MacDougall
New member
Parramatta were getting off their line fast all game. Slow ruck play and ineffective carries allowed them to pressure the halves. As a result the halves were getting ball with defenders in their faces and forced to make decisions under pressure every time they tried to put on a play. They'd then shuffle the ball on quickly to the easiest out (the plebian backrower Lovett or Halatau) and put the outside man under just as much pressure which led to heaps of errors, or if they tried to force the pass out the back to Tedesco, he'd be under just as much pressure and be forced to jink, come back inside and get belted or get it out to the centres under too much pressure.
They simply needed to get deeper in attack but they didn't adjust to the linespeed. If they got deeper in attack and used the same plays they've been working all season they'd have caught Parramatta out plenty.
This wasn't helped by Farah showing no urgency at the ruck to get the ball and deliver it. When Cherrington came on he was picking the ball up faster, two handed and getting quick ball to the halves and they immediately had time with the ball. So yes, let's leave Cherrington on the bench until the 72nd minute. It also wasn't helped by Grant being concussed early game and having only two forwards on the bench and having Halatau, Lovett and Buchanan, three of the least effective ball runners in the NRL trying to win the advantage line. Tiring, ineffective forwards led to Rankin repeatedly and to his credit coming in off the wing to put in a forwards carry but you might as well have Preston Campbell doing hit ups if you've got Rankin trying to get over the ad line.
The game was lost when Taylor decided to play two forwards on the bench, one of whom was Buchanan. Our best forward was the other benchie, Seumanufagai. When Grant went down, the decision to have no forwards on the bench was made even worse.
We can't afford to carry forwards who don't impact the advantage line in the volumes we did today. We especially can't afford to carry Lovett and Buchanan in games that we're down on forwards. We can't afford to carry two forwards on the bench. Rather than using a pecking order system, Taylor needs to use a horses for courses selection policy. That game needed Chee Kam and Griffin if you're playing Farah. Not Cherrington and Buchanan.
They simply needed to get deeper in attack but they didn't adjust to the linespeed. If they got deeper in attack and used the same plays they've been working all season they'd have caught Parramatta out plenty.
This wasn't helped by Farah showing no urgency at the ruck to get the ball and deliver it. When Cherrington came on he was picking the ball up faster, two handed and getting quick ball to the halves and they immediately had time with the ball. So yes, let's leave Cherrington on the bench until the 72nd minute. It also wasn't helped by Grant being concussed early game and having only two forwards on the bench and having Halatau, Lovett and Buchanan, three of the least effective ball runners in the NRL trying to win the advantage line. Tiring, ineffective forwards led to Rankin repeatedly and to his credit coming in off the wing to put in a forwards carry but you might as well have Preston Campbell doing hit ups if you've got Rankin trying to get over the ad line.
The game was lost when Taylor decided to play two forwards on the bench, one of whom was Buchanan. Our best forward was the other benchie, Seumanufagai. When Grant went down, the decision to have no forwards on the bench was made even worse.
We can't afford to carry forwards who don't impact the advantage line in the volumes we did today. We especially can't afford to carry Lovett and Buchanan in games that we're down on forwards. We can't afford to carry two forwards on the bench. Rather than using a pecking order system, Taylor needs to use a horses for courses selection policy. That game needed Chee Kam and Griffin if you're playing Farah. Not Cherrington and Buchanan.
