LIVE GAME Trial 2 vs. Dragons

[Tito Santana]

Second half stint was brilliant

He looked awesome. That’s how I want him to play! He looked like he had a chip on his shoulder.

 

[weststigers]

Im not sure what game U and watched yesterday or if U watched it at all, he's defence yesterday was great and was actually putting his body on the line and stopping attackers on the spot. U may not like him but he's a footballer 100%. Would I choose him over tallyn probably not hence the reason to try him at lock.

I watched the game. You just seem like so many on here that assume by changing a guys position, he will suddenly grow a leg and become even better. He is a plodder.

 

[Flippedy]

I know it was only a trial, but we got smashed by the Dragons….the Dragons! Let that sink in.

 

[Coastie_Tiger]

My 2 take aways from that game were, our online D is still concerning as is our red zone attacking.
I hope Benji and co have some more plans up their sleeve otherwise we are looking at a 3peat.

*its only a trial*

 

[TigerSJ]

Just watched Benji’s interview after the game (on WT website) - as usual he was very straightforward. Very disappointed with the basic effort to run hard and tackle hard. Team got shown up for where we are at - and a lot of work to do in a lot of areas.
Can’t agree with some who are saying we intentionally played within ourselves and didn’t try to win the game.

 

[stephen]

Early days Some positives

I liked the up the Middle style

Papps looked hungry for action
Klem and Steff 1 2 combination is nice
Galvin looked good
Bud Sullivan will be dangerous
Samuella and Siona are great prospects

Disagree re Sullivan, Spartan but Sione has shown improvement from what we've seen from him in lower grade. Maybe motivated by prospect of of playing 1sts with his brothers.

 

[BZN]

That was pretty terrible. However we've had a lot of good trials in crap seasons so I'm not any more worried or disgusted than usual.

Worst thing was the same general lack of intent that no other first grade shows as consistently as us is still there.

Best thing probably seeing we have a couple of exciting spine prospects who held their own in the last 20.

💯 omt...."I'm not any more worried or DISGUSTED THAN USUAL".
From the plates of tripe we've been dished up so far I can't see Wests anywhere else than 🥄 again 😞.

 

[jirskyr]

Sorry mate

That was virtually our best team and that left hand side was exposed as feeble in defence.

That is the purpose of a trial though, right? If your best team goes out and does bad things, at least you get some chance to rectify that rather than discovering the issues during the regular season. Particularly for Tigers 2024, that's a 3-week period.

Because the opposite also happens - sometimes you get strong trial wins that hide deep-seated issues with the team.

So it's well and good to win trials if you can replicate that winning form into the season. But if not, it's arguably better to have your deficiencies exposed in the trials than to get a false sense of where the team is at.

 

[gregjm87]

It’s pretty obvious now why Galvin was considered the Smokey for a debut round 1. He’s just a better footballer than Sullivan . I can see why the 2 horse race for the 6 between him and Fainu has been the whisper all offseason . A lot to work on , nothing too diabolical .
I think the boys went in thinking a hit out , and the dragons went in thinking it’s round 1. It seemed once again we were just working towards spots ,figuring out which plays had potential , which players simply arnt it , and yea generally treating it like a trial .
The most disappointing thing was our first contact close to the line .
Ice needs to trust his edge and worry about himself . His first contact is not good enough for a big player . And that’s all intent .
The defensive structures are good . We just got beat with intent . That stuff is fixed with an ear bashing and a flogging at training .

Completely disagree with the comments regarding Papalii (besides the first contact not good enough part). A backrower should not be worrying about just himself, they should be doing the bulk of the tackling for the half next to him. I don't recall the last time one of our halves had a body guard and it shows when a smaller player is left isolated against bigger bodies as Sullivan was last night.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

The last two years we have looked like February premiers in the trails and got us the spoon both times. Maybe different results this year will bring a change of luck?🤔

 

[jirskyr]

A massive negative for me is is our inability to play straight. It's been this way for years and severely kills our attack. We had a short period years ago when Elijah Taylor was lock and played straighter then any of the current locks do, but outside of thet we have never had anyone who condenses the opposition middle. It's downright pathetic this hasn't been fixed. I was hoping the move of Seyfarth to lock was a sign this would change but Seyfarth isn't being used as I expected. He is basically being used as a 3rd prop. If we are going to play our lock like that then put Pole or Twal there.

Galvin was the only half to play straight. It was subtle but you could see our attack improve straight away. Sezer and Sullivan have been hugely dispointing in setting the tone and direction of our attack. An 18 year old kid showed much more composure and direction then both of them.

Straightening the play and runners offering options - literally have not seen it with any consistency since 2011, and it's not surprising what happened those years.

I am not a coach so I don't understand how or if modern players are not taught to run these lines. The reason it sticks out to me is that when I was a young bloke I played touch footy with a former first grade player and it's the first thing he said to me - he said "What I want you to do all match is run into gaps. Look up at the line, always position yourself between defenders and try to run between the ones that are tired or slow or lazy. If I see you in a hole, I'll always try and pass it to you". This is obviously especially true for touch footy because you cannot rely on strength at all.

Up to that point I always tried to run around or step people, then it dawned on me that the easiest way to get through the line is to already be in the hole, so most of the work of evading someone or breaking a tackle is already done.

But for the modern kids, you can't have 100% of kids calling for early ball and attempting to side-step or fend the opponent. It's only exceptional talent that can do that to first-grade defence. You need to run holes all match and have the fitness to offer the halves options from minute 1 through 80.

Even the most average footballer can run hard into a gap and take a good pass. I watched the Manly highlights and even Hank Scorpio Parker, playing in the backrow, was able to scythe through the Brisbane defence off a bold run effort and a weighted pass. Beyond the average players there are the natural hole-runners who should be strong and balanced and not afraid to get hit. We used to have several of them - Ellis, Dwyer, Rowdy.

 

[bbobb]

I think our issue was the start of our sets. The wingers/centres didn’t start us well (I thought “slobb” was the most effective and Staines the least).

I think the plan was (after starting well) was to play a very condensed attacking game plan, trying to get a roll on through the middle with the obvious step to go wide once we had the opposition back peddling. Trouble was that apart from Steph, we basically got man handled.

I know this was only a trial but that’s the stuff that you do want to see from a trial.

 

[watersider]

Big issue, the eternal issue, is controlling ruck speed in defense. Right from the start Liddle was making darts and our markers were scrambling. Just poor tackling technique, no strength, no numbers in tackles. Most teams can do this. Has been this way since Folkes left the club as our conditioning coach.

People rightly point out deficiencies in edge defense but no one looks good on the back foot tackling players in full stride.

We need to work on tackling, tackling, tackling.

With seyfarth in the side we were physically overmatched. He was beaten back in attack and ineffective in defense. Twal, as usual, helped with defense when he came on.

Paps recently said he wants to be best 2nd rower in the game, remember when Joey leuilua said similar? He needs to focus on basics, not being 'best'. Feels like he's been fully transformed into a tigers player now.

Sullivan is too loose and frantic. Just needs composure. I hope he works out but I don't see it. His short kicking game at least has been mostly excellent.

Fainu brothers looked great in a well beaten side.

Olam looks like every other big priced free agent we've recruited recently: frantic, injury prone, struggling with fitness and past his best.

Backs under strength, forwards slow and under strength.

Sezer has good long kicking game. I look at him and wonder how soon till he slows down and starts to wear out? With such forward domination against us he won't hold up physically.

Side looked exactly the same in structure and inefficiency as last 5 years, except weaker physically.

Our halves, on half the price, and still playing in a well beaten side, look better than Brooks in passing, decision making, kicking and consistency.

Finally, we're again looking hopefully at young players to lift our team. Players like Pole come in and look like fire, two years later they're properly bog average.

It's just a trial....let's hope.

 

[Tucker]

You & GNR should start your own thread on how
shit we are. I'd log off until we start winning If I were
you guys instead of incessantly talking down on
the club. You must be the biggest masochists lol.
All this after a trial loss, your made of pudding fmd

Maybe you should drop the Pom Poms and the mini skirt and stop your pathetic cheerleading?
We all know that by mid season you will go 100% the other way calling all our players every name under the sun in pages of over the top rants that eclipse anything we are saying right now.
I must say that your fundamental lack of understanding as to how we got to where we are always amuses me.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

You & GNR should start your own thread on how
shit we are. I'd log off until we start winning If I were
you guys instead of incessantly talking down on
the club. You must be the biggest masochists lol.
All this after a trial loss, your made of pudding fmd

What I have said is rather tame compared to most other comments in this thread. Not sure why you singled me out.

 

[carltonleach]

I watched the game. You just seem like so many on here that assume by changing a guys position, he will suddenly grow a leg and become even better. He is a plodder.

Agree to disagree I guess. I think he's a good player and people are very harsh on him but we are all entitled to our own opinions and I respect urs. Not all players but some I believe would benefit from a positional change. I could be so wrong but couldn't hurt trying him there in NSW cup or something

 

[Tucker]

I know it was only a trial, but we got smashed by the Dragons….the Dragons! Let that sink in.

Towelled us up in both grades btw.
Reserves copped near 60

 

[batboy]

You & GNR should start your own thread on how
shit we are. I'd log off until we start winning If I were
you guys instead of incessantly talking down on
the club. You must be the biggest masochists lol.
All this after a trial loss, your made of pudding fmd

Maybe we been putting up with this rot a bit longer than you bud?
We might judge the team on how they actually play, and what’s clearly missing for a long time now…
not how nice they were to us at the kebab shop after training…

 

[BZN]

Reckon maybe Benji said to him to play these trials in second gear a bit? Don’t give too much away.

You're a 💯genuine bloody genius BAGNF05 .
You've hit on the reason why we appeared to be so crap in both our games this year.
Benji has told the WHOLE TEAM "to play these trials in second gear a bit?" ....so, we don't give away our secret plays.
Wow...I'm excitedly waiting for our 1st fair dinkum game in round two.
Yuh better watch out Canberra, were coming for yuh .

 

[Vicious]

Towelled us up in both grades btw.
Reserves copped near 60

So what’s the answer, throw the towel in or get better ?