Jake friend needs to go NOW!!!

[milanja]

Not sure Baptiste is really the answer he looked pretty pedestrian not really any better than friend and to tell the truth in those dying minutes I was glad that friend came back on.

Yep, today he was much better, would be nice to see Baptiste with a full game, but when he can’t stand out in reserves, then not the answer in firsts.

[Johnny Brass]

Did you watch that passage of play at all? Victor Radley continued his run right in the path of Friend, what was he supposed to do pass it at Radley's head or hold on to the ball and get tackled? That delay caused Walker to be in Cronk's face as the ball arrived because Friend hesitates and attempts to pass it in front of him so if Radley doesn't get in the way then Friend can easily get off a pass to Cronk in time.

When a team makes a break the dummy half should pass it off the deck and spin it out the backline , that's a basic rule of footy since the game was invented. The opposition are always short on the opposite side of the field. Friend picked it up and started running with it which caused the stuff up.

[Vasco]

It's depressing seeing other teams with clever and creative hookers.

I can't think of a team with a worse no.9 than the Roosters.

[Guest]

When a team makes a break the dummy half should pass it off the deck and spin it out the backline , that's a basic rule of footy since the game was invented. The opposition are always short on the opposite side of the field. Friend picked it up and started running with it which caused the stuff up.

It's a bit hard to pass it off the deck out wide when a team mate is standing right there next to you.

[Guest]

Hes a first grade hooker,you dont throw shit passes like that what you do is take the tackle and go to ground you dont throw hospital passes to teammates,it makes you really unpopular with the recipient of the pass in the sheds.

Lol yes get tackled at dummy half when we have the momentum

[Guest]

Actually i did watch that passage of play , hence why i commented on it. I dont get in the habit of giving my 2 cents worth on play that i dont see He had the option to release it earlier and as per usual he held on too long,then chose the wrong option. Thinking on the run isnt Friends strong suit and i think you just confirmed that with your statement. What was he suppose to do? Simply chose an option that doesnt nearly cost us the game. Walker didnt knock it on.It was a lucky call that went our way. Most probably he would have went all the way. So my question to you is. Would you still be defending Friend if that happened. What was he suppose to do you say. Haha

It didn't happen so there is nothing to defend. So what is the option that doesn't cost us the game then?

1. Take the tackle, would you like that?
2. Spin it to the blind side where there is no momentum?
3. Have the option to release it earlier like you say and pass it straight in to Radley

Whatever he does the play has broken down before it has even started because Radley had zero situational awareness and for some reason was running a decoy play when Manly were on the back peddle and we had all the momentum. If Radley isn't there to fark it up then Friend gets a pass away, Cronk gets the ball before Walker arrives and I am hoping he is able to evade the tackle and suddenly we have a defender out of the line and we are attacking with all the momentum. That play was Radley's fark up.

[The Thracian]

It's a bit hard to pass it off the deck out wide when a team mate is standing right there next to you.

Take the tackle, he would still have made 15-20 mtrs

[The Thracian]

It didn't happen so there is nothing to defend. So what is the option that doesn't cost us the game then?

1. Take the tackle, would you like that?
2. Spin it to the blind side where there is no momentum?
3. Have the option to release it earlier like you say and pass it straight in to Radley

Whatever he does the play has broken down before it has even started because Radley had zero situational awareness and for some reason was running a decoy play when Manly were on the back peddle and we had all the momentum. If Radley isn't there to fark it up then Friend gets a pass away, Cronk gets the ball before Walker arrives and I am hoping he is able to evade the tackle and suddenly we have a defender out of the line and we are attacking with all the momentum. That play was Radley's fark up.

You really are an idiot, if he passes it straight away from the ground like every decent 1st grade hookers do, Radley is nowhere near the play and the ball gets to Cronk in space and with plenty of time, when he chose to run that run, Radley ran into the space that was previously available with an early realease, when this did happen he needed to put his head down and hold onto it, not loop a bloody hospital pass to your halfback

[One Eyed Willy]

It didn't happen so there is nothing to defend. So what is the option that doesn't cost us the game then?

1. Take the tackle, would you like that?
2. Spin it to the blind side where there is no momentum?
3. Have the option to release it earlier like you say and pass it straight in to Radley

Whatever he does the play has broken down before it has even started because Radley had zero situational awareness and for some reason was running a decoy play when Manly were on the back peddle and we had all the momentum. If Radley isn't there to fark it up then Friend gets a pass away, Cronk gets the ball before Walker arrives and I am hoping he is able to evade the tackle and suddenly we have a defender out of the line and we are attacking with all the momentum. That play was Radley's fark up.

Running a decoy????
he was pushing up in support because nugget took off from dummy half after a quick play the ball. He took the right option, initially, problem is he isn’t quick enough to capatalize on the hole behind the ruck, when he realised that he looked to pass, hesitated and threw a shit lollie pop wobbling ball.
Thats how I saw it, think of it how you like, he’s past his used by date unfortunatley

[King Salvo]

Oh yes all the Friend bashers out again and it wasn`t even a full moon - Ho hum- lose its` Friends fault and win Ho Hum- it`s Friends fault still - Ho Hum.................... mmm Tedesco and Cronk the two highest paid players at the club had blinders you will say next - 2 mill waste of money many are saying and better to have kept Pearce and Gordon- came second during the regular season with these two - wont with Tedesco and Cronk - money should have been spent on an NRL standard centre and Prop.

No chance this year and Warriors will towel them up next game in NZ having already comprehensively won the first game 30 - 6 at Allianz

[King Salvo]

The time has come.. Either the coaching staff give him simple instructions ie get to dummy half and pass DIRRECTLY to Cronk or Keary or drop him.. His aimless two or three steps from the ruck and rubbish service is killing out attacking play.. He simply and plainly slows down our attack.. PS on another not Cordner isn’t going that much better, struggling to fit him into the origin team let alone as captain....

Only thing you say that is correct is pointing out Cordner's very poor form - his game has stagnated - has no pass or offload in him at all - only barely runs the ball and hardly makes any ground in that department either nowadays- his angle run is easily defended - defenders could do it in their sleep.

[eddie]

Cronk was still shit when Friend was off the field.

Serious ?

[Johnny Tobin]

Did you watch that passage of play at all? Victor Radley continued his run right in the path of Friend, what was he supposed to do pass it at Radley's head or hold on to the ball and get tackled? That delay caused Walker to be in Cronk's face as the ball arrived because Friend hesitates and attempts to pass it in front of him so if Radley doesn't get in the way then Friend can easily get off a pass to Cronk in time.

I watched it on replay last night. Radley didn't help and I have no idea what he thought he was doing but the real problem was Friend's inability to pass without taking a few momentum killing steps. If he passes straight away Radley isn't even in the picture - and I suspect that's what Cronk said when Friend went to apologise. His service is diabolical. I lose count of the number of times players have to stop on their runs to catch his passes.

Anyway, we have to face the fact that Friend (like Finch before him) isn't going anywhere soon so we have to hope his "impact" is lessened by a reduction in the minutes he plays.

[Johnny Tobin]

It didn't happen so there is nothing to defend. So what is the option that doesn't cost us the game then?

1. Take the tackle, would you like that?
2. Spin it to the blind side where there is no momentum?
3. Have the option to release it earlier like you say and pass it straight in to Radley

Whatever he does the play has broken down before it has even started because Radley had zero situational awareness and for some reason was running a decoy play when Manly were on the back peddle and we had all the momentum. If Radley isn't there to fark it up then Friend gets a pass away, Cronk gets the ball before Walker arrives and I am hoping he is able to evade the tackle and suddenly we have a defender out of the line and we are attacking with all the momentum. That play was Radley's fark up.

4. Pass quickly to Cronk like every other dummy half in history could do.

[Maxy Walker]

Friend was pretty good yesterday. It’s just comical that some want to focus on that one pass to Cronk as if that was representative of the whole game.