I have commented multiple times that I believe we have never really put down our own footprint on how we want to play this game. We have unsuccessfully copied Melbourne Storm, Roosters and Canterbury in the past. We failed because we tried to play a melbourne storm game without the spine to do so.
Watching our last few weeks, I can see a style that better suits our players and to a certain stage our coaches. Playing direct and coming onto the ball is a direct result of having a young confident hooker putting the ball with sufficient width and in front of the players. Moses is suddenly running at the line rather than playing out the back which creates room for the edge runners.
I am liking this style far better than the crap we dished up for 3/4 of the season. The back up is better, the dangerous runners are getting more one on one and we are creating greater opportunities because we have lost the predictability of our out the back set up plays.
I have no issue with the wooden spoon.We get we get it. I am happy to see us give Salmon, Oregon Kafusi and Mahoney more opportunities. That will be greater benefit in the long term future. Melbourne storm is vulnerable this week. If Brown and Terepo can hit the channel and get quick play the balls I am quietly confident we can get this week.
Young guys dont have fear. They wont be over awed playing the Storm. Watch our young hooker have a blinder learning off the best in the game...
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Totally mate. Nice to see a blog without the stuck record, sack BA, sack the board, sack everyone in it.
Paul interesting comments and I must Agree. We need to establish and play a brand a football that suits our players. I get really frustrated when we try to replicate another clubs formula with a different group of players. We should then be recruiting players that can fit this brand, structures etc.
We have looked much better in recent weeks with Moses running straighter or unders lines at the defence or back under the ruck. Our big boys and the service from Mahoney are allowing this to happen.
As a side note I often think back to that early 2000 side that had some football in them, particularly forwards that can pass before and in traffic. I would like to see more of that a bit of skill to balance the bash n barge.
Don't worry paul these young blokes will soon be just as ordinary as our "older more experienced" players.
We have a long history of destroying promising young players.
Agree. We played like we owned that style of play against St George. Longboard mentioned the 2000s where we threw the ball around and basically played what was in front of us. I can only assume that style of play was swapped out for the Melbourne style structured game to give some consistency from week to week (and throughout the game). There is probably a balance whereby players should be able to break away from structure, yet at times they need to know when to come back to that structure, particularly in defence.
It's great to see these young blokes having a real crack. I just hope their second year can build on that and that the club continues to develop and challenge them well into their careers.
We played that style because the Dragons defence was shit and they didn't move up. It's easy to look good in attack when you've got all the ball.
Yeah Melbourne will be a test. Do we revert back to the one up or do we try a few things?