Official Match Day Thread: Roosters v Cowboys

[QWERTY]

I think with Cronk while he has been poor in recent times hopefully with Keary playng, like at the start of the year Cronk will take more of a backseat and just add that touch of class to the team. Cronk has had to do more work with Keary out than he is usually used to. Coupled with the fact that he isn't getting any younger and he just looks like he needs to let Keary control the game a bit more.

[easts4eva]

Massive game v knights next week, at least we aren’t chasing the minor premiership this year. Top 4 might be out of reach if we lose to knights.

I'm goin out, getting as many mates as I can for this one. Huge game hope they've got all the bars open.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

I’ve been thinking for a while now. I reckon Cronk has played one season too long. Has very little influence this year.

I had said that previously thinking the 2018 heroics would have been the perfect finale.

But some of the mob want him to play next year as well!

[Thirteen]

Forget training this week just make them watch the last Newcastle game over and over and over again.

[Speedymetric]

Can someone explain why the call was changed from a knock on to a drop out when Taumalolo dropped it on the line in the first half? It happened right in front of me & looked like a clear knock on & I'm sure I heard the Bunker call a knock on but then there was a little discussion & the decision was changed to a drop out. I don't even think there was a replay at the game so without commentary not sure what happened.

I think it was a bit of a turning point. We had just defended a few sets on our line then looked like we'd held them out & got a bit of relief but they ended up scoring off the next set.

[milanja]

Can someone explain why the call was changed from a knock on to a drop out when Taumalolo dropped it on the line in the first half? It happened right in front of me & looked like a clear knock on & I'm sure I heard the Bunker call a knock on but then there was a little discussion & the decision was changed to a drop out. I don't even think there was a replay at the game so without commentary not sure what happened.

I think it was a bit of a turning point. We had just defended a few sets on our line then looked like we'd held them out & got a bit of relief but they ended up scoring off the next set.

Because the ball hit the referee, which is automatically a scrum to the team in possession, but because it happened In goal it is a dropout instead of scrum. Been a rule for sometime now.

[BenCumminsIsACheat]

Just with their field goal at the end, whatever happened to the rule about staying on your feet when playing the ball? I saw it called a couple times a few weeks ago and plenty last year in our finals game against the Sharks.
Taumalolo should have definitely been penalised on the final tackle in my opinion as he made no genuine attempt to maintain his balance as is required.

Let's see if Annesley makes a comment about this or is more concerned about JWH's 'headbutt' and explaining the need to place someone on report 5 minutes after it happened.

[Speedymetric]

Because the ball hit the referee, which is automatically a scrum to the team in possession, but because it happened In goal it is a dropout instead of scrum. Been a rule for sometime now.

Ok, thanks. Like I said I only got one view of it at the game, at what stage did it hit the ref? I know the ref was in the vicinity but from my angle I didn't think it actually hit him.

I've often thought in the past that a little deliberate grubber into the ref & take the scrum feed would sometimes be a higher percentage option than trying to get the ball into ingoal for a repeat set.

[Louis N]

Just with their field goal at the end, whatever happened to the rule about staying on your feet when playing the ball? I saw it called a couple times a few weeks ago and plenty last year in our finals game against the Sharks.
Taumalolo should have definitely been penalised on the final tackle in my opinion as he made no genuine attempt to maintain his balance as is required.

Let's see if Annesley makes a comment about this or is more concerned about JWH's 'headbutt' and explaining the need to place someone on report 5 minutes after it happened.

Placing JWH on report well after the incident seemed strange to me too. From memory there was no penalty awarded. So it made no sense to call him across and say that he was on report. Could have happened after the game, if it wasn't going to be acted on within the game. Possibly an attempt to put JWH off his game a little. Who knows but there were certainly a few strange refereeing decisions.

Granville could pass forward from dummy half with impunity, but not Friend when his was not much over flat and 9 times out of 10 would have been let go. But that call ended our chances. We are getting pinged a lot for forward passes lately. Latrell's to Tupou was fairly flat and either way the defence wouldn't have reacted any differently.

[One Eyed Willy]

Ok, thanks. Like I said I only got one view of it at the game, at what stage did it hit the ref? I know the ref was in the vicinity but from my angle I didn't think it actually hit him.

I've often thought in the past that a little deliberate grubber into the ref & take the scrum feed would sometimes be a higher percentage option than trying to get the ball into ingoal for a repeat set.

Manu missed it and was standing in front of the ref so it went through Manu onto the ref then onto JT

[bondi.boy]

Hard to fire up for a game you're expected to win , give us win at all costs challenge any time .. Cowboys highlight of the year beating the reigning premier's pretty easy to fire up for . As good as it gets for them this year but well played to them. Many missed opportunities, Latrell's little forward to Toops , missed field goals it goes on . Another loss at Gosford does not endear me to playing there either !

Hard to fire up?
Cool, calm, rational play is what's required in every game.
Completing sets, no forward passes, no dropped ball, no missed tackles, no dumb passes..the basis.
We need bigger players.
We need to run over the opposition to score tries.
Our 'lethal left side' has been worked out by opposition coaches and defence put in place to negate it.

[The Brain]

we have been one dimentional all season.

[milanja]

Placing JWH on report well after the incident seemed strange to me too. From memory there was no penalty awarded. So it made no sense to call him across and say that he was on report. Could have happened after the game, if it wasn't going to be acted on within the game. Possibly an attempt to put JWH off his game a little. Who knows but there were certainly a few strange refereeing decisions.

Granville could pass forward from dummy half with impunity, but not Friend when his was not much over flat and 9 times out of 10 would have been let go. But that call ended our chances. We are getting pinged a lot for forward passes lately. Latrell's to Tupou was fairly flat and either way the defence wouldn't have reacted any differently.

Both were well forward and very obvious on tv, maybe looked different at the ground where you were sitting though.

i think what ended our chances were two basic misses at FG by experienced players who had shockers, two or three sets to perfectly set up, and they fail under pressure.

[Johnny Tobin]

I had said that previously thinking the 2018 heroics would have been the perfect finale.

But some of the mob want him to play next year as well!

In fairness that was at the start of this year.

[bondi.boy]

I've just started watching the replay.
We received the ball...players did well to get to halfway after 5 tackles...then Keary did a kick...a nondescript, half grubber, that rolled along at slow pace for the Cowboys player to field with total ease.
RIDICULOUS!
That was a 'holiday' kick.
Where was a high, spiralling bomb making the Cows player look up into the sun, like they did to Manu in the second half when he dropped the bomb?
And our players time to rush up 30m and put pressure on the kicker.

We don't seem to have much idea these days.
Cronk's kicks are now like Pearce's were.... nice slow lollipops for the opposition to catch easily.