We are the worst team at the "one percenters" in the competition and have been for several seasons. He looked angry when he said it, and he would know being a staunch Tigers fans. He highlighted the Dogs breakaway try again us 2 weeks ago. Whilst it was seen as a magic try, the chase on the inside from the Tigers was of the lowest standard imaginable. There was no way a line break would have occured, let alone a try if our inside players chased the kick and covered the space.
All the "one percenters" we are poor at. The kick chase, the last tackle options, the lack of wrestling on the ground, try line defence, consistent line speed, not winning the collisions. That has to be a black mark against the coach. Why are we the worst team at these one percenters that go along way to being a consistent winning football team? Probably because there is no punishment really for not being up in these areas.
Even 2010 and 2011 we pretty much below par in terms of consistency and poor for long stretches of the season. It's just so obvious that the place needs a revamp and is stale. The way Brian Smith spoke about our team on the weekend, its obvious he doesn't respect us. Cameron Smith said a month ago i remember vividly "We don't want to be a team like Wests Tigers that tries to outscore the opposition". That has got to hurt, our club is seen as flashy and talented, but with a soft underbelly.
You would almost rather run in the bottom 3 or 4 like Balmain did in the late 90's having a red hot go each week with nobodies, then a team that doesn't reach it's potential because essentially it's soft.
All the "one percenters" we are poor at. The kick chase, the last tackle options, the lack of wrestling on the ground, try line defence, consistent line speed, not winning the collisions. That has to be a black mark against the coach. Why are we the worst team at these one percenters that go along way to being a consistent winning football team? Probably because there is no punishment really for not being up in these areas.
Even 2010 and 2011 we pretty much below par in terms of consistency and poor for long stretches of the season. It's just so obvious that the place needs a revamp and is stale. The way Brian Smith spoke about our team on the weekend, its obvious he doesn't respect us. Cameron Smith said a month ago i remember vividly "We don't want to be a team like Wests Tigers that tries to outscore the opposition". That has got to hurt, our club is seen as flashy and talented, but with a soft underbelly.
You would almost rather run in the bottom 3 or 4 like Balmain did in the late 90's having a red hot go each week with nobodies, then a team that doesn't reach it's potential because essentially it's soft.