Finals Week 3 Discussion

[user_nat]

I want the Storm to win.

IMO: The NRL wanted an all NSW teams in the GF.

I can't see why they would want that.

Having Melbourne in the GF is probably the best result they can have as far as TV viewers go.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Eat a bag of dicks Manly

 

[Alec]

Gould just said, he's not making excuses for Manly, but said some of the players are playing injured etc.

He predicted the top 3 teams would be Manly, Broncos and the Tiggers. He really needed Manly to win.

 

[vertigo]

I know Manly have been ****ing shit but how good are Melbourne to watch!

 

[Son Edo]

Biggest blow out, out of all the final games.

 

[Kaz]

I can't see why they would want that.

Because they still think it's a NSW comp & any team from outside of NSW are just making up the numbers.

 

[Anonymous person]

Geez, to think the consensus on bhq is that Melbourne are the most boring team in the comp lol.

Cronk and Slater were just awesome, but the whole team was just on song.

There's not much better than seeing manly get pounded into submission either :D. Come on bulldogs, this could be one of the most epic grand finals of the modern generation. Don't think there's been a year with 2 teams that are this good for a loooong time.

 

[OXY-351]

Lyon is dead-set a great player.

Agreed, and I honestly don't know why he doesn't put his hand up for NSW. He keeps on competing no matter what. If they rest of the manly team had half the commitment he had, I think the scoreline woudl have been vastly different. They still may not have won, but the scoreline was embarrasing in the end.

 

[Kaz]

I honestly don't know why he doesn't put his hand up for NSW.

Because he can't handle criticism.


Manly skipper Jamie Lyon has revealed the reason behind his long-standing reluctance to play rep footy - admitting his confidence to play at the highest level never recovered from criticism he copped when he returned from England in 2007.

"As much as you don't want to admit the criticism hurt, it did," Lyon said in the lead-up to Friday's match against St George Illawarra.
It's why, when New South Wales coach Ricky Stuart phoned Lyon before Origin 1, the Manly centre said "no thanks".


http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/...n-return-for-nsw/story-fn31yxah-1226378817668

 

[Porthoz]

Just saw the result... Happy the scum is gone! :thumbup1:

Tomorrow, in the chequebook prelim, I hope they both loose by forfeit, get disqualified for bringing the game into disrepute (which they already do by their mere existance anyway), and the Cows get called back to play the GF and give Bellyache another heartache.

 

[vertigo]

Geez, to think the consensus on bhq is that Melbourne are the most boring team in the comp lol.

At least they have the attack to back up their ruck wrestling.

 

[The Brizz]

Melbourne were just so bloody good tonight. Just like against the Rabbits they smothered Manly and forced errors through relentless pressure. I would be incredibly surprised if either the Dogs or Rabbits with so much inexperience at this level could handle a side that is so clinical at this time of the year.

The forward pack without big names is just methodical. Bromwich, Norrie, Manu and Lowrie lay such a great platform through the middle and Hoffman and Proctor are fantastic and smart wide running forwards. Plus that spine is simply the best in history, nothing in the history of the game compares in club footy to this 1,6,7,9 jeez Widdop is underrated great defensively tonight and he was buzzing around all night causing problems. Cronk is the best organiser i have ever seen on a footy field as a 7 and Cam Smith is the greatest hooker in history plus Slater is if not the best fullback we have seen he is in the same breath as Langlands and Lockyer. I am just in awe with how great that performance was.

 

[The Brizz]

exactly, its a try by the rule book no matter how much gould whinges.

the ball came loose, no doubt about it - but slaters forearm was touching the ball again before it hit the ground so there is no knock on. No control, but no separation wither, and that's all the rules demand for it to be a try.

Also like you said, even if there was separation there was a hand in there taking at the ball so its be a rake and play on then try.

Slo-Mo showed very clear seperation. Foran hit the ball rather than raked it, no way that was a try however Matai was well offside and it should have been aa Storm penalty.

 

[Big Pete]

Melbourne were never the most 'boring' team in the competition - that's either been Cronulla, Penrith or St. George Illawarra but I wouldn't use tonight's game as a 'take that' at the detractors. Manly were woeful and that really made them look like a million bucks, most sides would have looked just as enterprising if Manly put in the same performance against them.

That's basically been the tale here for me, Manly played like s**t, Melbourne were just good enough to play their standard game and won easy. I enjoyed it though, it was great catharsis to see Manly finally put in a performance that they typically tend to benefit from over the recent years.

 

[The Brizz]

Manly would have beaten plenty of sides tonight. I don't think people take the pressure an opponent is supplying enough into account when errors are being made sometimes. Melbourne were relentless in attack and defence. They caused tonnes of errors in attack and defence by being so methodical and so relentless in everything they did tonight.

The way you have described the game is insulting to just how great a performance that was by Melbourne. It is like tennis with forced errors, great players who apply pressure cause their opponent to make errors at crucial times.

 

[Big Pete]

Melbourne played well, but honestly some of those mistakes was under 10s stuff from Manly. Melbourne didn't force T-Rex to knock off a tap etc.

 

[The Brizz]

No they didn't but many of the errors both with and without the ball were Melbourne applying pressure. Plus a heap of their errors were in the period 60+ minutes when they were gone and were going for short drop outs and throwing stupid catch-up passes.

 

[OXY-351]

Matai was well offside and it should have been aa Storm penalty.

True, but I actually think Matai being offside helped Melbourne rather than hinder them.