LIVE GAME Round 2 v Cowboys
- Thread starter Suzie-Q
- Start date
Live Game Discussion
I loved the niggle and aggression we had in our game on Saturday. Api, Luai, even Doueihi really giving to the Cowboys at times, especially Mahoney. Gave him some of his own medicine and he was off his game completely.
We don’t see it with our mob very often, we’re usually the ones on the wrong end of it, so I hope we can continue playing in this aggressive manner, whilst avoiding penalties of course. Walker and Mitchell are the perfect baits next weekend 😉
We don’t see it with our mob very often, we’re usually the ones on the wrong end of it, so I hope we can continue playing in this aggressive manner, whilst avoiding penalties of course. Walker and Mitchell are the perfect baits next weekend 😉
Holman Barnes #1 Fan
Well-known member
Finally got around to watching the replay. Samuela Fainu was insane. Him and Luai had the Cowboys right side all at sea. No more Tiny, so Makasini will be rounding off that edge. I feel like it could be one of the best edges in the comp. Once Masi builds his combo with them, it's going to be glorious.
Something huge I noticed which made a huge difference is that our players are finally getting back on side when Luai steps back inside to create. Last season so many of our guys were lazy and getting in the way. Quite a few of our creative opportunities came off Jarome stepping off his left foot, then someone running on the ball back on the inside. It gives you two bites at the play - an outside shift, then an inside shift if their defence covers it.
The Wests Tigers finally have a pulse. I am excited for 2026.
Something huge I noticed which made a huge difference is that our players are finally getting back on side when Luai steps back inside to create. Last season so many of our guys were lazy and getting in the way. Quite a few of our creative opportunities came off Jarome stepping off his left foot, then someone running on the ball back on the inside. It gives you two bites at the play - an outside shift, then an inside shift if their defence covers it.
The Wests Tigers finally have a pulse. I am excited for 2026.
upthetigers
Well-known member
Idk man it can go the other way with Trell and he has a blinder
Good point man...more.options
Great observation. Heard a lot of criticism of Luai’s form last year, and some of Api as well.
They are both guys who play unconventional ‘effort’ footy and other players need to be on their toes to keep up with them.
Jolls
Well-known member
One thing I think we, as supporters, need to keep reminding ourselves of is the importance of assessing what we’re actually seeing on the field rather than allowing the final result — whether it’s a win or a loss — to shape our entire interpretation of individual performances.
Wins have a funny way of smoothing over things that weren’t quite right, while losses can sometimes magnify issues that weren’t actually that significant. If we want to have quality footy discussions, we probably need to separate emotion from observation a little more and focus on the underlying performances.
A good example from the game is Fonua Pole.
Pole has been described in some places as underperforming, yet when you look at what he actually did in his minutes it tells a slightly different story. He played roughly 34 minutes and produced an output that was very similar to Sione Fainu, who played slightly longer minutes and has generally been spoken about as having had a strong game.
When you break it down, the combined output of Pole and Fainu in terms of run metres and post-contact metres actually exceeded what most of the other forward combinations produced. That’s exactly the role you want from middle rotation players — strong carries, generating momentum, and laying a platform.
Not every player in every game is going to be a 9/10 performance to the eye. Middle forwards especially can fall into that category because the work they do is often functional rather than flashy. But if they’re generating metres, winning contact and doing their share of defensive work, they’re doing their job. On that basis, Pole’s contribution was perfectly solid.
Another example where perception seems to have drifted away from reality a little is Adam Doueihi.
I’ve heard Doueihi’s performance described as “exceptional”, “elite”, and on one podcast even labelled a man-of-the-match performance with an "outstanding" kicking game.
Now, Doueihi did some good things in the match. His overall involvement was strong and he competed hard. But if we isolate the kicking game specifically — which is a critical responsibility for an NRL-level half — the performance itself was probably closer to above average.
From memory, he only genuinely found grass once with his kicks. Several of his longer kicks were too long or lacked the height needed to allow the chase to apply pressure. A few were also poorly directed, which meant the Cows had time to reset rather than being under pressure.
None of this is catastrophic — halves don’t execute perfectly every game — but the commentary around the performance has almost created the impression that he was orchestrating field position through precise kicking or landing multiple 40/20s. That simply wasn’t the case.
It’s a good reminder of how easily overall performance can become conflated with one particular skillset when we talk about games afterwards.
The third example that stood out to me was the wing–centre combination of Laulilii and Makasini.
A lot of people understandably focused on the couple of defensive moments where they were caught out, and those moments certainly happened. Inexperienced edge combinations will make mistakes — that’s part of the development process.
But what was interesting to watch was what happened after those moments.
Instead of continuing to make the same errors, the pair adjusted on the run. You could see them communicating more, shifting their positioning slightly and reading the play better as the game went on.
The intercept try that came later wasn’t just luck. It was the result of that adjustment and showed a pretty good level of problem-solving and footy IQ between the two of them.
New combinations will continue to make errors — and, at times, those errors will lead to points. That’s the reality of blooding young players. But if they’re demonstrating the ability to recognise problems and adapt during the game, that’s a very encouraging sign.
Given their experience level, I’d actually argue their performance as a centre-wing pairing was above average.
None of these observations are about defending or criticising any particular player. They’re simply examples of how our perception affects our analysis of the game.
If we take a step back and look at the underlying details — minutes played, role within the team, specific responsibilities, and how players respond during the match — we will end up with a more balanced and informative assessment.
And in the long run, that leads to a better understanding of our team and where we are headed. It also allows us to have better discussions as supporters.
Wins have a funny way of smoothing over things that weren’t quite right, while losses can sometimes magnify issues that weren’t actually that significant. If we want to have quality footy discussions, we probably need to separate emotion from observation a little more and focus on the underlying performances.
A good example from the game is Fonua Pole.
Pole has been described in some places as underperforming, yet when you look at what he actually did in his minutes it tells a slightly different story. He played roughly 34 minutes and produced an output that was very similar to Sione Fainu, who played slightly longer minutes and has generally been spoken about as having had a strong game.
When you break it down, the combined output of Pole and Fainu in terms of run metres and post-contact metres actually exceeded what most of the other forward combinations produced. That’s exactly the role you want from middle rotation players — strong carries, generating momentum, and laying a platform.
Not every player in every game is going to be a 9/10 performance to the eye. Middle forwards especially can fall into that category because the work they do is often functional rather than flashy. But if they’re generating metres, winning contact and doing their share of defensive work, they’re doing their job. On that basis, Pole’s contribution was perfectly solid.
Another example where perception seems to have drifted away from reality a little is Adam Doueihi.
I’ve heard Doueihi’s performance described as “exceptional”, “elite”, and on one podcast even labelled a man-of-the-match performance with an "outstanding" kicking game.
Now, Doueihi did some good things in the match. His overall involvement was strong and he competed hard. But if we isolate the kicking game specifically — which is a critical responsibility for an NRL-level half — the performance itself was probably closer to above average.
From memory, he only genuinely found grass once with his kicks. Several of his longer kicks were too long or lacked the height needed to allow the chase to apply pressure. A few were also poorly directed, which meant the Cows had time to reset rather than being under pressure.
None of this is catastrophic — halves don’t execute perfectly every game — but the commentary around the performance has almost created the impression that he was orchestrating field position through precise kicking or landing multiple 40/20s. That simply wasn’t the case.
It’s a good reminder of how easily overall performance can become conflated with one particular skillset when we talk about games afterwards.
The third example that stood out to me was the wing–centre combination of Laulilii and Makasini.
A lot of people understandably focused on the couple of defensive moments where they were caught out, and those moments certainly happened. Inexperienced edge combinations will make mistakes — that’s part of the development process.
But what was interesting to watch was what happened after those moments.
Instead of continuing to make the same errors, the pair adjusted on the run. You could see them communicating more, shifting their positioning slightly and reading the play better as the game went on.
The intercept try that came later wasn’t just luck. It was the result of that adjustment and showed a pretty good level of problem-solving and footy IQ between the two of them.
New combinations will continue to make errors — and, at times, those errors will lead to points. That’s the reality of blooding young players. But if they’re demonstrating the ability to recognise problems and adapt during the game, that’s a very encouraging sign.
Given their experience level, I’d actually argue their performance as a centre-wing pairing was above average.
None of these observations are about defending or criticising any particular player. They’re simply examples of how our perception affects our analysis of the game.
If we take a step back and look at the underlying details — minutes played, role within the team, specific responsibilities, and how players respond during the match — we will end up with a more balanced and informative assessment.
And in the long run, that leads to a better understanding of our team and where we are headed. It also allows us to have better discussions as supporters.
I’m one of the minority who like what Fonua Pole brings as I see his ball carries as always having good impact.
He looks to be still fine tuning his game, but I think he is an elite prop in waiting and it will not be long before he is considered amongst the top tier of NRL props.
Jolls
Well-known member
You are tight. As a prop Pole is a baby and from what I saw on the weekend is still under development as a starter. I could have thrown Hunt into the mix as well - his attacking stats and time was similar. His tackling output was lower - but without doing more of an analysis was that because he wasn't effective or just that he didn't have the opportunity because of the way the game was unfolding?
When you have our edges stand out and Twal/May are passing before the line, in and post contact what are the other middles supposed to do - there are only so many carries and so many opportunities. Our middles were solid without being outstanding - absolutely perfect for the situation.
Pole is still a work in progress, we need not be too worried about him.
On a tangent - who says you can't teach old dogs new trick. Twal with a passing game and fast feet at the line. Plodder? Not any more!
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In ball possession we now have one of the better forward packs across the NRL.
Defensive line speed and limiting our opponents from making too many metres is our problem area. If we can fix or keep improving that we will be dominating the field position in plenty of games this season.
It potentially means sacrificing one of our strong ball runners for someone smaller who tackles like a demon and can lead our defensive line speed for around 30mins each game.
Buttface
Well-known member
Is that the same Tuilagi that played for us?
Its rare to see kickers finding grass in the NRL these days...most fullbacks and wingers are too good and wide awake
I saw our line speed.at times disappear completely at times on Saturday
I also didnt initially have a problem with Poles game and i think hes an example.of what your talking about Jolls...like Mason ... and.plenty other before them, mud sticks but wasnt surprised to see criticism of him
Ive only watched the game once and.only checked the stats to look at Terrels time on the park along with Hunts...
I saw our line speed.at times disappear completely at times on Saturday
I also didnt initially have a problem with Poles game and i think hes an example.of what your talking about Jolls...like Mason ... and.plenty other before them, mud sticks but wasnt surprised to see criticism of him
Ive only watched the game once and.only checked the stats to look at Terrels time on the park along with Hunts...
Jolls
Well-known member
Get your point on finding the grass - I was using that as a way to show that his kicking game wasn't "elite" or "outstanding" which is what you would expect from those descriptions.
There is definitely a lot to work on for this week.
Tiger_Fanatic3
Well-known member
Tiger Stripes
Well-known member
The kicking game [outside red the zone] gives them 2 options IMO'
1) High enough and but not too deep, to allow a good chase and a chance to get the ball back, OR
2) Long and Low to the corners or grass. LONG and LOW between the wing and fullback and to the grass. This allows the ball to bounce along another 20m. This gives time for the defence to nail them well into their half and make them fight hard to get out of there. "Play the game in their half".
Watched a couple of the games over the weekend and the other NRL sides kicked the same as Doueihi.
Straight down the throat of the fullback or winger. Play starts again around the 30m mark. Soon they are back in our half looking to attack.
NO ONE kicks like Madden. Long and Low to the grass. It's got me puzzled why not?
Jolls
Well-known member
I think mainly it is a factor of the NRL back three being better positioned and probably quicker across the grass. Its not that is doesn't happen but a lot of the kicks have plenty of height and the chase arrives in time. The high ball causes issues for the catcher and if they get it right and land it on him he is trying to catch it from a standing start while the chasers have momentum.
It is a shame we didnt get to see Jock's kicking game agaisnt NRL level oppositon - I think he learnt a lot under Reynolds - who does find the grass more than most.
AD lacks control for mine - he can kick big but only knows roughly where it will go, whereas Jock identifies where he is kicking and hits the mark. If only we could graft the two players into 1!
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BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Family! plus look closely 'Where's Wally cough Denny' 😉
I think Maddens kicking wouldnt be as successful in a full blown NRL match
