Our defence was very poor again tonight, as it has been all season, there is something systematically wrong with it, and effort and intensity will only take you so far. We work our arses off for 20 mins, finally break through and within minutes concede. Okay fair enough it came from an error, but this has been happening week in week out. Even last week Manly were well on top, score first and applying all the pressure and then all of a sudden Tigers walk in for two.
It's not our size, a smaller pack last year held a South's pack containing Burgess and Teo'o to take the game home by 2.
It's not that Souths are simply a better team - as I said we conceded 20 points against Tigers last week and our points differential speaks for itself.
The amount of games we've been in this year and been competing and applying pressure and just getting on top only to not get over the line and the opposition walk down the other end and score at the first opportunity, it's becoming a weekly routine. We are so weak, and the knock-on effect of poor defence is not only conceding points but penalties.
People having a go at young Turbo, yeh he made a few poor choices tonight, but I don't know of any natural winger ever to automatically have the skill of always choosing when it's right to come in or stay wide on your man. That is hands down the most difficult aspect defensively wingers have to master, and they always need their centre as back-up in that situation which Tom didn't get tonight. He's not even a winger! The problem occurs far earlier than when Souths have the overlap running at Tom on his back foot forcing him to make a play for the ball. He deserves a bit of slack, it is the responsibility of the senior players and coaches to help him with that.. and as each week passes and we see the same team, the same tactics, the same problems and the same results, the more I am convinced Tooves isn't the guy to do it.
