Have I/ we been too hard on our ex half?

[ROC181]

My point R6 is that after 2013 Pearce was unable to get us home. Also rans is like being the bridesmaid and it’s crap, so I hear. Sorry but minor premierships is just an honorary title especially considering the prize money is pittance. Now after 8 games some are still wanting the old stuff? Last week you said that we should give Cronk time to gel with the team...As for struggling, there are some old heads in there that are struggling starting with Robinson.

[Johnny Tobin]

Trust you to post, so he kicked the winning field goal, Ho w were his previous 8 Anzac Day games?

Don’t forget he had missed something like his last 18 field goals before that. Compare that to Cronk for a start.

[Thirteen]

All I miss about MP is his passing game close to the line.

[Louis N]

Today we played the (current) best team in the comp and all things considered didnt do too badly (although I will confess I watched The Avengers instead becauss I knew we would lose and am jack of all the military/royal coverage at the moment).

Well put. I think only the most ambitious supporter would have rated us a chance on form. The form of the Dragons as the best attacking side in the premiership was way ahead of us. Their back row of Frizzel, Tariq Sims and De Belin, coupled with their halves combination is performing much better.

We tried hard, didn't get any breaks and also allowed them to take momentum back when we went for the goal instead of maintaining pressure. De Belin was high fiving when we elected to take the two on the penalty that he gave away. It was Robbo's decision. We will not win games by letting the opposition call the shots like they did then. Momentum gone - in a flash.

[Johnny73]

It's quite simple. A million dollar backline with a five dollar forward pack.

[Adam Stone]

You can't put all the blame on the forward pack when the half has only created one try in 8 games.

[The Thracian]

Don’t forget he had missed something like his last 18 field goals before that. Compare that to Cronk for a start.

your only as good as your last field goal in an Anzac Day game, well that is the R6 chicks thinking

[Chook Norris]

I don't think we were too hard on Pearce.

The criticism of him was justified after years of similar performances and being shut down in big games. He showed glimpses last year of a greater capacity to close off games but I think we were right as a club in thinking he wasn't able to take it to the next level in a consistent manner.

In terms of Cronk, I have to laugh at the sentiments on here that he needs to go. What rubbish. Combinations are still clicking and, as a TEAM, we haven't gotten the right structure yet. He's had 5% as much time as Pearce did to fit into the club. Cronk will come good when we, as a TEAM, work out how we want to look in attack.

I don't like quoting Joey since I think he seems to fire off a lot of opinions in the hope of being right half the time, but he is our halves coach and he did say it will take some time to click.

However, I agree with the opinions on here that Pearce did have a specific set of skills which we seem to be lacking at the moment. His passing game close to the line was great. His speed up the middle is also being missed. That doesn't mean we need him back. We have new players and we need to figure out how to take advantage of those new skills.

[Rooster_6]

My point R6 is that after 2013 Pearce was unable to get us home. Also rans is like being the bridesmaid and it’s crap, so I hear. Sorry but minor premierships is just an honorary title especially considering the prize money is pittance. Now after 8 games some are still wanting the old stuff? Last week you said that we should give Cronk time to gel with the team...As for struggling, there are some old heads in there that are struggling starting with Robinson.

I still think we need to give Cronk time.

I'm concerned for our team ROC, to watch us dominate a game like that today and look so inept in good ball is so disheaterning.

My fear is this;

- We have a halfback who will retire in 18months, we invest the next 18 months building a new game plan around him. Maybe it clicks maybe it doesn't, even if it does so much has to go right to win a premiership simply being the best side isn't always enough.

- Say we don't win anything we now have to recruit or develop a new halfback and how long is that going to take? Another 12-24 months? Then we hope we hope that halfback clicks and we dont have to do any more recruiting around him.

Tedesco followed by Chrichton are 2 huge signings who will take our game to another level. They are the right signings. For me that was enough, Cronk is the gamble we didn't need to take, our premiership window over the next 4 years hinges 100% on him to get it right and click with the team.

That's a lot of eggs in one basket. Today is a further realisation of that.

I'll repeat what I said when we signed him, It's a huge call to sign a marginally better halfback who's 34 over a 28yr old half who was already embedded deeply into the team.

[Flipper Hands]

All I miss about MP is his passing game close to the line.

This.

[King Salvo]

Pearce and Gordon were a better combo than Cronk and Tedesco currently are - Robbo seems stuck on getting the structure right before he lets them be free range Chooks in attack though.

[One Eyed Willy]

Well put. I think only the most ambitious supporter would have rated us a chance on form. The form of the Dragons as the best attacking side in the premiership was way ahead of us. Their back row of Frizzel, Tariq Sims and De Belin, coupled with their halves combination is performing much better.

We tried hard, didn't get any breaks and also allowed them to take momentum back when we went for the goal instead of maintaining pressure. De Belin was high fiving when we elected to take the two on the penalty that he gave away. It was Robbo's decision. We will not win games by letting the opposition call the shots like they did then. Momentum gone - in a flash.

They looked very similar to our last premiership winning team today. There ability to withstand long periods of pressure in defence then march up field and capitalise on that.
Hate to say it but there definatley head and shoulders above every other team this year.