No Top Forward. No Go Forward

[Bearfax]

What the game against the Cowboys last night showed is how valuable your top forwards, especially props are. Manly had struggled with Taupau, AFB and Lussick absent, and especially having a couple of light weights on the bench. I think two unspoken issues gave Manly's backs the freedom to dominate. For Manly it was having Jake and Lawrence playing full throttle and having back ups like Lane and Bainbridge. But just as significant was the Cowboys being without Taumalolo and Scott.

Forwards lay the platform and too often poor performances by backs can be explained by the lack of forward go-forward. That's why Manly were so poor at the end against Souths. That's why Thurston and Morgan looked ordinary and Linnett and O'Neill were ineffective. Its like a four cylinder car operating on three cylinders. If you dont have that go-forward forward power, you're doomed to failure. I believe that's why Manly won so easily last night.

 

[madmax]

What the game against the Cowboys last night showed is how valuable your top forwards, especially props are. Manly had struggled with Taupau, AFB and Lussick absent, and especially having a couple of light weights on the bench. I think two unspoken issues gave Manly's backs the freedom to dominate. For Manly it was having Jake and Lawrence playing full throttle and having back ups like Lane and Bainbridge. But just as significant was the Cowboys being without Taumalolo and Scott.

Forwards lay the platform and too often poor performances by backs can be explained by the lack of forward go-forward. That's why Manly were so poor at the end against Souths. That's why Thurston and Morgan looked ordinary and Linnett and O'Neill were ineffective. Its like a four cylinder car operating on three cylinders. If you dont have that go-forward forward power, you're doomed to failure. I believe that's why Manly won so easily last night.

Bearfax, if that's the case, which i also believe & forwards are the meter eaters then why didn't the Cows win?? We had 4 forwards missing......Cows had 2!

 

[SeaEagle007]

what last night showed was when cowboys dont have forwards , Thurston also looks ordinary. Which has also been DCE probplenm here. Imagine that hack Norman playing with a **** forward pack....just saying

 

[SeaEagle21]

Bearfax, if that's the case, which i also believe & forwards are the meter eaters then why didn't the Cows win?? We had 4 forwards missing......Cows had 2!

Scott and Taumalolo are rep Fwds and arguably the first two fwds you would sign if there was an all star team. Also had Winterstein and Coote out who are huge for them.

But take nothing away from our guys, to defend your line like that is never easy. The scrambling of our guys showed they wanted it more. Cowboys probably went into it wit a bit of over confidence and our boys ambushed them... The stats showed we should have lost but those wins are the sweetest of all

 

[Cliffy4PM]

Taking nothing away from the fine Manly performance but the Cows were drained from last weeks game and would have been easy pickings for any team.

 

[Hgbcds]

Taking nothing away from the fine Manly performance but the Cows were drained from last weeks game and would have been easy pickings for any team.

Drained after one game? They've just done 4 months pre season.you were beaten by a better team who frustrated you with superior defence and capitalising on our chances.

 

[Holmsey]

I'm sick of everyone saying this was a lucky win and a fluke. Cowboys had key players out but so did we. Taupau is our Taumalolo, Lussick is our Scott and Perrett, Fonua-Blake are also so valuable. Manly won fair and square. I think both teams fit manly would have won due to the drive and aggressive defence and the heart.

 

[SeaEagle007]

Manly won fair and square,, They also had the refs on their side , our defence won us the game plain and simple, plus that 30/20 kick from Cherry

 

[Bearfax]

Taking nothing away from the fine Manly performance but the Cows were drained from last weeks game and would have been easy pickings for any team.

Listening too much to the media Cliffy. Yep the Cowboys had a tough game against the Bronks but still had 49% of possession. They had 356 tackles to do. Manly against Souths had 327 tackles to do with only 44% of possession. Then look at Cowboys in their first match. 59% of possession and only 247 tackles. Manly had 40% of possession and completed 354 tackles. And in the match against the Cowboys the possession spread was 55-45% in Cowboys favour. They completed 274 tackles, Manly 293 tackles.

If anyone should have been stuffed it should have been Manly whose penalty count overall so far is 26 to 17 against compared to the Cowboys 20 to 25 against

 

[Andrew..]

We had 6 contracted players missing from our top squad.
Matai, Stewart, Perrett, Lussick, Fonua Blake and Taupau. Please don't give me any of that crap about the cowboys having an off night.

 

[Woodsie]

Listening too much to the media Cliffy. Yep the Cowboys had a tough game against the Bronks but still had 49% of possession. They had 356 tackles to do. Manly against Souths had 327 tackles to do with only 44% of possession. Then look at Cowboys in their first match. 59% of possession and only 247 tackles. Manly had 40% of possession and completed 354 tackles. And in the match against the Cowboys the possession spread was 55-45% in Cowboys favour. They completed 274 tackles, Manly 293 tackles.

If anyone should have been stuffed it should have been Manly whose penalty count overall so far is 26 to 17 against compared to the Cowboys 20 to 25 against

Yet some idiot keeps saying Manly are unfit.

 

[wedgetail eagle]

I'm sick of everyone saying this was a lucky win and a fluke. Cowboys had key players out but so did we. Taupau is our Taumalolo, Lussick is our Scott and Perrett, Fonua-Blake are also so valuable. Manly won fair and square. I think both teams fit manly would have won due to the drive and aggressive defence and the heart.

Agree. The CH9 review of the game went on & on, ad nauseam, about Scott & Taumalolo but not a word about Taupau, Lussick or AFB.

 

[HoldenV8]

Since last night the media have done nothing but say that the Cows were missing Scott and Taumalolo while conveniently forgetting that we are missing Taupau, Lussick, AFB and Perrett (not to mention being 2 players down with Snake and Skivy).

To me this is nothing more than the Manly hating media trying to find any excuse they can because we beat a Thurston led team. The only one I have heard since last night who even acknowledged that we also have players missing was Freddie Fittler on this morning's Footy Show (I also noticed that Sterling pretty much dismissed that and went straight back to who the Cows didn't have).

 

[wedgetail eagle]

Since last night the media have done nothing but say that the Cows were missing Scott and Taumalolo while conveniently forgetting that we are missing Taupau, Lussick, AFB and Perrett (not to mention being 2 players down with Snake and Skivy).

To me this is nothing more than the Manly hating media trying to find any excuse they can because we beat a Thurston led team. The only one I have heard since last night who even acknowledged that we also have players missing was Freddie Fittler on this morning's Footy Show (I also noticed that Sterling pretty much dismissed that and went straight back to who the Cows didn't have).

My blue, HV8, I missed him saying it.