Interesting Reading.

[NT_Tiger]

Stuff like this hasn't been helping either

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2020-braith-anasta-blows-up-over-bizarre-tigersroosters-captains-challenge-calls/news-story/741d634cf90d82cd055d61a2859b8790

Andrew McMurtry
@AndrewMcMurtry
August 22, 20206:48pm

The Sydney Roosters have opened up a 20-0 lead at halftime over the Wests Tigers but two controversial captain’s challenges have dominated the discussions of the first half.

The Roosters withstood a good start from the Tigers. But despite the huge injury toll when the Roosters get on a roll, they are almost unstoppable.

Three tries in the opening 20 minutes set the defending champions on a path to victory but two captain’s challenges have continued to bring the rule under scrutiny.

The rule has been contentious at best this year in its first season in the rule book but more baffling bunker decisions have left fans and commentators stunned.

While they aren’t the first this season or this round, former NRL star Braith Anasta was left baffled by the decisions.

In the 22nd minute, the Roosters appealed a knock on from a chip over the top with it appearing as though Tigers fullback Adam Doueihi knocked it back into the hand of Joseph Manu

Fox League commentator Anasta said “Doueihi has definitely knocked it back”.
Doueihi and Manu both touched the ball but it's hard to see how it was a double knock on.

Doueihi and Manu both touched the ball but it's hard to see how it was a double knock on

The commentators said it was Ashley Klein, who was in the box as the senior review official with video ref Ben Lowe, somehow coming up with the call of a double knock on, with the Roosters getting the ball back 10m out from their own line.

Anasta was stunned with Dan Ginnane adding “How can you argue that Doueihi lost that forward?”

“We’ve had some curious ones this weekend with captain’s challenges,” Ginnane added.

Anasta added: “I don’t know how they got that one.”

Bizarrely, it was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Rooster knocked on on the first tackle after the restart, but after the Tigers earned a penalty, a sloppy play led to another captain’s challenge just two minutes after the first.

An attempted run around from Benji Marshall saw the ball go to ground with the veteran racing to clean up before Manu made a tackle with the ball going to ground.

The Tigers’ Russell Packer picked up the ball with the referee ruling him off-side.
Joseph Manu hit the ball out of Benji Marshall's hands but it was ruled in the act of making a tackle.

Joseph Manu hit the ball out of Benji Marshall's hands but it was ruled in the act of making a tackle.

Anasta immediately called for the Tigers to review and said Manu had knocked it back.

But the ruling came back “Joseph Manu is making a tackle, the ball is lost forward by Benji Marshall”.

Anasta was again stunned.

“Am … am ….am I watching the same game?” he said. “He directly knocks it out. I can’t believe that.

“Is that horribly unlucky or a bad call? It was clean knocked out of his hands.”

Anasta wasn’t the only one baffled by the decision.

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russel Arnold took particularly pointed aim, tweeting: “Buls*** calls in favour of Roosters as usual

I really hope Maguire has taken this up with the NRL. Those calls ruined any momentum we had at those points in the game.

 

[Goanna57]

Besides the obvious answer of stats mean nothing (how come no one says that when Packer's stats are 15m runs) , I think it shows Maguire can coach consistency, ball-handling , tackling technique etc. He can't coach speed, class, or mental acuity. Other teams take advantage of our errors better than we do theirs.

Coach tackling technique really you were watching last nights game weren’t you

 

[NT_Tiger]

Goes to show stats mean nothing.

I can't recall the last time one of our players ran a decoy. Apparently by the stats they are all constant decoys.

What it shows is that there are positives in this crew, but Maguire needs to find the reason(s) for the deficit.

 

[Newtown]

Besides the obvious answer of stats mean nothing (how come no one says that when Packer's stats are 15m runs) , I think it shows Maguire can coach consistency, ball-handling , tackling technique etc. He can't coach speed, class, or mental acuity. Other teams take advantage of our errors better than we do theirs.

Unfortunately the stats show that we are not fast enough in the legs and in the head. How can a coach teach that with players in the team?

 

[jirskyr]

Ineffective tackles and conceded penalties...how often do we see us defend our mistakes? Not often. And that has really hurt us. Not putting shoulders into tackles and showing line speed in defence is attitude.

I agree, there are certain types of stats I think would be more illuminating, when the other indicators per CB are showing moderately positive:
- points conceded after error
- points conceded after 6-again call
- missed tackles leading to points
- missed or ineffective tackles inside our own 20
- poor set completions, e.g. kicks well short of the tryline
- lack of repeat sets

One of the trends of this year is we tend to win fairly well, so our points-for is up because of a few beltings handed out.

And it seems to be that in the new era of 6-again, the resilient teams are doing best, and the "unresilient" teams are struggling to put consecutive wins together.

For example watching Souths flog Manly and, Penrith flog Sharks this year, some teams - like Tigers - let the game get away from them and don't have the ability to wrestle it back. And 6-again seems to compound teams struggling with momentum.

Momentum has always been an issue for us, we struggle to keep it when we have it and take longer than other teams to get it back when the opposition has it. Last nights game flowed on momentum.

The bad captains challenge call - classic example

Agreed; it was a 50/50 call, disappointing, but we need to be able to defend the bad calls because they are always going to happen. The good teams, the contenders, they defend bad calls and don't allow them to be match-turners.

Roosters just seemed to punch a few up the middle, shift wide and score like it was training. And then all the 50/50s we needed to get the momentum back, like the ref's calls, went against us and we offered no other resilience.

 

[tig_prmz]

Stuff like this hasn't been helping either

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russel Arnold took particularly pointed aim, tweeting: “Buls*** calls in favour of Roosters as usual

WHAT! Didn't think a Lankan cricketer would be watching NRL and to this extent..

 

[coivtny]

Stuff like this hasn't been helping either

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russel Arnold took particularly pointed aim, tweeting: “Buls*** calls in favour of Roosters as usual

WHAT! Didn't think a Lankan cricketer would be watching NRL and to this extent..

Lives in Oz.