"Best" team selections are useless

F

Footy_Head_Goodness

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Picking our "Best" team is pointless. Any coach worth his weight in salt should be looking at finer details like you would in other parts of life.

You need to look at whats in front of you. In sport, thats your opponent. Its all well and good to say we know our game plan with our best players and if we do that we are a good chance at winning, but reality is our "Best" 17 should vary each week depending on who we are playing. Some weeks we should be muscling up the pack and others maybe going with a lighter, more mobile outfit.

Players temperament should also factor. Its one thing to say that each player should be at their best regardless of the conditions but some players are better than others in wet weather, night football, home or away games, playing after flying, playing with 5/6/7/8/9 or 10 day turn arounds or a bye, playing with slight injuries etc etc etc. The list could go on and on.

A coach needs to know that if someone hates flying, doesnt play as well away from home and isnt great after a long turn around, then that player, who would usually be in the line up might not be as suitable for this game as a player who is usually our 18, 19 or 20th man.

There are so many things to consider and I dont think some teams, including the Tigers, do this analysis of an upcoming match well enough to put our best 17 on the field for whatever situation we are facing for the weekend.
 
Picking our "Best" team is pointless. Any coach worth his weight in salt should be looking at finer details like you would in other parts of life.
>
You need to look at whats in front of you. In sport, thats your opponent. Its all well and good to say we know our game plan with our best players and if we do that we are a good chance at winning, but reality is our "Best" 17 should vary each week depending on who we are playing. Some weeks we should be muscling up the pack and others maybe going with a lighter, more mobile outfit.
>
Players temperament should also factor. Its one thing to say that each player should be at their best regardless of the conditions but some players are better than others in wet weather, night football, home or away games, playing after flying, playing with 5/6/7/8/9 or 10 day turn arounds or a bye, playing with slight injuries etc etc etc. The list could go on and on.
>
A coach needs to know that if someone hates flying, doesnt play as well away from home and isnt great after a long turn around, then that player, who would usually be in the line up might not be as suitable for this game as a player who is usually our 18, 19 or 20th man.
>
There are so many things to consider and I dont think some teams, including the Tigers, do this analysis of an upcoming match well enough to put our best 17 on the field for whatever situation we are facing for the weekend.

Good post and interesting thoughts but if thats the key why aren't teams like the Storm and Dragons doing that?
 
I can see your point but I think to do this has a few issues to consider:
1\. We only have a squad of 25 and with a salary cap that is so low that a team like the Tigers realistically only can pay the top 20 players a decent salary, therefore you are left with a situation where not all players in the squad are intechangable.
2\. Combinations start to get lost when the player next to you each week is different, so many combinations on the field gel and develop as a season progresses and this wouldnt be possible if the team changes regularly.
3\. And finally I think that it complicates things too much and lets face it, Rugby League isn't a complicated game, it is about combinations, commitment and execution.
 
I agree to a degree. Last weekend it was really hot so we should have had 4 forwards on the bench becuase the forwards were always gonna get tired quicker and an extra forward would have meant they get a bit more rest, or atleast one of them. Not too sure about the day/night, home/away thing and the flying thing though LOL.
 
Well I think the top teams wouldn't chop and change because essentially they are the benchmark of the competition.
I also believe coaches rarely have that luxury as injuries and suspensions rarely allow a complete squad to be available for selection.
Combinations as mentioned above is also important.
 
@helmesy said:
Picking our "Best" team is pointless. Any coach worth his weight in salt should be looking at finer details like you would in other parts of life.
>
You need to look at whats in front of you. In sport, thats your opponent. Its all well and good to say we know our game plan with our best players and if we do that we are a good chance at winning, but reality is our "Best" 17 should vary each week depending on who we are playing. Some weeks we should be muscling up the pack and others maybe going with a lighter, more mobile outfit.
>
Players temperament should also factor. Its one thing to say that each player should be at their best regardless of the conditions but some players are better than others in wet weather, night football, home or away games, playing after flying, playing with 5/6/7/8/9 or 10 day turn arounds or a bye, playing with slight injuries etc etc etc. The list could go on and on.
>
A coach needs to know that if someone hates flying, doesnt play as well away from home and isnt great after a long turn around, then that player, who would usually be in the line up might not be as suitable for this game as a player who is usually our 18, 19 or 20th man.
>
There are so many things to consider and I dont think some teams, including the Tigers, do this analysis of an upcoming match well enough to put our best 17 on the field for whatever situation we are facing for the weekend.

Good post and interesting thoughts but if thats the key why aren't teams like the Storm and Dragons doing that?
Click to expand...

Probably because their top 17 are usually good enough to win games regardless but maybe if they did they would win by more :slight_smile:

I see what people are saying about combinations and that is true, but if 1 combination is rubbish in the wet then maybe its better to break that combination on a wet track so they dont carry a bad game into the next dry track
game.
 
While If you had a 50 man NFL style roster with 2-3 players at each position,
your analysis maybe correct.

It is up to the coach & the medical staff to make sure the players are focused and at 100% during games.

You have your strongest 17 & that should be able to produce against what ever is thrown in front of them.
 
@alien said:
I agree to a degree. Last weekend it was really hot so we should have had 4 forwards on the bench becuase the forwards were always gonna get tired quicker and an extra forward would have meant they get a bit more rest, or atleast one of them. Not too sure about the day/night, home/away thing and the flying thing though LOL.
Click to expand...

Some country lads dont like the sky :slight_smile: Poor little flying sickness fellas then need to play dehidrated :slight_smile:
 
I think its bollocks.
Most teams that win comps also use the least players throughout the season.

I'd like to know which players play better at home than they do away, and also which play better at night or day as opposed to day or night…and most specifically - _WHY_?
 
I always thought Scott Minto was a vampire and played wel at night as he wasn't encumbered by 4kg of sunblock.

But thats just my theory
 
@innsaneink said:
I think its bollocks.
Most teams that win comps also use the least players throughout the season.

I'd like to know which players play better at home than they do away, and also which play better at night or day as opposed to day or night…and most specifically - _WHY_?
Click to expand...

Yessssssssssss,Its seems bollocksie to me too.

Apologies to the feller who gave a rant extraordinare.
 
@innsaneink said:
I think its bollocks.
Most teams that win comps also use the least players throughout the season.

I'd like to know which players play better at home than they do away, and also which play better at night or day as opposed to day or night…and most specifically - _WHY_?
Click to expand...

I can just imagine these night specialists anxiously waiting for the upcoming games to be released.

"Sunday arvo? Oh man!"
 
Bring back the bootpolish….that will fix them.....

I mean look how Beau Ryan winger goes at night....
 
@innsaneink said:
I think its bollocks.
Most teams that win comps also use the least players throughout the season.

I'd like to know which players play better at home than they do away, and also which play better at night or day as opposed to day or night…and most specifically - _WHY_?
Click to expand...

I agree with that.

But one thing the original poster reminder me off is this, i think Sheens needs to be more versatile in his tactics. Thats where we need to play the horses for courses theory. I have no doubt our tactics vary depending on who we are playing, but overall, we pretty much stick to the same thing every week. I cant remember a game where our tactics drastically changed, can any of you?

U see other teams play completely different depending on who they are playing, we dont seem to do that.

Live by the sword, die by the sword i guess, i wonder how sharp that sword is getting?
 
You play a game plan to suit conditions to the best of your ability.

It reminds me of a game at Telsra I think in 04 or 05 against the chooks, it was freezing & blowing a gale and Sheens instructions were ''no long passes''.
So what did Liam do?
 
I can't remember…what did he do?

Had a blinder....

BTW agree on least best players being used to win comps....
 
Yeah scored a try off the next set when we got the kick off back.

Cold day
 
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