Positive signs for next season...

[ism22]

Tonight got me thinking... we somehow matched it with the 3rd ranked team, and despite some farcical calls (and being HAMMERED by superior attack) we farking held on and stopped them getting the 2 they wanted!!!!

Next year 2 or 3 good signings could turn us into a top 4 team IMO. The keys will be:
- Maloney will convert more, nail field goals in situations like tonight and give the forwards some better ball.
- SBW will fire us up more and provide a SCARY player!!! (We seriously have no players right now who the opposition will be saying "HE'S A WORLD BEATER... MARK HIM UP GODDAMN!!!!!") We will be more intimidating...
- Who else? I dunno... Cherro back, Moga with more experience, BJ with the court BS out of his way, NO BRAITH P!SSING AROUND!!! We could even make 1 more unexpected high profile signing IMO.
- More fans cheering us on and less opposition @ssholes coming to boo us/insult us because they know they're gonna win. A good top 8 start to the season will make them think twice about rocking up to our games in droves and ambushing the members stands with opposition flags...etc.

IMO we are a GOOD team when we play properly!!!

This season we are 3 or 4 close losses away from being a top 8 team. My reckoning is that next season SBW, Maloney and 1 more will MAKE THOSE EARLY CLOSE GAMES COUNT. That way we'll have:
- More motivation come half way point coz there will be something to play for.
- Become more intimidating because we might actually win some!!
- Gain confidence and quit all this bloody negative body language/random stupidity just because we'll be feeling like champs.

---

The result tonight just made me think how many close games we've had this season. The main thing to think about is there's been 4 or 5 of them this season (more?) my gut feeling is that our new signings will tip the balance of those games in our favour next season.

1st Round I'll be there to see SKD and SBW rip GI a new arsehole!!! So sick of us looking $hit when we're really not that far off the mark...

[Guest]

We played a NSW Cup team with Graham in it. We should of won the game.

We still have Mini next year.

We still have Brian next year.

[ism22]

NSW cup team all because Gallen was out?

No... I don't buy into that. Who'd they beat? Early on they beat the Storm or something without Gallen.

[Geohood]

There's always an excuse for the opposition.

The fact that they had everything go their way the whole game had no bearing on the game.

I agree with the sentiment of the thread. We have some good players that play good in patches. Why it isn't ever coming together I don't know but next year we should be in alot better shape.

[Guest]

NSW cup team all because Gallen was out?

No... I don't buy into that. Who'd they beat? Early on they beat the Storm or something without Gallen.

They had:

Smith (2nd best forward)
Gallen (Best forward)
Colin Best
Isaac Gordon
Nathan Gardner (one of their strike players)
Bukuya - their starting back rower

did i miss anyone ?

Are you guys for real ? That was a NSW cup team lead by Carney who played to the same level.

Even with the refs trying their best to win the game for them, we should of put them away.

[The Brain]

The only positive I see is that i will save a lot of money

[Chook Norris]

there were a lot of positive signs in the last 4-5 games of last season as well. look how this year turned out

[Guest]

They had:

Smith (2nd best forward)
Gallen (Best forward)
Colin Best
Isaac Gordon
Nathan Gardner (one of their strike players)
Bukuya - their starting back rower

did i miss anyone ?

Are you guys for real ? That was a NSW cup team lead by Carney who played to the same level.

Even with the refs trying their best to win the game for them, we should of put them away.

This.
They were missing their 3 best forwards and 3 of their starting back 5....and we still couldn't beat them ffs.

[player 1]

Roosters dropped a lot of ball. That had nothing to do with the refs. And Pearce has no brain (and unfortunately, I believe, is as good as he will ever be; and has played his last SOO game).

But, combining the bogus Moga disallowed try, the 9-2 penalty count, numerous nutty, loopy calls by refs (such as penalizing Masoe for being punched, and penalizing and reporting JWH for a "high" tackle on a player whose head is 8 inches above the ground), the referees and touch judges were worth about 18 points to the sharks (they scored tries from bogus penalties and Daryl's drunken son kicked 3 goals from bogus penalties). Did Cronulla really only infringe the rules twice in 80 minutes? 2 penalties?

As rooted as we are, that was still a tough effort, in spite of the butter fingers and brainless leadership of Pearce and Mini, to jag 1 competition point.

[Guest]

I think Cherros career is over. WE CAN'T RESIGN A PLAYER ALWAYS ON THE SIDELINE VERY SAD A PROMISING PLAYERS CAREER HAS BEEN RUINED.

[Guest]

has it not occurred to those who think we were crap last night that all those penalties absolutely blunted our momentum. SKD had a try and moga a legitimate one disallowed without us having a tackle inside their 20 and down 4-nil on penalties. Yes we dropped some ball but if that penalty count were even close in the first half, imo we would have blown them off the park within half-an-hour

[elo]

We blunted our own momentum by dropping the ball inside our own 20, 4 times.

We are seriously awful, the referees rub salt into our self-inflicted wounds.

[Guest]

They had:

Smith (2nd best forward)
Gallen (Best forward)
Colin Best
Isaac Gordon
Nathan Gardner (one of their strike players)
Bukuya - their starting back rower

did i miss anyone ?

Are you guys for real ? That was a NSW cup team lead by Carney who played to the same level.

Even with the refs trying their best to win the game for them, we should of put them away.

They are also coming against the youngest team in the comp. With everything going there way, there was no excuse for them to lose either.

[Guest]

Cronulla are a great team...

Majority of those players last night have played the entire season and won games without Gallen and Carney.

No matter who they put out there, Flanagan has a great team and roster who will go far this year.

[BallyChook]

I agree with the sentiment that not receiving any penalties (when deserved) and virtually all calls going against us makes it difficult for us to win games. But bugger me, we are a dumb team and cannot hang onto the football. I sent Brian Smith an email last year asking about why we make so many simple mistakes, don't play to the conditions and come up with so many wrong plays etc and his reply to me was the standard "we are a young team, we're learning etc etc". 12 months later I see absolutely no improvement whatsoever and the same dumb mistakes being made time and time again. I really don't see us cutting this out of our game sooner rather than later.

So notwithstanding Maloney's impeding arrival (he knows how to play football and is good at playing what's in front of him) and SBW (handshake agreement?? anyone nervous?) I don't see next year being much different to this...call me a pessimist but aside from 2010 we have been woeful since 2005/6.

Can anyone tell me how Mose was penalised for getting punched in the face? I remember Luke Ricketson missing a grand final on the back of a bitch slap in the preliminary final in 2003 or 2004; I remember Brad Fittler getting sent off against Canberra for throwing a punch against Canberra one time - but no........anyone punches a Rooster generally the penalty goes against us???? As the Mose low tackle, I can see how this could be construed as dangerous but I reckon I saw multitudes of other "identical" tackles on the weekend and hundreds this year....but seemingly they crack down against us because we're the "most penalised team in the comp".

As for Aubos form, I'm a huge fan of his but his game last night was one the worst I've ever seen him play. I don't think Smith is doing him any favours playing in the centres and last night he was on his least favoured side of the field. He's been stuffed around this year and I think it's shaken hi confidence - well done coach.....