Too many dogfights

[susan]

The problem we will continue to have that makes me fear we may even miss the eight is that sides with little flair in attack like ourselves have no room for error at all in defence. We will always show our usual courage in defence but when you cant score more than 10 or 12 points,sides like parra,tigers etc can have a bit of luck and some razzle dazzle and those games can be lost as well.The tigers game was a gimme a month ago-they will start favourites out there against us now.

Make no mistake-there is no sugar coating it-we are a brave side with little penetration and while I can see our defence getting better in the latter rounds due to desperation I see absolutely nothing that gives me hope in attack other than Faoso upping the tempo and making us play more direct.

A few weeks ago the coming stretch looked like a nice run but our travails in attack mean there is not a single game where we can bank on two points-no attack means dogfights and games coming down to luck and refs decisions and that is not a recipe for success.Each week is a replay of the same movie in offence and nothing changes. Our legendary resolve will be needed to play finals this year.

 

[Top End Eagle]

We don't offload and we currently don't have the front row punch to allow our halves to pick out good running back rowers and centres. Glen Stewart since he has been back has disrupted the lines we were running and seems somehow to have affected DCE and Forans confidence in running the show not to mention tied up a lot of cherrys space.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Glad I'm out of the country and haven't had to watch the last few losses. Last game I saw was the Warriors loss and even then it felt like we kept on making the same mistakes with the ball we'd been making all year. I keep waiting for something to click but it looks like we're just a little off the pace of this year's comp.

 

[Moops]

The problem we will continue to have that makes me fear we may even miss the eight is that sides with little flair in attack like ourselves have no room for error at all in defence. We will always show our usual courage in defence but when you cant score more than 10 or 12 points,sides like parra,tigers etc can have a bit of luck and some razzle dazzle and those games can be lost as well.The tigers game was a gimme a month ago-they will start favourites out there against us now.

Make no mistake-there is no sugar coating it-we are a brave side with little penetration and while I can see our defence getting better in the latter rounds due to desperation I see absolutely nothing that gives me hope in attack other than Faoso upping the tempo and making us play more direct.

A few weeks ago the coming stretch looked like a nice run but our travails in attack mean there is not a single game where we can bank on two points-no attack means dogfights and games coming down to luck and refs decisions and that is not a recipe for success.Each week is a replay of the same movie in offence and nothing changes. Our legendary resolve will be needed to play finals this year.

And there it is...well said

 

[The Who]

One of my pet peeves is the lack of attack from scrums. Again last night we had a backrower receiving the ball at 5/8 and dying with it. Then all the forwards break from the scrum and begin the boring, predictable hit-ups.
Why can't we pass the ball out to our wingers from a scrum, or chip over the top, or use our light-steppers to try to break the line?
When I watch Melbourne I see them trying to attack from scrums. Can't we at least try something?
Rugby league 2013 is so predictable and, frankly, boring. And now that the rulemakers have taken out much of the combative nature it is starting to lose me.
Can you believe Horo was placed on report for a tackle around the shoulders? And the so-called tough guy JWH had such a hissy-fit that the video ref intervened?
Really. Is this how we want RL to evolve? Soccer with hands?

 

[EagleFromMay1967]

I believe its a combination of limited unimaginative coaching and losses of 'key forwards' and the ageing of our roster.

There is also a discipline problem. This is also coaching issue.

Our predictable attack is also another coaching deficiency. In theory we have the roster, the talent to score heaps of points. However our lack of footspeed is a 'age ' problem - we cant do much about that one, but you could compensate for it, using some imaginative plays.

In a way we have lost G Stewart. He's very ordinary and not NRL standard. Where is the old Gifty ? ('old' as in 2011 form).

We've also lost King, Joe, Richie F (til rd 18-19).

We're facing 8th or 9th place at season end unless drastic and clever changes are made.

Technical Coach ?

 

[north coast eagle]

The problem we will continue to have that makes me fear we may even miss the eight is that sides with little flair in attack like ourselves have no room for error at all in defence. We will always show our usual courage in defence but when you cant score more than 10 or 12 points,sides like parra,tigers etc can have a bit of luck and some razzle dazzle and those games can be lost as well.The tigers game was a gimme a month ago-they will start favourites out there against us now.

Make no mistake-there is no sugar coating it-we are a brave side with little penetration and while I can see our defence getting better in the latter rounds due to desperation I see absolutely nothing that gives me hope in attack other than Faoso upping the tempo and making us play more direct.

A few weeks ago the coming stretch looked like a nice run but our travails in attack mean there is not a single game where we can bank on two points-no attack means dogfights and games coming down to luck and refs decisions and that is not a recipe for success.Each week is a replay of the same movie in offence and nothing changes. Our legendary resolve will be needed to play finals this year.

What is really frustrating me is that there has been a number of props on the market this year that would have helped us fix the go forward problem for next year. However we seem unwilling or unable to sign any of them - instead so far we sign one mediocre prop from Q cup. Apart from him the only props we have currently contracted for next year are Fa'aoso & Lawrence (quite light for front rowers) and King (doubtful whether he will be 100% fit). Kite leaving, Joe retiring ,Cunningham, Gower, Hasson, Skinner and Lemalu still unsigned for next year. So if we are a bit thin in the front row now then unless someone can find a pen it will be worse next year. Maybe we will have to go the way of the Dragons and continue to decline until we can off load some of the older players and do some serious rebuilding.

------------------------------------
@[north coast eagle]
I had to edited the quoted section to allow your comment to be visible.
Jethro.

 

[MissKate]

I don't think we have cap space to sign anyone.

What I find more disappointing is that we are so predictable other team and all spectators know exactly what we are going to do most of the game. Other teams easily read our very predictable attack and shut it down easily. Why can we not change things up a bit.

I am not criticizing Glenn S but since he returned we have become even more predictable. When he was out at least we had Horro and Symonds running some good lines that other teams didn't know or expect. When Glenn returned, the dynamics and structure of our attack changed back to the same format we have had for the last couple of years and we are getting shut down too easily

 

[tookey]

I don't think we have cap space to sign anyone.

What I find more disappointing is that we are so predictable other team and all spectators know exactly what we are going to do most of the game. Other teams easily read our very predictable attack and shut it down easily. Why can we not change things up a bit.

I am not criticizing Glenn S but since he returned we have become even more predictable. When he was out at least we had Horro and Symonds running some good lines that other teams didn't know or expect. When Glenn returned, the dynamics and structure of our attack changed back to the same format we have had for the last couple of years and we are getting shut down too easily

Yes we don't have the cap space to buy any big name prop until 2015.