We now have an NRL squad that can deliver 80 minutes of fitness and with our smaller forward pack needing to counter top 8 squads with bigger packs, I feel we now need to work on Cameron King and Will Smith creating shapes directly from their play the ball that will form spaces in opposition defensive lines to attack and eventually break through for points.
Not disregarding their excellent short, long, high and torpedo kicking games and with Moses and Norman mostly working much wider on either side of the middle third, lots down tight blind sides, we now need to introduce a third formation of attack to mix things up by firstly creating subtle shapes from the play the ball to con oppositions into creating spaces for us to exploit.
Our dummy halves turning the ball inside or out to run our forwards up the middle of the ruck our just wide of it, either side, is NOT enough to win those big games against the Storm, Roosters, Sharks, Cowboys, etc.
To tire out oppositions or to just make them flat footed as we burst past them, we need to bamboozle oppositions in a multiple of ways now to exhaust their energy and fragment their head spaces as much as possible.
Obviously, controlling and not turning over the ball is essential if we are to compete against much bigger mobile packs with hookers who already create shapes and spaces forcing squads like ours to keep giving the ball back to them in great attacking positions. Once oppositions get a roll on, they can pile on the points and we just don't have the current size or cunning to get out of such danger.
We must become much smarter if we are to stay in the top 8 and go deep into the finals giving us the chance to go on and win the big one. We have all the pace required in French, Semi, Jennings, Norman, Moses and Gutho, if he does come back to play this season, to score long and short distance tries and we do have explosive power runners in Brown, Mau (assuming he is not out for the season), Edwards, Tepai and Vave to exploit spaces opened up by the guile of our hookers.
The predictability of the way we are currently playing with our 2017 tried and tested attacking shapes/formations and even if we improve greatly on today's performance with less mistakes, this will still not be enough to beat the Storm, Roosters, Sharks, etc, playing at the top of their games.
We need to up the ante now Brad Arthur. We must introduce another HUGE dimension to our current attack, yet alone psychology, if we are to have any chance of going deep into the finals this year or next. It ain't too late.
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I stopped reading after we now have an NRL squad that can deliver 80mins of fitness, unless you mean 80 mins after the 20 round played so far???
We got owned up the middle by Woods and a bunch of reserve graders, kids and cast offs.
Mannah looked liked a drugged out hobo out there and Alvaro tries hard but is a plodder. Mau and Brown have been carrying the pack all season. our best prop is a fat overweight Bench player FFS!!
Bronc's will beat us by 20+
We made dumb decisions that lead to our squad working extra hard in defence and good teams like the Broncos will most definitely make us pay for such stupidity if we played them today. Yes, I'm addressing match fitness after 20 rounds. We now manage to stay in tight games and win them. We could not do that consistently for many seasons now. I get your concerns and what appears to be a healthy dose of cynicism Alan, but we really have improved on seasons past. I'm looking ahead to even greener pastures but we have to make it happen bro.
"Mannah looked liked a drugged out hobo out there " LOL
We just don't have a pack that can compete against the top sides.
And next year we are losing just about our best forward in Semi, but don't worry we will be stuck with Captain Soft serve and his able lieutenant in the polar bear plodder.
Our backline and halves will never fully be able to show what they can do when we continually lose the ruck week after week.
Agreed about controlling the ruck. This is why I'm suggesting our hookers take on more responsibility by what they do at the play the ball. If we can't find other smart ways to wear down bigger oppositions we won't go far in the finals, that's if we even get that far.
And the back row is good, Brown, Mau, Scott, Tepai, Kenny when all fit will rival most teams in the comp.
Kaysa, King and Smith are a decent enough hooker combination.
But Parras massive failing is the starting props they simply dont have any.
Agreed Dave.