If you want to see where Parramatta's ills lie right now, then one only has to look at the final Milford try.
Now, I undertake this analysis, while recognising we're in the 77th minute and players are pretty gassed.
However, against that it's worth noting that Parramatta made almost 60 tackles less than Brisbane (Brisbane 360 vs Parramatta 303). Second half tackles were 186 to 149. Parramatta quite clearly should have been the fresher of the two teams.
So let's pick up play on the sixth tackle, following Reece Robinson making an excellent dummy half on the fifth to put us in field position for some final strike.
Here's how we set-up. Or should I say how we fail to set-up. (You may have to click on the image to view properly).
Firstly, it's worth pointing out that not once in this final set to Peats get to dummy half. Subsequently, Paulo goes into the dummy half role.
What options have we got. We're crowded around the rucks, Peats has decided to loop round the back to try and give numbers on the blind-side. Norman is literally standing behind the dummy half, the only explanation for which is it gives him the option of switching to the blind side but Peats' decision effectively creates a log-jam there. It's not a good option any way as Brisbane have good numbers on the blind.
To my mind the obvious option is to get the ball to Sandow at second receiver and kick high to the wing. It gives you the chance of an error producing a try or another set and worse case scenario Brisbane have to work it out from their ten minute.
However, what is becoming increasingly obvious is that Norman has become Parramatta's primary playmaker, and that has a lot to do with Sandow's lack of presence on the field. At this point, Sandow needs to be screaming to organise this play. Not only is the ball going to his right-hand side, but he should be our go-to man in clinch situations like this when we need late points. Instead he has ambled into the play and doesn't provide a real option particularly when our middle playmaker has gotten himself into dummy half.
Norman at least demands the ball, but when he gets it, his outside men have no idea what is going on. He ambles up to the line, with nothing on and at this stage the only real option is still to kick high and wide. However, instead he goes for the brain-scratching option of a short-kick behind the line when absolutely nobody is the remotest possibility of coming up with the ball.
For all of Norman's improvements, this is my recurring issue with him as a six. When he is forced to evaluate his options and come up with a play, his decision-making is poor. He is making much better instinctive decisions this year, but this is the real weakness in his play right now and it shouldn't be his role.
Then things get really ugly and Anthony Watmough and David Gower are the villains in what happens next. Firstly Watmough is literally walking as Milford returns the ball at him. Now when you've got one of the quickest players in the game coming at you, you don't want to be flat-footed if you have any expectation of making a tackle. Meanwhile, David Gower has not broken out of a walk, this entire ruck and fails to get anywhere near plugging the defensive hole in the line that Norman's poor kick has created.
These blokes are our senior forwards. They are the ones who should be making those big late-minute efforts and setting the benchmark for what is demanded of a team when the match is on the line.
We have been in nearly every match we've played this year, but we just don't come up with the right effort or the right decisions right now when the game is on the line. Kieran Foran and Beau Scott can't get here quick enough.
Replies
Billy Moore on ABC radio, made mention that the eels always had one bad option in every set of six during that game. They saved the worst till the end and didn't it sum up what this season has been like so far.
It's been a very frustrating start so far, but definitely not too late to fix. Cmon !!!
I sometimes get the feeling Norman and Sandow work against each other.
Sandow should have called for the ball yet Norman should have seen Sandow in the line.
The kick was terrible, but slightly put off by Thaiday (?) who came from behind.
Either way, ANY kick would have been ineffective in that instance because:
A. No-one would have effectively chased because no-one knew where the ball was going to be kicked,
B. Maranta was safe out the back all game.
Motivation, making those extra efforts and the 1%ers are what the good sides do well more often than not. Parramatta haven't done this since 2009.
So many times last night I noticed the team being pedestrian.
A Bronco player would kick it, Robinson and Faraimo would be back to gather it while the rest of the team were just strolling back on side.
2-3 plays later they would be in a position to actually take a hit up.
They were very lazy. This was early and late in the match.
Makes it easy for the opposition to make the first few tackles of the set if there is only a couple of players possible of taking a hit up.
My mate commented on it also and Brisbane didn't do it.
Seriously, Sandow needs to be dropped.
We need to sign an elusive back and stop being so predictable.
Have a collection of set plays for use at any time through the tackle count which can be slightly varied or changed.
Mau could have scored 10 tries last night if he got quality ball and not hospital passes.
Our attack bored the shite out of me.
Spot on. I thought our team were playing with balls and chains attached to their ankles.
No URGENCY except for a few who put their hand up week after week.
Milford is no slouch and when he got in the clear it was goodnight nurse.
I mentioned that we were far too lateral in taking on the line last night and that's exactly what Foran will give us. Foran runs at the line, which then gives that couple of metres to the backline. Foran is very much like Lockyer was in the way he gives the attack some shape.
Of course , the coaching staff are well aware of the shortcomings but finding a 5/8 like this costs a million !
I believe the main thing we are missing is speed. I can't remember us ever having a slower team. Without speed we just cant compete.
In regard last night, for the life of me I could not work out why we continued to bomb Maranta. Maranta probably has the safest pair of hands under the high ball in the league, in fact I can't recall him ever spilling one but last night we continued to bomb him. Whether that's a coaching issue or a processing issue is undecided.
What made it worse was that no pressure was put on him under the bomb.
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