last night i don't think it was a matter of wanting 50 & not getting it, more a matter of defending every play as if its the game on the line & last night they didn't.
The Middle- no Good
- Thread starter maxta
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and Jake was slow at marker ... Lawton will make a difference
The better Robbo
Bencher
100% its all about timing our run for the finals now. Training will start to change in the next couple weeks and we will more than likely see a few flat games but Des knows as good as anyone how to plan for the finals and have us peaking at the right time
manlyfan76
There is no A.I. Just better computers
Good to see Foran popping up on the right linking to DCE and vice versa not just staying in channels
Don't know if anybody else has said this ... but I am not certain what our game plan regarding the middle is, or that you can blame the players ... it seems like a plot, a plan, a scheme ...
I am not certain why we are not engaging opposing teams forwards ... we appear to be going back to the Manly teams of the 90's and playing expansive footy from the get go ...
For example ... last night we had more grunt in the 17 than all season ... yet first prop rotation saw Walker come on with Josh ... then the starting 2 props came back ... and Keppie and Sipley only thrown on in the last 10 mins as an afterthought ...
It's great to increase the minutes of props and build up their fitness ... but if the plan is to go around them rather than over and through them ... I hope it works when we play the big boys ..
The better Robbo
Bencher
That certainly was strange having 2 props sitting on the bench for 70 minutes especially when we seemed to lack some go forward at times.
Shoe1
Journey Man
Agree. I wasn’t that pissed off until the last 10 mins, which was very sloppy. If their heads were screwed on properly they would have pushed towards 60 points.
Can't take too much out of the middle rotation. If we had more depth I reckon Sipley and Keppie get a rest. Given the way it played out it was smart to give them minimal minutes. Come Finals the middle rotation will look completely different. 4 bigs along with Jake and Keppie is my prediction.
Interesting indeed, I've wondered too.
Dino Des may have emerged from prehistoric times or at least the dark ages and devised a cunning plot (or scheme) aimed at overcoming the Storm and Panthers at season's end. Those teams have almost perfected defensive patterns and are very hard to score against. I reckon we'll be spreading the ball from sideline to sideline and when that stretches their middle a bit and a little gap is left in the middle we strike!
For that plan to work we need a) the ability to skillfully and swiftly move the ball both sides, and b) credible threats on each edge to actually attract the defence and c) some potent strike in the middle to take advantage.
I suspect the success of Walker in his new role might be a key component to this grand scheme. If he can nail it we just may pull this off
I think some of our backs should start throwing some no lookers to our poor wingers .
Agreed ,and when it happens there will be a new challenger for this years title .
Don't kid yourself, we are already a challenger. Some betting markets now have us as 4th favourite to win the comp, ahead of Eels and Chooks.
(Gamble responsibly)
(Gamble responsibly)
Little Grubber Kick
Bencher
Insightful observation. This was definitely evident against the Raiders 2 weeks earlier and I think what brought us unstuck on that occasion.
No problem with expansive but must secure the middle first.
Interesting indeed, I've wondered too.
Dino Des may have emerged from prehistoric times or at least the dark ages and devised a cunning plot (or scheme) aimed at overcoming the Storm and Panthers at season's end. Those teams have almost perfected defensive patterns and are very hard to score against. I reckon we'll be spreading the ball from sideline to sideline and when that stretches their middle a bit and a little gap is left in the middle we strike!
For that plan to work we need a) the ability to skillfully and swiftly move the ball both sides, and b) credible threats on each edge to actually attract the defence and c) some potent strike in the middle to take advantage.
I suspect the success of Walker in his new role might be a key component to this grand scheme. If he can nail it we just may pull this off
I agree that may be the thinking ... if it works, happy days ... but that is the attacking side of the plot, the defensive side with an under-powered middle is of concern to me ... even with all the changes to the game ... forward power and field position are still reliant to a large degree on meat head props .. and middle domination ...
KNUCKLES
weights before dates
I feel we're slowly getting into a mindset where we think we can score off every play, touch footy stuff. A false sense of security perhaps? Given our draw of late? The better teams will make us pay for poor ball security.
We've got some forward power, certainly if most of our guys stay fit. The combinations we are working on (alluded to by Des I think it was before the Tigers game) could well be all about getting the best out of the great number of skilled players we have, so we can fire the ball this way and that in the blink of an eye.
If that is the plan it will be great watching it unfold. As for defence, Des has always been known as a coach who considers defence to be a non-negotiable, so I'm sure he is mindful of the risks and balances.
Let's remember, after a strong start Manly had a miserable season last year, in the absence of Turbo. I'm sure that hurt Des and so the mad professor put his thinking cap on over the off-season.
All just speculation of course but I admit I'm loving watching our team play this attacking footy. And its working, since the narrow loss to Panthers on 1 May we've only lost to the Knights thanks to a shut-out by the ref, and to Raiders while missing key components in our new attacking style (Jake, Turbo, DCE and Schuster).
I will chalk that one up to a lot of rusty players through the middle. Jurbo and Garlic Sauce were both very rusty, slow and got in the way more than they helped. Im confident Jurbo will come good and we can get back to guys like Garlic just being metre eaters and tackling machines
| Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 10 |
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 10 |
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 48 | 8 |
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 28 | 8 |
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 8 |
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 8 |
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 7 |
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 7 |
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 37 | 6 |
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 6 |
|
6 | 3 | 3 | -13 | 6 |
|
5 | 2 | 3 | -15 | 6 |
|
6 | 3 | 3 | -36 | 6 |
|
6 | 2 | 4 | -5 | 4 |
|
6 | 2 | 4 | -7 | 4 |
|
5 | 0 | 5 | -86 | 2 |
|
6 | 1 | 5 | -102 | 2 |
