Set completion

[Rooster_6]

Apparently it's the be all and end all in Rugby League if you listen to any pre-game, half-time or post game speech from a player/coach, if you listen to any pre-game or post game analysis or if you go to any fan forum after their team has just lost.

But how much does it actually matter?

I mean we won the comp in 2013 by making more errors than any other side and then again last year in 2018 by making more errors than any other side.

Does it matter more what you do with the ball when you have it than how long you can hold it for? Does it change from season to season? Is its importance just over stated?

Here's the list of teams from 2018 ranked in order of best set completion to worst, notice the 2 grand finalists.

[Tommy Smith]

Yeah it's not how many times you drop the ball that truly matters; but rather where you drop the ball and on what tackle.

Case in point, our 2017 Prelim. We made so many erorrs on tackle 1 coming out of our own end which absolutely killed us.

An error on the 5th in the attacking 20m is tallied up the same as an error on the 1st on a kick return coming out of your own 20m. But in reality the difference between the two is night and day.

So completions as a whole is a very incomplete view of ball control and so very deceptive.

[zac]

Yeah, a similar stat is time in possession. In 2017 I think we won many games with less than 50% of the ball.

Still, completion rates are important, but only part of the picture. If you defend as well as we do and have the potent attackers we do, we can get away with lower completion rates, but when our completion rates are high, watch out! We'll be up 18-0 at half time.

[Cockadoodledoo]

I would dare say that we have the talent to beat the crap teams with relatively low completion rates, however we would not beat the top teams with a significantly lower completion rate. We were over 90% v the Sharks in week 1 of the finals, however only at 70% against Souths, you can thank our awesome defence that masked this low completion rate. Souths only managed 74% mind you, thanks Burgi. Also against the Storm in the Grand Final our completion rate was high 80% and much better than the Storms.

[Bondicigar]

I matters big time you can't build pressure without the ball

[SupermanSupportsEasts4Eva]

In both 2013 and 2018 Easts had the best defense in the comp. I rate this as more important than a high completion rate. But only if you have the talent to score points from nowhere and against the run of play which both the 2013 and 2018 teams could do.

[Louis N]

I would dare say that we have the talent to beat the crap teams with relatively low completion rates, however we would not beat the top teams with a significantly lower completion rate. We were over 90% v the Sharks in week 1 of the finals, however only at 70% against Souths, you can thank our awesome defence that masked this low completion rate. Souths only managed 74% mind you, thanks Burgi. Also against the Storm in the Grand Final our completion rate was high 80% and much better than the Storms.

Souths were illegally stripping the ball with two and three men in the tackle as often as possible. They got away with far too much of it. Our defence proved the difference along with three tries to their none. Considering no Latrell that game and Cronk getting his shoulder busted by Burgess early on, it was a great result. The nature of our victory made us look a great bet for the grand final.

I like Tommy's reasoning. It's when and where you cough it up that counts. But without repeat sets maintaining pressure and tiring opposition defenses becomes an impossible ask. Our short kicking game in the attacking zone was much better in 2018. And we did maintain pressure. The grand final was a case in point.

Looking at the stats Rooster6 presnted there wasn't a great deal of difference right across the board. And it's common sense that mistake rates will be higher for teams that chance their arm more in attack. The killers are the players with poor ball control. For all his talents Michael Jennings was one of them, but he certainly gave us his best years.

[The Skeez]

Good points all round.

I wonder how coaches look at 4 tackle sets?

[The Brain]

Defense give you the right result in the end .

[Guest]

Good points all round.

I wonder how coaches look at 4 tackle sets?

They are better than 3 tackle sets.

[The Skeez]

They are better than 3 tackle sets.

What if they pull the trigger early on the third, to catch the defence out and score?

[Kelvin Johnson]

Robbo is very big on the forwards not passing the ball. I don't like it, but hey it works.

[Tommy Smith]

Robbo is very big on the forwards not passing the ball. I don't like it, but hey it works.

I'm not sure that's true.

Not that one singular example proves anything but a beautiful short pass from a prop forward began the movement that led to the go ahead try in the 2013 GF.

If the skill is in the forwards repertoire then I've always sensed that Robbo has encouraged it.

[ism22]

Yeah it's not how many times you drop the ball that truly matters; but rather where you drop the ball and on what tackle.

Case in point, our 2017 Prelim. We made so many erorrs on tackle 1 coming out of our own end which absolutely killed us.

An error on the 5th in the attacking 20m is tallied up the same as an error on the 1st on a kick return coming out of your own 20m. But in reality the difference between the two is night and day.

So completions as a whole is a very incomplete view of ball control and so very deceptive.

^^^

This.

Also, I think it depends why you didn't complete your set. I mean, is a knock-on or forward pass on the 4th, 10m out really a legit non-completion? Or, did you roll the dice, go for a try and care very little because you stopped the opposition anyway?

IMO there's a lot of stats that don't fit what has really happened. Completions is one of them.

[roosterproud]

That stat just shows there is 4% difference between the top team and the bottom team. If every team loses possession the same amount of time it evens out.

the most telling stat is meters per set.