I have been heavily watching the Panthers this season as they have been the bench mark for the last two seasons and in particular, this season.
There are a number of members on this site who say that they believe the Eels have the talent to win the premiership but don't have the coach to take them there. I am not sure I agree with the last part of that statement but I certainly agree with the first part. I believe the Eels have the talent in both the playing ranks and the coaching ranks but in saying that, I think some adjustments need to be made if they are serious about being real contenders at the end of the season and it will have to come from the coaches. I think there are a few areas they need to fix but if they can get these areas sorted, I think the Eels absolutely can break the premiershipt droubt.
I think the biggest challenge the Eels face is the mental stamina to absorb large amounts of pressure and to not be the first to crack. The Eels have the players to do it, they just aren't quite there upstairs and when the Eels lose, it's almost always in the same fashion. They come up against a team that runs faster, harder and more direct. All you have to do is look at the Dragons game, a game we should have won, the Manly game and the Rabbits game. They didn't do anthing to the Eels other than play fast, hard and direct and the Eels crumbled and completely crumbled to the Rabbits. These losses had nothing to do with the Eels being physically outmatched, it was all mental. Hopefully the coaching staff are already aware of this and are looking at or hopefully have enlisted a sports psychologist.
I think the second biggest challenge the Eels face is playing WAY TO SLOW!!! If you watch the Eels when they have been on fire versus getting thumped, the difference has always been how fast or slow we have played. As I stated at the start of this blog, I have been watching the Panthers heavily this season and last night was the perfect example of where the Eels are falling down and are being unable to match it with the top side/s. In the first ten minutes of the game last night, the Panthers were initially down and it looked like the Roosters might be about to run away with the game and here is why they are the top side. First of all, they had the mental resilience to not drop their heads and most of all, they didn't try to slow the game down, they did the complete opposite and SPEAD THE GAME UP!!! Go back and watch any Panthers game this season and try to fing a game where they slowed it down? You wont find one. Their entire game plan is to play uptempo in both defence and attack and to back themselves in attack. Look at how many offloads/second phase plays they execute and most are simply off the cuff, not re-hearsed. They also have the mental fortitude to back themselves in defence if it doesn't pay off.
It has been the same in any team that has ever won the comp. Premiership winning teams are never trying to slow the game down, yes they slow the other team down but not the game. Show me a Premiership side than has won by slow play the balls, getting up slow off the line in defence and simply slowing the game down. I can't find one? Yes, there are periods that they will slow the game down but its usually to slow the other team down, not slowing themselves down.
The only way the Eels will beat the Panthers is to slow them down (win the wrestle/the ruck) but to play faster, harder and more direct than them. The youth policy has paved the way for the Panthers and they are playing like the Eels did in the second half of 09, just better and for a full season. I didn't see one slow play the ball, one period of them getting off the line slow in defence and they had more second phase play than the Roosters by a mile. Earlier in the season Junior was killing it with second phase plays, as were a number of other Eels players but now, we have very little of it.
I think speed, a lack of second phase plays and their confidence to back themselves is what's holding the Eels back. Just look at the one out plays that we constantly persist with when it is obvious that we are losing the meters game and how sideways we go when things are getting tough rather than just applying constant pressure to the defensive line of the opposition. That shows that the Eels are looking to win easy, rather than win tough.
The Eels showed last week that our defence can improve massively when they slide and don't just constantly jam in. Use the sideline as an extra defender, move up in a line, trust your insde man and don't run out of the line to shut down a defender if you don't have Gutho or someone else coming across in cover.
I think the mental stamina will come with some confidence after a few more wins but I am worried about the Panthers game.
If the Eels aren't willing to play up tempo in both defence and attack and back themselves with playing outside of structure, then they will get absolutely hammered by the Panthers either in two weeks time or when we next meet them. The Eels may get lucky and beat an Origin hungover Panthers in the next few weeks with our regular game plan but that won't hold up come finals time.
I really do think it is our lack of speed in play the balls and getting up off the defensive line are our archilies heels. If the Eels can solve these issues, I think we can match it with any side.
Your thoughts?
Replies
Agree with all your comments. We have the talent but it's the mentality of our players that is lacking compared to the panthers. Mind you the panthers scored most of there points last night when the roosters player was in the bin. The way we beat the panthers is quick play the balls, offload and most importantly no unforced errors. Oh yeah, a good kicking game to cap it all off.
Probably a good plan. Their halves run rampant when they've got space. Shutting down their go forward should limited their halves opportunities.
I concur, good write up
No here's why the panthers got back into the game last night.
Manu dropping the ball off the kick off straight after them scoring to lead by 12 and then the sin binning of Taikeho.
That was an 18 point turnaround and gave the panthers the momentum from there.
This is the key to beating them, start fast, hold your discipline and keep up the intensity for 80. I don't think they like that and the roosters exposed that early in the game yesterday - that's the blueprint to beating the cocky pricks.
Probably. Frank. That just leaves which team can sustain the intensity for 80 mins?
It is unfortunate that too many games nowadays are decided by ref and bunker decisions about sin bins. Remember when PVL wanted one less ref on the field, and he explicitly said this would make games decided by teams not over-reffing? Yeah, so much for thought-bubble, Peter.
Storm
We just need to learn that this is what it takes to win and to beat the best sides - it's all between the ears, BA needs to unlock it.
I think the key to beating Penrith is to defend agreesively higher up the park. If you simply let them roll through you into the red zone you're in trouble. They don't have the biggest back 3 in the league. I'd be making them come out of the corners as much as possible.
1) On the 5th, if you're not in a position to put in an attacking kick, put it high in between Dylan Edwards & Charlie Staines, make them chase to the landing spot, Edwards in particular is vulnerable under the high ball and then chase aggressively. Alternatively, land it on Brian To'o's head on the opposite side, but do not let him get up a head of steam.
2) When you've got them pinned in a corner, keep them there, particularly on Staines' side. At all costs. The players defending in the middle of the park need to get up off their line super quick and corrall them back to one side of the park. Don't let them spread the ball to the open side, make Nathan Cleary turn the ball back underneath. Minimise To'o's touches. He averages 22 runs per game, if you can keep that down to 10-15, that will then require JFH, Leota & Yeo to do more grunt work in the back field, making them less effective when they do get into the final 3rd.
3) Be prepared to give away a few strategic 6 agains in the back field to keep your line speed aggressive and to keep them out of rhythm. Give them away on tackle 1 or 2, but be careful not to make it too obvious. It's a fine line you're treading here.
4) In defence they have precious few weaknesses, but the seam between Kikau & Luai is one that we need to hammer away at relentlessly. In addition to Matterson & Dylan Brown constantly running at that gap, I'd be stationing Junior Paulo a bit wider and have him running at Kikau's outside shoulder with Gutho off his hip.
5) Absolutely must look after possession, any imbalance in possession or field position is suicide against the Panthers.
Panthers would flog us just like they did last year
When I. Watch Penrith it's the speed they have across the park - their kick chase is great and they just run fast - they starve teams of the ball and everything is done at speed
May i ask why the name change embers.
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