DCE = What is he doing here

[bondi.boy]

NRL.com currently has DCE with 1 missed tackle, that’ll do me. Perfect example of stats not telling the story.

Or the stats actually telling the true story.

[Steggles]

Exactly correct.

Not our club bragging about winning the comp this year, it was/is the media.
We're still rebuilding, after many of our stars departed end of 2024.

Penalty count was 11-2 against us. Add a truckload of 6 agains to that and it's easy to see why we we never going to win the game.

That aside, the Warriors team was at home and was "too big, too strong, too fast".
Their pack was huge, their bench was huge, the whole of NZ to choose from.

It’s no surprise that all 3 teams that have been flogged so far this round have all been smashed by penalties & 6-against.

[caz]

I thought DCE looked really clunky in attack, kicking was ok but not convinced he defended as poorly as some are suggesting.

First try was on Nat, needed to push hard on inside support sooner, ultimately too many players caught under the posts though they stripped us for numbers. Capewell try was on Pauga, DCE called the jam and Nawaqanitawase jammed, Teddy wrapped but Pauga got left in no mans land marking no one. Only one I thought he could've affected would be the Pompey try, stronger impact may have resulted in a try saver but we're talking scramble execution not front line effort or decision making.

yep, those tries were more on nat and pauga (who otherwise had some great moments in d).

hard for a half to shine with so little ball. dropping dce or any player at some stage is an option but it's only fair to give him some time to find his feet in a new team.
hugo wasn't available for selection yesterday so it doesn't make sense to say he would have done better

[Funky Chicken]

Penalty count was 11-2 against us. Add a truckload of 6 agains to that and it's easy to see why we never going to win the game.

That aside, the Warriors team was at home and was "too big, too strong, too fast".
Their pack was huge, their bench was huge, the whole of NZ to choose from.

I'll agree that some of the penalties, six again calls and no tries were ridiculous, it seemed like Wyatt Earp the ref had been told to keep us out of the game from the start.

But any team that makes Tanah Boyd look like Peter Sterling is never going to win much........

We are such a frustrating footy team, when we are on, we are easily one the best teams in the NRL, but when we are off we look like a local pub team who have never played before.. Is it any wonder I have no hair!!!

[dice]

The usual suspects forgetting it took Cronk half a season to gel with the team. No mention of Sammy's many missed tackles or his predictable kicks on 1st and 2nd tackle when were looking likely to win.

That game reminded me of the Warriors game we lost in 2010. Lots of people sulking on here without understanding the promising things which eventuated in a grand final birth. It is going to be a good year for us.

It was a pleasure seeing Billy Smith injury free at full speed.

[ccfc bondi]

It is early, however, my opinion before the match yesterday was he is wasting salary cap space and is an obstruction to our club-developed players - particularly Hugo, whose kicking we missed last night. My opinion hasn't changed. He did nothing much last night and I'd rather see him in NSW Cup doing something constructive, helping - instead of hindering - the development of our young up-and-comers.

[bondi.boy]

It’s no surprise that all 3 teams that have been flogged so far this round have all been smashed by penalties & 6-against.

Maybe a serious investigation into the standard/any possible bias of refereeing is needed?

Both teams in matches should be/must be refereed in the same manner.
One team is off side in a ruck, gets a 6 again against it...fair enough.
When the other team does the same thing, it too should/must get the same against it.
That is fair.
If the refereeing of matches is not fair, there must be a govt investigation?

There's legal betting on these matches.
The govt has a special Gaming and Racing division to oversee such matters?

[roosterchook]

Questions must be asked why we are the most ill disciplined team in the competition. Other teams seem to be able to control the ball and not give up too many penalties yet with us it’s the same year after year no matter which roster we play? Why?

[ism22]

Wasn't a great game for any of our spine except Tedesco in the second half. I assure you the result is no different tonight if Hugo is playing.

Agreed... I'd go as far as to say if Robson were available there's no difference.

Round 1 performance was unacceptable. Doesn't mean we're cooked for the season.

[roosterchook]

It’s no surprise that all 3 teams that have been flogged so far this round have all been smashed by penalties & 6-against.

It’s a game of possession. Teams who have good ball discipline and don’t give away lots of stupid penalties like us will always do much better. In the second half when we had decent possession we gave ourselves a good chance. It’s up to us to master the basics and not go for silly flashy plays which only hand over possession.

[Barron's Dream]

we are the new Manly. woopee farking doo. DCE is up there with signing Paul Vautin lol lol

[Bates]

Truth is, we will not finish top 4 without a decent stroke of luck.

Robbo teams for years have been 'eyes up' teams. We haven't played for percentages for years, if ever with Robbo.

When it comes off, it's brilliant and our teams in years gone by have become unstoppable at times. It was the right strategy for a long time given the players we signed and had coming through.

But as has been well said however on the Chook Pen, with the rules favouring percentage footy & not making mistakes....it should have been dialled back in.

I love Robbo's philosophy on many things, and I am glad we could never be called a boring team.

But he has dropped the ball on this one tactically, and should have spent off season taking a more percentages focussed strategy into 2026, with the exception of Teddy, Marky and Walker being the 3 guys who can be let loose to play jungle ball.

Yeah nah.

"Going set for set, getting into the grind, being patient and going after them, building our game"

Have been replaced with "roosters style footy"

We now have roaming halves who share the dominant playmaker role. Fark sake

Things have definitely changed imo.

[Mr Whippet]

Maybe a serious investigation into the standard/any possible bias of refereeing is needed?

Both teams in matches should be/must be refereed in the same manner.
One team is off side in a ruck, gets a 6 again against it...fair enough.
When the other team does the same thing, it too should/must get the same against it.
That is fair.
If the refereeing of matches is not fair, there must be a govt investigation?

There's legal betting on these matches.
The govt has a special Gaming and Racing division to oversee such matters?

You do realise there will be no question of bias allegation against the Roosters instigated, we are the villains in the NRL pantomime, and have been year after year

[Paddo Colt 61]

The Wahs are always hard to beat over there and the Chooks have been clunky for the first 6 or 7 rounds for years now. The storming home to the number 8 spot has become a depressing feature but it's exciting to see the slow build to competitiveness and then dominance as it happens. The problem is that the team cohesion level attained at the end of a season does not carry over though mentally the side wrongly feels it is still there, hence the unsuccessful flashiness. The Riff don't have this problem.

The reality is that the side has, once again, to work eliminate the clunk and get the machine rolling which, as we've seen, takes time, a lot of effort, experimentation and losses. There is every indication that this pattern will be repeated this year.

The Pamfers look the goods again. Talagai is a prodigiously talented 6, McLean an impressive youngster and the pack is tough and mobile.

[ism22]

It’s a game of possession. Teams who have good ball discipline and don’t give away lots of stupid penalties like us will always do much better. In the second half when we had decent possession we gave ourselves a good chance. It’s up to us to master the basics and not go for silly flashy plays which only hand over possession.

I think the nuance is that you don't win games by just holding onto the pill and being conservative. You want to take calculated risks, roll the ruck and be creative.

Our ceiling is always high in terms of creativity. However disciplined creativity is HARD. Particularly in a world where a muppet of the betting industry starts changing the rules every year in an attempt to make the game more friendly for betting agencies.