The big thing we are overlooking

[Mustafur]

I rate our outside backs honestly, it's the spine that's lacking and its clear as ****.

it's easy to blame them after a defeat where our middles where exposed by bad rotation, but honestly your talking about our strongest area.

 

[Sproj]

I rate our outside backs honestly, it's the spine that's lacking and its clear as ****.

it's easy to blame them after a defeat where our middles where exposed by bad rotation, but honestly your talking about our strongest area.

Strongest area on paper only. Our forwards are at present massively overrated. When was the last time that actually won a battle?

 

[Kimlo]

Strongest area on paper only. Our forwards are at present massively overrated. When was the last time that actually won a battle?

I still think it's the halves fault. When the halves constantly fumble, don't get repeat sets, our forwards have to defend far more and the NRL this year is not about who has the best forward pack, it's who gets momentum first because the other team will collapse with exhaustion.

 

[Sproj]

I still think it's the halves fault. When the halves constantly fumble, don't get repeat sets, our forwards have to defend far more and the NRL this year is not about who has the best forward pack, it's who gets momentum first because the other team will collapse with exhaustion.

Yeah of course, the halves are ruining everything but they aren’t responsible for Carrigan’s pathetic attempts at tackling Olam or guys stopping and watching and giving up or dropping the ball every second hit up.

 

[Kimlo]

Yeah of course, the halves are ruining everything but they aren’t responsible for Carrigan’s pathetic attempts at tackling Olam or guys stopping and watching and giving up or dropping the ball every second hit up.

Yeah look I don't know anymore. This version of rugby league is difficult to judge because the rule changes punish momentum loss enormously. You make one mistake and you could be defending 30 tackles in a row without a break.

All I know is halves are more important than ever, because knowing how to capitalise on field position, and turn the screws on the opposition is the key to victory. You literally just have to last 25 minutes playing smart and the other team will fall over.

I don't think we have the best pack in the game or anything but they are absolutely a good forward pack let down by a shit spine and poor use of interchanges.

Kevvie has a lot of work to do and so far I'm not convinced. I thought he'd at the very least make our halves look like they know what they should be doing with game management but they're as dumb as ever.

 

[ChewThePhatt]

Then he should bring an extra book with him.

Who cares if we get caught? You probably won't anyway and if you do the only punishment is giving back what you took illegally. You'd be a fool not to take those odds.

No.
I'd rather lose than cheat

 

[JungleBoogie]

Our recruitment has centred on under 15s players that can score 100m tries at every position. Psychology and nature of a player has been a second thought which is why we are always collapsing and not in effort plays. Welch and Bromwich (now) aren't athletic but they are used properly, are very strong mentally and in effort.

Our recruitment has been shockingly bad for years.

 

[Renegade]

We need a Paul Rauhihi type signing (not necessary a forward), but a player that comes from a winning culture and spurs on others to make that next step. Currently, we have a lot of tryers, but no real winners.

 

[Wolfie]

Yeah of course, the halves are ruining everything but they aren’t responsible for Carrigan’s pathetic attempts at tackling Olam or guys stopping and watching and giving up or dropping the ball every second hit up.

Carrigan seems everyone favourite target right now, but in all the games so far you could rattle off pretty much every player who has done the same. Its simply not just only player down on form thats the issue. Everyone isnt doing the basics. Haas was doing plenty of arm grabbing. Flegler was left grasping at air when players went past him, so was TPJ. Milford, Niu, Croft and Dearden have all been turnstiles in defence. I could keep going on and on. Our problem is we dont defend as a unit, there isnt any talk and not enough players chase lost causes and do the 1 percenters. I know he has his detractors, but i'll use him as an example, Tom Opacic in our game against Parra. Yes, i know it was more than likely a try to Turpin, but look where Tommy came from to put in that challenge to stop the try. He had no right really coming from the left side of the field after their attack broke down, but if he doesnt do that then Turpin scores unchallenged. Thats the kind of effort we need at the club.

The ball handling thing is a confidence issue imo. Its not something that will get fixed up quickly. We have too many players so down on confidence that they are over thinking everything and i believe its causing them to make errors they dont usually make. Kevvie needs to simplify everything, go back to basics and hope the tide turns.

 

[Wolfie]

Our recruitment has centred on under 15s players that can score 100m tries at every position. Psychology and nature of a player has been a second thought which is why we are always collapsing and not in effort plays. Welch and Bromwich (now) aren't athletic but they are used properly, are very strong mentally and in effort.

Our recruitment has been shockingly bad for years.

I dont agree. We recruit young talent pretty well. If we didnt, why do other clubs target our players so much? Where we have fallen over, is development, not recruitment. It feels like whenever anyone shows any interest in our younger players, we panic and throw them in NRL to get them to stay. NEver used to happen, we used to let them develop in Queensland cup, get used to playing against men and make them earn their place in the NRL side. Its only the really, really exeptional ones that jump straight to NRL footy. These young blokes we have are good enough. I'd bet if you had Haas, Farnworth, Flegler, Carrigan etc in the systems of Melbourne or the Roosters they wouldnt have been rushed and put under so much pressure to perform like we have done. Lindsay Collins is a great example. Took him pretty much 4 years to hit his straps at the Rorters. Melbourne let their players develop in ISC for a good amount of time as well. All we do is bow down to pressure from these young blokes and their agents. They need to earn their spot, if they dont want to, let them walk.

 

[Sproj]

Carrigan seems everyone favourite target right now, but in all the games so far you could rattle off pretty much every player who has done the same. Its simply not just only player down on form thats the issue. Everyone isnt doing the basics. Haas was doing plenty of arm grabbing. Flegler was left grasping at air when players went past him, so was TPJ. Milford, Niu, Croft and Dearden have all been turnstiles in defence. I could keep going on and on. Our problem is we dont defend as a unit, there isnt any talk and not enough players chase lost causes and do the 1 percenters. I know he has his detractors, but i'll use him as an example, Tom Opacic in our game against Parra. Yes, i know it was more than likely a try to Turpin, but look where Tommy came from to put in that challenge to stop the try. He had no right really coming from the left side of the field after their attack broke down, but if he doesnt do that then Turpin scores unchallenged. Thats the kind of effort we need at the club.

The ball handling thing is a confidence issue imo. Its not something that will get fixed up quickly. We have too many players so down on confidence that they are over thinking everything and i believe its causing them to make errors they dont usually make. Kevvie needs to simplify everything, go back to basics and hope the tide turns.

I agree with everything you’ve said there, Carrigan was just the most obvious example but every single forward does it. The only one who chases over anywhere is Riki and because he is doing that and no one else is, there are holes everywhere and especially where Riki would be. It’s almost like they don’t know each other and it becomes amateur hour. Kevvie needs to use his bench so much better to give these kids a break and keep some semblance of structure.

The defense coach needs to teach nothing but tackle your man and take accountability for it. And all of the coaches should be giving any player a spray in training every time they don’t track or put in second efforts. Anyone starts walking or misses a tackle, they go into the sandpit.

They all need to eat, live and sleep with a football in their hands. Any time they drop it, they put a $100 in the error jar. That amounts continues to rise every drop, so by the time they’ve dropped it 10 times, they are putting $1000 in. If they drop a simple catch on game day, they are putting their match fee in that jar. If it is a forced error or awful pass fair enough but all of them need to understand accountability because goodness me there is not one single leader in the team they can look up to.

 

[Alec]

Some players get targeted more because more is expected of them.
Milford is on a million dollars a year, so more is expected of him than Dearden or Croft.
Carrigan actually captained the side multiple last year and was thought of as a future leader - again more is expected of him because of this.

 

[JungleBoogie]

I dont agree. We recruit young talent pretty well. If we didnt, why do other clubs target our players so much? Where we have fallen over, is development, not recruitment. It feels like whenever anyone shows any interest in our younger players, we panic and throw them in NRL to get them to stay. NEver used to happen, we used to let them develop in Queensland cup, get used to playing against men and make them earn their place in the NRL side. Its only the really, really exeptional ones that jump straight to NRL footy. These young blokes we have are good enough. I'd bet if you had Haas, Farnworth, Flegler, Carrigan etc in the systems of Melbourne or the Roosters they wouldnt have been rushed and put under so much pressure to perform like we have done. Lindsay Collins is a great example. Took him pretty much 4 years to hit his straps at the Rorters. Melbourne let their players develop in ISC for a good amount of time as well. All we do is bow down to pressure from these young blokes and their agents. They need to earn their spot, if they dont want to, let them walk.

Which players have gone to other teams? Fifita? Stud and was our best player that we somehow stuffed up the cap and lost. Which other player have we lost? Staggs is another good one that's possible. Which prop have we lost that's gone on to excel? Or are we basing this on media talk that other clubs want our players.

 

[Wolfie]

Which players have gone to other teams? Fifita? Stud and was our best player that we somehow stuffed up the cap and lost. Which other player have we lost? Staggs is another good one that's possible. Which prop have we lost that's gone on to excel? Or are we basing this on media talk that other clubs want our players.

Fifita, Jayden Nikorima, Walsh, Walker, Collins. Probably others as well, those are just off the top of my head. You could probably throw in the likes of Arrow and Tino to a point as well. Its not been that much of an issue until the last 3 or 4 years. At the moment, we still havent secured Staggs, Piakura, Coates or Dearden. Teams target our players, and we have kept a lot of them because we didnt hold our nerve and we paid overs.

 

[Fernando]

The big thing overlooked is the people that put this roster together are still at the club and expecting them to suddenly become competent and fix the mess they created is never going to happen.

 

[Wolfie]

The big thing overlooked is the people that put this roster together are still at the club and expecting them to suddenly become competent and fix the mess they created is never going to happen.

Donaghy will be running the show.

 

[BooKhaki]

For mine, the focus has to be on spine players. I think we are good in every other position, in fact very good. Absolutely I'd be chasing Reynolds. After him, unless Turpin removes his cloak of invisibility, a hooker.

Hynes, Reynolds and Grant would make for a killer spine. Dreaming on ...

Reynolds is a bum. He offers nothing other than a kicking game.

Turpin made almost 60 tackles on the weekend with 0 misses. In a team that can't tackle, that's pretty important to keep.

Hynes is average too. The way some of you lot rate certain players is just so strange. The absolute #1 priority signing should be Joey Manu.

 

[tommy]

Turpin made almost 60 tackles on the weekend with 0 misses. In a team that can't tackle, that's pretty important to keep.

Serious? Stats?