Ramblings from last night with a sleep to process and calm down

[Lydon]

Ben Thomas is a name to look out for in the future
Played for Wyong off the bench yesterday and looks very damaging
Hope he keeps developing as he will be a good option as a ball playing forward down the track

[Rooster_6]

Can’t agree with you mate..
We were pinned on their line for a while before the half time break and offered nothing,we looked lost!

That's not exactly the forwards job though is it... when it comes to good ball zone it's up to our spine and outside backs to create something.

[Rooster_6]

Ben Thomas is a name to look out for in the future
Played for Wyong off the bench yesterday and looks very damaging
Hope he keeps developing as he will be a good option as a ball playing forward down the track

I liked the look of him the 20's, seemed to have a bad run with injuries.

Big lump of a lad.

[Lydon]

That's not exactly the forwards job though is it... when it comes to good ball zone it's up to our spine and outside backs to create something.

Yeh fair enough,it just felt like Cronk to Keary to Mitchell was becoming predictable in their zone yesterday..
We need that occasional offload from a Hargreaves,Liu or even Cordner to help create some doubt in the opposition..

[ROC181]

We certainly have more forward depth than we do in the backline.

Farmer Silly- good off the bench, won't die wondering.
Collins - Has size and some agro.
Butcher - workaholic.
Porter - young, but has ball skills.
Smith - dunno what happened to him, but looked good when he had a chance.
Baptiste - I know zero about him, but his dummy half service would have to be better than what we got.
FPN - forget I mentioned him.

I gotta admit that I missed the warriors game. I had a bad turn yesterday afternoon, and still feel a bit confused.
Maybe my set back was a blessing in diguise, and I dont feel up to watching a replay.

I normally stay away from the papers, news reports and sports show after a loss...I can't handle the report..Like Molly said "do yourself and favour'...and avoid the reports, well at least for a few days once we become desensitised to it. Get well Ed!

[Thirteen]

We certainly have more forward depth than we do in the backline.

Farmer Silly- good off the bench, won't die wondering.
Collins - Has size and some agro.
Butcher - workaholic.
Porter - young, but has ball skills.
Smith - dunno what happened to him, but looked good when he had a chance.
Baptiste - I know zero about him, but his dummy half service would have to be better than what we got.
FPN - forget I mentioned him.

I gotta admit that I missed the warriors game. I had a bad turn yesterday afternoon, and still feel a bit confused.
Maybe my set back was a blessing in diguise, and I dont feel up to watching a replay.

Get well Eddie.
Don’t watch the replay it will only make you feel worse.

[Thirteen]

Last night they had no possession to offload because we kept spreading it and making an error.

Even when we have had possession in better games we haven’t got the ability to offload. Offloading is a skill you either have or you don’t. None of our guys have it.

[John Corey]

Everything you describe is what Mitchell Pearce had to deal with for years. Cronk was going to change it all though.

This is just further evidence that it doesn't matter how good, or who your 7 is, if they are playing with an error ridden, ill disciplined team, the result will be the same.

That's not a knock on Cronk who is a very smart footballer. But if Pearce had of been playing for the past 10 years with Bellamy, Smith and Slater, he would have had the same success Cronk did.

[eddie]

Thankyou Roc and 13.
I shall avoid the replay and the footy shows and look forward to next week.

[eddie]

But if Pearce had of been playing for the past 10 years with Bellamy, Smith and Slater, he would have had the same success Cronk did.

I dunno if we can assume that.
Melbourne aren't looking as good without Cronk, but perhaps, just like us, they need time to adjust.

[Rooster_6]

Yeh fair enough,it just felt like Cronk to Keary to Mitchell was becoming predictable in their zone yesterday..
We need that occasional offload from a Hargreaves,Liu or even Cordner to help create some doubt in the opposition..

There were a few offloads in that period you're talking about though if I remember correctly we just looked lost on the back of them and on the Matterson one he got through the line just fell short of Cronk.

[ROC181]

Everything you describe is what Mitchell Pearce had to deal with for years. Cronk was going to change it all though.

This is just further evidence that it doesn't matter how good, or who your 7 is, if they are playing with an error ridden, ill disciplined team, the result will be the same.

That's not a knock on Cronk who is a very smart footballer. But if Pearce had of been playing for the past 10 years with Bellamy, Smith and Slater, he would have had the same success Cronk did.

Pearce has also played for NSW many times and he only had one good half in game 1 last year...or maybe it was a good 20 mins till he got smashed... Pearce now plays for the Knights, he didn't change much after last weeks game. As for having played with Bellamy and co, that we will never know but the evidence is there that Cronk is far better than Pearce. What coulda been is irrelevant!

[bondi paul]

I attended the stop start game and once again we were our own enemy against a revved up Warriors team. It is evident our Polynesian counterparts love playing the Roosters because they know they have the edge over them. Past posters have said we are mentally weak I tend to agree to an extent but we are so slow and unimaginative in the forwards starting from the hooker. What I saw yesterday I’ve seen before - the so called grind tactic power game since Robbos tenure ineffective against a willing opposition.
I can cop a loss if we play well but that’s unlikely due to the same old same old Robbo tactic. We go to pieces and self destruct whilst opposing coaches and players know it hence why we have had poor ball control and completions since Robbo has coached us. To have no second phase play with a back line of our inexcusable. Our attacking coach is just being paid for his title and I suspect he like the players is being inhibited by the same old same old tactic. When it works we look good yet when it doesn’t we look terrible overpaid idiots.

[JAF]

Even when we have had possession in better games we haven’t got the ability to offload. Offloading is a skill you either have or you don’t. None of our guys have it.

I believe Butcher has an offload in his game ...

[Rooster_6]

Even when we have had possession in better games we haven’t got the ability to offload. Offloading is a skill you either have or you don’t. None of our guys have it.

I'm not sure I really believe that Thirteen, players like JWH have been very apt at offlaoding in the past.

I just think in yardage we value finding your front and looking for a quick play the ball more than trying to stand in the tackle to pop an offload. At our best our forward pack runs in numbers, plays short passes between each other, push through the advantage line and get quick play the balls. That's the power running football we are known for and have shown in the two weeks prior to last night.

Now some might disagree with that philosophy but it's served us well in the past and served us well when we've used it so far this year.