Ok, let's get this elephant out in the open.
Basically Muttman and a few others - and correct me if I'm wrong - are saying that our style of play is now too conservative. We've been skirting around it in relation to other blogs, I thought it best to tackle the issue head-on.
If I were Kearney, I'd be doing exactly the same thing. In fact, I'd be going so far as to say, regardless of what the score is - you play exactly the same way. As much as it sucks, right now winning is secondary to building. I don't want to see us have a moderate year for the next five years. I'm willing to suffer a shit year this year, if it means we go onto to be contenders over the next two to three years.
Right now, Kearney has to break bad habits. He has to break the mindset that when your down, you start throwing the ball around and hope for the best. That's been the Parramatta mentality for any number of years now - we've always been the second phase kings. It has brought us exactly zero premierships. He has to break the mentality that the gameplan is something you stick to, until they gameplan doesn't seem to be working them the players decide to take things into their own hands.
Parramatta have, in recent seasons, been a very different team when they're in front, compared to when their behind. When we were loaded with talent and flair, you actually wanted the side to be behind because that tended to be when they clicked into the gear. The goal was that they would make their run at just the right time and hit the line in front. It's made for a number of incredibly exciting but equally frustrating years. And you just know that playing this style of football eventually your luck is going to run out as it did in the Melbourne grand final, when again we flashed home but not quick enough.
However, last year was what happens when you still have that mentality but you don't have the players to pull it off. And more so, every other club knows what your going to try and do and have now worked out how to combat it.
So right now, are we too conservative? Yes, if you're viewing it in terms of short-term gain. We don't have the kind of rock-solid defence that you need all over the park to win with such a conservative style. But if viewed as a longer-term strategy, those old habits need to be beaten out of the side before they can move forward. When this team gets down, their first reaction needs to be, keep doing what we were doing but just do it harder and faster. Because then you can reverse momentum and set a platform for your flashier football. You only have to look at the Dragons this year. It's taken Wayne Bennett two years to establish his platform, but the Dragons are now starting to be a lot more adventurous in attack, a gear they kicked up a notch in the finals series last year and are doing again this year.
When this side gets down there are key players that need to say, it's my time to take control - still some of those key players go missing in action, while we tend to just throw the ball and Jarryd and hope he pulls us out of a hole. That could be Jarryd over-calling, it could be those players not having the confidence to drag us back. But we need that to change, and it's another foundation that needs to be laid before you can move forward.
If you look at Kearney's New Zealand side, they were anything but a conservative outlet. Flashier football will come, but this team needs to earn the right to play that kind of football. Clearly, we're not at that point yet.
Replies
Can you imagine us trying to play "late 2009-style" razzle dazzle with this roster ? P l e a s e e e e e e. We'd be totally blown off the park by EVERY team. We don't have the firepower anymore. That's as plain as the nose on your face.
Unfortunately we don't have the roster to play the way SK wants us to either.
We're caught between a rock and a hard place but I believe we are heading in the right direction.
Thank you Phil.
Excellent blog.
Hey Muttman - FOUNDATIONS !!!!!!!!!
(having a bit of a joke mate)
I think SK needs to find a balance on when to play his type of footy an when to let the ball fly ...you cant just play basic footy all the time it becomes to predicatable..this is NRL not some local footy comp...
I agree! We need to get the basics sorted. As our resident bricky Colin Hewett says its all about Foundations. Now if I could just remember my religious teachings about building on the correct foundations.
Seriously, we do not have the cattle to be fancy, we need to reach unconscious competence with this roster and that only comes from hundreds of repeat sets in training.
With our 2011 roster I`d be surprised if we win many games without dominating possession to the tune of about 60-40. The only chance we have to do this is with limited off-loads.
By the way, is it the same people that want more razzle dazzle football with more off-loads that were happy to see the master off-loader Mateo leave the club as he was to inconsistent.
I totally agree with you one eyed, the team doesnt know when to change it up even to the point there confused if there allowed to do certain plays ..just looks like there second guessing everyting an doubting themselves in backline attack
Some pretty good points made there.
2010 everyone knew to expect the unpredictable offloads.It was destined to never deliver us a premiership.
It feels like were on the right track long term,but with heaps of short term frustration.Like it or not thats the price we'll all have to pay for a strong culture at this club.
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