At least something sort of positive came out of the weekend for our club.
Just some random notes after watching the game on delay ...
- Solomone Saukuru had a huge game with some barnstoming runs, 2 tries, 1 or 2 try assist & generally strong in defence.
- We were 4-22 down after 22 mins with Dragon scoring from 2 kicks & another off what should have been a forward pass.
- We got back into the game when Josese Lanyon came on at lock & Shaq Tavita and Leni Plati were our middles. Lanyon offers so much at lock, he's quick, good step, good link play, smart and was good in defence today.
- Was awesome to see Tavita put Lanyon into a hole with a nice short ball, Lanyon beats a defender draws fullback and passes back to big Tavita who scores.
- Jared Haywood looked classy again at dummyhalf and showed his IQ with brilliant grubber behind the line for Leatigaga to score a try and ultimamely level the game with Tavana's conversion.
- Thought Broederlow was poor today with as couple of uncharacteristic handling errors and on the flip side Godinet looked really strong in his brief 15 min stint at the end.
- We don't know what contract Will Craig signed this week but today's performance once again highlighted his deficiencies. He did have a good yardage run which contributed to a try later that set but he dropped a simple long kick no pressure early, was out-contested in an aerial contest for a Dragons try, jammed in unnecessarily when Dragons scored from the overlap and missed a sitter goal kick just to the right of the uprights (which ultimately proved costly).
- On the positive, Logan Brookes is building nicely in this grade. Was really impressed with a length-of-the-field cover tackle effort play, unfortunately Dragons scored next play.
- Saukuru & Lanyon were best for mine whilst Tavita, Plati & Maataale were strong up the guts and Brookes & Haywood classy.