So, you still want to sack Barrett?

[HK_Eagle]

it was Walker who missed one on ones and let in 2 tries against souffs, today it was Kelly letting in 3 tries due to one on one missed tackles. Sure it was a centre but the opposite side so not really the same mistakes.

We also didn;t get out to 12 nil today and then put a tiny bench on, different again.

The repeated part was the ease in which the opposition rolled through us, both up the middle and around the edges too. As with the Bunny game we were very poor in group tackles and controlling of the ruck, allowing opposition players to fall to their stomach's when tackled, and thus getting up quickly to play the ball and give them momentum. Once momentum started we also repeated the same mistake of throwing arms at tackles as players grew tired and lazy. It was identical in this crucial aspect. I wasn't so much concerned about the individual brain fades. If anything we displayed more of those across the whole team today compared to the Bunny's game.

 

[Fluffy]

The repeated part was the ease in which the opposition rolled through us, both up the middle and around the edges too. As with the Bunny game we were very poor in group tackles and controlling of the ruck, allowing opposition players to fall to their stomach's when tackled, and thus getting up quickly to play the ball and give them momentum. Once momentum started we also repeated the same mistake of throwing arms at tackles as players grew tired and lazy. It was identical in this crucial aspect. I wasn't so much concerned about the individual brain fades. If anything we displayed more of those across the whole team today compared to the Bunny's game.

So if anything we looked tired as a team, let the goons run through us and take a good lead early unlike the bunnies where we looked fine for 60 minutes where is was 18 all but got our heads into a knot and dropped our bundle in 2 completely looking games apart from the scoreboard.

 

[The Royal Soup]

The sooner Barrett is sacked the better

 

[HK_Eagle]

So if anything we looked tired as a team, let the goons run through us and take a good lead early unlike the bunnies where we looked fine for 60 minutes where is was 18 all but got our heads into a knot and dropped our bundle in 2 completely looking games apart from the scoreboard.

It's fine you see it differently. The poor aspects of that bunny game were the same poor aspects I was seeing today (most of what I specified in my previous post), only it was for most of the game today. How tired they were (which is a debatable factor and difficult to ascertain anyway), or how long those poor aspects were on show, is not as concerning as the fact they were still displaying the same poor defensive techniques. That's just what I was seeing from the game.

 

[Danly Manly]

Barrett has already proven that - if the players are on their game whatever he is doing behind the scenes is working. He deserves the entire year to prove that he can get the team into the finals. No Finals = Sack Barrett ...... Yes Finals = 2 Year Contract Extension ....... In my opinion.

 

[Danly Manly]

We gain strength from these losses. Mentally and physicaly. Better to have this loss now than in Round 26 when we are bound for finals footy.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

We gain strength from these losses. Mentally and physicaly

Absolutely, I am feeling incredibly powerful after this loss.

 

[Danly Manly]

Believe me, they will be doing everything in their power to avoid going back to this very dark and depressing place they find themselves in right now.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Believe me, they will be doing everything in their power to avoid going back to this very dark and depressing place they find themselves in right now.

The problem with this line of thought is, why wouldn't they have thought that after the Bunny game? Surely, that experience was enough motivation to not wanna revisit it? How many times do they need to go back to that "dark place" before they learn? Or more importantly, what can they do to address the defensive and mental application issues?

 

[Danly Manly]

They did seem to be hanging back a lot in defence today, constantly on the back foot, unlike the last few weeks where they were moving up in defence a lot quicker and getting in their opponents faces and minimising offloads.

 

[maxta]

The repeated part was the ease in which the opposition rolled through us, both up the middle and around the edges too. As with the Bunny game we were very poor in group tackles and controlling of the ruck, allowing opposition players to fall to their stomach's when tackled, and thus getting up quickly to play the ball and give them momentum. Once momentum started we also repeated the same mistake of throwing arms at tackles as players grew tired and lazy. It was identical in this crucial aspect. I wasn't so much concerned about the individual brain fades. If anything we displayed more of those across the whole team today compared to the Bunny's game.

My friend, you have nailed it.
Line speed- intensity - contact - control in the tackle
Lost - Lost - Lost
They win that middle 3rd..... the centres and edge are EXTRA vulnerable...it can, and did happen

 

[conanu]

I think today showed that, when we have to defend on the back foot for extended periods, we can't come out of the funk. We seem to completely run out of puff and we try to revert to an easy way out of the problem by pushing stupid passes and completely throwing the structure in both attack and defence out the window. Some of that problem is from the young guys that haven't matured yet and also we have a few players in the club that are the type that would cheat in shuttle runs and not touch the line. I think that has been the hardest thing to get used to after having a whole team of blokes that would never do that, now we have a new group taht need to learn it the hard way. some of them probably never will. Unfortunately the players have now shown what they are capable of, so they have no excuse for a garbage effort like today.

 

[Danly Manly]

Tom T should leave the ball playing to the experts for the time being.

There were plenty of opportunities for more offloads today but lack of support players.

DCE should have just kept bombing away at the very least instead of those ineffective little punt kicks.

Fonua Blake should be utilized closer to the edges later in the halves where he could wreak some havoc.

Nate Myles looks like he has had it for the year after giving it his all for 3 straight weeks, maybe Perrett could do a bit more damage out there.

I think Hastings is a much better player than Green, but i think Green would only be dropped through injury.

 

[The Royal Soup]

It all comes back to the coach

 

[Ryan]

It all comes back to the coach

Currently: 30 games, 11 wins, 19 losses
Win % as coach: 36%

There have been 287 NRL coaches in history. Barrett's record makes him the 91st worst ranked coach, ever, or the 196th best (whichever is your preference).

Funny one is Paul Langmack. 14.3%. 17th worst coach in history ! LOL.
For the record, Tooves was the 42nd best, ever, with 58.1%
Bellamy is the 7th best, ever.

 

[conanu]

Agreed, Brian Kelly was going to be the next immortal last week!

B Kelly and Tom T are still brilliant, but the team is lacking a few mature leaders that can teach them how to push through a rough patch with patience and composure. These two will bounce back, they are champions in the making.

 

[Manly@capital]

As I have said since the 2016 Auckland 9's, yes he should be dismissed. This includes the assistant coaching, recruitment and conditioning team too.

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

Just perhaps we were beaten by a much better side on the day?

Dragons are top of the table. Widdop is in career best form. They have some good players playing really really well.

That first 20 min would have caused any side in the NRL problems. Speed of play. Offloads. Second phase.

We did look flat and the first try was a total fraud but which ever way you look at it they were on it.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

The team available to Hasler in 2004-5 is not a good comparison with Barrett's of 2016-7, though there are some similarities in terms of rebuilding phase.

However the very valid point is that now, as then, fans want to see progress, but in many cases are blind to the fact progress is actually being made.

The 3 recent wins is our best form over the last 18 months, yes we came crashing down but I still see us on an upward trend under Barrett.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Same goes for a poster's first year