2021 Rd 7 V Cowboys: Game Day

[hobbsy]

I just don't get how we can be so different across 2 halves. I know other games there have been injuries but we have been competitive or dominating in just about every game we have played this year in the first half then just fall apart in the 2nd?? Is it fitness? **** is going on? We have a number of problems but that is really standing out to me

[Ultima]

I said this a few weeks back, in the stands and again this week we lost tonight because
We didn’t go forward after half time
Errors from kickoffs
Forward passes from dummy half x 3
Gubler unforced errors
Old, slow error riddled left side
Kris is no winger
The islanders are not happy
We are not fit enough
Our so called best forward pack in the comp are where???
The best hooker in the game since Cameron Smith is where????
Where is LuI? He played SOO last year and cannot make this squad????
And to make this claim...what have we won......ever.....making a gf and some finals is not winning the comp.....
We are a long way off the mark this year and I think there is some disharmony within the group
Both Corey’s were good. Starling was good and the halves are only as good as the forwards going forward....our back three haven’t got us on the front foot all season. Defensively we have fallen away from our attitude, and if you look at the last few weeks we have leaked more points than 3 quarters of last years total.....something is a miss in the capital

The Lui thing I really don't get... He looked good last year, sure he still had the occasional dropped ball but less the others. For some reason Stuart has decided that this year he isn't in the top 17, based on giving him a less than twenty minutes a game to prove himself...

[Bay53]

I just don't get how we can be so different across 2 halves. I know other games there have been injuries but we have been competitive or dominating in just about every game we have played this year in the first half then just fall apart in the 2nd?? Is it fitness? **** is going on? We have a number of problems but that is really standing out to me

We weren’t going that great in the first half either. It was ok, but not particularly crisp. It was still individual moments rather than a consistent performance.

[Bay53]

At the Dawn Service in Townsville. There was a bit of rain about but nice to come to the service in shorts and t shirt. Do that in Canberra and you won’t thaw out to October!!

[hobbsy]

I just don't get how we can be so different across 2 halves. I know other games there have been injuries but we have been competitive or dominating in just about every game we have played this year in the first half then just fall apart in the 2nd?? Is it fitness? **** is going on? We have a number of problems but that is really standing out to me

We weren’t going that great in the first half either. It was ok, but not particularly crisp. It was still individual moments rather than a consistent performance.

Yeah I don't disagree, but it is becoming a bit of a theme now. I'd be interested to see the stats of how many points we have scored and conceded in 1st half vs 2nd this year

[-PJ-]

I’ve just spent the last hour standing in my driveway..thinking..pondering..remembering..thanking.

I’ve switched off to what’s happening with our footy.

[afgtnk]

Uggh. Thought this was all just a **** dream.

I just don't get how we can be so different across 2 halves. I know other games there have been injuries but we have been competitive or dominating in just about every game we have played this year in the first half then just fall apart in the 2nd?? Is it fitness? **** is going on? We have a number of problems but that is really standing out to me

We weren’t going that great in the first half either. It was ok, but not particularly crisp. It was still individual moments rather than a consistent performance.

Yeah I don't disagree, but it is becoming a bit of a theme now. I'd be interested to see the stats of how many points we have scored and conceded in 1st half vs 2nd this year

1st halves

Scored 91
Conceded 58

2nd halves

Scored 46
Conceded 93

[AJL]

In hindsight, the Sharks game was the wake up call. We fell over the line because they couldn't kick straight.
We also had CNK that day. Not saying he doesn't make a big difference to us on both sides of the ball, but his return doesn't suddenly turn things around.

[GreenMachine]

I think i am kind of in shock that 2 weeks after being considered premiership contenders, as a defence mechanism, I am being forced to transition into "roll your eyes/laugh at how **** we are" mode ala 2013/14 after we lose.

2 weeks, hey? I wonder what significant change to our squad, and perhaps our whole defensive structure, has occurred in the last two weeks?

I know I’m certainly stumped. For some reason our world class defence seems absolutely shot to pieces... like it’s missing its general or something

We’re missing CNK.
When he comes back, we should be sweet.
Our attack will be sorted...ask Brent Tate.

[GreenMachine]

The reality is we’ve been poor all season.
Sleep walking in second halves and impotent in attack...
We did nothing in the off-season to address our attacking concerns which were there for all of us to see...
The new rules just compound the problem...

[Wiki Special]

Last night confirmed to me why I hate the 6 Again Rule. Had no bearing on the result but it is wildly inconsistent. Felt like 7 or 8 called in 1st half then only a late one called 2nd half.

[Boomercm]

I'm stuck in lock-down in Perth so maybe I'm a little jaundiced about the boys performance tonight. But after an hour or so of fair dinkum reflection it is abundantly clear that we are gone for 2021! The Board has to take ownership and action to right the ship. The fossils have to be discarded. They include the coach, Croker and a number of other players that the coach has recruited! We are light years off the pace this year and while I know the Club values it's favourite sons it also embraces mediocrity! Time to clear house!

Green Taipan, sadly it doesn’t work like that. We have contracted players and they count to the salary cap unless they agree to leave early or go to another club.

The coach is a different matter, you can pay out a coach and get another, but I am not convinced Ricky is the issue.

Your spot on Taipan. We don't have the quality of players to adapt to the new game. Coach is responsible for that, so he shouldn't be part of a re-build which seems inevitable now

You can't blame the coach and recruitment team for not adapting to the new rules when they have been brought in overnight with no consultation. It's possible it is about the style of players, rather than quality. But I'm not sure about that. I think we are just in a funk.

[Greedysmurf]

Last night confirmed to me why I hate the 6 Again Rule. Had no bearing on the result but it is wildly inconsistent. Felt like 7 or 8 called in 1st half then only a late one called 2nd half.

Yep, I've been looking closely at it the last two weeks, and I have two big issues with the rule;
1) As you rightly point out the application of them is wildly inconsistent.
2) To date there is virtually zero scrutiny of them by the press, the refs and the public. Not like how you'd get complaints in the past about a lopsided penalty count. Now the broadcasters mention them as an interesting tidbit in passing but that's it.

[moto748]

I just felt when the Raiders don't even have their much-vaunted forward dominance though their pack, they just looked all the more a pretty poorly-coached side. passing seldom looks sharp and slick, either in attack or in midfield (yes, other teams manage to do that!), and how many kicks when over the sideline or straight into the bread-basket of a defender? Starling was energetic, but he didn't have the greatest of games either.

[moto748]

Now the broadcasters mention them as an interesting tidbit in passing but that's it.

Yeah, because *everyone* wants it to be a success, cos, wow, it speeds the game up and makes it more exciting and marketable, and its drawbacks are not overly debated.

[gangrenous]

It’s bizarre. He’s gone from running this whole CNK is a poor ball player agenda (which I don’t disagree with) to somehow morphing it into we don’t miss the guy in defence and you’re stupid for suggesting it.

Probably should give up when you're behind, dude. Trying to misrepresent and mischaracterise as a tactic to make someone look nuts may work on some newb, but it's not gonna work here.

So this isn’t you posting last week saying that we lose nothing with Aekins? (And me CLEARLY stating that CNK isn’t the only problem once again despite your repeated insistence that’s my argument).

You're literally one of two people attributing the loss to CNK's absence.

Barely anyone is buying it, and you shouldn't even attempt to try and sell. Caleb Aekins had a very solid game tonight in line with expectations.

I’m not attributing the loss to missing CNK. There’s clearly a number of issues across the paddock at the moment.

I’m just saying it’s not surprising our defence got dramatically worse when you take out our defensively superb fullback.

But you can’t bring yourself even to admit the obvious.

The absence of our 'defensively superb fullback' is not responsible for some Eels forward strolling through our right edge on the line. There is **** nothing he could or would do there that Aekins didn't do, who if you're not aware, is also an adept defensive fullback.

Who is misrepresenting here again?

[afgtnk]

Clearly you. What you've quoted does not have me saying that we lose nothing with Aekins.

Further, if you didn't truly believe that CNK's absence wasn't the only problem plaguing us, you'd actually be touching on the other things that you claim to believe are, instead of just banging on about CNK only.

[gangrenous]

Clearly you. What you've quoted does not have me saying that we lose nothing with Aekins.

Further, if you didn't truly believe that CNK's absence wasn't the only problem plaguing us, you'd actually be touching on the other things that you claim to believe are, instead of just banging on about CNK only.

So let’s get this straight then. You’re arguing that you chose one try where in your opinion Aekins vs CNK made no difference (which I disagree with completely), in a game where we were clearly defensively weaker without CNK, to make what rebuttal to the request to acknowledge we were defensively weaker?

I mean that’s just intellectually dishonest.

[afgtnk]

You don't even know what you're **** arguing dude.

You're constantly insinuating that CNK is the difference between what we are now and what we should be, then putting in a piss weak disclaimer about how you believe he's actually just one of our issues the minute you're called out. Like anyone is **** buying it.

I don't care anymore. I'm too depressed today to be debating average to below average fullbacks that won't help deliver us a premiership. CNK isn't good enough, neither is Aekins.

[benda]

I think CNK doesnt win you a premiership... but he certainly doesnt lose you one. He is a good quality fullback and can compliment any team.

Our backs are generally slow and we simply arent dangerous in attack, maybe because of this. I dare say our backs on average are the slowest in the comp.

All this compounded with lack of confidence.

I think its time to rebuild our backs.

[hobbsy]

There's no doubt missing CNK is making a big difference in our performances. There's deeper problems for sure, but it doesn't help with him gone.

[kiwi raider]

Aekins was horrid defensively. He has no business being in first grade if he cant even be in a position to at least compete for a grubber put through the line on tackle 6.

We undoubtedly win that game with CNK there but there are obviously some other big issues. Firstly we need to find some outside backs that can get us on the front foot to start our sets.

Having said all that and as bad as we were in the 2nd half the cowboys should get a little credit. 17/17 in the second half and gave us nothing. The lack of any sort of pace or power coming out of our own end meant we couldnt create any momentum for our middles and halves to work with

[The Green Hornet]

Can anyone post a summary of stuarts presser after last night?

[-TW-]

Had plenty of chances, can't fault the effort, they didn't give us much in the 2nd half.

Pretty much it

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[The Green Hornet]

Thanks TW

[greeneyed]

Can anyone post a summary of stuarts presser after last night?

In Through green eyes every week: https://thegh.com.au/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 5#p1791945

[gangrenous]

Had plenty of chances, can't fault the effort, they didn't give us much in the 2nd half.

Pretty much it

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

It was underwhelming

[Off]

You don't even know what you're **** arguing dude.

You're constantly insinuating that CNK is the difference between what we are now and what we should be, then putting in a piss weak disclaimer about how you believe he's actually just one of our issues the minute you're called out. Like anyone is **** buying it.

I don't care anymore. I'm too depressed today to be debating average to below average fullbacks that won't help deliver us a premiership. CNK isn't good enough, neither is Aekins.

Pretty much it for 90% of our squad.

[gangrenous]

I don't care anymore. I'm too depressed today to be debating average to below average fullbacks that won't help deliver us a premiership. CNK isn't good enough, neither is Aekins.

Shadowboxing out is definitely your best option at this point.

[radicalraider]

There's something not right with papalii. He doesn't seem happy or hungry to win. I don't think he's the only one.. it's a few of his Polynesian mates too ( Lui and tapine).. There's a division in the playing group or feud with the coach.. they're not playing for each other like last 2 yrs.
Even the way Stuart and Mick Ennis spoke last night you could tell he's covering up a bigger issue..

[-PJ-]

Is it too early to hang the MM medal around Suttons neck.

He’s having a serious dig in 21.

[RedRaider]

I don't know that Sticky publicly saying last week that some players weren't having a go is conducive to team performance no matter that the statement was true. It creates a divide that will be a challenge to correct.

[benda]

There's something not right with papalii. He doesn't seem happy or hungry to win. I don't think he's the only one.. it's a few of his Polynesian mates too ( Lui and tapine).. There's a division in the playing group or feud with the coach.. they're not playing for each other like last 2 yrs.
Even the way Stuart and Mick Ennis spoke last night you could tell he's covering up a bigger issue..

If this is true... which it could very well be ... we could be toast for a few seasons.

Hope its not the case!

[benda]

I don't know that Sticky publicly saying last week that some players weren't having a go is conducive to team performance no matter that the statement was true. It creates a divide that will be a challenge to correct.

Its an interesting one. Its difficult as some of our leaders/snr players havent been performing. So one can't keep picking them while putting pressure on some of the other players.

So you could be right, but without all the context on the conversations that go on its hard to judge.

One thing for sure is: we sucked against parra and we were worse last night. Confidence is down big time and i think there might be a growing acknowledgement that we cant win a premiership with this roster.

[Dimes]

Is it too early to hang the MM medal around Suttons neck.

He’s having a serious dig in 21.

Yes. A small flicker of light amongst the blackness and doom

We must clone him