Grinding out a win

[Tim Sheens]

I was really impressed with the way we approached the game tonight. You could see the resolve on their faces when we were taking the two points on offer a few times, as it showed they were ready to dig deep and grind out a tough win.

Josh Aloiai has raised the bar a lot higher over the last couple of matches.

 

[stevetiger]

Aloiai is a gun. We needed another backrower to step it up this year and he has done it.

 

[WestsSupporter]

Without Farah we looked able.

Sorry, I had to do it.

 

[newtiger]

Aloiai took another step up tonight, and he is only 20 BIG future ahead hope he stays a Tiger.

 

[stevetiger]

Without Farah we looked able.

Sorry, I had to do it.

I know you did. Backing up JT is more important to you than winning games. Robbie should be there. He is so much better than Halatau and I rate Halatau.

 

[avocadoontoast]

I was really impressed with the way we approached the game tonight. You could see the resolve on their faces when we were taking the two points on offer a few times, as it showed they were ready to dig deep and grind out a tough win.

Josh Aloiai has raised the bar a lot higher over the last couple of matches.

I thought we were absolutely dreadful.

 

[NT_Tiger]

Grinding out a win? Hmmm smells like taylorball.

 

[NT_Tiger]

I was really impressed with the way we approached the game tonight. You could see the resolve on their faces when we were taking the two points on offer a few times, as it showed they were ready to dig deep and grind out a tough win.

Josh Aloiai has raised the bar a lot higher over the last couple of matches.

I thought we were absolutely dreadful.

In what way? We won. Did we win dreadfully?

 

[avocadoontoast]

I was really impressed with the way we approached the game tonight. You could see the resolve on their faces when we were taking the two points on offer a few times, as it showed they were ready to dig deep and grind out a tough win.

Josh Aloiai has raised the bar a lot higher over the last couple of matches.

I thought we were absolutely dreadful.

In what way? We won. Did we win dreadfully?

Yes.

 

[NT_Tiger]

Please explain

 

[stevetiger]

Grinding out a win? Hmmm smells like taylorball.

No Taylorball is losing footy. It's all about losing games. We won tonight. I hope you can see the difference.

To be fair we did win a game or two via Taylorball but it still felt like a loss because we were so ordinary.

 

[innsaneink]

Momentum a funny thing. We started slow, then went bang bang… Next thing 14-2.
Looked like we may cut-our f/a right back, but we let them back into it... Half time it's anyone's game.
I thought we were gone... We looked spent... Running out of puff.... But we've been here before and weathered the storm.
A good tough effort

 

[clokan]

I thought we were pretty average, certainly got the rub of the green. It helped get us across the line, that and the Eels attack being pretty ordinary. Nevertheless, we got the two points

 

[NT_Tiger]

Grinding out a win? Hmmm smells like taylorball.

No Taylorball is losing footy. It's all about losing games. We won tonight. I hope you can see the difference.

To be fair we did win a game or two via Taylorball but it still felt like a loss because we were so ordinary.

No, Taylorball lost us games but it was about learning to grind out a game, knowing when to make the switch from free flow to grind. WT did it well tonight with Moses in control. See the difference?

 

[Knuckles]

Good win … Against a committed opposition who scrambled well.

 

[stevetiger]

Grinding out a win? Hmmm smells like taylorball.

No Taylorball is losing footy. It's all about losing games. We won tonight. I hope you can see the difference.

To be fair we did win a game or two via Taylorball but it still felt like a loss because we were so ordinary.

No, Taylorball lost us games but it was about learning to grind out a game, knowing when to make the switch from free flow to grind. WT did it well tonight with Moses in control. See the difference?

I get it but I don't think you do. Taylorball lost us games because it was dumb. It's that simple. I understand that you really want it to be the right thing to do but it wasn't. It's called a mistake. JT has made a mistake not playing Robbie as well.

When JT gets it right I give him credit. When he gets it wrong you should state that as well.

 

[NT_Tiger]

Yes Taylorball was dumb from the perspective of winning each game. I saw it as lessons in game control for young halves, and I stated that at the time. From my perspective, those lessons are now paying off. Call it a mistake if you choose. I don't think so.

 

[southerntiger]

Grinding out a win? Hmmm smells like taylorball.

No Taylorball is losing footy. It's all about losing games. We won tonight. I hope you can see the difference.

To be fair we did win a game or two via Taylorball but it still felt like a loss because we were so ordinary.

No, Taylorball lost us games but it was about learning to grind out a game, knowing when to make the switch from free flow to grind. WT did it well tonight with Moses in control. See the difference?

I get it but I don't think you do. Taylorball lost us games because it was dumb. It's that simple. I understand that you really want it to be the right thing to do but it wasn't. It's called a mistake. JT has made a mistake not playing Robbie as well.

When JT gets it right I give him credit. When he gets it wrong you should state that as well.

Steve, JT made it clear he needed the boys to learn the basics first so they always had that when the flair didnt work. In schoolboys and junior football, you generally win games on natural ability. NRL is very different. Brooks and Moses because of their quick elevation to firsts (don't forget the other JT played from the bench in his first two years of firsts grade_ and the fact they were both young halves coming through together, did not have the basic structures in their game. They instinctively went for the championship play every set.

Rightly or wrongly, JT felt that the forced grind (or Taylorball) as you call it, would reap long term rewards. He made it very clear at the beginning of last year that fans should expect it to be ugly before it got better.

Like you, Im not convinced it was necessary but I must say Moses and (to a lesser extent) Brooks look far more complete footballers than 12 months ago. I suspect Taylorball had a lot to do with that.

Slightly off topic, Moses kicking game has been immense this year. I certainly don't miss Benji's 30 metre balloon kicks.

 

[stevetiger]

Like you Im not convinced it was necessary but I must say Moses and (to a lesser extent) Brooks look far more complete footballers than 12 months ago.

Honestly I think it was so dumb it isn't funny and one of the reasons we are winning more games is because that style of play has disappeared. I think that if anything that style of play halted these guys learning process.

I do give JT credit though for dropping that style of footy.

 

[southerntiger]

Like you Im not convinced it was necessary but I must say Moses and (to a lesser extent) Brooks look far more complete footballers than 12 months ago.

Honestly I think it was so dumb it isn't funny and one of the reasons we are winning more games is because that style of play has disappeared. I think that if anything that style of play halted these guys learning process.

I do give JT credit though for dropping that style of footy.

It hasn't stopped. Thats what your missing. We now revert to it depending upon how the game is flowing. We no longer rely on momentum and trick shots to win us games.