After looking at our efforts both last year and this year, it appears there was not much difference between the two apart from more injuries this year?
I thought our forward pack, when all were available and fully fit were better and showed they can mix it with any pack in the comp?
I also thought Hoppa was very disappointing and I thought he played below par last year because he was injured after origin, but obviously not.
Danny Wicks shocked many, including myself and was certainly a highlight of this year until injury struck.
Semi's heroics were also a highlight. IDG was very good for us also.
Did anyone else notice any considerable differences, either positive or negative in any areas?
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Daniel Alvaro. Gives us 4 big metre-eaters in 2016, him and Wicks off the bench can be huge for the team.
Thought Norman played out of his skin this year for us.
Robbo and Tankarangi were brilliant
but the man I thought was great this year was Jarryd Hayne...oh, that's right he buggered off to NFL....
LOL
Yep, Robbo saved our asses all year and the Taka / Semi combo was the most lethal in the comp.
I must admit Ham, I was an Alvaro bagger. I think I called him the junior Ben Hannant.
Credit where it is due, he was very good for us in the last few games and has had enough of a taste of first grade to really kick on next year.
6 points less...
Equal 9th 2014
equal 3rd last 2015
Agreed Bup, you would hope the club are already trying to get him signed asap. Best young front rower in the game IMO.
After looking at some of the players we've re-signed, we better not let Junior go. Absolute machine.
Our average losing margin in 2014 was 21.5, this year it was down to 14. Not great but less floggings occured and we were in a lot of very tight games (10 games were decided by 6 or less, nearly half the season's games, our record in these were 6-4, pretty much where our season was won & lost). So despite the stats on defence/differential being almost the same, when we do lose, it's been a lot closer = boys trying harder for longer and not giving in. Last year we conceded 30+ in 8 games. This year that happened 5 times, another improvement.
Our average winning margin was 13 points in 2014, down to about 9.5 this season. Again, a lot closer games this year reflect this number.
I'd say the above figures show that we are definitely improving in being competitive, and attitude/effort is improving. But the close games and losses indicate a lack of class/quality (Hayne leaving) to win us the tight games and help us blow teams out when we win. Injuries obviously didn't help to key players (Norman, Semi, Taka, Robinson, Peats) who are involved in setting up tries.
Our away record also improved this year, 5/9 wins were away, whereas last year (12 wins) only 4 were away from home.
So although we finished lower, with a very similar, slightly worse differential, I saw some genuine improvements with a weaker roster that was hampered by injury. They did their best with what they had. E.g. Luke Kelly played 12 games - half the year, next year this will be 6 or less barring major injury. It was a transitioning season in which we have again recruited well, and been able to replace the losses of Hayne, Sandow for 2016.
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