There's still a sting in the Silvertails
October 3, 2013 Roy Masters
Sprung: Manly aren't the tired bunch of players they have made themselves out to be.
The Silvertails are conning us. They are not the tired, forlorn, war-weary troops they pretend to be.
In the preliminary final against South Sydney, they played with 16 men for just less than an hour. Utility replacement Tom Symonds came on with 23 minutes left.
If Manly are as fatigued as they claim, Symonds would have relieved a teammate earlier.
To be fair, the Sea Eagles traditionally hold one player back until late in a match but they have protested this week the team hasn't received sufficient respect from the media in the past month for efforts under physical duress. If they are so exhausted, how come Symonds played only 17 minutes against the Roosters in a furious, energy-sapping 4-0 semi-final?
He then played 23 minutes against the Sharks when, admittedly, Manly were spent at the end. But they then had a seven-day break to Souths, compared with only a six-day preparation before the gruelling Cronulla encounter.
If the Sea Eagles are the walking wounded, how come they scored 24 points to Souths' six in a second half where there were only three stoppages for penalties?
No mandated breaks to allow the battered Sea Eagles to suck in the lower-quality oxygen on the south side of the harbour. No time-outs where Geoff Toovey's stressed men could rally to defend for another set of six, or exhort a bruised forward to charge the ball up against Souths' leg twisters. A low penalty count actually helped Manly and punished Souths. In the first half, where the Rabbitohs led 14-0 and then 14-6 at the break, the penalties were 4-1 to Souths.
In the second half, it was 2-1 to Manly, leading to a final 30-20 score. Souths have been the referees' favourites all year, receiving the most penalties and conceding the fewest. They are not accustomed to continuous play like Manly and Melbourne, who can defend end-to-end for continuous sets.
The Rabbitohs' big forwards survive on piggy-back penalties, yet only one came their way in a second half where they scored their lone try on the bell. In a round-seven Manly-Souths game, won 20-12 by the Rabbitohs, there were 23 penalties, a massive count for a top-of-the-table clash.
Sports Data statistics show South Sydney's win/loss record was 5-6 when the penalty count was 15 or under, while Manly tend to lose when the penalty count exceeds 15. In the Rabbitohs' semi-final win over the Storm, the penalty count was nearly double the grand final qualifier tally - 15, including a run of 6-0 to the Rabbitohs.
As the grand final nears, the penalty count comes down, just as it does at State of Origin time, meaning it's good news for the Sea Eagles and possibly bad news for the Roosters who, some coaches claim, concede penalties in order to buy time to reorganise their defence.
According to Sports Data, no team has won a grand final the past eight years without beating Manly in the play-offs. Their previous coach, Des Hasler, placed great importance on GPS technology, so the club is closely attuned to scientific measurement of training workloads at the end of the season.
Sure, they have lost two starting front-rowers and now another in Richie Fa'aoso with a serious neck injury, but it will be viewed as seemingly another obstacle by a team that thrives on the ''us against the world'' siege mentality. The Roosters, who defeated the Knights on Saturday night to advance to the grand final, have one less day than Manly to prepare.
No doubt the Sea Eagles do have players with sore ribs, bruised arms and strained knees, but the extra day will further freshen them. Coaches talk about ''a short turnaround'' as though it is as feared as a one-eyed referee, yet Manly will have a nine-day break and a referee who suits their style. The Silvertails won't like reading this because they get off on styling themselves as the despised downtrodden, forced to do everything the hard way.
Forward Anthony Watmough has even had the temerity to call upon support from Sydney's real battlers, the westies!
If you don't like Manly, praise them. Tell them the truth. They have been tough all year and play football the way God and Rex Mossop intended it to be.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/theres-still-a-sting-in-the-silvertails-20131002-2usw1.html#ixzz2gav00cMp
