It seems Manly can only sustain line speed for the first 3-4 sets in a half, at the most. The top sides sustain it for the bulk of the game. The Dogs were still charging at St George last week in the final 10 minutes of their game.
I don’t think it’s lack of fitness per se, because all clubs train hard. I reckon we’ve just got a pack with an aerobic fitness ceiling that is too low.
Obviously our high risk offensive approach can lead to errors, which increases the defence workload that leads to fatigue and a subsequent lack of line speed. However, I wasn’t thrilled with our line speed against the Cowboys and we had all the possession.
Our contact is not suffocating in the way other clubs are. The opposition find their front easily. A lot has been made of our goal line defence and it certainly needs work but when you’re giving up so many opportunities inside your red zone, the opposition is bound to find a way through. Good teams don’t provide as many opportunities in the first place, which probably skews the data somewhat.
My concern is that we’ve built the wrong kind of team for the speed of the modern game. Fast and mobile is the order of the day.
Everything you say is correct
My gutty is accountability. No one ever gets dropped. Our senior players who should drive it seem too comfortable with a loss. We dont need sooks but we need players that rev us up a bit on field. More players need a toe in there ass but quite often its our senior players ,
The best leaders drive the team constantly in all facets of the game .Like foz did to T rex. Get in there. Do your work. We are too nice
Our skill levels are through the roof but resolve , not so much because there are very few consequences and they mostly get september off to recover
Not all people that play footy are footy heads with white line fever. They change sides in all aspects
Ben kennedy is lauded for good reason, but he set a standard and demanded others meet it. We neither set it, or demand it and to answer your specific question i believe line speed is just a symptom of the attitude and accountabilty
We try very hard but the hunger just isnt there. Des had the most consistency in defence but still we had weeks of fade out
For many it looks like its a job which it is but successful clubs are littered with players that leave nothing out there.
Our captain only gets tackled 4 times a year. Yes exaggerated but there is truth in it.if i am a forward Im not dying on a hill for the backs to chuck it into touch on second and get paid a quarter . This is the new way i feel
Been saying it since the AFB days, he gave a few sprays when players didnt respect his grunt work
Unpopualr opinion i know but its what i see. Our ceiling is our leadership and our game mirrors theres overall