2021 Rd 10 V Bulldogs: Game Day

[benda]

Just want to say that Hodgson is by far and away our best player. He makes our other players look better when he is on the field. Jack is great individually, but he doesn't do that.

Hodgson is also the natural leader of the team, captain or not.

This is true.
On the leader piece; he was the one who was barking orders.

A real positive on the team is they really did come together to bring it home. Shows good character and resolve. To me suggests the team are in good spirits.

Biggest worry was that we needed to do that against the wooden spooners.

[RedRaider]

There was a worse example of a shoulder charge to the head in the 1st half of the Souths v CN game and the Souths player only got 10 mins! Where is the consistency? It is ridiculous to suddenly introduce draconian penalties so far into the season. The obvious reason is the NRL's officials failed to detect two fowl plays last week and now everyone has to be punished for the NRL's oversights! I'm thankful for V'Landy getting the game back but his constant messing with the game is destroying it!!!!

ABC radio talking about this. The ref in the Souths v Sharks game used the same wording (sic "direct forceful contact to the head") which saw Papa sent off, which they agreed should have happened, but why did a player with the same action then only get 10 in the bin in the following match?? As plenty on here have said for years, the inconsistency in the interpreting of the rules is detracting from the game.

All of the magic round games are at the same venue and it is fair to say the head honcho's for rules should be ensuring consistency. The Refs are mic'd up so why is it so hard to get consistent outcomes??

[Crash Ball]

I actually think the refs have done a fantastic job of following these last minute awful guidelines. The change stinks but theyve been consistent to them with all the rulings

I think so too
Not sure what I think of them yet

Don’t think we’ll know until we see how teams respond in weeks 2-3-4
But I do understand what they’re trying to do and I generally agree with the goal... not sure if this is the right way to go about it though

But if it we get 4 weeks down the road and the shots like Papalii’s and Wighton’s are just out of the game
Then it’s probably a good thing

This - also it ripples down to junior footy, my sons team were beneficiaries of two head high calls where the whistle is blown as soon as anything goes near the neck/head...

Junior rugby league and the sport in general needs this, we don’t want our kids or anyone getting CTE unnecessarily..

Yep, this is shoulder charge MK II.

Suck it up and live with it folks. Adapt your play and benefit.

Shoulder charges are a specific type of tackle technique. What is the technique ruled illegal here?

[greeneyed]

I know he's better than papalii at the same age but I'm seriously concerned with how hors has returned from his very serious injury.

He's not hitting the line with much ompf. Some of his returns from line drop outs were super soft. He looks unfit

Ricky Stuart basically said in his weekly captain's run press conference that the two Coreys and Emre Guler are not yet match fit, as they missed the off season, but are being required by circumstances to put in big minutes.

[gangrenous]

Shoulder charges are a specific type of tackle technique. What is the technique ruled illegal here?

Hitting someone in the head.

[LastRaider]

I know he's better than papalii at the same age but I'm seriously concerned with how hors has returned from his very serious injury.

He's not hitting the line with much ompf. Some of his returns from line drop outs were super soft. He looks unfit

Ricky Stuart basically said in his weekly captain's run press conference that the two Coreys and Emre Guler are not yet match fit, as they missed the off season, but are being required by circumstances to put in big minutes.

Professional athletes which are paid triple figures can’t get themselves fit for the season?!?!? Excuses just keep rolling of Sticky’s tongue

[sprintman]

I know he's better than papalii at the same age but I'm seriously concerned with how hors has returned from his very serious injury.

He's not hitting the line with much ompf. Some of his returns from line drop outs were super soft. He looks unfit

Ricky Stuart basically said in his weekly captain's run press conference that the two Coreys and Emre Guler are not yet match fit, as they missed the off season, but are being required by circumstances to put in big minutes.

Professional athletes which are paid triple figures can’t get themselves fit for the season?!?!? Excuses just keep rolling of Sticky’s tongue

You can’t get match fit unless you’re playing. I’m surprised you don’t know this.

[Botman]

CHN looked much better today re fitness, but he also seemed to really focus on not chasing the ball unless it was headed to his side

Think it was his best game for us so far and I don’t think it was unrelated that he seemed really focused on playing his role

[Botman]

Shoulder charges are a specific type of tackle technique. What is the technique ruled illegal here?

Hitting someone in the head.

**** me, gangers
One of us is going to have to zag here, this hill ain’t big enough for both of us

[Boomercm]

There was a worse example of a shoulder charge to the head in the 1st half of the Souths v CN game and the Souths player only got 10 mins! Where is the consistency? It is ridiculous to suddenly introduce draconian penalties so far into the season. The obvious reason is the NRL's officials failed to detect two fowl plays last week and now everyone has to be punished for the NRL's oversights! I'm thankful for V'Landy getting the game back but his constant messing with the game is destroying it!!!!

ABC radio talking about this. The ref in the Souths v Sharks game used the same wording (sic "direct forceful contact to the head") which saw Papa sent off, which they agreed should have happened, but why did a player with the same action then only get 10 in the bin in the following match?? As plenty on here have said for years, the inconsistency in the interpreting of the rules is detracting from the game.

All of the magic round games are at the same venue and it is fair to say the head honcho's for rules should be ensuring consistency. The Refs are mic'd up so why is it so hard to get consistent outcomes??

Next week we will cross to the PVL bunker, where everything will be consistent. Until the following week, when we will change the rules again.

[LastRaider]

I know he's better than papalii at the same age but I'm seriously concerned with how hors has returned from his very serious injury.

He's not hitting the line with much ompf. Some of his returns from line drop outs were super soft. He looks unfit

Ricky Stuart basically said in his weekly captain's run press conference that the two Coreys and Emre Guler are not yet match fit, as they missed the off season, but are being required by circumstances to put in big minutes.

Professional athletes which are paid triple figures can’t get themselves fit for the season?!?!? Excuses just keep rolling of Sticky’s tongue

You can’t get match fit unless you’re playing. I’m surprised you don’t know this.

So by round 10 with NSW cup games and NRL games, plus the ability to have 2 pre-season trial games that we can’t get the squad match fit by now?!?!? Please!

[simo]

Agree that horse looks far below peak fitness. Ambled up with his carries. Also thought young looked surprisingly sluggish

[Botman]

Hors rig is pretty embarrassing for a player trying to fashion himself as a mobile middle
He’s well off the pace imo

[gangrenous]

Shoulder charges are a specific type of tackle technique. What is the technique ruled illegal here?

Hitting someone in the head.

**** me, gangers
One of us is going to have to zag here, this hill ain’t big enough for both of us

Keeps the viewers at home on their toes when the characters have nuance and the ‘bad’ guy you hated last week is fighting shoulder to shoulder with the ‘good’ character you like the following week

I’m still reeling that GE is going all in though. Looks like he’s the season’s surprise big bad arch nemesis in this one. Plot twist indeed.

[Botman]

Agree that horse looks far below peak fitness. Ambled up with his carries. Also thought young looked surprisingly sluggish

Young might be the guy I’m most disappointed in this season
He’s looking likely at certain points but yeah he just don’t have the juice this year
Sluggish is the perfect word.

[Botman]

Shoulder charges are a specific type of tackle technique. What is the technique ruled illegal here?

Hitting someone in the head.

**** me, gangers
One of us is going to have to zag here, this hill ain’t big enough for both of us

Keeps the viewers at home on their toes when the characters have nuance and the ‘bad’ guy you hated last week is fighting shoulder to shoulder with the ‘good’ character you like the following week

I’m still reeling that GE is going all in though. Looks like he’s the season’s surprise big bad arch nemesis in this one. Plot twist indeed.

The classic team up movie
Well established characters have to overcome their differences to beat the big bad and realise along the journey they’ve got more in common than they knew

A trope as old as Hollywood itself!!

[gerg]

Agree that horse looks far below peak fitness. Ambled up with his carries. Also thought young looked surprisingly sluggish

Young might be the guy I’m most disappointed in this season
He’s looking likely at certain points but yeah he just don’t have the juice this year
Sluggish is the perfect word.

** looked better on the edge **

[Botman]

Agree that horse looks far below peak fitness. Ambled up with his carries. Also thought young looked surprisingly sluggish

Young might be the guy I’m most disappointed in this season
He’s looking likely at certain points but yeah he just don’t have the juice this year
Sluggish is the perfect word.

** looked better on the edge **

Didn’t do **** on the edge except credibly defend Luciano and Fifita, before letting in a **** ton of tries to other match ups and delivering zero productivity as an attacking edge player.

His issues are the same as others across the pack. No legs. No juice. Not fitness. A pre season failure

[greeneyed]

I don’t mind the Papalli send off...if it’s consistent.
You just know we will be the only team to cop the brunt of V’landys brain fart this weekend and therein lies the problem for me...

There has been 3 games and 10 send off/sin bins
The other sides have already copped the brunt

Send offs apart from Papalli?
I haven’t watched the other games..
Who got sent off??

No one else has been sent off. The Raiders have received the harshest treatment so far. Pretty clearly. The Bulldogs and Sharks are the only teams without a sin bin or send off.

I think we know who V'landys is listening to... https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-pr ... 6743998cfd

But Wayne is still complaining about the officiating.

[Crash Ball]

Shoulder charges are a specific type of tackle technique. What is the technique ruled illegal here?

Hitting someone in the head.

Look the word Technique up.

[Johno]

There was a worse example of a shoulder charge to the head in the 1st half of the Souths v CN game and the Souths player only got 10 mins! Where is the consistency? It is ridiculous to suddenly introduce draconian penalties so far into the season. The obvious reason is the NRL's officials failed to detect two fowl plays last week and now everyone has to be punished for the NRL's oversights! I'm thankful for V'Landy getting the game back but his constant messing with the game is destroying it!!!!

ABC radio talking about this. The ref in the Souths v Sharks game used the same wording (sic "direct forceful contact to the head") which saw Papa sent off, which they agreed should have happened, but why did a player with the same action then only get 10 in the bin in the following match?? As plenty on here have said for years, the inconsistency in the interpreting of the rules is detracting from the game.

All of the magic round games are at the same venue and it is fair to say the head honcho's for rules should be ensuring consistency. The Refs are mic'd up so why is it so hard to get consistent outcomes??

Same words were used in the Roosters v NQ Game, the Roosters player got 10 but clearly the NQ player was hit in the head, and no sign of falling into the shot.... its like the offside rule in PL, what are the damn rules !

[greeneyed]

I think the sin bins and send offs were pretty consistent with previous games. The players (and fans) will get used to it

It's not the previous games I'm worried about. It's the next games when the NRL inevitably loses their spine under the complaints from the media and this sort of thing goes back to being a penalty and on report that I'll be cheesed about - because you know it will happen.

The problem has been caused because the NRL, no, Peter V'landys has shot from the hip, yet again. He doesn't consult, doesn't think ahead to the ramifications. It's going to happen because he's alienated a huge number of fans with what he's done this week.

[Crash Ball]

Shoulder charges are a specific type of tackle technique. What is the technique ruled illegal here?

Hitting someone in the head.

**** me, gangers
One of us is going to have to zag here, this hill ain’t big enough for both of us

[gerg]

Agree that horse looks far below peak fitness. Ambled up with his carries. Also thought young looked surprisingly sluggish

Young might be the guy I’m most disappointed in this season
He’s looking likely at certain points but yeah he just don’t have the juice this year
Sluggish is the perfect word.

** looked better on the edge **

Didn’t do **** on the edge except credibly defend Luciano and Fifita, before letting in a **** ton of tries to other match ups and delivering zero productivity as an attacking edge player.

His issues are the same as others across the pack. No legs. No juice. Not fitness. A pre season failure

He scored 4 Dally M points on the edge. Since moving back to the middle those points have been deducted.

[Botman]

I didnt see the Souths incident live, but i just watched it on replay
it is very similar, but the souths one hits the lower head, rather than straight in the face... and you cant divorce the action from the results. Woods was fine, where as the guy Papa hit was concussed, absolute skittled and ruled out

Should that impact decision making? Im not sure. But one of these events left a guy sprawled on the floor wondering what of the week it was, the other resulted in a guy fighting for extra yardage.

[simo]

We have not been hard done by. The edict that went out has been followed consistently by all refs so far this round. Its been awful but this isnt on the refs.
Theres been two calls that have ruined games this weekend. The first was a penalty against the broncos after a full set of 6 had transpired and the second was the penalty against the sharks after a couple of tackles had past. Both penalties were incorrect and I believe both took teams iut of the contest

[T_R]

I know he's better than papalii at the same age but I'm seriously concerned with how hors has returned from his very serious injury.

He's not hitting the line with much ompf. Some of his returns from line drop outs were super soft. He looks unfit

Ricky Stuart basically said in his weekly captain's run press conference that the two Coreys and Emre Guler are not yet match fit, as they missed the off season, but are being required by circumstances to put in big minutes.

Professional athletes which are paid triple figures can’t get themselves fit for the season?!?!? Excuses just keep rolling of Sticky’s tongue

My 15 year old gets himself up every morning at 4.30am to hit the gym, to be fit for rugby. I have issues that these guys can't get there.

[Canberra Milk]

Sounds like the coaches thought they'd ease them into the season due to their injuries, rather than them being lazy

[gerg]

I know he's better than papalii at the same age but I'm seriously concerned with how hors has returned from his very serious injury.

He's not hitting the line with much ompf. Some of his returns from line drop outs were super soft. He looks unfit

Ricky Stuart basically said in his weekly captain's run press conference that the two Coreys and Emre Guler are not yet match fit, as they missed the off season, but are being required by circumstances to put in big minutes.

Professional athletes which are paid triple figures can’t get themselves fit for the season?!?!? Excuses just keep rolling of Sticky’s tongue

My 15 year old gets himself up every morning at 4.30am to hit the gym, to be fit for rugby. I have issues that these guys can't get there.

Maybe Horsburgh and Guler coming back from injury has something to do with it?

[MrMilk]

Random observation - Bailey led the team song tonight

[GreenMachine]

Sounds like the coaches thought they'd ease them into the season due to their injuries, rather than them being lazy

Sounds like we planned for a long season... and now we have a ...long season..

[MrPosh]

Random observation - Bailey led the team song tonight

He deserved to.

As the senior winger, he stepped up and led the way, both in defence and in running the ball out.

He has the tools - perhaps he just needs some belief and responsibilities.

[RedRaider]

Agree that horse looks far below peak fitness. Ambled up with his carries. Also thought young looked surprisingly sluggish

Agree with you on both counts simo. HorsPower is one of my favorite players but he looks to be carrying a couple of sandbags under his jersey. Whatever dietician was used to bring Papa back after his Samoan Rep stint in 2017 should be used for Hors. Even when players cannot train while recovering from injury, there should be weigh ins each week for professional athletes to ensure the weight remains within a reasonable range.

Young seems to have been given a role as a power forward but he has not the size, pace or power to deliver on the role. He formerly had some footwork and would run at gaps. Now he takes the ball and heads straight for the opposition who dominate him. It's like his footy smarts have been left in the locker room.

[afgtnk]

Caleb Aekins is no world beater - and we clearly miss CNK in a number of facets - but he is a handy ball player and had some crucial touches. I would say our red zone attack is better with him in the lineup, even if we're significantly worse in other areas.

Been saying this for years now
The biggest problem with our red zone offence is the fullback ball playing problem
CNK comes straight back in when healthy, but the Aekins experience has shown our structure and shape can create tries if we have that ball playing fullback arrow in the quiver

The setup of our second last try is extremely impressive from IMO.

We spread the ball wide with some nice shape and depth.

George plays a very subtle hand by holding the ball just long enough to turn the third defender in, after which he releases a long sweep pass to Aekins' outside shoulder, which allows Aekins to run onto the ball at speed and away from the inside defenders.

Aekins then keeps the ball in two hands the whole way through, straightens his run and goes deep enough into the line to commit the second defender in. He gets axed as a result by the second defender in, but not before managing to get the pass away with soft hands to Scott, running the line in between the first and second defender in. Scott gets into clear air as a result of that work. Brilliant, textbook bit of ball playing really.

Unfortunately, I've seen what CNK too often does in those situations. It's one of:

a) Receives the ball on the angle, doesn't straighten his run, tries to go through himself, but doesn't have the speed. Ends up heading towards the sideline and getting tackled, having cramped the two players outside him

or

b) Passes to his outside before even attempting to go into the line (from the video, that's would be around the 15 metre mark). By doing that, it allows the second defender in to adjust his target, move onto Scott, who by then has a two on two situation, thus relying on the physical ability of either himself or Valemei to shrug of the defender/s to score, or rely on a mistake from the opposition winger to put Valemei over.

Chances of scoring there are significantly decreased, due to the cramped space, and the opposition fullback and other cover coming over to take him or Valemei.

So, to cut a long story short. Yes. We abso-****-lutely need someone to be able to play as a second receiver sweeping around the back. It's those exact kind of bread and butter tries you miss out on when you don't. That Charnze does not have in his locker what a fairly ordinary backup does, and has not been able to develop it in three seasons, HAS to be of high concern to the coach.

[BadnMean]

I think the sin bins and send offs were pretty consistent with previous games. The players (and fans) will get used to it

It's not the previous games I'm worried about. It's the next games when the NRL inevitably loses their spine under the complaints from the media and this sort of thing goes back to being a penalty and on report that I'll be cheesed about - because you know it will happen.

The problem has been caused because the NRL, no, Peter V'landys has shot from the hip, yet again. He doesn't consult, doesn't think ahead to the ramifications. It's going to happen because he's alienated a huge number of fans with what he's done this week.

He might just have a report into CTE sitting on his desk it would be negligent not to act on straight away. Whatever his reasoning he should give a full account to the games stakeholders and public to address the sudden change and unpack the reasons behind it.