Hi all, I apologise if this topic has been brought up in the past but there is a deficiency in our defence which is so noticeable to me that it pisses me off every week.
Like most teams, we get 2-3 players in most tackles. On way too many occassions, one players peels off relatively quickly, the second gets to marker just in time and we have a third player lying down behind the ruck and out of play. This seems to happen 2-3 times every set we defend. It basically means we are defending with 11 in the line and Gutho at the back.
I watched every game last week and no other team seems to do this as often as we do. We are just too slow getting off the ground. I read a post on here that our play the balls are slow but we are simply allowing the opposition to play the ball way too quickly, and minus one defender. As much as I hate to say this, we need to wrestle better in defence to slow thm down.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Replies
Yep I noticed it too. The ruck speed difference is what kept the Storm in the game. They were killing us with quick play the balls yet our play the balls were alot slower. If ruck speeds were equal we win that game easily. Ditto the Sharks game.
It's a technique issue and something that they definitely need to look at urgently. After contact, slowly take the player to the ground and only release when called to.
Too often the Eels were knocking the Storm over quickly and the Storm player was the first to rise to his feet. We MUST control that ruck!!!
They were killing us with speed in general.
100% mutts. But when you have a weak forward in Mahoney in.the centre, controlling the ruck is not possible
Yes this is one of my pet peeves. As you say, too often we have a player floundering on the ground behind the ruck, this has been an issue with the Eels for years. Without provoking the BA fan club, this is a definite coaching issue, clearly, it has not been emphasized at training.
Getting a fast play the ball in the NRL is impossible, some teams average 4 seconds per play the ball the Panthers approx 3 - it's an area easily exploited by teams like the storm it's so blatant, players lying on the tackled player and looking up to the ref asking is that okay? Lol the refs and game have lost total control of the ruck i.what are the options? Reduce the interchange? Get players fatigued quicker would this reduce 3 man tackles? Just re watching the game now we are definitely peel off too quickly, Penrith on the other hand fall on their stomachs regularly and are rarely dominated in the ruck.
Yes, this has been consistently happening for a while. Very lazy and not professional at all.
How we don't get 5 penalties a game against us for being offside and not attempting to remove ourselves from the play the ball area is beyond me.
I noticed it alot, especially with Papalii. They need to do their study during training and focus on improving on that aspect!.
Melbourne scored their first try cause of that poor effort..