way Trew you are correct Robbo is on notice for next year .Take it from me as gospel.stuff what everyone else thinks .Zorba the Greek is massively pissed off.

[TheLoneRooster]

... BY the way Trew you are correct Robbo is on notice for next year .Take it from me as gospel.stuff what everyone else thinks .Zorba the Greek is massively pissed off.

So he should be like many of us are here. That game against the cows was woeful, pathetic, a disgrace to the jersey, Yes, I'm still angry that this team keeps making the same fargin idiotic mistakes week after week, year after year. The coach MUST take some responsibility but the players, the starting props in particular, are also culpable.

Another prelim final lost, another opportunity lost. This is a dumb team - WHY???

[trewhella]

Six weeks off then the pain of starting all over again to work so very hard to get yourself into the opportunity that you have blown now three of the last 4 years.

That has got to start screwing you mentally

[bondi paul]

Six weeks off then the pain of starting all over again to work so very hard to get yourself into the opportunity that you have blown now three of the last 4 years.

That has got to start screwing you mentally

I said the same thing to a friend yesterday. Not to sound fuddy duddy - I have followed Easts since 67 and never in that time until 2017 have we be presented with a likely premiership win more so than they other 2 years Robbo and the team missed out on.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Six weeks off then the pain of starting all over again to work so very hard to get yourself into the opportunity that you have blown now three of the last 4 years.

That has got to start screwing you mentally

This is what I'm more concerned about now.

Yes we buggered this one up in the most important game with the best of opportunities and no excuses.

But how does Robbo and the team get that hunger and belief back for next year that is crucial to performing consistently at the top level.

At this point, I honestly don't know how they can.

[trewhella]

Firstly, the team over achieved.
For that, any real hate isnt justified despite the loss.

What I took out of the game.

How a player kicks dead twice off kicks in a big game is mind numbing.
The timing of Fergusons turnovers were CRITICAL.
JWH was being outplayed and reated like he always does when he doesnt dominate.
That is where the game was lost.

I am trying to come to terms with the bench rotation and selections.
Having Tupou out there was bizarre.
The medical staff and or the coach need to brought to account on that.
That is also where the game was lost.


I guess most of us were hoping that come semis that we would stop committing the errors that plagued the team all season.
They kept making errors.

So the question is why do teams keep making errors??
Errors are a sign of discontentment and a lack of discipline.
So the answers most of us are after we will never really know.
Is it a clash of personalities?
Does it delve into something a bit deeper involving the rooster psyche? As a club are we too arrogant? IS there a lack of genuine guys and genuine attitudes who give their heart into the playing group?
Is it a leadership issue? Jake and Boyd give 150%. So does Mitch.....except he and Keary were highly ineffective based on the said errors.

I think they tried really hard...so it is not motivation in my books.
Its one thing to want to win.
It is another thing to earn the right TO WIN.

Its like they want to win without competing across the park for entire duration of the game.

I would have released Mick Gordon.
I would have sacked Fergo.
I would sign an anglo Aussie backrower who is as tough as Jake.

I would also get a new coach.
But that is just me.

Go chooks

[trewhella]

Mentally screwed. Not tactics. Not personnel.
‘Anyone who has read my threads over the last 10 yearsbwould know I love Ivan Cleary. Gus got him to Penrith and knifed him. I respect Gus and he may have had his reasons. He was wrong