Ultimately it is the D...and it is on Madge...

[ElleryHanley]

I posted here at the end of last season that the defensive structures don't work. A 100 year worst run of 26 plus a game...only broken this season by a poor Knights team scoring 22.

Almost 40 today against half a QLD cup team. You can't let a few late tries hide reality. The D line folded, yet again.

I have supported Madge, but you just can't argue with stats. **This is an historically bad defensive side**, and ultimately it is on him. He has not addressed glaring issues and the yelling and kicking chairs just does not work anymore. We fold on our line, we have a winger who can't read the numbers and refuses to jump, we have bigs who leave gaps, we have bigs out on their feet after 1-2 sets of D...holes appear as soon as they are on the back foot..**.**none of this has been addressed...****

**It is his team and his system**. Ultimately, Madge has to be accountable. Today is rock bottom. We were never this bad even under really poor previous coaches. I am genuinely surprised we have sunk this low. We are now 3 wins from our last 15 games or so and have conceded 26 plus in almost all of them. If this was a rookie coach, he would be gone. I wanted Madge, was happy with his extension...but you can't argue with stats. The defense is historically bad.

 

[Bula]

I posted here at the end of last season that the defensive structures don't work. A 100 year worst run of 26 plus a game...only broken this season by a poor Knights team scoring 22.

Almost 40 today against half a QLD cup team. You can't let a few late tries hide reality. The D line folded, yet again.

I have supported Madge, but you just can't argue with stats. **This is an historically bad defensive side**, and ultimately it is on him. He has not addressed glaring issues and the yelling and kicking chairs just does not work anymore. We fold on our line, we have a winger who can't read the numbers and refuses to jump, we have bigs who leave gaps, we have bigs out on their feet after 1-2 sets of D...holes appear as soon as they are on the back foot..**.**none of this has been addressed...****

**It is his team and his system**. Ultimately, Madge has to be accountable. Today is rock bottom. We were never this bad even under really poor previous coaches. I am genuinely surprised we have sunk this low. We are now 3 wins from our last 15 games or so and have conceded 26 plus in almost all of them. If this was a rookie coach, he would be gone. I wanted Madge, was happy with his extension...but you can't argue with stats. The defense is historically bad.

Hard to argue with this.

 

[PJ_]

We haven't been defensively strong since forever. Arm grabbing tackles, no starch in the tackles. My Nana can tackle harder and she's been dead for 20 years

 

[Yossarian]

If Newcastle had a decent kicker they get 26 no problem. Latrell could score 26 on his own next week.

 

[izotope]

I Dont blame Madge but he isnt getting a response.

Cant sack all the players.

 

[Tigerdave]

Just can't defend the edges

 

[ElleryHanley]

I posted here at the end of last season that the defensive structures don't work. A 100 year worst run of 26 plus a game...only broken this season by a poor Knights team scoring 22.

Almost 40 today against half a QLD cup team. You can't let a few late tries hide reality. The D line folded, yet again.

I have supported Madge, but you just can't argue with stats. **This is an historically bad defensive side**, and ultimately it is on him. He has not addressed glaring issues and the yelling and kicking chairs just does not work anymore. We fold on our line, we have a winger who can't read the numbers and refuses to jump, we have bigs who leave gaps, we have bigs out on their feet after 1-2 sets of D...holes appear as soon as they are on the back foot..**.**none of this has been addressed...****

**It is his team and his system**. Ultimately, Madge has to be accountable. Today is rock bottom. We were never this bad even under really poor previous coaches. I am genuinely surprised we have sunk this low. We are now 3 wins from our last 15 games or so and have conceded 26 plus in almost all of them. If this was a rookie coach, he would be gone. I wanted Madge, was happy with his extension...but you can't argue with stats. The defense is historically bad.

Hard to argue with this.

I don't want to sound bad and I love the club, but no one can argue with me on this. I wish I 'could' argue against myself and say I am wrong.

But the D line has been bad for months and months and months of footy. For whatever reason, it just does not hold up.

And things simply have not been addressed. I like Madge, but ultimately this is his job. The pack's balance is clearly wrong, but not a single adjustment. Bench also...no adjustment. Edges fail. No adjustment.

 

[Shooter Mcgavin]

Didn’t know Madge was out there making the tackles...but in all seriousness it’s a huge issue but my opinion it is an attitude thing and a culture thing that goes much deeper than the coach

 

[JC99]

I posted here at the end of last season that the defensive structures don't work. A 100 year worst run of 26 plus a game...only broken this season by a poor Knights team scoring 22.

Almost 40 today against half a QLD cup team. You can't let a few late tries hide reality. The D line folded, yet again.

I have supported Madge, but you just can't argue with stats. **This is an historically bad defensive side**, and ultimately it is on him. He has not addressed glaring issues and the yelling and kicking chairs just does not work anymore. We fold on our line, we have a winger who can't read the numbers and refuses to jump, we have bigs who leave gaps, we have bigs out on their feet after 1-2 sets of D...holes appear as soon as they are on the back foot..**.**none of this has been addressed...****

**It is his team and his system**. Ultimately, Madge has to be accountable. Today is rock bottom. We were never this bad even under really poor previous coaches. I am genuinely surprised we have sunk this low. We are now 3 wins from our last 15 games or so and have conceded 26 plus in almost all of them. If this was a rookie coach, he would be gone. I wanted Madge, was happy with his extension...but you can't argue with stats. The defense is historically bad.

I agree with most of this post but we have DEFINITELY been worse than we were today. How many times did we concede 60 to Canberra under previous coaches?

Defence is easily our number one issue and the coaching staff and players are all responsible. They are struggling to fix it and it's been this way for a long long time under many many coach's

 

[Tiger_heart]

100% - never been Madge's fan, but I have questioned a number of times if he is able to get the best out of this team. We know one side of our defense is CHRONICALLY sick, yet he has done zero to fix it, and it gets exploited almost every game.

 

[ElleryHanley]

We haven't been defensively strong since forever. Arm grabbing tackles, no starch in the tackles. My Nana can tackle harder and she's been dead for 20 years

Yes, but why is the technique so bad? And why are things not addressed? Not one forward has honestly improved their D under Madge, that is the most worrying thing.

 

[gallagher]

We haven't been defensively strong since forever. Arm grabbing tackles, no starch in the tackles. My Nana can tackle harder and she's been dead for 20 years

PJ banned.....

 

[ElleryHanley]

I posted here at the end of last season that the defensive structures don't work. A 100 year worst run of 26 plus a game...only broken this season by a poor Knights team scoring 22.

Almost 40 today against half a QLD cup team. You can't let a few late tries hide reality. The D line folded, yet again.

I have supported Madge, but you just can't argue with stats. **This is an historically bad defensive side**, and ultimately it is on him. He has not addressed glaring issues and the yelling and kicking chairs just does not work anymore. We fold on our line, we have a winger who can't read the numbers and refuses to jump, we have bigs who leave gaps, we have bigs out on their feet after 1-2 sets of D...holes appear as soon as they are on the back foot..**.**none of this has been addressed...****

**It is his team and his system**. Ultimately, Madge has to be accountable. Today is rock bottom. We were never this bad even under really poor previous coaches. I am genuinely surprised we have sunk this low. We are now 3 wins from our last 15 games or so and have conceded 26 plus in almost all of them. If this was a rookie coach, he would be gone. I wanted Madge, was happy with his extension...but you can't argue with stats. The defense is historically bad.

I agree with most of this post but we have DEFINITELY been worse than we were today. How many times did we concede 60 to Canberra under previous coaches?

Defence is easily our number one issue and the coaching staff and players are all responsible. They are struggling to fix it and it's been this way for a long long time under many many coach's

I know what you mean...but those bad showings in Canberra were isolated things.

This has been month after month for an historically long time. And there has never been a bounce back. Even when we lost to Canberra, we'd string some D together for a few games after it.

These are the same flaws...exact same...week after week after week.

 

[earl]

no one can argue with me on this.

Well I can't see a valid counter argument. The best I have is that some of those misses were just on the player but it's something that should be practiced at training and they have to get it right.

 

[ElleryHanley]

no one can argue with me on this.

Well I can't see a valid counter argument. The best I have is that some of those misses were just on the player but it's something that should be practiced at training and they have to get it right.

It is a 100 year record in footy...no team has ever conceded 20-40 every week for this long.

It is the system, not just individuals.

 

[earl]

no one can argue with me on this.

Well I can't see a valid counter argument. The best I have is that some of those misses were just on the player but it's something that should be practiced at training and they have to get it right.

It is a 100 year record in footy...no team has ever conceded 20-40 every week for this long.

It is the system, not just individuals.

There are clearly technical problems right. Some of those misses are just players looking the wrong way or not being in the right spot.

I can understand the attack taking time but he has to get the defense right.

 

[voice_of_reason]

Just can't defend the edges

Our edge defence starts in the middle; we're not holding the middle which then drags players in leaving overlaps wide.

If you analysed every (wide) try tonight I'll guarantee there was an overlap. We're also very susceptible to an offload - we don't lock up the ball well enough..

We're regularly short on both edges so either the defensive structure is wrong or we're simply not able to implement it.

 

[ElleryHanley]

100% - never been Madge's fan, but I have questioned a number of times if he is able to get the best out of this team. We know one side of our defense is CHRONICALLY sick, yet he has done zero to fix it, and it gets exploited almost every game.

Post game, he never really analyses stuff like you hear a Robinson or even a Griffin. It is just "we need to be better, we showed for 20 mins what we trained to do" etc etc etc.

The old "run hard!" pre game speech...and "run harder!" half time rev up...

 

[NJLM78]

Not many teams will score 30 points in a game and lose.

 

[ElleryHanley]

Just can't defend the edges


Our edge defence starts in the middle; we're not holding the middle which then drags players in to cover leaving overlaps wide.

If you analysed every (wide) try tonight I'll guarantee there was an overlap. We're also very susceptible to an offload - we don't lock up the ball well enough..

We're regularly short on both edges so either the defensive structure is wrong or we're simply not able to implement it.

Excellent analysis mate.

Twal came in several times today last man and went low when the ball was in a carrying arm...he had a clear shot at the ball, but left it. One led straight to a try. Same last week.

Either he (and most of them) don't understand how to play D (hard to believe) or they are coached not to wrap up the ball.