LIVE GAME Round 9 versus Sharks

[Jolls]

I really have to ask

Why Tino and Toa and not Latu Fainu?

I can't tell if this is smarts or a dumb decision from Benji. As it seems Latu is kept for Halves roles, yet he has been on the bench so many games and could defend better then Toa.

Flip it, getting people used to playing 1-2 positions should build their skills in those positions. I have little to no doubt Latu would have defended better then Toa at Center.

It comes down to what Benji was expecting from Toa and Tino - experience inside youth and an aerial threat on that edge. While I have also called for Toa to be dropped I don't think the disruption to that edge in defence losing AD can be pushed aside. The coordination does not have to be out by much for a centre, and by extension his winger, to look stupid in defence.

Don't be surprised to see Benji giving them the opportunity to make amends. I think he is that type of coach that will give players, especially young ones, some grace.

 

[Flippedy]

Completely agree with your evaluation of our forwards work rate...the discipline that this team has at times is absolutely daunting..they are NRL players that are paid very well to perform at this level...
The one thing that really irks me at the moment is that Toa is a fg centre,and I can't for the life of me understand why Benji persists with him,his position is one that highly depends on defense,sorry to say his is shocking ...I played a lot of centre and wing in my day and my coach would have absolutely kicked my butt if I performed like Toa did on Sunday,and I was just a country kid playing for my home team..
Let's all look ahead to next week and see if things can get better for us...love your input Tucker..

Even in our win against Canberra Toa was a passenger. I also can’t see why Benji thinks he is good enough to be in this team. He might have talent there somewhere, but he lacks passion and is a really lazy player. His lack of drive and commitment on the field goes against everything that Benji is supposedly about this season. It’s a head scratcher, hoping Herbert will be back this week.

 

[Flippedy]

We will get absolutely pumped by Melbourne. Nothing anyone can do about it with those injuries unfortunately

Have you seen Melbourne play this season?
Yes we have lost a lot of strike, but we still have some very good players left and if they just turn up and play for each other like they have been for most of the season, there is no reason we can’t beat a very beatable Melbourne.

Other teams have had massive injuries this year, but have managed to stand up and win games against the odds, there is no reason we cannot do this as well.

I’m hoping last Sunday’s debacle will jolt the team back to earth a bit and make them more determined to not let that happen again.

 

[Fish88]

Even in our win against Canberra Toa was a passenger. I also can’t see why Benji thinks he is good enough to be in this team. He might have talent there somewhere, but he lacks passion and is a really lazy player. His lack of drive and commitment on the field goes against everything that Benji is supposedly about this season. It’s a head scratcher, hoping Herbert will be back this week

His selection does seem to be against Benji's policy of earning selection through effort areas. He is by far the laziest / unfittest player we have. He is always gassed after 30 minutes and continually takes easy options. Don't know what he is holding over Benji to always get picked, I know we have depth issues in that position but HERBERT at least rips in with effort and couldn't be any worse.

 

[innsaneink]

Il

Don't be surprised to see Benji giving them the opportunity to make amends. I think he is that type of coach that will give players, especially young ones, some grace.

If we were at full strength and in with a shot i could understand him doing this.
But we are long odds in melb...our last visit there still gives people nightmares...and the storm will target them as the sharks did undoubtedly

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

After watching the game again, I am confident this result is just 'one out of the box' and the coaching staff can isolate some factors to work on.

#1 Errors in our own half - concentration, technique, discipline with ball
#2 Right hand side defence in red zone - Madden, To'a, Tavana
#3 Line speed & ruck control on early tackles under fatigue (fatigue played a part in this due to #1)
#4 Defusing contested high kicks - protecting winger, winger decision making whether to contest etc

Fix up #1 & #2 particularly and scoreline & even result is a lot different.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Have you seen Melbourne play this season?
Yes we have lost a lot of strike, but we still have some very good players left and if they just turn up and play for each other like they have been for most of the season, there is no reason we can’t beat a very beatable Melbourne.

Other teams have had massive injuries this year, but have managed to stand up and win games against the odds, there is no reason we cannot do this as well.

I’m hoping last Sunday’s debacle will jolt the team back to earth a bit and make them more determined to not let that happen again.

Yeh I’ve seen Melbourne play. The difference is they have several champions in their team and are a very strong club playing for their sick coach. Anyway let’s see, I’m happy to be very wrong!

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

Grow up mate..he dropped some really difficult kicks under a lot of pressure ,,, with no help at all but he kept trying,,, game was done , Benji did what he felt best ,,, you can keep beating the issue to death but Toa didn’t even try to tackle players and did his best to avoid responsibility… played like a deadset cat

Against Sharks - Skelton would of been better suited

What Coach Benji thinks and what is reality are worlds apart

 

[balmain boy]

Balmain Boy, your better then that. Call it how it is. Toa should not have been on that field. It should have been Herbert. If you watch the game and focus in on Turuvas facial expressions of Toa not committing to tackles you will get your answer. Tavana had a shocker and Skelton should have been there. Watching Sukkar’s game he actually held his own and had to cover for all the extra tackles needed to be made due to poor errors. His stats were actually similar as Samuela. His post contact metres were one of the highest in his team. I guess he will be the scapegoat this week as the coach has no choice but to show he made changes. It Toa is in the team, there will be a lot of question marks. Hopefully they rebound and get a good win over in Melbourne.

Absolutely Toa shouldn't be there, and gladly he isn't.