NO TURBO .. NO IDEA.

[Woodsie]

Last year, without Turbo for 4 weeks we were headless, and Des was devoid of ideas and game plans and all our players were shiite. .. But then along came Turbo busting tackles and setting up tries and we were a great team with great players and Des was a genius.

NOW .. for 2 weeks Turbo hasn't broken a tackle and suddenly .. all our players are Shiite again and Dessie is again out of ideas and game plans ..

NOW I know for a fact all our players are not shiite .. I have with my own eyes and sober disposition seen each and every one of them put in multiple top grade performances ..

SO .. question .. are they being coached to mediocrasy?

Or are they ignoring good coaching and playing mediocre ?

OR are we really a one man team and all our chances and sanity, along with Dessie's coaching career, hinge on just one player .. Turbo?

 

[Ryan]

Last year, without Turbo for 4 weeks we were headless, and Des was devoid of ideas and game plans and all our players were shiite. .. But then along came Turbo busting tackles and setting up tries and we were a great team with great players and Des was a genius.

NOW .. for 2 weeks Turbo hasn't broken a tackle and suddenly .. all our players are Shiite again and Dessie is again out of ideas and game plans ..

NOW I know for a fact all our players are not shiite .. I have with my own eyes and sober disposition seen each and every one of them put in multiple top grade performances ..

SO .. question .. are they being coached to mediocrasy?

Or are they ignoring good coaching and playing mediocre ?

OR are we really a one man team and all our chances and sanity, along with Dessie's coaching career, hinge on just one player .. Turbo?

Litte bit of a, little bit of b, little bit of c mate unfortunately, but all have relevance and truth in it. We really look terrible in the ruck. We have players getting up, even in defense, and the plays moved on 3-4 seconds ago.

Last year, we were without Tom. That was the difference. This year, it's a multitude of areas (even culture and attitude which is sad) that is our downfall.

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

No go forward from the forwards results in... being pinned on our line which results in.... Garrick and Saab and Harper taking the first three hit ups (Garrick is good but no Jorge in the other two and they kick to Saab/Harper so the first two rucks in every set are ineffectual)... which results in no spark in attack which results in... DCE not playing well... which results in no Turbo. When you think about it.... the kicking to the right side defence is a well thought out move. Saab and Harper are not strong carriers off our line so we go nowhere in the first two rucks and so straight up we are in big trouble. On the other side we have Garrick and Parker who both can make yards. So kicking to the right side defence is gold for the other team... no matter what team it is. Something I never pondered on until last night and I realised that is exactly why they are doing it and why our attack is going nowhere.

 

[maxta]

Are the players not giving enough knowing Tommy is there, relying on him to make something from nothing without laying the foundation.....this could be partially right.
As posted before, my belief is not on Tom's down in form - therefore Manly are not playing well....
I think the Manly side need to find some resolve and forget Tom is there and to a man, step up to the plate and be willing to cop the bruises and toughen up across the park, then suddenly Tom will get some room to move on the back of this and Presto - Magical Tommy Turbo is back......
Q - But where's he been before that ??
A - Hidden amongst a team not competing hard enough awaiting 1 man to get them out of trouble...
This stuff can work where a team has a Star player in the U 10's....but this is NRL....if ALL the players are not putting in, your STAR player will NOT shine...
Seen many games Andrew Johns looked like a reserve grade 7 when his forwards lost the middle and can say the same about Lockyer, Thurston, Brett Stewart in teams getting beaten up due to their team mates not showing up....I think we need to put more enthuses in the other 16 players to do their job...if and when they do....Tom will be back to his Best...

 

[47MVEagle]

Its a headscratcher for sure.

Did we finally wake up in the second half last night & will we show that physicality from here on out? I hope so but it feels like (familiar) shaky ground at this point.

We're looking very flat/passive energywise but showed we can turn it up when given a serve by Des at halftime - Paseka was noticeably more animated & aggressive in the second half, along with a general increase in energy by the rest of the team - so what can be done to make sure we start every game like that, instead of switching on when it's too late?

It's very frustrating to see.

 

[Ryan]

Its a headscratcher for sure.

Did we finally wake up in the second half last night & will we show that physicality from here on out? I hope so but it feels like (familiar) shaky ground at this point.

We're looking very flat/passive energywise but showed we can turn it up when given a serve by Des at halftime - Paseka was noticeably more animated & aggressive in the second half, along with a general increase in energy by the rest of the team - so what can be done to make sure we start every game like that, instead of switching on when it's too late?

It's very frustrating to see.

Also, make no mistakes, at 22-0 up, The Chooks put the cue in the wrack for the second half, so I hope that optical illusion doesn't fool people into thinking that's our blueprint.

 

[Snake]

No go forward from the forwards results in... being pinned on our line which results in.... Garrick and Saab and Harper taking the first three hit ups (Garrick is good but no Jorge in the other two and they kick to Saab/Harper so the first two rucks in every set are ineffectual)... which results in no spark in attack which results in... DCE not playing well... which results in no Turbo. When you think about it.... the kicking to the right side defence is a well thought out move. Saab and Harper are not strong carriers off our line so we go nowhere in the first two rucks and so straight up we are in big trouble. On the other side we have Garrick and Parker who both can make yards. So kicking to the right side defence is gold for the other team... no matter what team it is. Something I never pondered on until last night and I realised that is exactly why they are doing it and why our attack is going nowhere.

Well thought out post.

 

[47MVEagle]

Also, make no mistakes, at 22-0 up, The Chooks put the cue in the wrack for the second half, so I hope that optical illusion doesn't fool people into thinking that's our blueprint.

Hmmm, I disagree, the chooks were frustrated enough to keep giving away grubby penalties when we were attacking their line - in fact I thought Keary should have been given 10 for kicking the ball when Parker played it.

 

[Ryan]

Hmmm, I disagree, the chooks were frustrated enough to keep giving away grubby penalties when we were attacking their line - in fact I thought Keary should have been given 10 for kicking the ball when Parker played it.

Not sure if you saw Robinson in the coaching box, he was VERY unhappy, and that doesn't happen. Look at the stats from 1/2 to 1/2, you'll see The Chooks knew they had the game in the bag at half time.

Anyways, all good, agree to disagree on this one.

I hope Des doesn't bank on that second half in the very wet conditions as any sort of positive. We need a complete exorcism, and reboot.

 

[Chip and Chase]

The stats don't lie, the Tommy effect is real. He is key to our ability to win games. Last season was all him, there is no surprise in my mind that many pundits considered his 2021 season as one of the most dominant ever by a single player. He was Dally M medalist with only 15 games played. He brained it and dragged the rest of the team along for the ride.

I'm 100% sure he was carrying a niggle or something last night as he just wasn't getting involved and looked hesitant. If he doesn't have a dominant season like last year we will struggle to make the 8 as we don't have a lot going on outside of him. He seemed "angry" last year and looked like he had a point to prove. Can we flick whatever switch that is again for this year please.

 

[Rocky]

No go forward from the forwards results in... being pinned on our line which results in.... Garrick and Saab and Harper taking the first three hit ups (Garrick is good but no Jorge in the other two and they kick to Saab/Harper so the first two rucks in every set are ineffectual)... which results in no spark in attack which results in... DCE not playing well... which results in no Turbo. When you think about it.... the kicking to the right side defence is a well thought out move. Saab and Harper are not strong carriers off our line so we go nowhere in the first two rucks and so straight up we are in big trouble. On the other side we have Garrick and Parker who both can make yards. So kicking to the right side defence is gold for the other team... no matter what team it is. Something I never pondered on until last night and I realised that is exactly why they are doing it and why our attack is going nowhere.

I was thinking the same in the aftermath last night. As you point out first 3-4 tackles are usually

1. Tom getting taken down by 3 tacklers and not making much ground.
2. Saab getting smashed and making little ground
3. Harper getting smashed and making little ground.

Then we got 2 more hit ups and an under pressure DCE kick to close it off.

Not a great recipe hey?

 

[Ryan]

The stats don't lie, the Tommy effect is real. He is key to our ability to win games. Last season was all him, there is no surprise in my mind that many pundits considered his 2021 season as one of the most dominant ever by a single player. He was Dally M medalist with only 15 games played. He brained it and dragged the rest of the team along for the ride.

I'm 100% sure he was carrying a niggle or something last night as he just wasn't getting involved and looked hesitant. If he doesn't have a dominant season like last year we will struggle to make the 8 as we don't have a lot going on outside of him. He seemed "angry" last year and looked like he had a point to prove. Can we flick whatever switch that is again for this year please.

Make it happen ! Harry, where are you !

 

[jbb/james]

The stats don't lie, the Tommy effect is real. He is key to our ability to win games. Last season was all him, there is no surprise in my mind that many pundits considered his 2021 season as one of the most dominant ever by a single player. He was Dally M medalist with only 15 games played. He brained it and dragged the rest of the team along for the ride.

I'm 100% sure he was carrying a niggle or something last night as he just wasn't getting involved and looked hesitant. If he doesn't have a dominant season like last year we will struggle to make the 8 as we don't have a lot going on outside of him. He seemed "angry" last year and looked like he had a point to prove. Can we flick whatever switch that is again for this year please.

yeah last year he seemed determined to repay the team first as his driver
seems the weight of expectation on his shoulders is huuuuge this year though, not disputing a niggle either. he did a knee late in the terf that looked concerning also

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

I was thinking the same in the aftermath last night. As you point out first 3-4 tackles are usually

1. Tom getting taken down by 3 tacklers and not making much ground.
2. Saab getting smashed and making little ground
3. Harper getting smashed and making little ground.

Then we got 2 more hit ups and an under pressure DCE kick to close it off.

Not a great recipe hey?

exactly - at least with Garrick and Parker - you know we will make 10 metres at least from a ruck and certainly from a carry back Garrick brings it back at pace. From a ruck - Harper/Saab will generally get stopped at the advantage line and so make zero and Saab doesn't chew up the yards from a kick and doesn't bring it back at pace he ambles a bit... every step not at pace means the opposition pin him closer to the goal line... pretty simple. But yes from carries off the line if we are basically making minimal yards from the first two carries.. we really are in trouble

 

[Yaz Eagle]

Also, make no mistakes, at 22-0 up, The Chooks put the cue in the wrack for the second half, so I hope that optical illusion doesn't fool people into thinking that's our blueprint

I didn’t think the Chooks put the cue in the wrack. From the get go in the 2nd half we had intensity in our defence and had lot of sets in their half which led to them make mistakes, similar to what the Panthers did to us last week. The difference was we were rudderless in attack and lot of early kicks in the middle of the sets which kept releasing the pressure. This was due to the Roosters defence rushing up quickly but our kicks were defused. None of those went dead in goal from what I saw.

It was a better performance in the 2nd half than last week and we will click in attack if we defend like we did in the 2nd half from the start of the match.

Also note we had lot of half chances which we didn’t capitalise on both in the first half and second half. Crocker making a break early on but no support, Turbo knock on when he should have easily ground the ball over the line, Harper when Tupou knocks it dead, Lawton and Ola getting held up.

I put this slower start to using the top players in both trials, with Jake, Harper and Walker playing in 1 of those matches.

Compare us to the Bunnies who are also winless - they were crap against the Broncos and the score line wasn’t a reflection of that game, flat again in the first half against the Storm and only clicked into gear in the last 20 minutes. They also had a smaller margin to chase.

We have only done round 2 and the players know what they need to do. The forwards all of a sudden have more than enough depth that everyone will now be fighting for a place in the 17 and Davey has put some on notice as he was much better than Taupau was. Bullemor’s metres were down as we used Ola a lot to run at Walker.

 

[The Who]

We were unlucky to strike two of the three best teams in the comp in our opening matches, being totally outmuscled in the forwards and our backs given no momentum to attach. This upcoming match with the Dogs will tell us a lot.

 

[jbb/james]

I didn’t think the Chooks put the cue in the wrack. From the get go in the 2nd half we had intensity in our defence and had lot of sets in their half which led to them make mistakes, similar to what the Panthers did to us last week. The difference was we were rudderless in attack and lot of early kicks in the middle of the sets which kept releasing the pressure. This was due to the Roosters defence rushing up quickly but our kicks were defused. None of those went dead in goal from what I saw.

It was a better performance in the 2nd half than last week and we will click in attack if we defend like we did in the 2nd half from the start of the match.

Also note we had lot of half chances which we didn’t capitalise on both in the first half and second half. Crocker making a break early on but no support, Turbo knock on when he should have easily ground the ball over the line, Harper when Tupou knocks it dead, Lawton and Ola getting held up.

I put this slower start to using the top players in both trials, with Jake, Harper and Walker playing in 1 of those matches.

Compare us to the Bunnies who are also winless - they were crap against the Broncos and the score line wasn’t a reflection of that game, flat again in the first half against the Storm and only clicked into gear in the last 20 minutes. They also had a smaller margin to chase.

We have only done round 2 and the players know what they need to do. The forwards all of a sudden have more than enough depth that everyone will now be fighting for a place in the 17 and Davey has put some on notice as he was much better than Taupau was. Bullemor’s metres were down as we used Ola a lot to run at Walker.

I honestly thought the refs "ratings us" back into the game to keep interest, otherwise it was going to get ugly and we have a tonne of free to air games .

 

[Woodsie]

exactly - at least with Garrick and Parker - you know we will make 10 metres at least from a ruck and certainly from a carry back Garrick brings it back at pace. From a ruck - Harper/Saab will generally get stopped at the advantage line and so make zero and Saab doesn't chew up the yards from a kick and doesn't bring it back at pace he ambles a bit... every step not at pace means the opposition pin him closer to the goal line... pretty simple. But yes from carries off the line if we are basically making minimal years from the first two carries.. we really are in trouble

Dare I ask it? ... am I ready for the outcry of rage .. damn it! I'm a man of courage so ..

Should we play Jorge?

 

[ManEagle]

Dare I ask it? ... am I ready for the outcry of rage .. damn it! I'm a man of courage so ..

Should we play Jorge?

And here it comes...... the .....

YES....

it might be worth a shot and play him for Harper as center not wing !!! In fact it's genius Woodsie

 

[47MVEagle]

Yes, I reluctantly agree that Harper needs a spell.

I dont know whats happened with him - I had hoped he would start the season back to his best but he seems to have carried his poor form from the end of last season into this one.

Is it a case of the opposition have worked him out & that's it for him? He seemed to make plenty of linebreaks & try assists for Saab last year but looks one-dimensional now.