MacDougall
New member
Great win by the fellas!
Pros:
* Controlled possession really well
* At times our attack was very sharp
* Robert Lui was not exposed in defense
* Chris Lawrence and Benji Marshall made it through unscathed and both looked back to their best
* Matt Groat was very good on his real debut
* Tim Moltzen's best game as a fullback at our club
* Benji kicked 7/7 and after next week will go past Thurston for top pointscorer
* We dominated the ruck, for once
* 5-1 penalty count
* Fantastic kicking game
Cons:
* Our mistakes were in bad field position
* Some very silly options were taken (see Lui spreading it rather than kicking it, after a fantastic set of six, in the wet)
* Robbie Farah was still very patchy
* Andrew Fifita was basically ineffective
* Liam Fulton was mixed, but what I noticed most was that he gets upended most of the time he takes the ball. We can't afford to allow the opposition time on top of us and he gives it to them invariably
* This performance was against an opposition without their best forward and best back
Perspective:
It was great to get a win, especially in North QLD and especially by 20 points. Benji Marshall and Robert Lui both looked rather sharp in attack and it's good to see Robert Lui growing as a genuine option in attack. Chris Lawrence and Blake Ayshford continue to prove to me they are the best young centre pairing in the game and are both fantastic options in attack and solid in defense.
Unfortunately we have to realise that with Thurston and Scott in their side, the scoreline is vastly different. They had an inexperienced, young, halves pairing who both realistically, did nothing. They were completely controlled by their fullback and as a result, as strange as it is to say, Bowen would have had less impetus AS a fullback. Being forced to do all the playmaking would have had his mind elsewhere and most definitely contributed to their patchy defensive line and positioning. They also lacked a fullback in attack, since he was playing halfback and five-eighth. Their halves were more or less both playing second row.
If the guys can go into this week without slacking off and just do whatever it was they did during the week, this week, then we'll be in good stead for the rest of the season. If they look at the ladder, see that we're back in the top 8 and revert to old habits for the game against the Roosters, well, I can't see them recovering. Fortunately we are playing a very poor Roosters team next week, who today, were officially rubbed out of the 2011 premiership. They have nothing to play for. We NEED to thoroughly flog them. The preparation this week has to be first class and nothing short of it. If we prepare well, and do what we did today, we will win and win well and will probably put space between us and the chasing pack. We must build momentum NOW. These are the two easy games we have in the run home. After next week we will need runs on the board, roaring form and combinations clicking or we're toast.
Pros:
* Controlled possession really well
* At times our attack was very sharp
* Robert Lui was not exposed in defense
* Chris Lawrence and Benji Marshall made it through unscathed and both looked back to their best
* Matt Groat was very good on his real debut
* Tim Moltzen's best game as a fullback at our club
* Benji kicked 7/7 and after next week will go past Thurston for top pointscorer
* We dominated the ruck, for once
* 5-1 penalty count
* Fantastic kicking game
Cons:
* Our mistakes were in bad field position
* Some very silly options were taken (see Lui spreading it rather than kicking it, after a fantastic set of six, in the wet)
* Robbie Farah was still very patchy
* Andrew Fifita was basically ineffective
* Liam Fulton was mixed, but what I noticed most was that he gets upended most of the time he takes the ball. We can't afford to allow the opposition time on top of us and he gives it to them invariably
* This performance was against an opposition without their best forward and best back
Perspective:
It was great to get a win, especially in North QLD and especially by 20 points. Benji Marshall and Robert Lui both looked rather sharp in attack and it's good to see Robert Lui growing as a genuine option in attack. Chris Lawrence and Blake Ayshford continue to prove to me they are the best young centre pairing in the game and are both fantastic options in attack and solid in defense.
Unfortunately we have to realise that with Thurston and Scott in their side, the scoreline is vastly different. They had an inexperienced, young, halves pairing who both realistically, did nothing. They were completely controlled by their fullback and as a result, as strange as it is to say, Bowen would have had less impetus AS a fullback. Being forced to do all the playmaking would have had his mind elsewhere and most definitely contributed to their patchy defensive line and positioning. They also lacked a fullback in attack, since he was playing halfback and five-eighth. Their halves were more or less both playing second row.
If the guys can go into this week without slacking off and just do whatever it was they did during the week, this week, then we'll be in good stead for the rest of the season. If they look at the ladder, see that we're back in the top 8 and revert to old habits for the game against the Roosters, well, I can't see them recovering. Fortunately we are playing a very poor Roosters team next week, who today, were officially rubbed out of the 2011 premiership. They have nothing to play for. We NEED to thoroughly flog them. The preparation this week has to be first class and nothing short of it. If we prepare well, and do what we did today, we will win and win well and will probably put space between us and the chasing pack. We must build momentum NOW. These are the two easy games we have in the run home. After next week we will need runs on the board, roaring form and combinations clicking or we're toast.
