Pre-Game Dragons v Manly [Round 4, 2024]

[Seagles68]

It's not a bad Dragons team. With our Gong record, this looks a real problem game for us.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

It's not a bad Dragons team. With our Gong record, this looks a real problem game for us.

They’ve got a pretty good team , and it’s better this week than last week.

 

[Uber Eagle 72]

Hopefully we don’t go into this game thinking it will be walk over without first putting in the effort.

 

[Seagles68]

Hopefully we don’t go into this game thinking it will be walk over without first putting in the effort.

I'd be surprised if they would think that. At least I hope they wouldn't. I'm sure Seibs would get that out of their head pretty quick. As others have said, the Dragons should be up for this

 

[dubLEs]

I was hoping Paulo would get dropped this week, but doesn't seem we've other options. As others said, we need to recall that Wollongong is never an easy away day, especially for us. I think we should still get the job done, but it'll be a 1-12 scoreline imho

 

[davohan123]

If dragons take there chances last week they would of been 24-4 and I don’t think cowboys win

Dragons will be full strength or near enough to it.

if we play like we did in the second half we could be ambushed

if the loss last sunday doesn’t motivated the team nothing will

i think us by a margin of 7

no one will give the dragons a chance I hate that

 

[Wombat64]

I don't think we've improved on last year as must as many on here think. Our achilles heal for many seasons now has been our defence and I don't think we've really improved that at all. As long as our defence doesn't improve then we are consigned to only beating largely bottom 8 teams and are not able to defend and outscore the top 4 to 6 teams. Another season with 10 to 12 wins.

As we all know we rarely win down there. I reckon It's a loss and score will be 34 to 24.

The week after is the Panthers and then we are 2 from 4. The week after that is the Warriors away .... another tough game.

 

[Rafferty]

I don't think we've improved on last year as must as many on here think. Our achilles heal for many seasons now has been our defence and I don't think we've really improved that at all.

As we all know we rarely win down there. I reckon It's a loss and score will be 34 to 24.

The week after is the Panthers and then we are 2 from 4. The week after that is the Warriors away .... another tough game.

If we play smart, cut out the errors and not get sucked into a battle through the middle, we’ll win, we need to go there and play our style of footy, we look extremely dangerous shifting the ball and can exploit their edges.

I think we bounce back and have a good win, the following week however is another story, but with Nathan out, a good confidence building win this weekend and back at home infront of a big Brookie crowd willing us on, let’s wait and see, anything’s possible.

 

[Eagle 1]

I'd be surprised if they would think that. At least I hope they wouldn't. I'm sure Seibs would get that out of their head pretty quick. As others have said, the Dragons should be up for this

Also, a few close calls by Seib's on selections will keep the team on their toes on Sat.

 

[ALinda]

I'd be surprised if they would think that. At least I hope they wouldn't. I'm sure Seibs would get that out of their head pretty quick. As others have said, the Dragons should be up for this

Yes, I highly doubt they're thinking its walkover. The Dragons at the 'Gong has been a bogey game for us (except last yr) for a long time and surely that's remembered. Secondly Flano will have his team up for this, as he'll want them to perform well against his previous club.

I hope Seibs has pointed out to our guys how well the Dragons came out last week and scored three tries before the Cowboys woke up. Cows were probably thinking they'd have a walkover and were shell-shocked but were good enough to come back and "walk over" the Dragons in the end. If we start with the same mentality as the Cows, we may not come back.

 

[ALinda]

does anyone have the code to get a ticket in the away bay?

Not advised when the team list sent today so I'd say the Dragons don't give away fans discounts

 

[wombatgc]

Waddell stays, Bully to be rested this game.

If you’d asked me before he scored that try, Id say Bully.
But that try to me showed his mindset as much as anything else.
He overcalls, 10 out with most of the side fanned out to the right.
It wasn‘t like we had them for numbers on the blind.
But it was his sheer intent on getting the ball and taking three Parra players
to the try line.
To me, that smacks of a bloke who knows his past pedestrian hit ups aren’t going to cut it
anymore. So yeah, I’d pick him ahead of Bully.

 

[Eagle 1]

If you’d asked me before he scored that try, Id say Bully.
But that try to me showed his mindset as much as anything else.
He overcalls, 10 out with most of the side fanned out to the right.
It wasn‘t like we had them for numbers on the blind.
But it was his sheer intent on getting the ball and taking three Parra players
to the try line.
To me, that smacks of a bloke who knows his past pedestrian hit ups aren’t going to cut it
anymore. So yeah, I’d pick him ahead of Bully.

Yeah agree, we know Bullys game, ball tucked in run hard and straight hopefully cause a bit of damage in the process. Waddell does all of this, but, he's got a bit of footy nouse about him and knows where it's at on the footy field and the right time to try something.

 

[globaleagle]

Manly 32 - St G 18 - bunker 86

 

[Pete W]

I don't think we've improved on last year as must as many on here think. Our achilles heal for many seasons now has been our defence and I don't think we've really improved that at all. As long as our defence doesn't improve then we are consigned to only beating largely bottom 8 teams and are not able to defend and outscore the top 4 to 6 teams. Another season with 10 to 12 wins.

As we all know we rarely win down there. I reckon It's a loss and score will be 34 to 24.

The week after is the Panthers and then we are 2 from 4. The week after that is the Warriors away .... another tough game.

Our defence is barely top 8. With momentum, ball in hand, we are fast becoming one of the best attacking sides in the comp, and fully fit, by season's end, it could be an awesome sight.

Unfortunately, we will never be a genuine contender, as the top sides can sustain pressure for large durations in defence, and win when things are against them. After all three games so far, I have as little confidence in this group as I have ever had over the last decade. Best case scenario, it's a repeat of 2021 - great for the highlight reel, but soft as sh*t when it really matters; a team no serious club will be worried about at the business end.

A little perplexed actually. Improvement in general fitness levels, team unity, and personnel (credit must go when it's due)...

but we are still hopeless in the ruck, whether it be losing the wrestle, not shutting down the ball, etc. And our edge defence is still pathetic. Defensively, even our most decorated and experienced players are very ineffective, and continually make poor reads. We quite clearly have a weak mind and stomach for the tough stuff still

 

[Nordburg]

Our defence is barely top 8. With momentum, ball in hand, we are fast becoming one of the best attacking sides in the comp, and fully fit, by season's end, it could be an awesome sight.

Unfortunately, we will never be a genuine contender, as the top sides can sustain pressure for large durations in defence, and win when things are against them. After all three games so far, I have as little confidence in this group as I have ever had over the last decade. Best case scenario, it's a repeat of 2021 - great for the highlight reel, but soft as sh*t when it really matters; a team no serious club will be worried about at the business end.

A little perplexed actually. Improvement in general fitness levels, team unity, and personnel (credit must go when it's due)...

but we are still hopeless in the ruck, whether it be losing the wrestle, not shutting down the ball, etc. And our edge defence is still pathetic. Defensively, even our most decorated and experienced players are very ineffective, and continually make poor reads. We quite clearly have a weak mind and stomach for the tough stuff still

100% agree.Nothing has changed in defence.The team lacks a hard edged no nonsense leader in the pack,that frightens the opposition,a la JFH or what AFB has finally become.Whilst the team has some of the fastest players in the competition,they still do things at a slow rate.Ruck speed,players in motion,all at pace that is easy for the better teams to negate.A faster speed at the ruck or in general,would make the most of the speed men out wide.Koula always seems to be used as a hit up merchant rather than him having the ball when the opposition are on the back foot.And whilst Olakau’atu has been damaging,imagine how destructive he’d be with the opponent’s back peddling or they haven’t had time to put 2-3 players on him.Whilst most of us support Croker for his tireless work and it definitely shows that the players love him,he poses no threat from dummy half other than the odd 40/20 attempt and once in a blue moon scoot

 

[StuBoot]

Can't recall who but two of the talking heads on FOX both commented that Manly seem to have a method in their tackling that is more of "hitting" in the tackle rather than the "cuddle or wrestle".
Different enough for them to note it.
Whether we can sustain it is the issue as well as offloaders like Parra.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I don't think we've improved on last year as must as many on here think. Our achilles heal for many seasons now has been our defence and I don't think we've really improved that at all. As long as our defence doesn't improve then we are consigned to only beating largely bottom 8 teams and are not able to defend and outscore the top 4 to 6 teams. Another season with 10 to 12 wins.

As we all know we rarely win down there. I reckon It's a loss and score will be 34 to 24.

The week after is the Panthers and then we are 2 from 4. The week after that is the Warriors away .... another tough game.

Pre season many had us 0/5

I think we’ll end with 3/5

And that would be just fine.

 

[Seagles68]

Our defence is barely top 8. With momentum, ball in hand, we are fast becoming one of the best attacking sides in the comp, and fully fit, by season's end, it could be an awesome sight.

Unfortunately, we will never be a genuine contender, as the top sides can sustain pressure for large durations in defence, and win when things are against them. After all three games so far, I have as little confidence in this group as I have ever had over the last decade. Best case scenario, it's a repeat of 2021 - great for the highlight reel, but soft as sh*t when it really matters; a team no serious club will be worried about at the business end.

A little perplexed actually. Improvement in general fitness levels, team unity, and personnel (credit must go when it's due)...

but we are still hopeless in the ruck, whether it be losing the wrestle, not shutting down the ball, etc. And our edge defence is still pathetic. Defensively, even our most decorated and experienced players are very ineffective, and continually make poor reads. We quite clearly have a weak mind and stomach for the tough stuff still

Which seems weird to me given all the work they seem to do in defence work and wrestle work that we saw in the Manly Way videos. I can't imagine that was just for show.

We certainly seem fragile under pressure in our 20 m zone. And the outside backs don't seem to have improved that much in defence. I'm still holding on to the fact that Rubes is "new" to the centre pos and I've not been a Paulo fan since joining us and he hasn't done anything to change my mind as yet.

However, I haven't given up on that changing just yet as I'm hoping 1) that Lodge might be that hard nosed defender/leader once he returns and 2) that one of the winger options we have might eventually become solid enough to not feel like that's our weak point. I know it's not a popular view but my gut feeling is Talua should be at centre and Rubes on the wing. But the reverse should at least continue for a bit yet to see if they can get their defensive sh*t together.

I suspect Flanno knows that and we might just get a touch up this weekend.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

We can score points but to be a title contender we need to defend them. We leak too many points and our defensive decisions on the edges are poor. We are far too often out numbered out wide too easily. I hope we can remedy this soon.