Statistical Highlights: Bulldogs, Round 21

[jirskyr]

@jirskyr he’s currently sitting third in the NRL for tackle breaks, but okay.

Who, Thompson?

He's got one more tackle break than Shaun Kenny-Dowell. Are you suggesting that SKD is a powerhouse attacking weapon?

Dugan is 8th, Esan Marsters is 10th, Brian Kelly is 11th.

Tackle breaks are just one component of an overall package, and really it depends on what you do with the tackle break.

Also, 7 of the current Top 10 for tackle breaks are fullbacks. There's a reason for this, because they are very often 1-1 against staggered lines in kick return.

Thompson is a good player, but I stand by what I said, he's not a weapon in a backline play. He doesn't have a pass or a kick, so he is often predictable in those plays. He's got a really good step, is really good as beating opponents back on the inside, is good in a 1-1 situation. But against a set line on a 4th tackle shift? Not so much.

I can accept Thompson as a reasonable FB option, but everyone is always talking about higher expectations for the Tigers, and there are a good number of superior fullbacks going around.

 

[tigerap]

As an attempt to dull the pain of that loss, I'd like to pay mention to a few players who played really well.

All stats via nrl.com

(13) **Ryan Matterson** - 76 minutes (had a 4 minute rest), 29 runs (274m ,100 post contact), 41 tackles (1 missed), 2 offloads, 2 tackle breaks, 1 line break, 1 forced drop out.
Had one of his best games ever in first grade. Was everywhere in both offence and defence. He was actively ball-playing in the final 15 minutes as an attempt to get something going. Did everything he could have to get a win.

(8) **Thomas Mikaele** - 46 minutes, 15 runs (162m, 64 post contact), 24 tackles (1 missed), 3 offloads, 5 tackle breaks.
Second start in NRL for the rookie. He's doing above and beyond what you'd expect a kid to be doing. Threw a few risky offloads, most notably the one which resulted in Robbie Farah's injury. Has mountains of potential.

(2) **Paul Momirovski** - 80 minutes, 19 runs (172m, 54 post contact, 34 kick return), 2 tries, 2 line breaks, 5 tackle breaks.
Sadly only kicked 2/5 goals. Hopefully his confidence isn't dented from the final conversion, as he had his best game to date for us. His two tries were special finishes. Considering his height of 191cm, wing could be his position.

(1) **Corey Thompson** - 80 minutes, 15 runs (184m, 47 post contact, 166 kick return), 6 tackle breaks.
His kick returns were really good against a Bulldogs side presenting a line as straight as an arrow. Something worrying is the fact 166/184 of his metres gained were from kick returns, meaning his involvement outside of them was almost non-existent. Another downer is the fact he fell off Josh Jackson after dropping Taumalolo last week.

11 players were recorded to have run 100m+ (Thompson, Momirovski, Marsters, Nofoaluma, Marshall, Brooks, Mikaele, Chee Kam, Matterson, Eisenhuth, Twal).

Now to the most frustrating part - the team stats. If you hid the scoreline and only looked at the stats, you'd have thought we won by 20.
- We completed 37/42 sets (88%) vs 27/33 (82%). That means we had 59% possession.
- 1,911m total run metres vs 1,371m
- 4 line breaks vs 2.
- 30 (13%) tackles missed vs 45 (14.3%).
- 5 forced drop outs vs 0.
- 8 errors vs 9, 6 penalties conceded vs 7.

Reading into the stats, you can come to the conclusion that we lacked creativity in attack.

And a player who can kick goals

 

[Jock Koss]

@jirskyr one of whom is definitely Heinz, watch him start to excel if he gets regular grade!

 

[jirskyr]

@jirskyr one of whom is definitely Heinz, watch him start to excel if he gets regular grade!

Hynes Baked Beans?

 

[Jock Koss]

@jirskyr breakfast, lunch and dinner on chilly days like today me thinks😆

 

[Russell]

To be fair stats also show we played well but loosing 2 key players after 10 mins cruels your chances of cohesion in attack to finish it off. Also reflects that generally we are a really solid team but what we lack is strike well strike abd goal kicking although ud assume Mbye would have kicked better then Momo

I tried not to say too much last night, to think about it rather than post on raw emotion.

I think you've nailed it with strike power as much as anything. Tigers completed well. Tigers dominated field position. Tigers had a tremendous platform. We comfortably handled Bulldogs limited attack for all but 11 minutes. 18 points is tough but we had more than enough football at their line to overcome that, with or without the top-choice goal kicker. Lewis kicked down our throats all night and we rarely struggle to make metres, nor did the Bulldogs assert any ruck control at any point during the match.

The Bulldogs just played 100% counter-attacking football, like an Italian soccer team. They defended their line very very well and just waited for opportunity to counter. They seemed happy to give up the metres, seemed unperturbed by their own mistakes and were, but for the last 10 minutes, fairly comfortable in containing all the Tigers except Momirovski. Mommers scored both those tries with A LOT of work to do; in fact I'd argue that he basically made it happen himself because the service to him was modest on both occasions.

Yes we fell out of the match for a period and yes it hurt. But fundamentally we lacked strike. You can't have all those sets on their line and come away with 1 legit try and 2 late-game gasps. We were clearly tired and there's no way around that.

But the number of non-strike efforts with the ball was so disappointing. We got plenty of repeat sets, the attacking kicking game was generally quite good - both in-goal and on-line punts fell where they were supposed to, but very little kick-chase or competition for bombs. Very little option for the halves. Bad service from a makeshift DH, bad pass selection often from the halves, but also no options out wide and no barn-stormers in the middle.

Garner ran a line all night that Cogger gobbled up and he basically never adjusted his running strategy. He scored late only when Dogs were down to 12. Lawrence dropped one and ran what Blocker kept calling "the suicide line". Mbye was missing and Thompson is average on the sweep. We lacked second-phase. Marsters was barely given any ball that I can recall.

So whilst Taylor didn't give good service and it did hurt our fluidity, nobody out wide was giving legitimate threatening options. Hardly any players in motion and generally the class of attacking footballer is lacking - nothing for Bulldogs to fear. The halves were guilty of throwing passes despite the poor options, often right at the teeth of the defence, but also Brooks clearly started to realise that he was better off running the footy such were the limited options outside him.

You bring a Tedesco or a Latrell into that backline, just one of them, and it's a totally different story. That forwards work becomes a legitimate attacking platform for threats out wide. But frankly Bulldogs contained us easily and didn't appear concerned to defend their line all night.

Agree with most of what you say as usual but.....

I got tired of watching Thompson going side to side most of the night joining the backline to not receive the ball.

You could have had Tedesco and Mitchell both in the team to no avail - if the halves and people inside had the same mentality - no go. Thompson and Marsters both didn't receive any quality ball all night.

 

[jirskyr]

You could have had Tedesco and Mitchell both in the team to no avail - if the halves and people inside had the same mentality - no go. Thompson and Marsters both didn’t receive any quality ball all night.

Don't they say that great players demand the ball?

I get what you are saying, but also I think much of the blame falls to the runners as much as the passer.

An analogy with the NFL - the greatest quarterback in history can't do anything on a pass if his receivers don't shake their defenders.

 

[Jock Koss]

@jirskyr thought Thompson definitely struggled to assert himself, Marsters improving!