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Reserve Grader
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: 7 week report, season 2017
by CF2
It’s time for a short, sharp and direct THE GOOD, THE BAD and THE UGLY assessment of the first 7 rounds.
THE GOOD:
Team attitude.
It’s great to see a team wanting to work hard for each other, and the genuine excitement when things turned around in rounds 3-4-5 was a clear sign they really enjoy playing together. The much deserved winning try against the Roosters, when the whole team raced in from everywhere to swamp Dylan Walker, was a prime example.
Individual stand outs.
There’s been some excellent contributors too. Taupau has been a mountain of strength, albeit when he’s been on the field. Lawrence up front has also been a one man army of gut busting aggression. The Trbo’s continue to put in stand out performances every single match with Tom close to breaking the line with every touch. Kelly has been an instant spark of much needed speed, and both wingers Taufua and Uate have really heeded the call to work their butts out for the forwards with big work rates. Uate in particular has been a much needed surprise packet of energy. Koroisau and DCE? Yes there’s plenty of good, some very good, but see “the bad” below.
THE BAD:
The rocks or diamonds team performances.
The Parra and Souths cobwebs losses were plain awful. Then suddenly the Cowboys win was the best team and DCE performance in years which rolled into season turning wins belting the Dogs and outplaying the complacent Roosters. But the Saints effort, or complete lack thereof, left us speechless for all the wrong reasons resulting in a dire 1/4 home ground start.
Courtesy of the insanely unbalanced NRL draw, our 5th home game came just 7 days later against the top ranked Storm, with a win critically needed before a daunting 6 week away period.
A horror opening 20 mins signalled a likely hiding, but the 2nd half comeback, though very gutsy fell agonisingly short. Cronk and Smith showed how good they are diffusing the final 5 minutes like a couple of bomb disposal experts. Yes they’re the no 1 team in the comp, but if you’re going to lose to teams like Parra, Souths and the Dragons (trust me it’s a mirage, they won’t make the 8) then you have to find wins, especially at the place we used to call The Fortress.
Second row.
They’re trying hard, but tell me honestly would Sironen and Winterstein be the first choice 11 and 12 for any other team in the comp? Hard to imagine isn’t it. With Lawrence, Lussick, AFB and Perrett forming a formidable front row quartet it’s time to put Taupau back in the no. 11 jersey (or since Lawrence is brilliantly quick give him the no 11). New wonder buy Taniela Paseka? 124kg and 199cm. Please, find him a jersey if there’s one big enough. Lane? Surely an untapped talent for such a big unit. Hopefully the Hopoate and Trbojevic younger siblings are not far away too.
Halves.
Twice in the Storm second half comeback the ball went to Green on critical 5th tackles just metres out from their line. You could smell a try. But on both occasions his kicks sailed way over the dead ball line without a player in sight. His defence on the left had gaping holes in it too. I know it’s still early days, but Green needs to show a lot more for his no doubt sizeable salary.
DCE? He seems to say all the right things, he’s sure tackling his heart out (35 tackles in each of the previous 2 matches), and of course there was the absolute blinder in Townsville. When he attacks the line running straight he looks great (note how frequently Cronk does this) setting up brilliant plays down the right. So what’s missing? Aside from the too many crabbing cross field runs I really worry about the mental effort. In all honesty I just wonder if it really matters enough to him. The post game ritual of standing in the Ken Arko corner with the wife and kids for what seems like ages is a lovely family moment, but when the team has lost 4/5 home games and counting, shouldn’t the team captain be dragging them straight into the dressing room to lay down the law? I sure as hell hope I’m wrong, but judging by the recent Instagram posts Sunday recovery sessions seem to be far more heavily focused on trips to the Easter show or the beach. If you invest 10 mill on one player I don’t think it’s too much to expect to see their name right up near the top of the Dally M leaderboard week after week, just as the Thurston’s and Cronk’s are year after year.
On top of that we didn’t force a single drop out in 80 minutes against Melbourne. Is it really that hard? Cronk seems to find it pretty easy. The drop outs they forced in the final minutes literally shut down the game.
THE UGLY:
Goal kicking.
I’m sorry but you can’t win a comp, least of all make the top 8 with a close your eyes and pray goal kicker. Everyone can have a bad day, including Smith no less on Saturday, but where Walker can land the odd pearler from the sideline he’s alarmingly prone to shockers from close range. It’s a time bomb waiting to cost us badly. In fact 5/5 on Sat would have sent us into golden point. It’s not Walker’s fault, he should simply only be our back up kicker.
Dummy half.
I love Koroisau, he’s a massive team man trying his guts out, but he’s the perfect utility able to cover 5-6 positions well. The jersey for that is the no. 14. Hastings by contrast is an immensely talented half come hooker and has to be the no. 9 for at least 60 mins per match with Api used for 10 min sparks against tired opposition when needed, or of course if injuries in the backs. Critically of course, Hastings is also a quality match winning goal kicker. No brainer isn’t it?
Lewis Brown and our bench.
Does being great mates of the leading player group mean you’re undroppable? If anyone can show me a single game where Brown has so much as broken an egg I’ll run 200 laps of Lottoland tonight. Seriously it’s an absolute joke that’s gone on for WAY too long. NRL forwards are massive units these days, and Brown looks downright scrawny out there. What exactly is his role? Pretend dummy half? Pretend back row? Pretend centre in case of injury? And to put him on the bench for the last 3 weeks WITH Hastings is just beyond all comprehension. Not one other team would dream of selecting two bench utilities, in the process giving up invaluable bench size. With a fully fit team our 8-17 should be: 8. Lawrence 9. Hastings 10. Lussick 11. Taupau 12. Sironen 13. Jake T; 14. Koroisau 15. AFB 16. Perrett 17. Paseka; 18. Lane/Winterstein/Bainbridge..
Stupid misplaced aggression.
If there’s a team member who doesn’t understand you can’t shoulder charge they should be sacked immediately. Losing Taupau and AFB after just one round was plain stupidity. Lussick is also sailing dangerously close to the wind with his suicide charges out of the line. He’s got the ability to be a forward leader with his excellent stats last year, but someone’s got to get into his head that looking for fights is just not on period.
The Fortress.
1/5 wins this year and barely a handful in the last 18 months. There are kids who are starting to wonder if the traditional winning lap of honour is an urban myth. Talk about ugly.
The Coach.
Is it just me or are the most successful coaches all angry hard heads? Bennett, Gould, Stuart, Bellamy, Hasler, Toovs. When they speak the dressing room shakes, but you just wonder if Barrett couldn’t frighten the Harbord Under 6’s. I know Bozo’s the one that hired him so perhaps I’m missing something. I’m also with Sterlo, a coach should have a full season to build a team and Barrett’s had to do that two years running so let’s give him some time instead of jumping to a media fuelled panic replacement (well, seeing as Cleary’s off the table that is).
SUMMARY:
Smarter decisions.
I hate the Storm, but gees it was a first class lesson watching them in action. A minimum of two men (and usually three) driving one behind the other into every tackle, their infuriating wrestle expertly slowing down every play of the ball. Sweeping edge attack with Cronk and Slater running hard at the line. They play very simple, effective football with a team of 3 stars and 14 followers. Bellamy is one smart coach.
And yet what hurts is we should have beaten them.
Two additional players warming up every week. When Uate went down in the Dragons warm up it was unforgivably back to the 1980’s seeing poor old Matt Wright having to back up after a full game in reserves. How could any player be expected to last 160 minutes on a hot afternoon no less? Little wonder he could barely walk after 45 mins. Presumably that will NEVER happen again given winger Parker warmed up with the team on Saturday.
With smarter team selection, a first choice dummy half/goal kicker, less panic plays, and a desire to commit in defence for 80 mins, we have the ability to be a genuine top 8 contender.
It doesn’t get any easier. The Raiders down there will be a very tough ask on Friday night, and we’ll need a huge improvement in our shaky left side defence to hold out the rampaging Austin, Leilua and Rapana, but it’s all about attitude.
Let’s do it.
by CF2
It’s time for a short, sharp and direct THE GOOD, THE BAD and THE UGLY assessment of the first 7 rounds.
THE GOOD:
Team attitude.
It’s great to see a team wanting to work hard for each other, and the genuine excitement when things turned around in rounds 3-4-5 was a clear sign they really enjoy playing together. The much deserved winning try against the Roosters, when the whole team raced in from everywhere to swamp Dylan Walker, was a prime example.
Individual stand outs.
There’s been some excellent contributors too. Taupau has been a mountain of strength, albeit when he’s been on the field. Lawrence up front has also been a one man army of gut busting aggression. The Trbo’s continue to put in stand out performances every single match with Tom close to breaking the line with every touch. Kelly has been an instant spark of much needed speed, and both wingers Taufua and Uate have really heeded the call to work their butts out for the forwards with big work rates. Uate in particular has been a much needed surprise packet of energy. Koroisau and DCE? Yes there’s plenty of good, some very good, but see “the bad” below.
THE BAD:
The rocks or diamonds team performances.
The Parra and Souths cobwebs losses were plain awful. Then suddenly the Cowboys win was the best team and DCE performance in years which rolled into season turning wins belting the Dogs and outplaying the complacent Roosters. But the Saints effort, or complete lack thereof, left us speechless for all the wrong reasons resulting in a dire 1/4 home ground start.
Courtesy of the insanely unbalanced NRL draw, our 5th home game came just 7 days later against the top ranked Storm, with a win critically needed before a daunting 6 week away period.
A horror opening 20 mins signalled a likely hiding, but the 2nd half comeback, though very gutsy fell agonisingly short. Cronk and Smith showed how good they are diffusing the final 5 minutes like a couple of bomb disposal experts. Yes they’re the no 1 team in the comp, but if you’re going to lose to teams like Parra, Souths and the Dragons (trust me it’s a mirage, they won’t make the 8) then you have to find wins, especially at the place we used to call The Fortress.
Second row.
They’re trying hard, but tell me honestly would Sironen and Winterstein be the first choice 11 and 12 for any other team in the comp? Hard to imagine isn’t it. With Lawrence, Lussick, AFB and Perrett forming a formidable front row quartet it’s time to put Taupau back in the no. 11 jersey (or since Lawrence is brilliantly quick give him the no 11). New wonder buy Taniela Paseka? 124kg and 199cm. Please, find him a jersey if there’s one big enough. Lane? Surely an untapped talent for such a big unit. Hopefully the Hopoate and Trbojevic younger siblings are not far away too.
Halves.
Twice in the Storm second half comeback the ball went to Green on critical 5th tackles just metres out from their line. You could smell a try. But on both occasions his kicks sailed way over the dead ball line without a player in sight. His defence on the left had gaping holes in it too. I know it’s still early days, but Green needs to show a lot more for his no doubt sizeable salary.
DCE? He seems to say all the right things, he’s sure tackling his heart out (35 tackles in each of the previous 2 matches), and of course there was the absolute blinder in Townsville. When he attacks the line running straight he looks great (note how frequently Cronk does this) setting up brilliant plays down the right. So what’s missing? Aside from the too many crabbing cross field runs I really worry about the mental effort. In all honesty I just wonder if it really matters enough to him. The post game ritual of standing in the Ken Arko corner with the wife and kids for what seems like ages is a lovely family moment, but when the team has lost 4/5 home games and counting, shouldn’t the team captain be dragging them straight into the dressing room to lay down the law? I sure as hell hope I’m wrong, but judging by the recent Instagram posts Sunday recovery sessions seem to be far more heavily focused on trips to the Easter show or the beach. If you invest 10 mill on one player I don’t think it’s too much to expect to see their name right up near the top of the Dally M leaderboard week after week, just as the Thurston’s and Cronk’s are year after year.
On top of that we didn’t force a single drop out in 80 minutes against Melbourne. Is it really that hard? Cronk seems to find it pretty easy. The drop outs they forced in the final minutes literally shut down the game.
THE UGLY:
Goal kicking.
I’m sorry but you can’t win a comp, least of all make the top 8 with a close your eyes and pray goal kicker. Everyone can have a bad day, including Smith no less on Saturday, but where Walker can land the odd pearler from the sideline he’s alarmingly prone to shockers from close range. It’s a time bomb waiting to cost us badly. In fact 5/5 on Sat would have sent us into golden point. It’s not Walker’s fault, he should simply only be our back up kicker.
Dummy half.
I love Koroisau, he’s a massive team man trying his guts out, but he’s the perfect utility able to cover 5-6 positions well. The jersey for that is the no. 14. Hastings by contrast is an immensely talented half come hooker and has to be the no. 9 for at least 60 mins per match with Api used for 10 min sparks against tired opposition when needed, or of course if injuries in the backs. Critically of course, Hastings is also a quality match winning goal kicker. No brainer isn’t it?
Lewis Brown and our bench.
Does being great mates of the leading player group mean you’re undroppable? If anyone can show me a single game where Brown has so much as broken an egg I’ll run 200 laps of Lottoland tonight. Seriously it’s an absolute joke that’s gone on for WAY too long. NRL forwards are massive units these days, and Brown looks downright scrawny out there. What exactly is his role? Pretend dummy half? Pretend back row? Pretend centre in case of injury? And to put him on the bench for the last 3 weeks WITH Hastings is just beyond all comprehension. Not one other team would dream of selecting two bench utilities, in the process giving up invaluable bench size. With a fully fit team our 8-17 should be: 8. Lawrence 9. Hastings 10. Lussick 11. Taupau 12. Sironen 13. Jake T; 14. Koroisau 15. AFB 16. Perrett 17. Paseka; 18. Lane/Winterstein/Bainbridge..
Stupid misplaced aggression.
If there’s a team member who doesn’t understand you can’t shoulder charge they should be sacked immediately. Losing Taupau and AFB after just one round was plain stupidity. Lussick is also sailing dangerously close to the wind with his suicide charges out of the line. He’s got the ability to be a forward leader with his excellent stats last year, but someone’s got to get into his head that looking for fights is just not on period.
The Fortress.
1/5 wins this year and barely a handful in the last 18 months. There are kids who are starting to wonder if the traditional winning lap of honour is an urban myth. Talk about ugly.
The Coach.
Is it just me or are the most successful coaches all angry hard heads? Bennett, Gould, Stuart, Bellamy, Hasler, Toovs. When they speak the dressing room shakes, but you just wonder if Barrett couldn’t frighten the Harbord Under 6’s. I know Bozo’s the one that hired him so perhaps I’m missing something. I’m also with Sterlo, a coach should have a full season to build a team and Barrett’s had to do that two years running so let’s give him some time instead of jumping to a media fuelled panic replacement (well, seeing as Cleary’s off the table that is).
SUMMARY:
Smarter decisions.
I hate the Storm, but gees it was a first class lesson watching them in action. A minimum of two men (and usually three) driving one behind the other into every tackle, their infuriating wrestle expertly slowing down every play of the ball. Sweeping edge attack with Cronk and Slater running hard at the line. They play very simple, effective football with a team of 3 stars and 14 followers. Bellamy is one smart coach.
And yet what hurts is we should have beaten them.
Two additional players warming up every week. When Uate went down in the Dragons warm up it was unforgivably back to the 1980’s seeing poor old Matt Wright having to back up after a full game in reserves. How could any player be expected to last 160 minutes on a hot afternoon no less? Little wonder he could barely walk after 45 mins. Presumably that will NEVER happen again given winger Parker warmed up with the team on Saturday.
With smarter team selection, a first choice dummy half/goal kicker, less panic plays, and a desire to commit in defence for 80 mins, we have the ability to be a genuine top 8 contender.
It doesn’t get any easier. The Raiders down there will be a very tough ask on Friday night, and we’ll need a huge improvement in our shaky left side defence to hold out the rampaging Austin, Leilua and Rapana, but it’s all about attitude.
Let’s do it.
