Tom Shines
Well-known member
I’ll have a bet with you in 2027 … watch them sign some good players in the meantime
OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295
- Thread starter Spartan117
- Start date
I’ll have a bet with you in 2027 … watch them sign some good players in the meantime
The problem is this can make sense for forwards and outside backs.
The halves and spine are essentially your system. So when you're paying big bucks to these guys, they should be improving others around them, and at the very least, performing themselves.
Koroisau might not have made those around him better, but at least he can hold his head up high and say he's been arguably the best club level hooker since joining even in a weak team.
Luai's regressed as a player and hasn't done much to make anyone around him noticably better.
Anyone who has ever played senior football in the halves know that if your forwards aren’t dominant and getting over the advantage line your job is near impossible.
With our forward pack we have
API & T.May as genuine NRL starters
S.Fainu still needs bulking up to be a genuine starter
KPP coming next year to be a starter.
Twal is a good bench player to keep the defence tight when required.
Sione.Fainu & Pole both still learning their trade and are promising as bench middles with Twal at this point.
Luai’s job won’t get any easier until we get at least another strike front rower and a damaging lock forward hopefully for next year.
With our forward pack we have
API & T.May as genuine NRL starters
S.Fainu still needs bulking up to be a genuine starter
KPP coming next year to be a starter.
Twal is a good bench player to keep the defence tight when required.
Sione.Fainu & Pole both still learning their trade and are promising as bench middles with Twal at this point.
Luai’s job won’t get any easier until we get at least another strike front rower and a damaging lock forward hopefully for next year.
And made about 5 crucial errors that when on the front foot could of kept us in the contest.
Jolls
Well-known member
Melbourne showed the way to overcome our width and we have been plagued with it since perhaps. We simply aren't adapting well enough.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
They didn’t do anything against Melbourne… other than defend …poorly …
Tom Shines
Well-known member
So now the excuse is we made errors ?
Batmans Parents
Well-known member
Yeah I remember that shitstorm and the infamous ‘Tiger Sharks’ BS that came with it.
I hate saying it because I want Benji to succeed but there’s a hint of Boys Club 2 developing. Family is obviously important but at the end of the day, we’re a professional sports team first (allegedly) and the goal is to win.
That’s my excuse. We were thrashed I feel wholly and solely however there were chances and we crushed them on the spot and that could have made the game far tighter. Still if the objective is to win a tight game at the death we haven’t shown any aptitude to be able to achieve that this year.
But if our base going into next year is to remain in the contest for the whole of the match then we can work on the polish to get over the line. Most of the time that comes with a bit of an upgrade in the top 13.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Your entitled to have that opinion of course
Personally I’m focused on this season still and trying to finish strong
Let me tell you ,,,im really disappointed with the style they have chosen to play these past 2 months or so …very up the middle and conservative one out, when they we’re having some success out wide with Toa and Turuva and even Skelton before he was injured ,,, …
I think this suits most opponents as they prefer to play us in a grinding style, as we have smaller forwards and get dominated at the ruck …we also tend to lose most of these tight games as you have highlighted…
Tim Sheens
Well-known member
We all know that answer, and it is why Benji still has a decent chance of continuing his role next season.
I am willing to be the tigers finish above the bears in 2027
On paper we are a lot bigger and better than what the Bulldogs currently have as their middles and look how they are going compared to us ?
But guess what they have plenty of genuine strike on their edges and regularly play expansive to use them and stop their opponents from condensing their defence and bashing them through the middle in the process.
I think Jolls has touched on the halves also having a responsibility to make this type of game plan work, even when the opposition are demonstrating very quick line speed and trying to prevent it from happening.
They only haven’t watch To’a for 5mins before realising he’s limping around like a crippled and it’s been a similar story for Sanuela Fainu most weeks also.
Sukkar so far very rarely gets out of 2nd gear, so has not yet shown to be a genuine threat to the opposition and Douehi although doing a few good things is not really a centre and he says that himself.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
what about the Warriors who they actually played ?
I’m actually talking the whole forward pack..so include the edges and bench
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
More than a hint. It’s ingrained. I’m surprised Ryan hasn’t come back.
It’s each of one way, half a dozen of another. You could say we played more expansive in the first half of the year. The one difference was having Lachie Galvin in the side, is it a coincidence that the side isn’t playing as add hoc as it did starting the season without him?
Another factor that is overlooked often when fans are hoping for an improved season is that the Premiership is won at the end of the year. The teams that are there when the whips are cracking are less concerned with winning early and more concerned with building a winning style that wins late. Our style in my opinion hasn’t changed from round 1 except for the fact we no longer have a 2nd fullback in our side (the roaming role that LG did so frequently). You can sit through the two Warriors games from this year to see that. In both games we were dominated in the ruck and played off the back foot and made the best of our rare opportunities when presented. This round though we made far more errors then we did in round 4. But we still play pretty much up and down for a kick and shift late and flat with little to no depth.
Here’s a photo I took from my TV when one of the Warriors tries were scored.
You can see how much shape they set and how many options they present to the line. Look at their runners and our numbers opposite. That’s Latu alone and To’a outside him.
The point is if a rival team is condensing their defence, bashing us through the middle and we have a pop gun kicking game struggling to make us 40m why would you keep running the ball one out through the middle ?
I reckon I have the answer, it’s because we do not currently have the players with speed, power or ability to make it any better if we play expansive and use our edges more regularly.
As you have touched on many times, Samuela Fainu and Starford To’a have both shown they have a bit of x-factor about them, but more often than not are limping around looking like they couldn’t run out of sight in a dark tunnel,
Yes we can’t count or be confident enough to tackle our opponents 1 on 1 either, that’s another problem to add to the list.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
They actually should have won that first game against the Warriors …that was the most disappointing loss of the season in some ways…they were the better team… they were no hope this week… I’ll agree to disagree about the styles … although the first game is not still exactly fresh in my mind
Tim Sheens
Well-known member
If you got from A to B in that time frame, including packing, land transport, check-in, flight, baggage, and further land transport, sure, but travel doesn't work that way.
Uprooting families is a different story, though once one chooses to move say 100km, whether it is a further 1,000 or 4,000km makes little difference, particularly if the NRL is making allowances to help set the Perth team up.
