Miserable Middles To Dominate Middles.

[Dion Johnson]

Ever since the Rorters out muscled the forward pack they have been below par up until the game last night where they were diabolical.

To get past week one of the finals the pack needs change, the way Stefano dominated the pack in the first 20 minutes was an embarrassing performance from the pack leaders, if you Don’t win the ruck you get beat 95% of the time.

Need an injection of enthusiasm for me it’s time for Navake, Lodge and Simpkin, back to the pine Croker and back to NSW cup for Alioia and Waddell, throw in Ben T if Lawton is fit.

 

[Heckenberg]

Hard agree. Our team is soft through the middle. We need some cranky young forwards with a point to prove.

 

[davohan123]

It's like the tigers forwards wanted it more
It was so hard to watch Stefano just bulldoze our middles

our forwards are just too soft

I have now finishing 8th playing dogs week 1

We better aim up because if we dish up that same stuff as last night it will be a very ugly week 1 finals exit

 

[davohan123]

Ever since the Rorters out muscled the forward pack they have been below par up until the game last night where they were diabolical.

To get past week one of the finals the pack needs change, the way Stefano dominated the pack in the first 20 minutes was an embarrassing performance from the pack leaders, if you Don’t win the ruck you get beat 95% of the time.

Need an injection of enthusiasm for me it’s time for Navake, Lodge and Simpkin, back to the pine Croker and back to NSW cup for Alioia and Waddell, throw in Ben T if Lawton is fit.

Well said

Also it's like our forwards are just content and not young hungry and ready to rip in

haven't done so all season and I hope this diabolical performance changes the mood of out forwards but I don't see it.

 

[Dion Johnson]

Hard agree. Our team is soft through the middle. We need some cranky young forwards with a point to prove.

Need some starch in the defence, some sting in the tackles and get the lethargic inconsistency out of them.

Navale is a doer and goes hard, Lodge is the pack leader they need.

 

[Frogz]

Lucky if we win another game this year, after that rubbish last night. The ref will also be lucky if he does another NRL game, he was terrible also, but not as bad as us.

 

[wombatgc]

Ever since the Rorters out muscled the forward pack they have been below par up until the game last night where they were diabolical.

To get past week one of the finals the pack needs change, the way Stefano dominated the pack in the first 20 minutes was an embarrassing performance from the pack leaders, if you Don’t win the ruck you get beat 95% of the time.

Need an injection of enthusiasm for me it’s time for Navake, Lodge and Simpkin, back to the pine Croker and back to NSW cup for Alioia and Waddell, throw in Ben T if Lawton is fit.

The first 15 minutes I kept cleaning my glasses. It looked as though Stefano had an offseason with the Storm, and he was actually playing his first game for the Storm just 6 months earlier. When he bulldozed Paseka and Jake, I thought here we go again.

I think we really missed Lawton ( if I was told that earlier in the season, I’d be pissing myself larfin).
I don’t know if he could’ve turned the result, but he wouldn’t have been part of the passive ruck bullshiit defence that was on show last night.

 

[JakeyB789]

Don't worry guys - Paseka is signed to 2029 and Aloiai until 2027!

 

[The Indian]

Our forwards were smashed last week against the Warriors - it's just that they didn't take advantage ( and we kept 13 on the park ). Our line speed in the middle is atrocious for long periods, we take 1 or 2 slow steps up then brace for impact. Teams are marching us down the field far too easily. Our backs have bailed us out of trouble many times this year in my opinion. For once yesterday they couldn't do it. All we need is for our forwards to roughly break even but too often they are incapable of that. It's obvious the forwards is where we need to start recruiting. Paseka is somewhat excused but even he could do a bit more I think, rest of the middle forwards should be put on notice.

 

[mickqld]

Out muscled by the last placed worst pack in the competition , or 2nd worst now. The lethargic hit ups last night and in fact the last couple of weeks with so much to play for just showed what our pack is really made of.

 

[Ohgeez]

It felt like we were playing a Lot better football before Croker came back to me

 

[maxta]

Facts are facts and the opposition ALWAYS look more aggressive, especially through the middle....
The games we stood up there no suprise were wins vs -
Penrith
Storm
Roosters
Against the duds, we play like duds....not sure if it's arrogance or poor mindset ?
I reckon our player with the most "Attitude" in 2024 is our outside back Tommy Talau and usually Brown off the bench, but he even struggled to find his energy last night, maybe down to the "hear a pin drop" pack around him.
Bring lodge back in as he at least adds some starch and not make these opposition players look like Superstars.....Aloiai was disgraced by Utoikamanu and the way the attack stampeded gordie and Ben, in fact all of them, was not a good look for a team trying to estalish itself as a heavyweight.
I've taken into account some horrible calls, but our last golden era from 2007 - 2013 teams would have accepted the refs bad calls, then bashed the opposition players into submission as a result, where Manly in recent seasons seem to find it an excuse to allow piss poor tries and fall out of the contest.....hopefully the next 2 weeks we see a team who shows they are a finals contender for good reason and if nothing else, come out fired up and have a real dig.

 

[Dion Johnson]

Facts are facts and the opposition ALWAYS look more aggressive, especially through the middle....
The games we stood up there no suprise were wins vs -
Penrith
Storm
Roosters
Against the duds, we play like duds....not sure if it's arrogance or poor mindset ?
I reckon our player with the most "Attitude" in 2024 is our outside back Tommy Talau and usually Brown off the bench, but he even struggled to find his energy last night, maybe down to the "hear a pin drop" pack around him.
Bring lodge back in as he at least adds some starch and not make these opposition players look like Superstars.....Aloiai was disgraced by Utoikamanu and the way the attack stampeded gordie and Ben, in fact all of them, was not a good look for a team trying to estalish itself as a heavyweight.
I've taken into account some horrible calls, but our last golden era from 2007 - 2013 teams would have accepted the refs bad calls, then bashed the opposition players into submission as a result, where Manly in recent seasons seem to find it an excuse to allow piss poor tries and fall out of the contest.....hopefully the next 2 weeks we see a team who shows they are a finals contender for good reason and if nothing else, come out fired up and have a real dig.

The intensity that you mentioned in those earlier games was there, the Rorters game in round 2 there was some steel and sting in the defence.

It has disappeared the last few games, time to bring in a pack leader and move a couple back to NSW cup..

The other thing there was no shape around the ruck last night in particular, some laziness there or is the team that well connected? There has been a drop in several players form, there were only a handful of players that turned up to watch Foz go around in his milestone game.

 

[Barry Hogan]

On paper our middles look ok. But let’s be honest, Jake makes about 50 metres a game. Defends his heart out, but a lock on big money needs to offer much more.

I’m more concerned with our props. No team at all would fear us. Aloia is garbage, and while bully and brown are offering decent contributions from the bench, the only way a top side would fear Paseka is if he tickles them to death.

 

[Dion Johnson]

On paper our middles look ok. But let’s be honest, Jake makes about 50 metres a game. Defends his heart out, but a lock on big money needs to offer much more.

I’m more concerned with our props. No team at all would fear us. Aloia is garbage, and while bully and brown are offering decent contributions from the bench, the only way a top side would fear Paseka is if he tickles them to death.

Jake needs to play 60-65 minutes, the 80 minutes every game has taken to much away from his game, last few games he has been slipping of tackles and hasn’t hit with any extra effort..

Problem with Alioia is he will play one good game and then SFA for the next five games.

 

[themanwithnoname]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but Bullymore and Sipley just don't have the necessary aggro to go head-to-head with the best packs. Lodge, whilst slow, does have that within him.

 

[Barry Hogan]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but Bullymore and Sipley just don't have the necessary aggro to go head-to-head with the best packs. Lodge, whilst slow, does have that within him.

Agreed. Bully goes alright, so does sipley at times but is lazy and goes missing

 

[Barry Hogan]

Jake needs to play 60-65 minutes, the 80 minutes every game has taken much away from him game, last few games he has been slipping of tackles and hadn’t hit with any extra effort..

Problem with Alioia is he will play one good game and then SFA for the next five games.

Aloia plays 1 ok game every 10 games. He is rubbish on and off the field and is supposed to be our leader. Mark Carroll, Ian Roberts, Brant Kite etc are what we need. Not this powder puff cat.

 

[Dion Johnson]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but Bullymore and Sipley just don't have the necessary aggro to go head-to-head with the best packs. Lodge, whilst slow, does have that within him.

Lodge brings mongrel and toughness along with an offload, diversity in the pack, Bully has leg speed and up tempo, Sipley has a good running game when in form.

Need an Alpha and Lodge is the best dominant prop in the squad.

 

[HoldenV8]

Our forwards were smashed last week against the Warriors - it's just that they didn't take advantage ( and we kept 13 on the park ). Our line speed in the middle is atrocious for long periods, we take 1 or 2 slow steps up then brace for impact. Teams are marching us down the field far too easily. Our backs have bailed us out of trouble many times this year in my opinion. For once yesterday they couldn't do it. All we need is for our forwards to roughly break even but too often they are incapable of that. It's obvious the forwards is where we need to start recruiting. Paseka is somewhat excused but even he could do a bit more I think, rest of the middle forwards should be put on notice.

We have a backline and halves who are very capable of winning the Premiership.

We will not win one with our current forwards. TBH I can gripe about every single one of them, even Jake who I think is a plodder with the ball in hand.