Tigers Spine

[TCL]

The spine looked good. I think mbye may have found a spot at 13.

I think Brooks played well and doing exactly what is expected of him without making the silly errors most complain about - he didn’t kick out on the full, no 7 tackle sets and still defending well.. AD is also playing well, kicking great, couldnt generate any of those bombs, defence needs to be a focus for him. Simpkin debuted well and may have just relegated JL to reserve grade and I hope he can do it week in week out.

Laurie is an excellent prospect but he has a way to go with both his positioning (which was better tonight) and his defence.

The cowboys loss may have kick started this team.

 

[TigerTownSFS]

Some points:
1) I think Twal starting at 13 to absorb the defensive arm wrestle and then mbye coming on mid game is a good strategy that gets the best out of both mbye and Twal. Twal is a tackle machine but has no offload so when the game opens up he doesn’t offer much. Mbye is a decent defender and an ok ball player so it adds another element to our attack when can be predictable at times
2) garner has played well the last month, will be interesting to see how Maguire uses Blore and Garner. I assume Blore won’t come back an 80 minute player so bench could include both mbye and Blore but I’ve been enjoying the prop rotation. Twal can join the rotation in the second half if mbye is 13 but it probably means mikaele drops off the bench which is a shame given he has provided some good punch in the last 25minutes of games.
3) the period where we got 3 repeat sets in the first half via Douhie grabbers into the ingoal really set the game up for us. South’s were busted after that, douhie has a really great shirt kicking game near the line and we need to use that much more
4) noffa on the left worked well and next week I will likely see him outside BJ again. With brooks natural play to the left I think it’s a much better balance to have bj/noffa left and roberts/talau right, defensively the right edge did a very good job against the south’s left and noffa will benefit from BJ attracting more defenders. Only concern is that manly have Saab on the right and Turbo attacked a lot down that flank so it might be dangerous having short/slow defenders there. Will be interesting to see what Maguire does
5) kepaoa has solid in the centre’s, he’s a very big body and hard to put down, whilst he didnt make a clean break he was defensively solid and hard to put down, made a lot of post contact meters.
6) Laurie doesn’t make many mistakes but he does struggle a bit in the last line defending the the try line after a break. He needs to improve this part of his game
7) Simpkin is a star and didn’t obviously have an issue playing long minutes. Liddle only to come back if there are injuries and we need to invest long term in Simpkin, sign him up

 

[turkeytiger03]

Mbye should not ever play 7, that'd be a massive mistake. His organisation and direction is really poor and he has the same problem of Brooks of putting players under pressure with bad passing. at 13, Mbye is good and I see value in keeping him given the modern game.

Brooks was okay, but I still don't trust his decision making, had a few really bad passes, one turned into an error, players somehow held onto the ball on the others.

Doueihi was excellent again, unfortunately he barely touched the ball in the final 20. He's the sort of player who should be getting the ball, and demanding it at that time.

Yes, Laurie and Simpkin were very good. Simpkin fatigued looks a little error prone, but he was really classy all match.

Brooks does not make any decisions he catches passes and puts up crap kicks to be marked easily this is the weekly turn out .

This does describe Luke’s game last night. His kicks whilst not high enough or vortex on them, were better than other weeks. The defence was right on top of the catcher and was delt with by defenders.
Think we are super critical on Luke, but it’s warranted as he’s supposedly/ and is the most experienced of our spine. I was really happy with the spine last night and as others have said they must stick together to gel.
Also liking Mbye as the linkman at 13. Question is should he be starting the game? The other issue would be AD with his defence, hopefully this is rectified with more games together.

 

[Toowoomba_Tiger]

Gotta remember it's a totally new look spine. A lot of inexperience yet the most experienced is the weakest link imo...Brooks.
As most are saying he's just a link man. He's only go to play is the short side raid and it's not paying off most times. His shallow bombs and cross field kicks are soooo predictable and easily defused.
I don't believe Madden is up to the task yet and would like to see Mbye at 7. But Moses has been good at lock.
It's a tricky one to get the balance as I feel Liddle could still play a part off the bench with Simpkin moving to lock. But then we lose that backline backup.
I suspect Madge will keep things as they are for a few more weeks but I hope he gives the general kicking game to Douehi

 

[Speed2burn]

Was interesting as Mbye also as a linking 13.

AD was clearly the main ball player / controlled the game in opp 20.

Laurie was the spark.

Mbye the link.

Brooks does not seem to have a leading role in that structure though. Which is probably a good thing. Madden actually might suit it more as he passes much better to his centers than Brooks does IMO.

1. Laurie
6 AD
7 Brooks / Madden
13 Mbye...we need a ball playing lock / Tuki when ready. The 13 is vital nowadays to the spine.
9. Jake

The game changed when Mbye came on in my opinion. Having a third playmaker is key in today's game.

Yep Mbye was important for us today. Brooks looks to be a passenger these days.

A ball playing lock is a bad use of the position for a team that scores lots of tries and leaks massively in defence. That is why Twal is there. Radley, Jurbo and Murray are all excellent defenders as well as offering some ballplaying in attack.

Receipts: Brooks 53, Doueihi 37, Mbye 21. The person with the highest number of receipts is controlling the game. A lot of Doueihi's receipts were from Brooks.

Our attack last night was centred around AD, especially in the first half and the first part of the second half.. It was pretty clear to see. We were at our best when Mbye came on and was playing in the middle (prior to AJ’s injury). We were probably at our worst when Brooks got more of the ball in the final 20.

You are very entitled to your strong opinion of Brooks, but I think he’s the weak link in what I believe will be a pretty impressive spine for years to come.

Brooks played exactly how he was supposed to IMO

He was controlled, didn’t over play his hand and was peppered all night.

The only thing I agree with is he didn’t show enough class to ice the game. But during the circumstances, not getting the rub of the green also did not help

 

[avocadoontoast]

Was interesting as Mbye also as a linking 13.

AD was clearly the main ball player / controlled the game in opp 20.

Laurie was the spark.

Mbye the link.

Brooks does not seem to have a leading role in that structure though. Which is probably a good thing. Madden actually might suit it more as he passes much better to his centers than Brooks does IMO.

1. Laurie
6 AD
7 Brooks / Madden
13 Mbye...we need a ball playing lock / Tuki when ready. The 13 is vital nowadays to the spine.
9. Jake

The game changed when Mbye came on in my opinion. Having a third playmaker is key in today's game.

Yep Mbye was important for us today. Brooks looks to be a passenger these days.

A ball playing lock is a bad use of the position for a team that scores lots of tries and leaks massively in defence. That is why Twal is there. Radley, Jurbo and Murray are all excellent defenders as well as offering some ballplaying in attack.

Receipts: Brooks 53, Doueihi 37, Mbye 21. The person with the highest number of receipts is controlling the game. A lot of Doueihi's receipts were from Brooks.

Our attack last night was centred around AD, especially in the first half and the first part of the second half.. It was pretty clear to see. We were at our best when Mbye came on and was playing in the middle (prior to AJ’s injury). We were probably at our worst when Brooks got more of the ball in the final 20.

You are very entitled to your strong opinion of Brooks, but I think he’s the weak link in what I believe will be a pretty impressive spine for years to come.

Brooks played exactly how he was supposed to IMO

He was controlled, didn’t over play his hand and was peppered all night.

Maybe so, but we shouldn’t be paying a halfback that sort of money to do such a limited role. Last night if Mbye or Madden was there in his place the team would have performed as well, without AD we wouldn’t have even been in the contest imo

 

[TigerTownSFS]

My guess is as the teams begins to improve and the rest of our spine grows combinations that Brooks will play better and our criticisms will fade. He is not a dominant half, never will be but newsflash, they are very hard to find and we have close to zeros chance of recruiting by one. Maybe madden or another junior will grow into that role but I don’t see how we have a better option than brooks for the next couple of years. We have some quality developing in 1,6,9 and we have mbye for the next 2 years to offer some additional ball playing. Simplifying brooks’ game and allowing the other key players to take a bigger role is the only option we have and it’s not a bad one.

 

[Geo]

So you have Doueihi who was red hot on the night but you shouldn't give him the ball..

As for Brooks ineffective kicking not once did Souff's start a set beyond their 20m line from them..

 

[Speed2burn]

Was interesting as Mbye also as a linking 13.

AD was clearly the main ball player / controlled the game in opp 20.

Laurie was the spark.

Mbye the link.

Brooks does not seem to have a leading role in that structure though. Which is probably a good thing. Madden actually might suit it more as he passes much better to his centers than Brooks does IMO.

1. Laurie
6 AD
7 Brooks / Madden
13 Mbye...we need a ball playing lock / Tuki when ready. The 13 is vital nowadays to the spine.
9. Jake

The game changed when Mbye came on in my opinion. Having a third playmaker is key in today's game.

Yep Mbye was important for us today. Brooks looks to be a passenger these days.

A ball playing lock is a bad use of the position for a team that scores lots of tries and leaks massively in defence. That is why Twal is there. Radley, Jurbo and Murray are all excellent defenders as well as offering some ballplaying in attack.

Receipts: Brooks 53, Doueihi 37, Mbye 21. The person with the highest number of receipts is controlling the game. A lot of Doueihi's receipts were from Brooks.

Our attack last night was centred around AD, especially in the first half and the first part of the second half.. It was pretty clear to see. We were at our best when Mbye came on and was playing in the middle (prior to AJ’s injury). We were probably at our worst when Brooks got more of the ball in the final 20.

You are very entitled to your strong opinion of Brooks, but I think he’s the weak link in what I believe will be a pretty impressive spine for years to come.

Brooks played exactly how he was supposed to IMO

He was controlled, didn’t over play his hand and was peppered all night.

Maybe so, but we shouldn’t be paying a halfback that sort of money to do such a limited role. Last night if Mbye or Madden was there in his place the team would have performed as well, without AD we wouldn’t have even been in the contest imo

Honestly I think he just played a typical halfbacks knock, and just let AD do all the flashy stuff

Nothing special, nothing bad either. I agree he failed in the final 10 to ice the game but I will stress I thought we were on the wrong side of Sutton hard

 

[earl]

You are very entitled to your strong opinion of Brooks, but I think he’s the weak link in what I believe will be a pretty impressive spine for years to come.

I agree with this but let's not do anything stupid like replace Brooks with someone worse. This is also a reflection that Laurie, Simpkin and AD look like being top quality players.

Brooks though is good enough to play that role well and he has been good this season. He is doing his job which is all I expect.

 

[Speed2burn]

So you have Doueihi who was red hot on the night but you shouldn't give him the ball..

As for Brooks ineffective kicking not once did Souff's start a set beyond their 20m line from them..

It’s amazing what good kick chase can do....people complained about Brooks “mid field” bombs. But they were very effective last night

 

[Tiger5150]

Mbye should not ever play 7, that'd be a massive mistake. His organisation and direction is really poor and he has the same problem of Brooks of putting players under pressure with bad passing. at 13, Mbye is good and I see value in keeping him given the modern game.

Brooks was okay, but I still don't trust his decision making, had a few really bad passes, one turned into an error, players somehow held onto the ball on the others.

Doueihi was excellent again, unfortunately he barely touched the ball in the final 20. He's the sort of player who should be getting the ball, and demanding it at that time.

Yes, Laurie and Simpkin were very good. Simpkin fatigued looks a little error prone, but he was really classy all match.

Brooks does not make any decisions he catches passes and puts up crap kicks to be marked easily this is the weekly turn out .

None of brooks kicks were crap today . If you think that , give yourself a triple . That’s exactly what you want your half to do in a game like that .

It's exactly what Jack Wighton did all match against Parramatta tonight, and yes Raiders lost, but he's the reigning Dally M.

It's almost entirely what Moses does every week, though I will concede he took a few effective runs this evening, mostly he catches/passes and kicks on the back of good go-forward.

As a thought experiment, if we replaced Brooks with Mitch Moses, in this team, people would be screaming for Brooks to come back.

When it comes to effort, toughness, defence, having a crack when its tough, its not even close, Brooks is better. When it come to doing flashy things on the front foot, Moses has it over Brooks. Depends what environment you are in.

 

[earl]

Mbye should not ever play 7, that'd be a massive mistake. His organisation and direction is really poor and he has the same problem of Brooks of putting players under pressure with bad passing. at 13, Mbye is good and I see value in keeping him given the modern game.

Brooks was okay, but I still don't trust his decision making, had a few really bad passes, one turned into an error, players somehow held onto the ball on the others.

Doueihi was excellent again, unfortunately he barely touched the ball in the final 20. He's the sort of player who should be getting the ball, and demanding it at that time.

Yes, Laurie and Simpkin were very good. Simpkin fatigued looks a little error prone, but he was really classy all match.

Brooks does not make any decisions he catches passes and puts up crap kicks to be marked easily this is the weekly turn out .

None of brooks kicks were crap today . If you think that , give yourself a triple . That’s exactly what you want your half to do in a game like that .

It's exactly what Jack Wighton did all match against Parramatta tonight, and yes Raiders lost, but he's the reigning Dally M.

It's almost entirely what Moses does every week, though I will concede he took a few effective runs this evening, mostly he catches/passes and kicks on the back of good go-forward.


As a thought experiment, if we replaced Brooks with Mitch Moses, in this team, people would be screaming for Brooks to come back.

When it comes to effort, toughness, defence, having a crack when its tough, its not even close, Brooks is better. When it come to doing flashy things on the front foot, Moses has it over Brooks. Depends what environment you are in.

Brooks was really good. He is just a scapegoat for how poor we've been. He is playing well this season.

I still think our other spine players are more important to us than Brooks. We don't want him trying to do too much. Leave that to other players. If he sees a chance though then he should run. He is good at it. It's just other players are probably more likely to make a bust or come up with a big play.

 

[Tiger5150]

So you have Doueihi who was red hot on the night but you shouldn't give him the ball..

As for Brooks ineffective kicking not once did Souff's start a set beyond their 20m line from them..

You and your damn facts.......do you know where you are?

 

[haberfield_tiger]

It's douhie team... he is now the dominant half after only 6 games there... Jock Madden was very good in reserve grade expect him to push for a start soon if he keeps going. He is the dominant half in that side...

 

[DGilly]

Not really surprised we struggled to ice the game; its not something we need to do often.
AD needed to come up with more repeat sets towards the end of the game and find touch a little more

 

[Deleted member 3518]

Was interesting as Mbye also as a linking 13.

AD was clearly the main ball player / controlled the game in opp 20.

Laurie was the spark.

Mbye the link.

Brooks does not seem to have a leading role in that structure though. Which is probably a good thing. Madden actually might suit it more as he passes much better to his centers than Brooks does IMO.

1. Laurie
6 AD
7 Brooks / Madden
13 Mbye...we need a ball playing lock / Tuki when ready. The 13 is vital nowadays to the spine.
9. Jake

The game changed when Mbye came on in my opinion. Having a third playmaker is key in today's game.

Yep Mbye was important for us today. Brooks looks to be a passenger these days.

A ball playing lock is a bad use of the position for a team that scores lots of tries and leaks massively in defence. That is why Twal is there. Radley, Jurbo and Murray are all excellent defenders as well as offering some ballplaying in attack.

Receipts: Brooks 53, Doueihi 37, Mbye 21. The person with the highest number of receipts is controlling the game. A lot of Doueihi's receipts were from Brooks.

Our attack last night was centred around AD, especiallys first in the first half and the first part of the second half.. It was pretty clear to see. We were at our best when Mbye came on and was playing in the middle (prior to AJ’s injury). We were probably at our worst when Brooks got more of the ball in the final 20.

You are very entitled to your strong opinion of Brooks, but I think he’s the weak link in what I believe will be a pretty impressive spine for years to come.

Yea , because we are playing our half as first receiver . Most teams play either side of the ruck , which we did as well last year .
So of course the attack his based around AD , otherwise you’d be playing in the middle third all game , which is how the warriors are playing FYI.

Plus AD has a wicked cutout ball , and I notice brooks not playing at the line as much , which is what everyone was screaming about , getting the backs early ball .
But he has to run occasionally , so when he does engage the line to whip it out to sweeping AD or Laurie , it actually engages them .

Plus AD is a powerful runner of the ball , so even if the play dies , we are getting over the advantage line .

It’s the right tactic IMO , because where AD runs usually is right between the edge back rower and the half . And much like the garner try, you now have to worry about 2 big boys coming at you .

Maybe with madden it will run smoother and you’re right . I just don’t see it , and for now , neither does the coaching staff , or half the nrl .

 

[rihannafan1]

They were both good.

Would have liked to see more ball to the right in the last 20 minutes. We did similar against Parra, stacking towards LL, Laurie and Brooks. Brooks' bombs were well placed for a grind, which I suppose we'll use to our advantage one day.

 

[Alex Seyfarth's #1 Fan]

Just because we played well when Mbye came on doesn't mean he should be our 7. Correlation does not imply causation! Brooks's kicks were really good tonight. Still not perfect as he needs to kick them higher, but their depth applied pressure on Souths for a long period of time. We looked like we were going to win that game until Latrell ran down the sideline.

 

[WT2019]

Some points:
1) I think Twal starting at 13 to absorb the defensive arm wrestle and then mbye coming on mid game is a good strategy that gets the best out of both mbye and Twal. Twal is a tackle machine but has no offload so when the game opens up he doesn’t offer much. Mbye is a decent defender and an ok ball player so it adds another element to our attack when can be predictable at times
2) garner has played well the last month, will be interesting to see how Maguire uses Blore and Garner. I assume Blore won’t come back an 80 minute player so bench could include both mbye and Blore but I’ve been enjoying the prop rotation. Twal can join the rotation in the second half if mbye is 13 but it probably means mikaele drops off the bench which is a shame given he has provided some good punch in the last 25minutes of games.
3) the period where we got 3 repeat sets in the first half via Douhie grabbers into the ingoal really set the game up for us. South’s were busted after that, douhie has a really great shirt kicking game near the line and we need to use that much more
4) noffa on the left worked well and next week I will likely see him outside BJ again. With brooks natural play to the left I think it’s a much better balance to have bj/noffa left and roberts/talau right, defensively the right edge did a very good job against the south’s left and noffa will benefit from BJ attracting more defenders. Only concern is that manly have Saab on the right and Turbo attacked a lot down that flank so it might be dangerous having short/slow defenders there. Will be interesting to see what Maguire does
5) kepaoa has solid in the centre’s, he’s a very big body and hard to put down, whilst he didnt make a clean break he was defensively solid and hard to put down, made a lot of post contact meters.
6) Laurie doesn’t make many mistakes but he does struggle a bit in the last line defending the the try line after a break. He needs to improve this part of his game
7) Simpkin is a star and didn’t obviously have an issue playing long minutes. Liddle only to come back if there are injuries and we need to invest long term in Simpkin, sign him up

Very Good summary. 6. Is spot on as he has missed a lot of front on tackles as last line of defence. Corey was similar size and stopped them so maybe he should have a look at Corey’s technique