If Croker can do "THIS" - will be Massive Boost

[SeaEagleRock8]

Totally. Api is crafty out of dummy half but his real strength is how tight he keeps the middle.

I just think back to the last two losses of the season where we got dusted by Storm and the Rabbits. We would have been just as easily beat if we had Grant or Cook.

The areas where we can materially improve are within our current squad’s control.

Croker was injured and missed the Storm semi final, we used Lawton. (Might have been the only game he missed all year)

 

[Ranga]

Croker was injured and missed the Storm semi final, we used Lawton. (Might have been the only game he missed all year)

Yeah I know. My point is that the no 9 was not the issue in either of those games and we don’t need substantially more output from that position. Our problem is a lack of patience and defensive resolve, which in my view are within the squad’s ability to address. Certainly an extra year of experience and maturity for a lot of our young guys will make a huge difference.

 

[BOZO]

Smith was hardly a dynamic 9 Bozo. I’d go so far to say that a smart crafty intelligent 9 trumps a fast dynamic 9 any day of the week. I think we have enough strike, what we need imo in a 9 is someone that makes and takes the right decisions. It’s a bonus that they tackle their a** off as well and have a kicking game. I don’t forget the skill set of Fainu when he played though, such a shame his path took the turn it did. Hope he comes back at sone point and we have a good competition for the 9.

We all have a different perspective feathered friend

Dynamic has many meanings in the way it dominates the game

Smith was dynamic in the way he was a game changer

Fainu has all the skilsl and attributes of a game changer

 

[BOZO]

Is Croker crap and out of form?
Roosters have been dominant and recently won comps with Verrils and Friend at hooker. Neither are dynamic hookers, similar to Croker.

Interesting perspective as we all see different things feathered friend

I see the similarities that you see are far and beyond Crokers Capabilities

I see that Friend was a prominent and dominant QLD origin Hooker

I also see Verrils a better all round performer than the Croker

Verrils won a comp with the roosters as an inexperienced nrl rookie at the age of 19

and he was very dominant in that game

Thinking out side the square Dynamic has many meanings a player dominates a game and this is the way the Roosters 19 year old rookie dominated in the grand final with a very
comprehensive Contribution in attack as well as defence

NRL. COM
9. Sam Verrills: If you had him as first try-scorer, your shout.
*Opportunistic scurry to convert pressure into points ***and ***topped the Roosters tackle count while he was out there by some margin. Fine effort from the rookie. 7

 

[The better Robbo]

Interesting perspective as we all see different things feathered friend

I see the similarities that you see are far and beyond Crokers Capabilities

I see that Friend was a prominent and dominant QLD origin Hooker

I also see Verrils a better all round performer than the Croker

Verrils won a comp with the roosters as an inexperienced nrl rookie at the age of 19

and he was very dominant in that game

Thinking out side the square Dynamic has many meanings a player dominates a game and this is the way the Roosters 19 year old rookie dominated in the grand final with a very
comprehensive Contribution in attack as well as defence

NRL. COM
9. Sam Verrills: If you had him as first try-scorer, your shout.
*Opportunistic scurry to convert pressure into points ***and ***topped the Roosters tackle count while he was out there by some margin. Fine effort from the rookie. 7

If Friend wasn't playing for Roosters and played his career with Tigers or Titans I dont think he would get anywhere near the praise he gets. I never really rated him more than a tackling machine that played in a great team and was made to look a lot better than he is. Verrils scored a dive over try in that GF but other than that was just solid. Croker will be better again this year and I expect him to have a big year.

 

[BOZO]

If Friend wasn't playing for Roosters and played his career with Tigers or Titans I dont think he would get anywhere near the praise he gets. I never really rated him more than a tackling machine that played in a great team and was made to look a lot better than he is. Verrils scored a dive over try in that GF but other than that was just solid. Croker will be better again this year and I expect him to have a big year.

Thanks for your opinion on Friend but I disagree . QLD and Australian honours do not come out of a cocopos cereal packet reward

I also place a higher opinion on a 19 year old rookie making a difference in the biggest game of the year against the best team . The pressure would have been enormous and he handled it like a pro making a difference in attack as well as in defence . His 7/10 game rating was high above an average solid 5/10 .

I hope Croker has a better year and improves as well as some other players of ours that did not handle the finals high standard footy very well

 

[Waz13]

We all have a different perspective feathered friend

Dynamic has many meanings in the way it dominates the game

Smith was dynamic in the way he was a game changer

Fainu has all the skilsl and attributes of a game changer

Yea I did wonder around the definition of dynamic Bozo and agree re Smith being dynamic in different ways. I’m very confident in the make up of our side this year. If we stay relatively healthy se can certainly push for a title in 22.

 

[BOZO]

Yea I did wonder around the definition of dynamic Bozo and agree re Smith being dynamic in different ways. I’m very confident in the make up of our side this year. If we stay relatively healthy se can certainly push for a title in 22.

Sorry feathered friend . I should have explained the Dynamic definition a little more in detail

Every side starts the season with confidence and optimism . It is the nature of the Powerful Beast of Believing in your self and when that is done anything is possible

I am looking forward to the injection of some life to our 21 team version with the inclusion of the lively young talent we have in our NRL squad

Talent not used is wasted talent Des Hasler

 

[mave]

I hope Croker has a better year and improves as well as some other players of ours that did not handle the finals high standard footy very well

Are you saying Croker had a poor finals series last year?

 

[BOZO]

Are you saying Croker had a poor finals series last year?

We all have our own Benchmarks and standards of grand final winning Manly performances

Yes, that is the I saw it as we bombed out in the finals last season

and unless the standards goes up will will go down again

 

[Hotspur2014]

We all have our own Benchmarks and standards of grand final winning Manly performances

Yes, that is the I saw it as we bombed out in the finals last season

and unless the standards goes up will will go down again

One thing for sure , our defence structures will need to improve dramatically if we are any chance this year (especially against the top 4 teams where it becomes an arm wrestle ) !!!

 

[BOZO]

One thing for sure , our defence structures will need to improve dramatically if we are any chance this year (especially against the top 4 teams where it becomes an arm wrestle ) !!!

One thing for sure also is that our attack relied too much on Turbos flair .

When Turbo was shut down . So too was Manly try scoring opportunities

We need to lift above 2021 standards like Real Premiership winning Sea eagles

 

[BOZO]

One thing for sure , our defence structures will need to improve dramatically if we are any chance this year (especially against the top 4 teams where it becomes an arm wrestle ) !!!

Last season finals against the best teams was no arm wrestle .

It was comprehensive capitulation

Storm 40 - 12

Souths 36 - 16

 

[BOZO]

Lower our Legendary clubs high standards and we drop our pants

Once we drop our pants we get screwed

 

[BOZO]

Second best is not a Manly thing !

 

[mave]

We all have our own Benchmarks and standards of grand final winning Manly performances

Yes, that is the I saw it as we bombed out in the finals last season

and unless the standards goes up will will go down again

Okie dokie then.

So by that standard, all 17 of our players had a poor finals series?

You do realise that players can be judged individually, as well as a whole group?

Anyway, back to the chessboard.

 

[BOZO]

Okie dokie then.

So by that standard, all 17 of our players had a poor finals series?

You do realise that players can be judged individually, as well as a whole group?

Anyway, back to the chessboard.

I realize most of our players were dominated in the finals and we need to lift
to live up to our Legendary clubs standards as the greatest club of all

I realize the victorious teams hookers in Cook and Grant and Smith were in a galaxy far beyond the performance planet that our hooker was on and so too were many of his team mates


Getting back to your first question ...
So by that standard, all 17 of our players had a poor finals series?

Answer ...

2nd best is not a Manly thing
We lower our Legendary clubs high standards and once we do that we lower our pants
As soon as we lower our pants . We get screwed

 

[BOZO]

Our players and Coach and all Manly people that are part of our Legendary club

Are judged by the highest standard of all

Living up to the Greatest Club of All

 

[BOZO]

Our Great Godfather did not build our Legendary club as the Greatest club of all

For mediocrity to bring it down from its perch as the Greatest club of all !

 

[Will on the hill.]

One thing for sure , our defence structures will need to improve dramatically if we are any chance this year (especially against the top 4 teams where it becomes an arm wrestle ) !!!

Definitely room to improve defensively but our Achilles heel was ball control. Too many errors, especially in the first 20. It was a trend all season, even against the lesser teams and against the top 4 it was something we couldn't recover from. If we can manage 90%+ completions in the first 20 it will allow us to actually get into the arm wrestle and take pressure off our defence.