Wests Tigers Team v Cronulla

[Geo]

Kia Ora…Wests Tigers as per program...

 

[Sabre]

No Buchanan!
:wahoo:

 

[ricksen]

Re: Rankin, I remember we had a few people on here mention that he was the front runner for left wing, as per JT's comments at one of those member forums. The vast majority of responses were in disbelief and thought the posters were getting mixed up with Justin Hunt.
Spoke volumes IMO.
He's a decent footballer, but he looks well out of his depth on the wing.

 

[tiger_one]

Is Teddy fit?

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Whoever made the decision to play Sweet Caroline for kareoke at half time every week should be sacked. It's good that they're embracing the fans, but they are doing it in the most cheesy way possible.

 

[doublesonthemain]

I'm not sure if Jordan Rankin is the best choice or not for the wing spot but I am sure that he is a very mature player who gives 100%. He is a player who can shift to other positions should it be needed. He is also a guy who can kick goals and his kick-offs are giving the team plenty of time to get down and make the tackle deep in the opposition's half. Addo-Carr will be called upon at some point because injuries will occur. Yesterday the Sharks were very, very slick, I think they would've made most teams struggle to contain them. Ennis was terrific. If a dummy half was picked on form right now for Origin he'd get the job, and I am not a fan of his but I respect his ability. Right now he is doing everything at speed and his service is fantastic. The Sharks backs are quick and if they get quality possession as they did yesterday then they will present a big problem for any defence, but the same can be said for our backs. Yesterday they had a fair bit more quality possession than us because of our inability to build pressure especially 2nd half. We could've won that game had we played smarter in the 2nd half, simple as that. We've lost the last 2 games but I think it's reasonable to point out that with a little more discipline we could've won both? Neither loss was the fault of one individual. We now have an 8 day turn around to get it right for the Knights game, and as far as I know we have no injuries from yesterday's game so keeping the same team is the way to go unless Sirro is back which if that is the case then he gets a spot.

 

[doublesonthemain]

Whoever made the decision to play Sweet Caroline for kareoke at half time every week should be sacked. It's good that they're embracing the fans, but they are doing it in the most cheesy way possible.

Agree, it's starting to wear thin already. It does make you wonder who is in charge of this. I know YMCA has been played once but come on guys surely a different song can be played each week. And how about getting the microphone around the crowd to give some fans a chance to sing a line or two. The mind boggles.

 

[doublesonthemain]

I thought Kyle Lovett was terrific in the first half plugging the hole at centre when players were shifted around after Teddy went off. Kyle did a great job containing Jack Bird and helped stop a couple of dangerous looking Sharks backline raids near our line. He was only needed for the 12 or so minutes Teddy was off but he still did it well. And I thought the rest of his game was good too. A really handy player to have in the squad.

 

[doublesonthemain]

I think some people are going a bit overboard here. 50% win record. 1st 2 games were good, though do highlight that our bench is letting us down as teams are scoring points and making metres while they are on. Next 2 games were losses where I cannot see blame placed on one individual, but rather simple errors (largely dropped balls & pushes passes) right across the paddock. Some of the worst offenders were our senior players who no-one would consider dropping. Even the Warriors game 2/3 of their tries came off pushed passes going to ground and being picked up by NZ.
I do not agree with changes for changes sake, and while stats are one thing, I have not seen enough state cup to say that players there are performing at a standard far above the first graders. I think Edwards should get a go as he is a good 1st grade player. Am interested in how JAC, MCK, Dallas Graham, Griffin, Peni, Heleta & Cassell are going in all facets of the game, as I thought that they would be pushing for 1st grade spots this year. There is not a lot of true dead wood in the NSW cup side.

Agree 100% with all your points. I have only caught the one State Cup game, when they were thrashed by the Warriors. They dropped a lot of ball that day, it was hot and the Warriors are a very big, mobile team and they put on plenty of points. Edwards had his first run but was definitely in need of it. He can certainly put sting into his tackles as most of us would already know anyway. Doubt he'd provide much in attack though. I thought Jesse Parahi showed potential, ran hard and got stuck in during his time on the field. Cassell tries hard but is a lightweight. Addo-Carr showed his speed on occasions, should imagine he'll get an opportunity in NRL at some point. Heleta did pretty well returning the ball at fullback. I'd like to see more of the others before making any judgements.

 

[doublesonthemain]

so the one of the change most people want is for buchanan/lovett to be dropped from 17th/18th man to be replaces by MCK? i dont think our last interchange or 18th man is any reason why we have lost 2 in a row.

as for rankin, JAC is overshadowing him in the state cup but JT made the decision before the start of the year looking at how they both trained and chose rankin. he has carried the ball strongly, done whatever is asked of him and does not deserve to be dropped. again, NOT our main problem

our spine is intact. our prop rotation is perfect. backline is near perfect. maybe a couple of changes on the bench.

team shifts have come a long way from the tim sheens era.

Ok you must be watching things very differently to the rest of us…..

Rankin doesnt carry the back strongly, he falls over before the line, has lost the ball in 2 different games tackle 1 or 2 in out 20 & can't finish a try to save himself.

Wingers use to be underated but now having speed and size are huge in the game as it leads to putting teams on the front foot, create half chances when the ruck gets tired and can actually finish off plays.
\
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Sorry but Rankin has shown no reason why he should be playing on the wing week in week out yet - he just isnt a winger and it is costing us.

Josh Addo-Carr played NYC last year, has yet to play NRL but he will get the opportunity soon. Jordan Rankin has plenty of experience, is an intelligent player who can play other positions as well if needed during a game. He can also take over kicking duties if needed. I can understand JT starting the season with Jordan and I think he's been doing a more than capable job on the wing. He might not carry the ball back as strongly as Nofoaluma but he has good footwork at the line when he does. I also think the players around Jordan like playing with him because he brings a lot of enthusiasm and keeps his cool when things aren't going their way.

 

[TrueTiger]

Well guys I was at the game as most would know because of the WTF get together…..
What was clearly on show was "IMMATURITY" from our younger players,giving away silly penalties and gifting the Sharks easy territory,not having the vision to find ground at the end of a set and getting caught with the ball,not being able to control the game once a good lead was established....The Sharks have seasoned,professional players who can win games in a split second given the opportunity and this stood out yesterday,the likes of Ennis,Barbara,Lewis and Gallen....Our team is learning every week,their defense is improving and their attack is superb when all goes well ...Taylor has improved this team as compared to last year,however you can't coach the side to play to a game plan and then the team makes errors during the game that weren't in the plan,not being able to or have the capacity to recover from those errors is what sets us apart from the top teams in this comp..instead of gathering themselves up and concentrating on the rest of the game, they showed some good old fashioned panic...once again they have to learn to be switched on and playing for the full 80 minutes,slacken off and they get punished... :neutral_face:

 

[doublesonthemain]

Well guys I was at the game as most would know because of the WTF get together…..
What was clearly on show was "IMMATURITY" from our younger players,giving away silly penalties and gifting the Sharks easy territory,not having the vision to find ground at the end of a set and getting caught with the ball,not being able to control the game once a good lead was established....The Sharks have seasoned,professional players who can win games in a split second given the opportunity and this stood out yesterday,the likes of Ennis,Barbara,Lewis and Gallen....Our team is learning every week,their defense is improving and their attack is superb when all goes well ...Taylor has improved this team as compared to last year,however you can't coach the side to play to a game plan and then the team makes errors during the game that weren't in the plan,not being able to or have the capacity to recover from those errors is what sets us apart from the top teams in this comp..instead of gathering themselves up and concentrating on the rest of the game, they showed some good old fashioned panic...once again they have to learn to be switched on and playing for the full 80 minutes,slacken off and they get punished... :neutral_face:

The panic, if it was that, was caused by the great pressure applied by the Sharks. Have to give credit to their forwards and Ennis and their halves who took full advantage of some poor decisions and errors. But for us I think it's something we will get better at, our guys will learn to make better decisions.