Finals Week 1 Discussion

[ningnangnong]

May as well get all the build up going in here!

New finals system and all, some cracking match ups in the first week. Here's the schedule:

Friday September 7
Bulldogs vs Sea Eagles
7:45PM
ANZ Stadium

Saturday September 8
Storm vs Rabbitohs
5:45PM
AAMI Stadium

Cowboys vs Broncos
7:45PM
Dairy Farmers Stadium

Sunday September 9
Raiders vs Sharks
4:00PM
Canberra Stadium

 

[Ari Gold]

Taking bias out of the equation the Dogs Manly game should be a ripper.

Think I will be cheering on Souths just as much as us on Saturday. Personally, I think we have almost no hope of winning in Melbourne, so a Souths win for me is almost as important as a Broncos win.

 

[The Brizz]

Manly - They are cruising right now and will have too much class and experience for a finals-raw Dogs
Storm - Rabbits have looked awful everytime they have played a finals contender this year and this won't be different
Cowboys - They have too many points in them for us sadly
Raiders - The Sharks were awful today and the Raiders will be good at home with Dugan and Williams coming back in

I honestly think the first week will be very straight forward.

 

[Coxy]

Manly - They are cruising right now and will have too much class and experience for a finals-raw Dogs
Storm - Rabbits have looked awful everytime they have played a finals contender this year and this won't be different
Cowboys - They have too many points in them for us sadly
Raiders - The Sharks were awful today and the Raiders will be good at home with Dugan and Williams coming back in

I honestly think the first week will be very straight forward.

+1.

I think that's exactly how the first week will pan out.

 

[Son Edo]

Storm/Rabbits. I've underestimated how important Inglis is to the Rabbits, If they're to win against the Storm he'll need to get heavily involved. I actually like their chances. Storm are still rusty and have a few injuries, even if Souths haven't beaten a top 8 team in a awhile.

Manly/Dogs is a toss of the coin. I was wondering how the Dogs would react to their loss against Canberra and boy they didn't disappoint. Disposing the Roosters by 32 points and they might have Dene Halatau returning for them . Manly however we're given a scare from the Titans and an injury to Watmough aswell, however they can score tries when you least expect it.

Raiders/Sharks is another tough one. Raiders have won 5 in a row but surely their bubble is about to burst soon.

 

[jarro65]

Storm might have trouble containing the much bigger Souths pack.

 

[Kimlo]

I'm totally going for Souths. Storm can die in a hole :)

Oh how I hope Inglis scores the match winning try - the irony would be so great. Cheating scums.

 

[Son Edo]

Yo Twiz, if you're reading this could you give us your opinion on how your boys are going to shut down Melbourne?

 

[Twiztid]

Hmm very hard question.

I would say we need to tighten up around the ruck and really shut down Smith's ability to get his forwards going forward, which I think every team has tried to do and is one of the hardest tasks for any team.

I think our forward packs are very similar and it will come down to who can be more aggressive for the full 80 minutes, again something we have failed to do against the top teams, we usually last a good 65 or 70 but that 10 mins we get a try or 2 put on us.

We need to minimise missed tackles and offloads and really shut down any 2nd phase play.

We need to minimise mistakes and really control our kicking game and not rush in attack and make panic plays.

Our key players need to be on!!!!!!!!!

Issac and Peats need to work together to exploit around the middle.

Sutton really needs to make the defense second guess by hitting the line at speed and even taking them on a bit more than he has in the recent weeks. Reynolds' kicking game is key and his repeat sets and getting the ball into space is critical.

We can bomb the wingers a bit more now as they are not as experienced without Duffie. I even think we can test Slater's knee injury as IMO he is still worried about it even though he says he isn't. So testing him high a few times with a good chase and smash him hard as he lands and then kicking away from him so we are limiting his kick return as best as possible.

The place I am really worried about is our centres. King and Farrell will have a very hard time containing Nielson, Chambers or O'Neil and need to really hit hard and not back pedal.

Our wingers need to stay on their wings. The Storm use the sweeping fullback move (Bennett pet play) as best as any team and we need to really mark up well and not rush out and leave that wing open all day.

IMO Inglis will not be getting a lot of kick returns, so he will need to get involved a lot more. They will probably kick to Evo all day or even kick out to limit the return from Inglis. If they go to Evo I would like to see Inglis take that first/2nd hit up like Uate does and really make them 2nd guess even letting Inglis taking the first hit up and getting a quick play the ball that Luke and Peats can exploit.

So basically summing it up, we need to play the best footy we have played all year and do it for the full match.

It will be my first time to a match in Victoria and I really can't wait. I hope if any Storm supporters are around me they have panadol ready, as we are going to be a very vocal lot.

 

[Alec]

I reckon the Manly/Dogs game is an even 50/50. Flip a coin.
Canberra/Sharks are a 60/40 to the Faders.
Melbourne/Souffs are a 70/30 to the Storm
Cows/Broncs are a 80/20 to the Cows.

 

[Big Pete]

This is the best opening week to the finals I've seen since I became a supporter. Don't think these 8 teams could be paired better & really looking forward to what should be a great week of footy.

On Friday, I reckon Bulldogs will cause an upset and defeat the Sea Eagles. I know their form isn't as strong as Manly's but I just see too many weaknesses in the Sea Eagles line-up and if there is one coach who can expose them, it's Hasler. Stronger front-row will give them all the dominance they need and Barba will be good for a try as well.

Melbourne to have too much class for the Rabbitohs in a close game. Rabbitohs are still a bit too patchy for my liking and can fall into a hole if things get a bit rough, Melbourne on the other hand have been coasting into the finals. Only way I can see this not working into the Storm's favour is if GI turns it on but I can see the former coach becoming a factor once again and making a point of shutting him down.

Hate to say it but I expect the Cowboys will be too strong up in Townsville. Aside from Slater, I don't know a bigger thorn in our side than Matty Bowen at present & I believe the Cows front-row will give JT & Bowen a lot of bites at the cherry. I don't think it's going to be as big a blow out as what the commentators are making but the Broncos attack is just too pedestrian to really put any pressure on the Cowboys.

Toss of the coin stuff on Sunday, tails tells me it'll be the Sharks who advance into week two. If that's the case, it'll be on the back of the Raiders pulling up stumps after making it so far with the experienced forward pack of Gallen, J. Smith, Ross, Gibbs & De Gois etc. out enthusing their talented opposites. Also expect TC to turn it off to piss his old supporters off.

 

[Son Edo]

Bulldogs in my opinion, should be the favorites over Manly. Their recent win over the Roosters was more impressive than Manly's against the Titans and they're also playing at home.

 

[The Brizz]

Big Pete, what weaknesses can you find in Manly's lineup they have easily the best 1-17 in the comp.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Big Pete, what weaknesses can you find in Manly's lineup they have easily the best 1-17 in the comp.

They'd be so subtle you would probably miss them Brizz.

 

[ningnangnong]

That's becoming a bit cliched now, don't you think?

 

[Big Pete]

Big Pete, what weaknesses can you find in Manly's lineup they have easily the best 1-17 in the comp.

Fair question.

Manly do cut an imposing figure on paper and on the field but I don't think they're all there & the media is putting way too much pressure on them.

Like I said, come the front row, the Dogs blow them away and will out-last them. Manly are a patchy side & if you're relentless (which the Dogs are) they'll expose them just after half-time.

I also expect to see a lot of bombs and cross-field kicks. It's one area Manly has rarely been tested in since we had so much success against them. Taufua & Whare are still very suspect & the Bulldogs are one of the best exponets.

Isolating DCE or T-Rex in defence (something the Bulldogs are fantastic at) is also going to pay dividends. Both have issues in defence & if you can send a lot of traffic at them it'll also affect their attacking game.

I'm not suggesting it's a sure thing though, I know I'm going out on a limb here but I get the impression the Dogs will be golden in Week 1.

 

[Coxy]

That's becoming a bit cliched now, don't you think?

Subtly.

 

[The Brizz]

I think by far Manly's biggest and only obvious weakness is Steve Matai's defence against physically strong centres. The only place we ever look dangerous against Manly is Hodges on Matai, a month ago he got pushed off easily about 10 times and it isn't an isolated occurence I recall Inglis, Hurrell, Gasnier among others who have made him look very poor. He rushes out and he seems to struggle against stronger centres. Inu and Morris although not "massive" guys are both known for throwing guys off themselves, if I were the Dogs I would be getting whichever of those two is on Matai as much early footy as possible.