Practical Suggestions to Improve

[TimmyQ]

I think Suli was lucky today due to the Roosters poor attack.Latrell Mitchell is being wasted at the moment due to Roosters reluctance to spread the ball.He could of torn an unfit Suli apart today

Yup Latrell had no clean ball. Suli was solid but not involved enough and barely noticeable in the scheme of things.

 

[highlandeagle]

Yeah, I understand that some of the cattle and forced changes probably warrant that analysis. Nevertheless, I still think we could be doing a lot better working on getting more from this team as a team.

Yep that's the coaches job and he's failed miserably at that!!

 

[Clay]

Yup Latrell had no clean ball. Suli was solid but not involved enough and barely noticeable in the scheme of things.

I have been watching Latrell closely all year, that kid will not go looking for work and avoids it. Often when there could be a short side play he will stand in line with the player playing the ball to ensure he does not receive the ball and will not call for it.
Also if you can get a wide angle he is often on the wing which I don't understand
If he increased his work ethic would be a great player.

 

[highlandeagle]

Dce the problem here when we had a genuine 6 in foz and blake green we where a force and when we dont we suck.

You can blame Barrett for releasing Green. Another astute decision from our super coach

 

[highlandeagle]

Yep . Baz doesnt have the respect of the players. They all love him but they don't respect him, including DCE. Case in point, breaking curfew against Baz's orders. Baz needs to be demoted to assistant. Bring in a hard nosed older coach (Des anyone?) as the coach. Walker was ineffective today. Baz needs a 6 ASAP or we get the spoon

No baz needs to be driven back to Kogarah asap no place here for the spineless clueless pretty boy

 

[HK_Eagle]

TB doesn't hold players accountable for indiscipline that is the culture he has fostered. Even when there were options players weren't dropped, and they weren't challenged at least publicly.

I agree, it does seem that way looking from the outside in. I don't know that public challenges are the best or only way to enforce consequences to discipline issues. It could be that the injury and cap limitations have somewhat thwarted this tactic with the lack of replacements to bring in. Plus, we also have to consider the effect of dropping players on both the player and the team. Some individuals may respond positively to this strategy, but others may not. I really can't say from my position how effective such a strategy would be with this current crop.

TB game plan of DCE being the sole half for two and half years hasn't worked.

Agreed, though I think it's been a bit more complex than that. The Walker experiment in 16 was fair enough to try and I was willing to give it a go. Unfortunately, it didn't work and we left it a bit late to address.

The forwards are more interested in offloading then bending the line.

Yeah, at times they have gotten a little caught up in wanting to play second-phase footy to their detriment. I think perhaps the success from that first Parra game mislead them. However, I generally think our go forward has been pretty good and the main pigs have been bending the line a fair bit.

Wingers that can't catch a bomb even though the current trend in the NRL for at least 5 years has been tall athletic wingers.

Completely agree with this.

He also prefers to only use 3 interchange players . Takes AFB and Tapau off usually within a couple of minuets of each other and we always drop in intensity after that. TB could instruct his Second rowers to run the ball more then he could stagger AFB and Tapau a little more but its seems he prefers his second rowers not to hit up the ball as they rarely have for 2.5 years.

Yeah, I also agree in hindsight it may be a better ploy to somehow stagger the timing of taking AFB and Marty off. I also agree that we could utilise more offensive output from the second-rowers to at least help out and alleviate some of the stress in this area.

Put in a genuine 5/8 would change our attacking structure and general play kicking game.

I think we all agree we need the right person in that 5/8 position. Unfortunately, I don't see a realistic option within the current squad (assuming JH is not an option as it seems)

Use the full bench. More importantly hold he can start to change the culture that dropped balls and back chat will not longer be tolerated.

Agree this is probably a significant area to address most immediately and would probably have the greatest impact on our results

This is already and essay so I will leave it there

Thanks for sharing the thoughts

Ahh, sorry for the crappy quoting job on that.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Yep that's the coaches job and he's failed miserably at that!!

Yep, it is obviously an important area of challenge he needs to address.

 

[winnyason]

You can blame Barrett for releasing Green. Another astute decision from our super coach

Master coach move that one. We you see how ****ed we look without a nrl 6 to help chicken neck.
The thompson signing given the money his on its not his fault but looking now another master move. Yeah croker up to scratch

 

[maxta]

Also on the odd occasion with the wingers 30m back....to pick a run game may add some diversity...even results

 

[NYEagle]

Completely agree. The go forward has been generally very impressive this year and it has been frustrating to see us fail to fully cash in on it. I think we can all agree that perhaps our biggest weakness is the lack of organisation and polished execution on the back of the go forward. Unfortunately, I don't see any answer to that problem within the current squad... (putting aside the JH dilemma). Perhaps we just need to find creative left field solutions around it. I thought the changes by Baz for today were at least positive signs of trying things.

You nailed it here. Our forwards are pretty good, but on the back of it our backs are running sideways.
The only straight runners are out wide, or when Tom chimes in, but that is often off two or three passes and the defensive line in their faces.
We need a straight fast runner up the middle who can support off one pass from dummy half but it's just not there. This backline is was too predictable, and Cherry, while the most skilled, is running at angles trying to find straight runners and they are not there.
Frustrating
NYEagle

 

[Chip and Chase]

I have been watching Latrell closely all year, that kid will not go looking for work and avoids it. Often when there could be a short side play he will stand in line with the player playing the ball to ensure he does not receive the ball and will not call for it.
Also if you can get a wide angle he is often on the wing which I don't understand
If he increased his work ethic would be a great player.

That's why they call him the next Inglis

 

[HK_Eagle]

You nailed it here. Our forwards are pretty good, but on the back of it our backs are running sideways.
The only straight runners are out wide, or when Tom chimes in, but that is often off two or three passes and the defensive line in their faces.
We need a straight fast runner up the middle who can support off one pass from dummy half but it's just not there. This backline is was too predictable, and Cherry, while the most skilled, is running at angles trying to find straight runners and they are not there.
Frustrating
NYEagle

NYE, sounds like the type of role a hard-running back rower would normally take up... a Choc in his prime perhaps? As has been noted by others, Baz doesn't seem to value running second rowers, but prefers them as purely defensive units in his game plan. Having said that, I thought I noticed Joel taking more runs on the edges than normal... I could be wrong but thought I noticed more running from him today.

 

[HoldenV8]

M. Wright (who I thought had a fair game today)

Wait.....what?

 

[Ryan]

* We need Jorge back, and Wright as far.out of this team as possible. He is not first grade standard.

* We need a 5/8. Not Croker. Not Walker. A proper 5/8.

* We need to stop releasing players, and not replacing them.

* DCE needs to lift. He's the highest paid halfback, and probably the worst (form wise).

* We look slow, lazy, lethargic, and we play on our heels. We need faster play the balls.

* We need some grit, passion and aggression . Comes with fitness.

* We need to stop complimenting our efforts after losing. Try telling guys like Toovey, Cunningham, Hill and others after losses, that they tried hard, but it doesn't matter. They'd slap you across the face.

* We need to flush the admin staff. Bring in Manly people.

Only 4-5 thousand people are turning up to Manly games now, and it's completely their own fault.

Having the worst start to a season since 1999 is unacceptablele. We've suffered worse injuries, with worse rosters in that time.

It's bull****. Sorry everyone. I'm devastated.

 

[HoldenV8]

TB could instruct his Second rowers to run the ball more then he could stagger AFB and Tapau a little more but its seems he prefers his second rowers not to hit up the ball as they rarely have for 2.5 years.

Been saying that for 3 years. Taupau (until he got moved to prop), Siro, Frank, Thommo, Lane, Gosiewski.....with Barrett they are all workhorses in defence but rarely see a lot of ball which is exactly how he played as a half, he rarely used his back rowers at club level (didn't have much choice at rep level). Today with DCE playing on the left saw Thommo get more of the ball in attack than he has done in the previous 8 weeks combined.

Whatever our game plan is it doesn't involve a lot of attacking involvement from our back rowers.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Wait.....what?

Yeah, there were two errors today that let M. Wright down. However, I remember watching him bust his arse to track back and clean up two critical kicks because Turbo was nowhere to be seen. Either of those kicks could easily have been Rooster's tries if not for his effort. He worked hard and in my opinion had a fair game. I thought your rating was a bit unfair on him, as I thought he deserved a better mark than Turbo, particularly given the disparity in their wages and potential.

 

[HoldenV8]

* We need a 5/8. Not Croker. Not Walker. A proper 5/8.

* DCE needs to lift. He's the highest paid halfback, and probably the worst (form wise).

They come hand in hand. Get a proper 5/8 who can organise the attack (or at least pick Hastings) and DCE's form will rise accordingly. When he has to run the attack, his form suffers. It always has and probably always will.

Unfortunately this is the 2nd time in 3 years of Barrett as coach that Cherry has been lumped with 5/8 partners who by their mere presence in the #6 jumper means he has to play a style of game that he is not at all suited to.

 

[HK_Eagle]

They come hand in hand. Get a proper 5/8 who can organise the attack (or at least pick Hastings) and DCE's form will rise accordingly. When he has to run the attack, his form suffers. It always has and probably always will.

Unfortunately this is the 2nd time in 3 years of Barrett as coach that Cherry has been lumped with 5/8 partners who by their mere presence in the #6 jumper means he has to play a style of game that he is not at all suited to.

I don't know what it means but just interesting that this situation has happened twice and that Baz was a 5/8 himself. I mean, perhaps if Baz was a boof head old-school prop who stuck his head in a few too many scrums, you could almost understand his lack of awareness and appreciation for how a spine works lol

 

[HoldenV8]

By the way Barrett coaches and selects his sides he is doing almost as much to keep DCE out of representative football as any blackballing from Qld is.

 

[HoldenV8]

I don't know what it means but just interesting that this situation has happened twice and that Baz was a 5/8 himself. I mean, perhaps if Baz was a boof head old-school prop who stuck his head in a few too many scrums, you could almost understand his lack of awareness and appreciation for how a spine works lol

That is the puzzling part. As an ex international half himself you'd think Barrett would know what sort of player DCE needs as his halves partner.

Did Blake Green at Manly and DCE's much improved form last year not open his eyes to this? Or is it just pig headedness and an unwillingness to back down on previous (and probably rash) public comments made that is keeping him from picking the only other first grade quality half we have at the club?