Focus on defence set to bring rewards

[Guest]

Courtesy of the official Wests Tigers website:

Focus on defence set to bring rewards
Wayne Cousins

Wednesday 27 February 2013 6:18 PM

Wests Tigers prop Aaron Woods is confident the heavy focus on defence during the pre-season will bring rewards later in the year.

The City Origin rep prop says new Head Coach Mick Potter had spent a lot of time working on the team’s defensive structure.

“There have been some pretty long and tough sessions which have been good. Hopefully it will pay off when it counts,’’ Woods said.

“We did a massive amount of defensive work before we even touched a ball at training.

“There will always be a bit of flair when you have got blokes like Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah in your side. Mick hasn’t stopped us from playing footy but we are just focusing more on defence.

“We want to be known as a team where the opposition knows they are in for a tough game instead of thinking we will go through their forwards as they are a bit weak.

“We have really knuckled down in the pre-season and want to work hard on our defence throughout the season.

“If we focus more on our defence, the attack will come.”

Woods has been working hard in rehab following a knee operation last week.

“I’m still looking at returning in round 2 or 3\. If round 1 comes, it is a bonus,’’ he said.
Woods also said the experience of new recruit Braith Anasta has been invaluable.

“Braith is good to have around at the Club. When you are doing drills, you don’t realise until you finish how much he talks,’’ he said.

“It is unbelievable. It is something we have been lacking and his experience is vital for us.”

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[innsaneink]

They couldnt have timed this story more poorly if they tried

 

[pHyR3]

Why? Defence was alright on saturday, just think back to tigers vs eels, up 31-0, final score 31-30\. against the spooners.

 

[innsaneink]

Why? Defence was alright on saturday, just think back to tigers vs eels, up 31-0, final score 31-30\. against the spooners.

Why?
Why you may well ask….the answers in the article:

“We want to be known as a team where the opposition knows they are in for a tough game instead of thinking we will go through their forwards as they are a bit weak.

The rooster went straight through us, we were weak

 

[cktiger]

It didn't help our defence that Woods was missing but ink is right - we still took a beating up the middle.
Hope we get it together soon or will be a looooong season.

 

[alexaki]

I'm not reading too much into preseason form…I'm hearing all the rhetoric about how we are focusing on D(and boy do we need to)...however based on what I saw last weekend....we have alot of work still to do...we just dont seem to have mongrel in our forward pack....

 

[snowleopard]

Ink - The rooster went straight through us, we were weak

Spot on Ink..and it was worse watching the game live…they out muscled us and out enthused us..and we are supposed to be a team competing for positions. Given the roster on the day I can understand the out muscled bit..but the attitude in defence to me was no different from 2012

 

[pHyR3]

Why? Defence was alright on saturday, just think back to tigers vs eels, up 31-0, final score 31-30\. against the spooners.

Why?
Why you may well ask….the answers in the article:

“We want to be known as a team where the opposition knows they are in for a tough game instead of thinking we will go through their forwards as they are a bit weak.

The rooster went straight through us, we were weak

I never said out defence was AMAZING but it wasn't atrocious. The chooks didn't go 'through' us they just battered us backwards through greater strength and ferocity in the forwards. Different to us having bad defence, we were outmuscled rather than poorly defended.

Wasn't perfect defence, we can definitely do better. But compared the the shambles that was the tiger's defence in 2012, it was better.

 

[innsaneink]

You clearly dont understand the ruck

Defence isnt ''alright'' when youre conceding 5 tries

 

[PYMBLEPETE]

You clearly dont understand the ruck

Defence isnt ''alright'' when youre conceding 5 tries

One try was a bomb to a short arse winger - no ruck issue there
One try was Farah throwing a wild pass and a speedy centre sprinting away - no ruck issue there
One try was a rusty Fulton missing a tackle (out wide) in a confused defensive line with first choice centre missing - you can claim what you like but I dont think it was the ruck.

They came through us twice by my reckoning; hardly the end of the world.

 

[TIGER]

Not saying our defence is great but, I think our attack over the last few years hasn't been what people think it is. For some reason were known as a great attacking team, I don't think we are, we used to be and that has stuck in the heads of RL supporters.
Yes our defence needs work but I don't think you'll hear any team in the comp say they're defence doesn't need work.
Our attack needs work! I'm sick of hearing the line "having guys like Benji and Robbie in the side the attack looks after itself"
I say BS to that our attack has been poor the last few seasons especially inside 20 we look lost, void of ideas, unable to build pressure with repeat sets. Another example of our attack being poor is not being able to finish teams off (this is a big problem) we have them on the ropes but can't deliver the knockout punch its frustrating and it costs us big time because we usually lose these games by only
a few points.

 

[851]

You clearly dont understand the ruck

Defence isnt ''alright'' when youre conceding 5 tries

One try was a bomb to a short arse winger - no ruck issue there
One try was Farah throwing a wild pass and a speedy centre sprinting away - no ruck issue there
One try was a rusty Fulton missing a tackle (out wide) in a confused defensive line with first choice centre missing - you can claim what you like but I dont think it was the ruck.

They came through us twice by my reckoning; hardly the end of the world.

Bang on Pete,plus half the side had a gastro bug,we are not going as bad as Ink would like it known.

 

[Demonborger]

You could claim the four consecutive penalties and the 70m set leading to their second try could be somewhat illustrative of our ruck defense failing.

But i agree with pymblepete in that a lot of our problems are with our playmakers and the gap between our centres and backrowers.

 

[Demonborger]

Not saying our defence is great but, **I think our attack over the last few years hasn't been what people think it is.** For some reason were known as a great attacking team, I don't think we are, we used to be and that has stuck in the heads of RL supporters.
Yes our defence needs work but I don't think you'll hear any team in the comp say they're defence doesn't need work.
Our attack needs work! I'm sick of hearing the line "having guys like Benji and Robbie in the side the attack looks after itself"
I say BS to that our attack has been poor the last few seasons especially inside 20 we look lost, void of ideas, unable to build pressure with repeat sets. Another example of our attack being poor is not being able to finish teams off (this is a big problem) we have them on the ropes but can't deliver the knockout punch its frustrating and it costs us big time because we usually lose these games by only
a few points.

THIS. Our attack inside the 20 has been horrible since Lui left, when he was here he'd often take pressure off the heavily marked marshall and farah and be the first player to create points, a classic example was his try in the manly game at Gosford in 2011\. Even with Lui it wasn't the most effective attack but still a lot better than it has been 2012 to now.

Tuqiri, Lawrence and Dywer injuries have all hurt our running options a lot. Loss of Ellis at his prime has also taken from us a power runner (he didn't score many but he kept defenders busy to create openings in later plays. Tuiaki's injury was also a massive blow for our attack inside the 20.

This is why i think Teddy is a must for our team, his play looks able to score plenty of points inside the 20 and outside the 20\. Moltzen was our only finisher last year (ok beau was good at the start of year and koro came at the end) and his support play is pretty poor.

I disagree about repeat sets though, we're actually one of the better teams at that, but we do nothing with them because we fail to penetrate the defensive line as much as we should.

 

[happy_tiger]

You clearly dont understand the ruck

Defence isnt ''alright'' when youre conceding 5 tries

One try was a bomb to a short arse winger - no ruck issue there
One try was Farah throwing a wild pass and a speedy centre sprinting away - no ruck issue there
One try was a rusty Fulton missing a tackle (out wide) in a confused defensive line with first choice centre missing - you can claim what you like but I dont think it was the ruck.

They came through us twice by my reckoning; hardly the end of the world.

Bang on Pete,plus half the side had a gastro bug,we are not going as bad as Ink would like it known.

Got agree with Ink , not the five tries though We were totally dominated in the ruck for 65 minutes and if that happens most weeks , we are going to get our butts handed to us on a plate every time it happens

The gastro bug , yes they may have been sick but you still have to show up to play I'm sick of hearing excuses / reasons from this group , its time to man up and walk the walk not talk the talk

Heard that crap for far too many years

Shut up and play tough football every week and let your ACTIONS speak for once

No more or no less

 

[innsaneink]

It ALL starts with the ruck….the tries conceded are an indirect result
You hear it week in week out, its as plain as the nose on your face.....lose the ruck lose the game
Getting dominated in defense is almost as bad as conceding line breaks every tackle...you might make that tackle but theyve played the ball on making meteres before the D is set, your defense is on the back foot and their attack is on a roll and its like a snowball effect, very hard to stop - If our defense dominates theyre kicking to a winger or f/back on the last, not putting in attacking plays and scoring
Anyway, an article about what they want to do 5 days after they didnt do it is pretty damned pathetic imo

 

[pHyR3]

It's far better than last year mate. I bet our defensive stats are better than last years by round 26.

 

[Goose]

There is some doomsdayers on here, when we pumped Parra, it meant nothing it was a trial, when we lost to the Roosters it highlighted all our deficiencies, cant have it both ways.

The trials matter or they dont…

 

[tigersrule4life]

Hopefully we start showing improved defence this year.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

They couldnt have timed this story more poorly if they tried

you would of hoped that they thought about this before the roosters match.