Last night's effort has given me cause for a bit of a think about how we are going. On one hand - I am stoked that we are sitting in the 8 at this stage of the season and statistically are doing well in a number of areas. On the other hand - I look forward to each game with an equal amount of dread - as I just don't know what we will be dishing up on the field.
I am happy with what BA has done and is striving to instill in the club - but there seems to still be a fair way to go. From what I have seen so far this year - I was going into last night's game thinking we were a genuine chance to win - even without Hayne. I didn't expect it to be flashy - just 17 guys rolling up their sleeves playing to a smart game plan. I have to say that we looked under the pump from the second tackle onwards, and it didn't improve. The lack of urgency from Sio for their first try was awful, as was the number of times we went into tackles trying to grab them and were easily pushed off. I understand that Hayne is a freakish player whose talent demands the ball when he is playing, and I also accept that when playing without him our attack and shape will look a bit different. But the difference last night seemed to be attitude. This was the thing that concerns me the most.
Was the attitude down because Hayne wasn't playing? I don't know. But we have to fix it. We have to accept that in any given season, Hayne may be unavailable for around 6 games (anything less would be a bonus). We can't simply write off these games. A team with a winning attitude finds a way to win regardless of who takes the field. The line breaks made against us were at times embarrassing, and for Soward not to be touched running around our fullback was cringe worthy.
I don't have the answers. But I hope something is being done to fix this situation. As a fan, I'd like to have an idea of what my team is going to dish up each week - and I don't want it to be related to the venue or who our fullback is. As i said, I'm concerned....
Replies
It may take a bit longer for us to really be a threat having said that go parra
I just struggle to accept the line that we will put in these types of performances from time to time. If we can take it to last year's premiers and beat them, how can we put in such a display as that from last night? I can handle us losing games. I can even handle us missing the 8 this year (I think), as long as I am starting to see our bad games get better. Last night was just all-too-familiar.