AFB you Beast

[Technical Coach]

If I were targeting anyone for lack of straight running it would be kapow. Runs too many sideways runs and forgets the impact his size could have. Kapow consistently ran sideways to look for Blake Austin all game. He still played well but pick him out on your line to the ball and hit him head on not skipping sideways at him

Too many of our forwards don't run hard and straight consistently enough including Taupau.

Manly need to play more short and flat off the dummy half through the middle at pace with direct simple uncomplicated go forward.

DCE needs to ease off/balance playing as the second man deep floating option and draw the line in the sand positioned flat in relation to the dummy half as if to say "i'm not giving up these metres and my forwards need to back me".

Being overly reliant on the back three penetrating on the early kick return tackles and the occasional hard running straight moments that the centres offer hitting hard behind the ruck is not going to offer consistent punch through the middle.

Once you start to rely on spreads and edge corridor go forward you make the next middle hit up predictable, slow and dominated in the tackle as it is telegraphed. Punching fast and short through the middle corridor keeps your attacking options open on both sides, gives your dummy half options either side, promotes direct straightness and brings both halves into play.

At the moment if the back three don't offer punch at the start of the sets and if our offloads are controlled we look predictable and second rate.

The team is improving and there is skill in the squad but we are still lacking hard running straight depth in the forwards.

The Dragons play very simple, predictable, fast hard running and direct at the moment and are able to maintain the intensity long enough to break teams down----nothing special nothing complicated but it has moved the Dragons up the ladder big time.(Their attacking structures are nothing to write home about but good enough off the back of the direct go forward)

 

[Dan]

Too many of our forwards don't run hard and straight consistently enough including Taupau.

Manly need to play more short and flat off the dummy half through the middle at pace with direct simple uncomplicated go forward.

DCE needs to ease off/balance playing as the second man deep floating option and draw the line in the sand positioned flat in relation to the dummy half as if to say "i'm not giving up these metres and my forwards need to back me".

Being overly reliant on the back three penetrating on the early kick return tackles and the occasional hard running straight moments that the centres offer hitting hard behind the ruck is not going to offer consistent punch through the middle.

Once you start to rely on spreads and edge corridor go forward you make the next middle hit up predictable, slow and dominated in the tackle as it is telegraphed. Punching fast and short through the middle corridor keeps your attacking options open on both sides, gives your dummy half options either side, promotes direct straightness and brings both halves into play.

At the moment if the back three don't offer punch at the start of the sets and if our offloads are controlled we look predictable and second rate.

The team is improving and there is skill in the squad but we are still lacking hard running straight depth in the forwards.

The Dragons play very simple, predictable, fast hard running and direct at the moment and are able to maintain the intensity long enough to break teams down----nothing special nothing complicated but it has moved the Dragons up the ladder big time.(Their attacking structures are nothing to write home about but good enough off the back of the direct go forward)

I'd say the issue you describe all stems from the dummy half style of play and passing game

 

[Technical Coach]

Hi

It's not his style of play...he attracts a lot of defenders because he is hard to put down so he drags the opposition in to open up space around the ruck for the next play...pair that with a late offload and you have a very handy player. He will never be fast enough to simply trudge forward, land on his tummy and get up for a quick play-the-ball...that's what Lawrence is there for.

Obviously not his style but slow not going straight go forward is not going to exhaust the defensive line, and if he doesn't offload the good metres he makes is followed up with a slow upright wrestle play the ball at times.

Not saying i'm not a fan of his potential but his go forward play needs to be harnessed to bring Manly to the next level.

 

[Technical Coach]

I'd say the issue you describe all stems from the dummy half style of play and passing game

Only to a certain degree, it's obvious Api's ball distribution is not of quality but playing short off either hip with consistent punch is not reliant on long pass crisp distribution---Cameron Smiths distribution from Dummy half is not as crisp as others it's just he has the smarts combined with mostly playing short and flat.

It is a combination of the Dummy half, the first receiver our go forward structure and the soft running lines in our go forward sets we sometimes take---there has to be a more direct straight flat approach overall to lay the ground work for Manly going to the next level otherwise we just become a make up the numbers bottom 8 team at best.

Flair off the back of up tempo straight hard flat directness is the starting point, eventually that will get predictable if solely reliant on this but it is the starting point we need to be at.

One of the reasons why Melb have not won a GF over the last few years is the over reliance on just being the benchmark in the above directness, along with lacking power and unstructured play off the back of offloads.(They are improving in this area now)

 

[mave]

You do realise Melbourne were one Will Chambers glance to the left from winning the comp last year ?

 

[maxta]

Too many of our forwards don't run hard and straight consistently enough including Taupau.

Manly need to play more short and flat off the dummy half through the middle at pace with direct simple uncomplicated go forward.

DCE needs to ease off/balance playing as the second man deep floating option and draw the line in the sand positioned flat in relation to the dummy half as if to say "i'm not giving up these metres and my forwards need to back me".

Being overly reliant on the back three penetrating on the early kick return tackles and the occasional hard running straight moments that the centres offer hitting hard behind the ruck is not going to offer consistent punch through the middle.

Once you start to rely on spreads and edge corridor go forward you make the next middle hit up predictable, slow and dominated in the tackle as it is telegraphed. Punching fast and short through the middle corridor keeps your attacking options open on both sides, gives your dummy half options either side, promotes direct straightness and brings both halves into play.

At the moment if the back three don't offer punch at the start of the sets and if our offloads are controlled we look predictable and second rate.

The team is improving and there is skill in the squad but we are still lacking hard running straight depth in the forwards.

The Dragons play very simple, predictable, fast hard running and direct at the moment and are able to maintain the intensity long enough to break teams down----nothing special nothing complicated but it has moved the Dragons up the ladder big time.(Their attacking structures are nothing to write home about but good enough off the back of the direct go forward)

Long to read TC but as usual, solid points....
In short for mine- those EXACT plays were perfectly executed once Hastings came on- engaging the markers and parking his forwards directly behind the ruck creating momentum I have not seen from Manly for a long, long time.
My hard call is replacing imo....with Jake, our best defensive forward Api - who leads every defensive assault ....such a warrior, but stifles the attack and go forward with predictable looping passes without engaging the markers....big decisions.

 

[Technical Coach]

You do realise Melbourne were one Will Chambers glance to the left from winning the comp last year ?

You do realise the last few years they have been addressing the power/size element of their game and playing a little more off the cuff to even get to that position.

Melb are also less reliant on using block plays and second man plays(as they did in the past) and balancing it up with playing the first man more so----making the second man plays more dangerous as they become the option not the norm.

 

[Technical Coach]

Long to read TC but as usual, solid points....
In short for mine- those EXACT plays were perfectly executed once Hastings came on- engaging the markers and parking his forwards directly behind the ruck creating momentum I have not seen from Manly for a long, long time.
My hard call is replacing imo....with Jake, our best defensive forward Api - who leads every defensive assault ....such a warrior, but stifles the attack and go forward with predictable looping passes without engaging the markers....big decisions.

I saw Hastings in that small patch of direct go forward but from what i recall(wasn't entirely focused on the game last night) the preceding tackles were off the back of good early tackle metres from Uate, so might have been playing off the back of a good early direct foundation.

Haven't seen enough of Hastings to make a call as i don't watch many games these days.

 

[mave]

You stated your reasons why they hadnt won a comp in the last few years.

Im saying they didnt win last year because Chambers cant turn his head to the left.

I tend to agree with your overall points though.

 

[Technical Coach]

Long to read TC but as usual, solid points....
In short for mine- those EXACT plays were perfectly executed once Hastings came on- engaging the markers and parking his forwards directly behind the ruck creating momentum I have not seen from Manly for a long, long time.
My hard call is replacing imo....with Jake, our best defensive forward Api - who leads every defensive assault ....such a warrior, but stifles the attack and go forward with predictable looping passes without engaging the markers....big decisions.

Ballins crisp ball distribution was so under-rated and was very much required in Manly's peak due to our emphasis on lateral spreads to generate go forward and the width we played in our structured attacking spreads giving composed crisp delivery along with time to the first receiver.

I think this is what Jason Taylor was looking for at the West Tigers in relation to giving his young halves extra decision making time via crisp direct uncomplicated delivery.

When Ballin was released most people here were bagging Ballin for his lack of speed from Dummy Half and blaming him for Manly's issues (when that wasn't our style of play anyway), Api's features will work only if we have direct punch because his loopy ball distribution for lateral structured play is not good enough.

 

[Technical Coach]

You stated your reasons why they hadnt won a comp in the last few years.

Im saying they didnt win last year because Chambers cant turn his head to the left.

I tend to agree with your overall points though.

And i'm also stating if Melb had more power and off the cuff play they would of easily beat Cronulla.

 

[SoaringEagle]

Hes an absolute gun

 

[maxta]

I saw Hastings in that small patch of direct go forward but from what i recall(wasn't entirely focused on the game last night) the preceding tackles were off the back of good early tackle metres from Uate, so might have been playing off the back of a good early direct foundation.

Haven't seen enough of Hastings to make a call as i don't watch many games these days.

True that Manly wingers are massive in creating that ON attacking play.
Thing is...make no mistake...Hastings has the ability to create the exact go forward DCE & Turbo will thrive from & points will Flow.