Israel Folau

[Chumba]

Our pack got smashed... there's where it was "lost". Not our halves as a combo, not our passion filled out of place fullback playing 5/8, not our over-rated and out played flashy backs and certainly not the big guy in the coach's seat. Our pack were rolled back in attack and defence, so our halves had no room and our outside men never saw the ball.

Our pack, our pack, our pack got smashed.

 

[spoonbled]

exactly, no metres by the forwards meant no dummy half running by Smith or the centres. all starts with the forwards dominating.

 

[rnabokov]

Our pack got smashed... there's where it was "lost". Not our halves as a combo, not our passion filled out of place fullback playing 5/8, not our over-rated and out played flashy backs and certainly not the big guy in the coach's seat. Our pack were rolled back in attack and defence, so our halves had no room and our outside men never saw the ball.

Our pack, our pack, our pack got smashed.

Game plan? Wot game plan?

The bald fact is that Bellamy worked us out to a tee, constructed a relevant game plan, shut down our key playmakers and motivated a Blues Tornado.

It wasn't our pack - it was a team flogged by a superior, better motivated opposition who smashed the stuffing out of us. After 20 minutes, we had lost it.

It proves that reputations count for nothing. Clever coaching and player attitude is the major issue.

 

[Kan Huang]

Then why don't we play Hodges on the left? Is he not "quality"? Clearly, some players are just better on one side than the other.

As for Wallace's kicking game, he inevitably kicked on the 4th tackle and kicked it exactly to where Bellamy said in his game plan.

To argue that had it been any other centre than Gasnier is pointless. Gasnier was and will be there and they will play to his strengths.

Dare I say it - I agree with Frank. Hunt just couldn't deliver in attack and Folau was out of reach of quality ball. I hope he's on the right in Origin 2 and Hunt is nowhere near 5/8.

So much for our brilliant backline which would carve up the Blues as so many posters argued. No-one figured on Bellamy's astute analysis of our strengths and weaknesses.

For mine, the halves should be Prince at 7 and Thurston at 6, although it does look like Locky will return as 6.

And yet you completely ignore my comment about Thurston's kicking game? Let's not be ignorant here. [eusa_naugh

And if you did read what I said I have said the style that both Hodges and Folau play are vastly different and whether or not that works on either side of the field would take its effect and I seriously don't think Folau would have an issue.

I have no issue whether Gasnier will be there forever or not but that's not the point. What I'm trying to say that club level football is different to Origin and you aren't constantly marking a world-class centre week-in week-out.

 

[Chumba]

Our pack got smashed... there's where it was "lost". Not our halves as a combo, not our passion filled out of place fullback playing 5/8, not our over-rated and out played flashy backs and certainly not the big guy in the coach's seat. Our pack were rolled back in attack and defence, so our halves had no room and our outside men never saw the ball.

Our pack, our pack, our pack got smashed.

Game plan? Wot game plan?

The bald fact is that Bellamy worked us out to a tee, constructed a relevant game plan, shut down our key playmakers and motivated a Blues Tornado.

It wasn't our pack - it was a team flogged by a superior, better motivated opposition who smashed the stuffing out of us. After 20 minutes, we had lost it.

It proves that reputations count for nothing. Clever coaching and player attitude is the major issue.

I fail to see how u can forgive our pack or the selection of our pack and splash compliments on bellamy. The blues pack made easy yards over ours, they unloaded the ball as our pack couldn't put them on the ground and then when we ran it up, they wrapped us up ball and all, knocked us over and pushed us back... swap packs and qld win! instantly. Rave about how great bellamy is all you want, but as a football team; if your pack does nothing then no one else can, plain and simple.

 

[rnabokov]

Chumba - the Blues were coached to exploit our weaknesses: pack and backs, and they did so perfectly.

I agree - our forwards were awful, but then so were our backs.

And yeah - it was ALL due to Bellamy working us out and having his team keep us on the backfoot, together with a number of stupid team selections.

You can't expect a forward pack to be up there if the oppositon has the tactics to take the mickey out of what we had and didn't have.

I repeat - the difference in game 1 was both Bellamy, and the fact we ignored Scott Prince.