Smokin Joe
Bencher
Only just got to watch the game this morning,(work commitments on weekend and busy yesterday)and whilst it is disappointing to lose 38-12 at home to Tigers,after seeing the game I am not convinced that it is all over.(no,not smokin....)I am not convinced that it is sack Barrett time,I am not convinced that the side is divided and I am not convinced that the side is crap.
The forward pack I have no real problems with,I would start Sipley and play AFB off the bench as I am not sold on Perrett and with no Lussick we probably need AFB off the bench.There was no ball for the first 18 minutes and after doing nothing but tackle AFB and Taupau were gassed and Barrett pulled them off,twice there were lazy covering efforts(from Jake first and Taupau second,one led to a break and the other a try) but the problem was not with the forwards.
The halves for me were not a problem,I prefer Hastings(but that ship looks to have sailed)but I can't see the issue with Croker in that game.He defended well,he backed up well and he only got the occasional chance to kick with the side having no ball,he put in a beautiful kick down the left 2 metres out from their line when the forwards needed a breather and he put in a lovely little chip near their line which came down just before the line and resulted in them knocking it on.
The problem for me was Turbo and Uate,there is no other way to say it was anything less than disgraceful from both of them.Tom is great when things are in attack mode,but when we are struggling and you need the guy to stand up at the back,he goes missing big time,and Uates efforts were sxxxhxxxe.Tom was nowhere to be seen when the first try was scored off a kick,he did not go to ground after a bomb and got bundled out,he dropped a ball in front of our line and he did not get low and stop the dwarf Brooks from barging over.He also should have been covering Thompson in the second half when Marshall stepped him but was lethargic.Uates hands were just poor all game,the 2 of them continually gifted the Tigers possession and position all the first half and Uates' drop at the start of the second half gifted them another try just after the break.
For me it is not over yet,but Uate has to be dropped and Tom needs to be put on notice by Barrett,I would like to see Matt Wright on the wing for Uate and Tom Wright on the bench as a warning to Tom and cover for other scenarios.
The 3 bull**** penalties in the first 5 minutes were a joke and really stuffed us to begin with,it is interesting that after that the penalties dried up when the Tigers got to a lead.
The forward pack I have no real problems with,I would start Sipley and play AFB off the bench as I am not sold on Perrett and with no Lussick we probably need AFB off the bench.There was no ball for the first 18 minutes and after doing nothing but tackle AFB and Taupau were gassed and Barrett pulled them off,twice there were lazy covering efforts(from Jake first and Taupau second,one led to a break and the other a try) but the problem was not with the forwards.
The halves for me were not a problem,I prefer Hastings(but that ship looks to have sailed)but I can't see the issue with Croker in that game.He defended well,he backed up well and he only got the occasional chance to kick with the side having no ball,he put in a beautiful kick down the left 2 metres out from their line when the forwards needed a breather and he put in a lovely little chip near their line which came down just before the line and resulted in them knocking it on.
The problem for me was Turbo and Uate,there is no other way to say it was anything less than disgraceful from both of them.Tom is great when things are in attack mode,but when we are struggling and you need the guy to stand up at the back,he goes missing big time,and Uates efforts were sxxxhxxxe.Tom was nowhere to be seen when the first try was scored off a kick,he did not go to ground after a bomb and got bundled out,he dropped a ball in front of our line and he did not get low and stop the dwarf Brooks from barging over.He also should have been covering Thompson in the second half when Marshall stepped him but was lethargic.Uates hands were just poor all game,the 2 of them continually gifted the Tigers possession and position all the first half and Uates' drop at the start of the second half gifted them another try just after the break.
For me it is not over yet,but Uate has to be dropped and Tom needs to be put on notice by Barrett,I would like to see Matt Wright on the wing for Uate and Tom Wright on the bench as a warning to Tom and cover for other scenarios.
The 3 bull**** penalties in the first 5 minutes were a joke and really stuffed us to begin with,it is interesting that after that the penalties dried up when the Tigers got to a lead.
Last edited:
