Early Attack:
Our attack to start games is non existent. We got no ball player in the middle to start the game since Walker is on the bench and Hopgood ability in that department is gone backwards. We refuse to build pressure as well. We just go for the all of nothing play which doesn't come off. To start the game we gave away three 20m restarts. Moses needed to demand the ball and step up there. Really really poor. Hopefully JDB starting at lock next year helps with the link play. Need to work on attack structure anyway.
Effort:
First game in a long time I questioned some of the desire in the players. Iongi watching Duncan go all out for the ball on the floor was poor. Someone who has put effort on effort all year. I hope and believe that the effort issue is a one of game in our rebuilding year. Just got complacent and expected the win.
Support play:
How many linebreaks with no support play. Big area for Iongi to improve. Really wish Iongi had a bit better top speed. His footwork and acceleration is good. But he lacks the top speed to be a support player in time.
Tuilagi:
He runs great lines and has a great offload. But go watch how much Souths exposed Tuilagi efforts and lateral movement. He could not keep up with Souths shifting the ball that eels had to keep back pedalling to conceed meters. Moses could not slide as Tuilagi would take forever to get to his man. Williams and Kautoga have to be our edges next year. Just use Guymer as the back up option as he is defensively more sound than Tuilagi even if his attack isnt much.
Doorey:
He is a clear depth option. Defensively he struggles. He only has minimal good games in him. He had a couple good games in him earlier but recently he has lost his form again. Cannot be in the best 17.
Attacking Kicks:
Our attacking kicks are shit. Lomax ability in the air has disappeared. Can't catch anything anymore. Moses accuracy for those kicks were horrible as well. He needs to land in on the goal line not 5m inside the field.
Papalii:
He has no idea what he is doing as a 6. I do not think a pre-season there will change it much. His instincts are so much like a fullback. He doesnt see the game as a 6. He needs to be the back up fullback next year and thats it. Him at 6 essentially eliminates our left side attack. Fox got thrown so many hospital passes.
Red ball attack:
Papalii contributes to this issue as he is not a 6. He does not straighten the attack up at all on shape. On shape he runs like he is sweeping out the back like a fullback even though he is playing 6.
Moses does not touch the ball enough in attack. He needs to control the team. But right now we look clueless and looking for Walker to call the shots. Moses is the halfback. He needs to set our attack up better. He organises a one out settler every second tackle which is putrid. Get players going running under lines cutting back in or some short passes going with your backrowers running at the halves to generate quick play the balls instead of these boring settles. We were dominating them in the ruck but we tried going around them with diaboloical shifts. How did Moses to step up at the start of the game and allow those 20m restarts pissed me off.
Replies
Just on Brown, shouldn't we be given Ritchie Penisini game time as he is most likely to be our back up centre??
Brown is playing terribly anyway. We can't go into 2026 without a back up plan, unless we're buying a centre
Real chance Richie plays next week. Been great past 2 weeks in cup
One error and he'll be written off because nobody has any patience here.
Get him in for the warriors game because toia/marky mark is a big ask
EA the one thing I've heard you and other say about Richie is he is great in defence, you did say attack needs work. All he needs to do is bring that defence to NRL and feed JAC. Done, simple. The job is then his. Future is now, name him.
Watched it late on replay as I was out. To say it was pathetic and an embarrassment is an understatement. Outta be ashamed of themselves for that. With the squad they put out to get beaten like that is pathetic. Having our $1.3 mil Halfback be turned inside out in defence was embarrassing.
Thought the days of this Parra were gone. Brown was rubbish in defence when usually that is his strength. Though the middle the quick play the ball killed us when that's the old team, creeping back up again. Numerous times both markers are on the floor behind the play the ball.
You could tell from opening set we were off. Not sure if the attitude was just go through the motions and win? But not good enough. They are lucky GC lost or else spoon is back on.
Papalii looks flashy but stifled the play too much. Only ones who can hold head up are Williams and Hopgood.
Nice read EA, Moses is a 1.3 mil half who played like and had the ability of a 400 k half against a 3rd grade rabbits team. These players have played togther and trained together long enough and shouldn't be making the same errors or mistakes as they do. All they do are train live and breath and play footy, professionallly if they were doing any other profession they would be out of work or sacked. Moses is our captain but we play worse with him playing, he makes just as many mistakes and crap plays and he has the audasity to yell at others who makes mistakes, needs to have along look in the mirror and give the club back half his wage. Was a big shame and the only game worse or performence worse was our 1st game of the season.
Moses plays the structured patterns of the team and has the long kicking game. He is able to lay on the subtle short kicks that lead to many tries and he (infrequently) puts on a speed dart through a gap. He seems to be unable to read what is in front of him with ball in hand to exploit weaknesses that appear in the opposition ( this is why so many winning positions in games are not finished off).
This is why it is so important to get an organising 5/8. Brown is a running 5/8 and it was never the perfect combination. Moses is a great player but he is lucky to be on the coin he is on as he is not the complete halfback that 1.3m commands.
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next