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OFFENCE PUTTING DEFENCE UNDER PRESSURE
By Wayne Cousins
5/04/2012 6:42:04 PM
Tim Sheens says offensive mistakes and penalties are putting the Wests Tigers team under too much pressure after five rounds of the Telstra Premiership.
“Our offence is putting our defence under pressure. We are having to do too many tackles,’’ Sheens said.
“We are tempting and making over 350 tackles a game which is more than you need to be doing. It has been caused by a lack of possession. We have to work harder on that.
“We have led the first halves because we have been pretty disciplined and we have had a fair share of ball. When you don’t get a fair share of the ball, your defence is really pressured and the younger players are the ones who suffer a bit.
“It is not just the younger players that miss tackles. We have a few senior guys who need to look at themselves as well and that has been brought up very strongly at training. A lot of work has been done on our defence over the last few weeks.”
Sheens added the lopsided penalty count was not all down to the side’s ill discipline and that he has had plenty of conversations with referees boss Bill Harrigan.
“Some have but Bill has told me that 2 of the 6 penalties for stripping were not strips and that we should have got one on (Chris) Heighington (last week) that led to the scrum to us losing the game by going out on the first tackle,’’ Sheens offered.
“We should have got a penalty which would have given us the opportunity to go 14 in front. We are getting some tough calls but I suppose every team will say the same thing. Bill will admit that quite a few of his penalties have been errors by his people, not ours.
“It is not just that we are so ill discipline that the penalty count is justified either.”
Sheens dismissed a suggestion it was better to lose close matches such as the golden point loss to Souths now than at the back end of the season heading into the finals.
“You need to be winning games at this stage of the year to keep morale and confidence up and to stay in the race,’’ Sheens added.
“It doesn’t matter when you lose them, you lose them. It has an effect on the team.
“Our goal at the moment is to refocus on another game. You have more games in front of you than you have at the end of the year where a game could cost you a semi-final spot. You don’t want to be looking back at this stage of the year and then having to win the last 9 to make the semi-finals.”
By Wayne Cousins
5/04/2012 6:42:04 PM
Tim Sheens says offensive mistakes and penalties are putting the Wests Tigers team under too much pressure after five rounds of the Telstra Premiership.
“Our offence is putting our defence under pressure. We are having to do too many tackles,’’ Sheens said.
“We are tempting and making over 350 tackles a game which is more than you need to be doing. It has been caused by a lack of possession. We have to work harder on that.
“We have led the first halves because we have been pretty disciplined and we have had a fair share of ball. When you don’t get a fair share of the ball, your defence is really pressured and the younger players are the ones who suffer a bit.
“It is not just the younger players that miss tackles. We have a few senior guys who need to look at themselves as well and that has been brought up very strongly at training. A lot of work has been done on our defence over the last few weeks.”
Sheens added the lopsided penalty count was not all down to the side’s ill discipline and that he has had plenty of conversations with referees boss Bill Harrigan.
“Some have but Bill has told me that 2 of the 6 penalties for stripping were not strips and that we should have got one on (Chris) Heighington (last week) that led to the scrum to us losing the game by going out on the first tackle,’’ Sheens offered.
“We should have got a penalty which would have given us the opportunity to go 14 in front. We are getting some tough calls but I suppose every team will say the same thing. Bill will admit that quite a few of his penalties have been errors by his people, not ours.
“It is not just that we are so ill discipline that the penalty count is justified either.”
Sheens dismissed a suggestion it was better to lose close matches such as the golden point loss to Souths now than at the back end of the season heading into the finals.
“You need to be winning games at this stage of the year to keep morale and confidence up and to stay in the race,’’ Sheens added.
“It doesn’t matter when you lose them, you lose them. It has an effect on the team.
“Our goal at the moment is to refocus on another game. You have more games in front of you than you have at the end of the year where a game could cost you a semi-final spot. You don’t want to be looking back at this stage of the year and then having to win the last 9 to make the semi-finals.”
