A nice return to form after the Round 6 debacle that was Easter Monday. Though probably the most convincing of wins due to us being good but Newcaslte being absolutley dreadful, a win is a win and when an opposition is dreadful it is expected great teams dominate and that we did. 59% possession and 85% completion rate is how you dominate over a weak opposition. The way we played in the first half was exactly how we should have played against Wests, conservative and let quality take over eventually, 2nd half against Newcastle quality took over. 22 missed tackles to their 39 is not great but an improvement though their play the ball speed was .50 seconds faster, which is something we have needed work on for years and doesn't seem to improve.
Most Impressive:
Ryan Matterson: My man of the match, 193 metres off 17 runs, 1 tackle break, 2 offloads and 17 tackles with 0 missed. Wonderful return to form for Matto, who before coming to the club was 18th man for NSW. Matto i felt was playing cautious the last year and a bit, more so due to his concussions, it seemed he played not wanting to get hurt, with the odd big hit here and there that was ill timed leading to a penalty. Now Matto seems to be fully confident again, i still prefer him on the edge, but in the middle he has done the job needed, he was simply gaining post contact metres by walking. Let's hope he can continue and even earn a new deal.
Reed Mahoney: Much better game by Judas, i mean Reed (# deal not registered still). He looked composed and moved off the line a lot better from dummy half. When Reed is moving our forwards move more. Reed seemed to have gotten the kick up the ass when he was pulled off last week, his kicking game was a lot better to the corners.
Isaiah Papali'i: Two tries, granted soft as they come, yet still tries nontheless. A lot better than last week, running for over 144 metres and 31 tackles. Papali'i to me should swap with Matterson however, move into the middle in a bench role. Though Ice was great on Sunday, was he dominant like he was this time last year? no but still shows he is one of the best back-rowers in the comp today, considering i believe he is a better middle, shows what a great overall player he is.
Mitchell Moses: Ran for 102 metres, 4 tackles breaks, 14 tackles, 1 line-break and 1 try assist. Nice calm game from Mitchell, he had composed and steady through the first half of the game then ramped us further into the 2nd half. It is unfortunate that Moses cannot do this consistently but in games where things are going his way he does it so seemlessly. Leading the league with 13 try assists.
Dylan Brown: Not so simple move to centre, he acted as if he had been there for years, picked up a try for the drama also, well done Dylan.
An opinion on JA: He was fine, i wanted to discuss him as it is a hot topic, felt he did his job. He had moment where i was like "dear lord" but in the second half he sort of took a back seat but assisted Moses where he needed it. JA was fine, he is a toddler in NRL terms so he did ok considering, defensively he was not bad either. Missed a couple of tackles earlier on and was manhandled too but once he grows into that body he will be alot better for it. He should be in NSW Cup for the remainder of the year unless he is starting in NRL, he desperately needs development further on his game, he was manageable and fine on Sunday but against a team like Penrith or Melbourne he could be a weakness, NSW cup is the way forward for 2022, 2023 he should be better.
BA's Bench: Finally BA used his bench well, swapping both RCG and Paulo around the 30min mark as usual with Matto and Kaufusi, then at 35th min mark he brought on Maka for Brown, use the half-time break to your advantage and bring the starting forwards back on for last 25-30mins works so well, they are off for 20-25mins game time but 40-45 mins overall with the break, works so much better and when he relies on his bench you get results like Sunday.
Most Disappointing:
Attempt at goal in the 51st minute: I understand why they went for 2 when up by 18-2, make it a three converted try lead. However, i am not a fan of going for two unless it is towards the end of the game, making the score more than a converted try (i. e. 6 points to 8 points), or simply using it to get into the lead. For me, the way we were getting a role on i wanted to see us put our foot on their throat further and push forward. Yes we won so it doesn't matter but Penrith and Melbourne up 18-2 and having momentum would have tapped it. Just want that better mentality and to back ourselves more, going for two at times can show the opposition some nervousness or fatigue or lack of confidence in their ability to score more points. Back yourself in that situation.
Bryce Cartwright only getting 12 minutes: Surely a player with over 120 NRL games can get more than 12 minutes in a game like that, he needs football, he needs to be out there and the more games he is left out the more i wonder why he was extended until 2023.
That's it, not real bad performances for a change, as for changes this week i think Sean Russell could be back, if so he will either swap with Perham or if Opacic is out Russell on the wing and Perham to centre. If Russell is cleared to play he will be on the wing. Other than that it'll be the same 17, with Brown back to 6 and JA to the bench.
Replies
I am pretty sure BA said that Opacic is the only player that has a chance of returning this week from injury.
You know what, for the life of me i cannot understand the love in for Carty by people. He has played 120 games as you say, but has never excelled at any club, never had any consistency . What makes people think that he has changed. When ever he gets time on the field, which isn't much in first grade granted, he invariably misses a tackle, gives a penalty, drops a ball, or throws or attempts to throw the miracle ball. He is not an xfactor player, unpredictable yes, xfactor nope. All BA has asked is for consistency, Carty Knows it he says so in interviews, he has said himself to get more game time he has to be consistant, in these same interviews he says he cant help himself going for that miracle play.. If The coaching staff know it and Carty Knows it, why cant some of the supporters try to understand it. Carty is a backup - fullstop. The ball is seriously in his court, he can knuckle down in reggies or when he play 1sts but he chooses not too. Its his nature , its his way, its his calling to go for it, unfortunatley he goes for it when its not normally required with a low percentage play and we lose the ball, and there in is his problem, and why he will not get more minutes.
Cartwright nearly made Origin at Penrith. But it is simply the fact he does not play in the middle the way BA wants his players to play. That is why he is hardly in the team, making his 2-year extension even more weird.