How good is it to see....

[Tuiaki_Chicken_Wings]

Must say Woodsy and his passing game before the line has been impressive this year. Putting some great balls onto the forwards just before the line. But two weeks in there are positive signs which is a great for a change. I hope that we can keep this going and we stay strong come the back end of the season.

 

[Chadman_s_Ghost]

If you go back over last season, pretty sure you'll find that there was a lot of effort from the players despite the results.

Yes, there were a couple of guys playing as if they were not 100% happy with things, but by & large, the squad didn't just turn it in as they had previous seasons.

This year, that same effort appears to be there, but now the players seem refreshed & enjoying themselves.

Put it down to whatever you want. Personally I think Taylor is more comfortable with this group of players. Obviously he has had a greater hand in putting the team together. And his signings so far have looked astute. All this on a shoe-string budget too.

There are a lot of fingers pointed to the easing of the shackles on Brooks & Moses as the reason things are going well so far. Fair enough. But for the most part this team is running harder & defending more resolutely.

Structures appear to be in place. No the team is opening up a bit.

I've been very reluctant to put the boot into Taylor because we saw this team trying despite the lack of success. Now I'm hoping to sing his praises if this team comes together better in all aspects of the game.

Don't kid yourselves. What JT said all along was right- you must have a strong basis on defence in the NRL. Wests Tigers did not have that. They seem much better now.

And results are following.

 

[Tigerdon]

Was good to see us comprehensively win utilising 16 men.

Just like the week before,
although this week it was forced on us and Lovett/Ava stepped up and played longer minutes than usual. Lawrence didn't stop all game.
Good to see Woods, Grant and Sue aren't bother by the extra work load.

 

[JNR008]

Two good wins - last night in particular was a really terrific team effort. Like others here, I also think we leak too many easy points allowing teams back into the game. This is bound to hurt us against the better sides when mistakes will be seized upon and cost us dearly.

Cheap penalties, not getting up in the play the ball area after making a tackle, wingers tending to drift in off their man and some individuals just switching off at crucial times in defense - these seem to be the main problems. The good thing is that they seem know it and are working to improve it.

Two great aspects from last night's game - firstly, our forwards taking the ball up at pace and hitting the line with speed and intent throughout the whole game, and secondly how slick our backs looked. The whole team put in a great performance and it was great to see them so pumped up and happy!

I also thought Taylor got the interchanges right - IMO we looked a far better team with Halatau at dummy half than Cherrington. Dene was far better in defense and our attack seemed to roll better when he was on the field. Yet to be seen whether Robbie's style will help or hamper our current attacking momentum.

If this is how we can play without Farah, then the Origin period may not be such a a write off for us in 2016.

 

[JNR008]

Was good to see us comprehensively win utilising 16 men.

Just like the week before,
although this week it was forced on us and Lovett/Ava stepped up and played longer minutes than usual. Lawrence didn't stop all game.
Good to see Woods, Grant and Sue aren't bother by the extra work load.

While I have previously been critical of Lovett, I will pay credit that he made a big effort last night. A couple of defensive lapses, but overall it was not bad from him. He just needs to realise that he is big enough and mobile enough to bend the defensive line back much more than he does. Maybe channel some Tim Grant into his hit ups. Don't stop once you hit the line, carry those defenders with you for an extra few metres. Keep on improving, good work.

 

[InBenjiWeTrust]

If this is how we can play without Farah, then the Origin period may not be such a a write off for us in 2016.

Probably we can manage without Farah, but replacing Tedesco and Woods is totally different story.

 

[JNR008]

If this is how we can play without Farah, then the Origin period may not be such a a write off for us in 2016.

Probably we can manage without Farah, but replacing Tedesco and Woods is totally different story.

Yes agreed, that will be tough.
Then what to do when they want to borrow the other half of our spine in the coming seasons?

 

[Newtown]

It certainly seems to be a very happy, positive team.

 

[851]

Tim Grant has been great for us, really hits the line hard, sets the platform for the other forwards to follow.

 

[hammertime]

Just think that this year we are actually struggling with backended deals on cap! It's a thin year. The depth recruitment was top notch.

If Robbie leaves next year and we can keep the team plus sign another marquee…. Well... It's going to be looking good.