Ando didn't give me too much of an answer, except to say that the players would show him the best way for them to play.
I think after round one, the players have shown exactly what style of game it is we need to play if we're going to be successful again this year. And that's the same free-rolling, entertaining style of play that took us to the Grand Final last year.
Except, I believe the Eels need to forget about this whole business of playing a conservative 20 minutes before releasing the hand-brake. While that strategy is all well and good, if you're able to hold a team out until that point but it's a dangerous strategy because it more often than not means your not the first try scorer. Few games reach the 20 minute mark without a point beind scored.
In a radio interview this week, Anderson said the team had developed something of a mindset of having to come from behind. It's absolutely true. Let's even put aside the whole run into finals last year and just say that if you were someone who liked to bet on Parramatta players being the first try scorer, you'd be a long way behind.
Surely, the approach of starting the game in one manner before switching into your usual game plan must be a contributor to that. You only had to look at the grand final last year. Our opening to the game was conservative and all it took was a couple of dropped balls and the missed tackles and even before we started playing we were two tries down. That was the case again last Friday night against the Dragons. When you play the top sides you just can't afford to get that far down and then come back, even with the attacking brilliance of Parramatta at your disposal.
I think the Eels have to play their natural game from the opening whistle. I know Daniel Anderson has said in the past that the side needed to "earn the right" to start throwing the ball around by playing open footy but I think they've gotten so accustomed to, and good at, that style of play that the situation is a little different now.
To be honest, when I look at this week's game against Manly, I just can't see us matching them up the middle. Especially, without Fuifui starting we just lack the physicality or the size to stop these big forward packs rolling over the top of you. I don't see the point of trying to fight fire with fire when you're opposition is using a flame thrower and you've got a Zippo lighter.
Cayless, Hindmarsh, Mateo, Smith - none of these blokes are big-boppers, but they've also got an abundance of skill that calls for a very different style of game. They can use that skill to start us rolling forward so why not unleash it from the opening whistle. Push the ball wider in the early exchanges where the likes of Mateo, Tahu and Smith might find good metres instead of rucking it up the middle
Much of the benefit of our up-tempo style of game is that is challenges opposition team's stamina, as when we get on a roll it can force teams to do a lot of back-pedalling and scrambling. So it certainly cannot hurt to test teams in that manner from the word go, as it would logically have teams in an even more distressed state towards the back-end of the match if they were having to defend that way from the word go.
I'm sure there is an argument to say that we won't be as successful with our offloading if we don't have a platform to start with. That's the accepted wisdom. However, we had no platform at all last Friday night but as soon as we started throwing the ball around we got results.
So I say give the team their head, to razzle dazzle from the opening ruck. Ok, maybe the second ruck.
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We have more speed over the park than Manly, we have more match experience to win.
This is our week to get going, because next week we have Tigers and if we are sluggish and slow then, Tigers will put us away.
I hope EELS have looked at these stupid penalties...
OHH and Hayne to lift his Fullback game, by that i mean, his positional play.
Poore is out biggest forward and he's only 188 and 108kg. When you compare that to the Dragons props who are pretty much all over 190kg or 100kg you can see how light we are. And losing Shack who was our next biggest forward obviously hasn't helped.
Interestingly, our only players last year who matched that benchmark were Junior Paulo and Latimore both of whom we lost.
Maybe it isn't wise to go crazy at the start, but we shouldn't go one out either. Work as unit giving the defence the opinion that we will start using our skill at anytime. Ar least then if an opportunity exists, we are able to use it. In the end last week we probably pushed a few too many playing the catch up style that Ando has mentioned. Get them on the back foot from the get go by being ready to be unpredictable..
Smart money is that they put a power game on us and try to bust us down the middle. We need to limit that damage early with good linespeed and our lack of size will help on that front. With the ball in hand, it is still essential that we win the forwards battle (lay the platform as you say) prior to heading to the backline. Tahu, Smith and Mateo should not be used for that purpose. I'd like to see us move the ball either by a single pass (maybe more likely two passess) and attack their fringe forwards agressively. I believe we need to run Poore, Cayless , Hindmarsh etc at the likes of Watnough and their back row in order to:
1. Tire their more mobile forwards through a higher share of the defensive workload and
2. Keep their larger forward pack moving laterally from ruck to ruck in order to ssap their energy levels (playing through the middle will not work).
That way, we'll still have the platform, from the forwards, just a little unconventionally. If we fail to do this, then Lyon and Matai will pick off our backs and we will struggling to win the game. This is a good test for us to work as a team, rather than rely on the brilliance of individuals to win us the game.
I still see Fui better suited to an impact role in this game. Ando's hand may be forced if we go behind early.
I think you may be right this week. I think last week's game plan might be fine to beat Manly but I think to beat teams like the Dragons, Bulldogs, Storm you can't just go out there, hoping to have held them for 20 minutes, which is how the team has been playing.
I think more than anything it's actually a psychological thing. When you tell a team to control the ball and not play theyre natural game, they're going to be conservative, they're going to be a little hesitant.
Since we started our winning streak last year, we have dominated the second 20 minutes in every single match we've played regardless of how our 1st 20 minutes has gone because thats when we've started playing footy.
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