cf2 is back
Reserve Grader
THE GOOD:
Driving down to the ground today I heard someone on the radio say our boys were very upset about losing to the Tigers. Not only did I really like hearing that, but it instantly erased any fears that we could possibly lose our heads like an ego fuelled complacent Saints. This Manly team means serious business and went straight back to work at Brookie this afternoon.
1st half:
It was hardly surprising the Roosters forwards, and in particular Warea-Hargreaves, would turn up intent on hitting us as hard as possible. The problem however, was that whatever they threw at us we threw straight back turning the first 15 minutes into a bruising arm wrestle. At this point the first scorer could have come from either side, but we quickly forced the issue grinding the Roosters into 4 consecutive sets. That's a pressure few teams can withstand, so it was more an inevitability than a landmark moment when Hoppa pounced on a 15th minute short grubber in the corner. 4-0 and crack no 1. With further pressure applied Glenn launched a 21st minute perfect ride side raid that saw Lyon put away Hoppa on a run down the hill sideline before collecting the inside ball to fly over. 8-0 and crack no 2. Then in the 31st minute, just when the Roosters were trying hard to do something in attack, a dropped ball was picked up on our 10m line by DCE who escaped a loose Anasta boot and raced 90 metres untouched to score a somewhat odd try. It's not that DCE is slow per se, it's just that you would have put big money on someone running him down, so I suspect DCE himself was as surprised as the rest of us when he stuck the head back in vintage Johnny Gibbs style and ran the length of the sideline without a hand laid on him. 12-0 and crack no 3.
You suspected there and then the game was probably over, despite Lyon missing all 3 tough shots from the hill sideline (one of which hit the upright), but in the dying seconds the Roosters put a kick into our 20 which Oldfield seemed to have covered. In a combination of being perhaps a tad too relaxed and a somewhat odd bounce, Oldfield gifted possession to Kenny-Dowall who did everything right except successfully keep control of the ball as he attempted to plant it down for the try. Opportunity gone and 12-0 HT.
2nd half:
I can only guess how loudly Dessie reminded the guys what happened after a 12-0 HT lead last week, and it only took 5 minutes before Glenn blew away any repeat fears when he strolled over from a scrum for one of the years softest tries. I'm not sure where Brian Smith was sitting, but you'd have paid money to see him spit the dummy with defence like that. 16-0 and still no luck for Lyon with a conversion, but the game was well gone, and it was simply a matter of the final margin. Big T Rex was causing havoc with every touch, and in the 49th minute he sent the Roosters flying like ten pins to make it 22-0 with Lyon finally bagging an easy conversion. By the 58th minute the Roosters had mentally imploded when Foran somehow stole possession in an apparent legal one on one to send Matai flying over for 28-0.
The final 20 mins of the game transcended into a semi training run, and not surprisingly the Roosters finally got a try for 28-4 before Brett send a super ball to put Hoppa over in the Arko corner for 32-4. 6 minutes later and with the clouds looking darker than even Brian Smiths mood, Matai scored the 2nd odd try of the day when he somehow wrestled through 4 tacklers and despite being halted short of the line, embarrassed them all by flinging out his arm to plant it down for 36-4. In the final minute the Roosters went on an attacking raid that was so fast I'd have to see it again to describe it, but it certainly resulted in an extraordinary try on the siren. 36-8 and a score that really flattered the Roosters given not only our complete and utter dominance, but the unusual 2/8 tough day at the kicking office for Jamie.
Individual performances. Brett lurked and lurked all day for try, but ended up the provider rather than the scorer, Hoppa was back in top form before a late hammy worry forced him off, Lyon and Matai both terrorised their opposition, and Foran and DCE both played very solid hands. Our pack all did their job equally well with tireless work rates, but none more so than my MOM Glenn Stewart who is simply in superb form, and I suspect has even more left in the tank.
THE BAD:
I wouldn't rate Jamie's 2/8 a problem, they were all tough kicks on a heavy track day, and 2 of them hit the upright. The bad of course was our injury toll with Kingy's pec tear a huge worry, as well as the late injuries to Hoppa (hammy) and Matai (shoulder/neck/arm). As much as we all love Matai, what possessed him to attempt a flying shoulder charge in the last minute of an easy win is beyond comprehension. Watching him lie prone for a good 3-4 minutes took the fun out of the full time siren, and we can only pray it's another burner rather than a serious injury. Surely Des will be reminding him that kamikaze hits are ludicrously pointless when the result is long gone.
THE UGLY:
I've said it before and I'm going to keep saying it. Our ground is beyond a pathetic embarrassment. Our team deserved 18-20,000 screaming fans today, but once again our joke facility, so ill equipped for poor weather, reduced the crowed to just 13,000 with the poor sods on the hill pelted by rain and threatened by lightning. At HT I had to stand in a line of 20 blokes just to get into the 1960's toilet in the north west corner. As one guy in the queue said "everyone else gets state of the art stadiums and we get this".
Driving down to the ground today I heard someone on the radio say our boys were very upset about losing to the Tigers. Not only did I really like hearing that, but it instantly erased any fears that we could possibly lose our heads like an ego fuelled complacent Saints. This Manly team means serious business and went straight back to work at Brookie this afternoon.
1st half:
It was hardly surprising the Roosters forwards, and in particular Warea-Hargreaves, would turn up intent on hitting us as hard as possible. The problem however, was that whatever they threw at us we threw straight back turning the first 15 minutes into a bruising arm wrestle. At this point the first scorer could have come from either side, but we quickly forced the issue grinding the Roosters into 4 consecutive sets. That's a pressure few teams can withstand, so it was more an inevitability than a landmark moment when Hoppa pounced on a 15th minute short grubber in the corner. 4-0 and crack no 1. With further pressure applied Glenn launched a 21st minute perfect ride side raid that saw Lyon put away Hoppa on a run down the hill sideline before collecting the inside ball to fly over. 8-0 and crack no 2. Then in the 31st minute, just when the Roosters were trying hard to do something in attack, a dropped ball was picked up on our 10m line by DCE who escaped a loose Anasta boot and raced 90 metres untouched to score a somewhat odd try. It's not that DCE is slow per se, it's just that you would have put big money on someone running him down, so I suspect DCE himself was as surprised as the rest of us when he stuck the head back in vintage Johnny Gibbs style and ran the length of the sideline without a hand laid on him. 12-0 and crack no 3.
You suspected there and then the game was probably over, despite Lyon missing all 3 tough shots from the hill sideline (one of which hit the upright), but in the dying seconds the Roosters put a kick into our 20 which Oldfield seemed to have covered. In a combination of being perhaps a tad too relaxed and a somewhat odd bounce, Oldfield gifted possession to Kenny-Dowall who did everything right except successfully keep control of the ball as he attempted to plant it down for the try. Opportunity gone and 12-0 HT.
2nd half:
I can only guess how loudly Dessie reminded the guys what happened after a 12-0 HT lead last week, and it only took 5 minutes before Glenn blew away any repeat fears when he strolled over from a scrum for one of the years softest tries. I'm not sure where Brian Smith was sitting, but you'd have paid money to see him spit the dummy with defence like that. 16-0 and still no luck for Lyon with a conversion, but the game was well gone, and it was simply a matter of the final margin. Big T Rex was causing havoc with every touch, and in the 49th minute he sent the Roosters flying like ten pins to make it 22-0 with Lyon finally bagging an easy conversion. By the 58th minute the Roosters had mentally imploded when Foran somehow stole possession in an apparent legal one on one to send Matai flying over for 28-0.
The final 20 mins of the game transcended into a semi training run, and not surprisingly the Roosters finally got a try for 28-4 before Brett send a super ball to put Hoppa over in the Arko corner for 32-4. 6 minutes later and with the clouds looking darker than even Brian Smiths mood, Matai scored the 2nd odd try of the day when he somehow wrestled through 4 tacklers and despite being halted short of the line, embarrassed them all by flinging out his arm to plant it down for 36-4. In the final minute the Roosters went on an attacking raid that was so fast I'd have to see it again to describe it, but it certainly resulted in an extraordinary try on the siren. 36-8 and a score that really flattered the Roosters given not only our complete and utter dominance, but the unusual 2/8 tough day at the kicking office for Jamie.
Individual performances. Brett lurked and lurked all day for try, but ended up the provider rather than the scorer, Hoppa was back in top form before a late hammy worry forced him off, Lyon and Matai both terrorised their opposition, and Foran and DCE both played very solid hands. Our pack all did their job equally well with tireless work rates, but none more so than my MOM Glenn Stewart who is simply in superb form, and I suspect has even more left in the tank.
THE BAD:
I wouldn't rate Jamie's 2/8 a problem, they were all tough kicks on a heavy track day, and 2 of them hit the upright. The bad of course was our injury toll with Kingy's pec tear a huge worry, as well as the late injuries to Hoppa (hammy) and Matai (shoulder/neck/arm). As much as we all love Matai, what possessed him to attempt a flying shoulder charge in the last minute of an easy win is beyond comprehension. Watching him lie prone for a good 3-4 minutes took the fun out of the full time siren, and we can only pray it's another burner rather than a serious injury. Surely Des will be reminding him that kamikaze hits are ludicrously pointless when the result is long gone.
THE UGLY:
I've said it before and I'm going to keep saying it. Our ground is beyond a pathetic embarrassment. Our team deserved 18-20,000 screaming fans today, but once again our joke facility, so ill equipped for poor weather, reduced the crowed to just 13,000 with the poor sods on the hill pelted by rain and threatened by lightning. At HT I had to stand in a line of 20 blokes just to get into the 1960's toilet in the north west corner. As one guy in the queue said "everyone else gets state of the art stadiums and we get this".
