1st trial thoughts?

Jolls said:
So I was looking for a few things out of this game:

1. Assess the Latu/Galvin combination. The combination didn't work; not sure if it was overcalling by Galvin or a lack of voice from Latu; but it wasn't pretty no matter how you look at it. Latu spending time developing his game in Ressies won't hurt us at all and I think it is probably best for his development at the moment.
2. Does the off season Matamua hype have any substance. We really didn't use him as a ball playing lock; which is what I was expecting to see. Again was this Galvin overplaying his hand or was it a lack of cohesion. His defence was OK. So overall maybe a bare pass.
3. The potential of the Johannssen brothers. The potential is there; they were both willing but made errors on both sides of the ball. They are worth developing but need more time in the lower grades to get their skills and consistence up.
4. Sione F on the edge. Not sure how early he did his toe but the hole running I wanted to see wasn't there; although Galvin really didn't play for it either. This definitely needs development.
5. Where TDS is at. TDS played OK, his service at times was good at times was average. He is learning from Api though, a couple of the look long pass short options were out of the Api play book. I saw enough to think that he should probably start and let Api cut them up when they tire a little.
6. Skelton as a winger. He was average to good for mine - defintely better at getting the ball back than Staines. He is a keeper and will play plenty of FG.
7. The development of Sukkar, Rahme, Broederlow and Hope. Sukkar wasn't impresive but did his job; I don't think he had FG in him, The other three, although more erratic, demonstrated that they have the potential to become FG quality.
8. Assess our simplified attack. It wasn't there to see in the first half as out halves combination didn't get it together. There edges weren't running lines waiting to be hit, whcih is what I would have expected to see with Galvin all over the shop. The second half was better although we lacked enterprise. IF we had the go forward provied by Kit L in the first half potentially Galvin doesn't overplay. Having bagged Galvin a few times; he did link well with his outside backs and the early kicks demonstrated an intent to attack with our defence so there were positives as well.
9. Assess our Defensive plan. There were a few very poor defensive reads that led to meat pies - but for the most part it was a fairly solid performance. From what I saw I expect that we are going to jam and use the sideline/scramble in our own 40. For the most part this was effective; although Lobb is simply not tup to it. He panics and gets on the backwards bicycle too often. He thinks so slow in defence that you can almost ssee the cogs ticking over behind his panicked eyes. Other than that we dealt with most of what was thrown at us. We didn't shut the gate on the try up the middle - but that one is easily addressed. I also think if you replace Lobb a key aspect of the problem is resolved.

My overall assessment 4/10. Our game plan was workable, but had limitations. Those limitations were, in most cases, individual deficiencies as opposed to deficiencies in the plan. I expect Galvin to play a more controlled game with Luai on the paddock, and we should have more momentum with Hunt/May than what was provided by the Johannssen brothers. This should enable the attack and bring Bird/Matamua to play more of a role. If we are playing Lobb in FG we are in a dire situation!
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Insightful as always, Jolls. Cheers.

Think (hope) most of yesterdays side won't see too much first grade. On a positive our Cup team should be more than competetive this year.
 
bptiger 0 said:
Here’s my take on latu and its just my thoughts

He was never seen in that half , and yes Galvin really pushed him aside.
But latu is only young and he knows he is never going to push the two half’s out so maybe he’s feeling sore for himself , that’s why I think he should be given a shot as a ball playing lock if only as on a interchange option, I watch his defence in the game and it was very good , I think he needs to have something to get him going . And YES he’s in a team and he needs to knuckle down , but again he’s a kid and sometimes u need to cuddle them know and then .
Just my thoughts as a ex coach
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Any thoughts on our forwards getting belted for the entire first 40mins and how hard that makes it for halves/playmakers to make an impact ?
 
As for Lobb, over a Manly, they threw in ex-Tiger Navren Willett who scored the opening 2 tries in their trial. (admittedly the 2nd was a classic Robert Jennings fall-over-the-line try)
Did we keep the wrong tall winger?
 
LeichhardtTiger said:
As for Lobb, over a Manly, they threw in ex-Tiger Navren Willett who scored the opening 2 tries in their trial. (admittedly the 2nd was a classic Robert Jennings fall-over-the-line try)
Did we keep the wrong tall winger?
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We did not even keep Lobb we chased him and signed him from the dragons when Sheens was running the show(i doubt if he was responsible but it highlights the incompetence in the club)
 
Vicious said:
Any thoughts on our forwards getting belted for the entire first 40mins and how hard that makes it for halves/playmakers to make an impact ?
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I thought they held there own and the score line backs that up , remember the dogs pack was a lot bigger than ours and in the end we only just lost , Galvin put us on the front foot by kicking early and long but we under used latu the boys got pace and strength but Galvin just cut him out time after time
 
Here are some of my takeaways & things to consider out of the 1st trial ...

- It was basically a NSW Cup trial. Our actual NSW Cup trial on Saturday was more of a Ron Massey Cup / Jersey Flegg trial. With both these results going the Dogs way, it kind of shows the Bulldogs depth & combos are a little bit above ours atm.

- Generally was a good hitout with minimal handling errors, good effort areas and defence was solid.

- Attack was always going to be pretty basic as coaches are reluctant to show their hand too much in the 1st trial, just get the simple things right.

- The most disappointing aspect for me was losing the middle in the 1st half. The Dogs regularly finished their sets inside our half while we struggled to get out of our own half. An area I noticed with this is our players rarely seem to run onto the ball off dummyhalf, they wait for the pass then run allowing the defence to be up and onto them quickly.

- I actually thought ALL players except for a couple played well even the much-maligned Alex Lobb. He's copped a lot of criticism but yesterday was an aerial threat, set up Mason's try with a very good kick ahead and made some good runs in the 2nd half. Yes NSW Cup is his level with his performance yesterday strong with some defensive errors & playing too safe in attack.

- Whilst he was very good, strong & skifull in attack, Faataape currently is no more than Cup standard with his defensive frailties causing 2 tries. His defence was always a weakness in QCup too.

- Similar sentiments for Broederlow. He showed plenty of good signs in attack and even some of his contact in defence, but a couple of lateral efforts cost tries. He's only 20-21 so I look forward to him working hard on this part of his game.

- Tino Tavana was a shining light. He brings x-factor, speed, aerial skills & some decent hands which I haven't seen before. I bagged him last year for some poor cover defence efforts in NSW Cup but he could be one out of the box. Only slightly framed so not sure if he could play wing effectively, hopefully can fill out a bit more.

- Solo Saukuru could have leapt a few rungs after this effort playing left centre. Made consistent yards & PCMs, strong in D and took a nice high ball from memory. I see more upside in Saukuru as a left centre/wing than Feledy.

- Unfortunately I don't think Will Craig has the frame, skill or speed to be retained beyond this season. I hope I'm proven wrong but have yet to see the potential he showed in Harold Matts & school footy.

- Unlike some others I was impressed with Tim & Noah Johannssen. Have to remember this has been Tim's 1st NRL pre-season & Noah's 1st senior pre-season, both will only get physically stronger. Noah made a couple of errors but at least he did so trying something. They are both big-minute workhorse type middles, not explosive impact middles like Kit Laulilii who also was impressive with his carries.

- After watching the NSW Cup trial from Saturday, I'd say Noah only got that last bench spot to replace Porter from Vaka Aho. Vaka is a stronger ball runner & in contact, so both give us some good middle depth & variety as the next two outside top 30 coming through.

That'll do for now.
 
bptiger 0 said:
I thought they held there own and the score line backs that up , remember the dogs pack was a lot bigger than ours and in the end we only just lost , Galvin put us on the front foot by kicking early and long but we under used latu the boys got pace and strength but Galvin just cut him out time after time
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Just don't get it with the size of our catchment area we end up with so many smaller players compared to other sides.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Here are some of my takeaways & things to consider out of the 1st trial ...

- It was basically a NSW Cup trial. Our actual NSW Cup trial on Saturday was more of a Ron Massey Cup / Jersey Flegg trial. With both these results going the Dogs way, it kind of shows the Bulldogs depth & combos are a little bit above ours atm.

- Generally was a good hitout with minimal handling errors, good effort areas and defence was solid.

- Attack was always going to be pretty basic as coaches are reluctant to show their hand too much in the 1st trial, just get the simple things right.

- The most disappointing aspect for me was losing the middle in the 1st half. The Dogs regularly finished their sets inside our half while we struggled to get out of our own half. An area I noticed with this is our players rarely seem to run onto the ball off dummyhalf, they wait for the pass then run allowing the defence to be up and onto them quickly.

- I actually thought ALL players except for a couple played well even the much-maligned Alex Lobb. He's copped a lot of criticism but yesterday was an aerial threat, set up Mason's try with a very good kick ahead and made some good runs in the 2nd half. Yes NSW Cup is his level with his performance yesterday strong with some defensive errors & playing too safe in attack.

- Whilst he was very good, strong & skifull in attack, Faataape currently is no more than Cup standard with his defensive frailties causing 2 tries. His defence was always a weakness in QCup too.

- Similar sentiments for Broederlow. He showed plenty of good signs in attack and even some of his contact in defence, but a couple of lateral efforts cost tries. He's only 20-21 so I look forward to him working hard on this part of his game.

- Tino Tavana was a shining light. He brings x-factor, speed, aerial skills & some decent hands which I haven't seen before. I bagged him last year for some poor cover defence efforts in NSW Cup but he could be one out of the box. Only slightly framed so not sure if he could play wing effectively, hopefully can fill out a bit more.

- Solo Saukuru could have leapt a few rungs after this effort playing left centre. Made consistent yards & PCMs, strong in D and took a nice high ball from memory. I see more upside in Saukuru as a left centre/wing than Feledy.

- Unfortunately I don't think Will Craig has the frame, skill or speed to be retained beyond this season. I hope I'm proven wrong but have yet to see the potential he showed in Harold Matts & school footy.

- Unlike some others I was impressed with Tim & Noah Johannssen. Have to remember this has been Tim's 1st NRL pre-season & Noah's 1st senior pre-season, both will only get physically stronger. Noah made a couple of errors but at least he did so trying something. They are both big-minute workhorse type middles, not explosive impact middles like Kit Laulilii who also was impressive with his carries.

- After watching the NSW Cup trial from Saturday, I'd say Noah only got that last bench spot to replace Porter from Vaka Aho. Vaka is a stronger ball runner & in contact, so both give us some good middle depth & variety as the next two outside top 30 coming through.

That'll do for now.
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Saukuru was very good.
Surely that would prompt our coaching staff to go over and beyond to get his defence up to the required standard as he’s an attacking weapon and his carries out of our danger zone are immense.
As you say it’s a similar story with Broederlow. He offers good size and impact and could become a very valuable addition to our NRL squad, but at the moment he has a couple of bad one on one defence misses in his game and that needs to be sorted out if he is to become an NRL regular.
 
Vicious said:
Saukuru was very good.
Surely that would prompt our coaching staff to go over and beyond to get his defence up to the required standard as he’s an attacking weapon and his carries out of our danger zone are immense.
As you say it’s a similar story with Broederlow. He offers good size and impact and could become a very valuable addition to our NRL squad, but at the moment he has a couple of bad one on one defence misses in his game and that needs to be sorted out if he is to become an NRL regular.
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It's up to Saukuru now. If he can dominate NSW Cup like Skelton has done previously, he provides tremendous x-factor. He certainly has the size, skill & speed to do this, just has to believe it himself and have a good run without injury.
 
pawsandclaws1 said:
Marshall will have expectations from the trial. That try from Mason highlighted his potential and other young players have been mentioned in the comments. It is great to watch how our younger players perform. Mason with his pace and build reminds me of another highly credentialled young fullback we had at the club. I am glad he is signed to WTS as I would not like to be competing for his signature in the future.
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He has a habit of letting bombs bounce though!
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Here are some of my takeaways & things to consider out of the 1st trial ...

- It was basically a NSW Cup trial. Our actual NSW Cup trial on Saturday was more of a Ron Massey Cup / Jersey Flegg trial. With both these results going the Dogs way, it kind of shows the Bulldogs depth & combos are a little bit above ours atm.

- Generally was a good hitout with minimal handling errors, good effort areas and defence was solid.

- Attack was always going to be pretty basic as coaches are reluctant to show their hand too much in the 1st trial, just get the simple things right.

- The most disappointing aspect for me was losing the middle in the 1st half. The Dogs regularly finished their sets inside our half while we struggled to get out of our own half. An area I noticed with this is our players rarely seem to run onto the ball off dummyhalf, they wait for the pass then run allowing the defence to be up and onto them quickly.

- I actually thought ALL players except for a couple played well even the much-maligned Alex Lobb. He's copped a lot of criticism but yesterday was an aerial threat, set up Mason's try with a very good kick ahead and made some good runs in the 2nd half. Yes NSW Cup is his level with his performance yesterday strong with some defensive errors & playing too safe in attack.

- Whilst he was very good, strong & skifull in attack, Faataape currently is no more than Cup standard with his defensive frailties causing 2 tries. His defence was always a weakness in QCup too.

- Similar sentiments for Broederlow. He showed plenty of good signs in attack and even some of his contact in defence, but a couple of lateral efforts cost tries. He's only 20-21 so I look forward to him working hard on this part of his game.

- Tino Tavana was a shining light. He brings x-factor, speed, aerial skills & some decent hands which I haven't seen before. I bagged him last year for some poor cover defence efforts in NSW Cup but he could be one out of the box. Only slightly framed so not sure if he could play wing effectively, hopefully can fill out a bit more.

- Solo Saukuru could have leapt a few rungs after this effort playing left centre. Made consistent yards & PCMs, strong in D and took a nice high ball from memory. I see more upside in Saukuru as a left centre/wing than Feledy.

- Unfortunately I don't think Will Craig has the frame, skill or speed to be retained beyond this season. I hope I'm proven wrong but have yet to see the potential he showed in Harold Matts & school footy.

- Unlike some others I was impressed with Tim & Noah Johannssen. Have to remember this has been Tim's 1st NRL pre-season & Noah's 1st senior pre-season, both will only get physically stronger. Noah made a couple of errors but at least he did so trying something. They are both big-minute workhorse type middles, not explosive impact middles like Kit Laulilii who also was impressive with his carries.

- After watching the NSW Cup trial from Saturday, I'd say Noah only got that last bench spot to replace Porter from Vaka Aho. Vaka is a stronger ball runner & in contact, so both give us some good middle depth & variety as the next two outside top 30 coming through.

That'll do for now.
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One more to add ... Tristan Hope was very good. I was surprised how good his defence & contact was for a smaller hooker utility type. Definitely worthy to retain on a season-long train-and-trial contract.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
One more to add ... Tristan Hope was very good. I was surprised how good his defence & contact was for a smaller hooker utility type. Definitely worthy to retain on a season-long train-and-trial contract.
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If I had the selectors hat on, Api and TDS would both be in the 17 with Hope having first shot at 9 in Cup.
 
pawsandclaws1 said:
He is not the finished product and he needs to work hard on this aspect of his game. The pace, that willingness to get involved and be there for the break and finishing is excellent.
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Agree he could be a real talent but fair dinkum you would think they would have put up a 1000 bombs during the off season for him to improve this maybe he just can't read the play yet.
 
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