Through green eyes 2018

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zim
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by zim »

I have had quite the gentleman's snifter so if you're still all for it so am I :D
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by RedRaider »

A 6 for Austin GE when his poor defensive read led directly to their 2nd try? This was then followed by a professional foul that he knows will cost him and the side 10 minutes in the sin bin. Yet he is rated better than Havili and equal to Lui, Boyd, Sia, Bateman and Knight/Oldfield? Sorry GE but a 6 is far to good for him.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by LastRaider »

GE disagree with the 6 for Austin. I think a 4 is reasonable


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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by greeneyed »

I see where you’re coming from... he has two missed tackles, I’d say he had two try causes, and was binned. However he also scored a try, produced 14 runs for 136 metres, one line break, seven tackle breaks and 11 tackles. He recovered points for that, for mine.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by Mr. Snrub »

zim wrote: June 18, 2018, 12:07 am Hard to give Tapine an 8 but he was great first game back from injury. There's no way you can rate Knight the same as Soliola and Bateman when he was only on for 15mins. That's just too generous when the other 2 were a big part of our line speed and defense when we turned the game around.
Tapine was suspended, not injured.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by reptar »

Mr. Snrub wrote: June 18, 2018, 10:32 am
zim wrote: June 18, 2018, 12:07 am Hard to give Tapine an 8 but he was great first game back from injury. There's no way you can rate Knight the same as Soliola and Bateman when he was only on for 15mins. That's just too generous when the other 2 were a big part of our line speed and defense when we turned the game around.
Tapine was suspended, not injured.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by RedRaider »

greeneyed wrote: June 18, 2018, 6:23 am I see where you’re coming from... he has two missed tackles, I’d say he had two try causes, and was binned. However he also scored a try, produced 14 runs for 136 metres, one line break, seven tackle breaks and 11 tackles. He recovered points for that, for mine.
I didn't blame him for the first try, I thought that was directly on Jack and Papa. But his play in the lead up to his sin bin was poor. That was just over 20 minutes. He then almost cost the Raiders any points by being close to entering the field of play early. Not only does he admit to not knowing what game management is, he came within a whisker of demonstrating it to the detriment of the team and competition points. Definitely not a 6 for me GE.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by Johno »

Whitehead just churns it out very game
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by Mr. Snrub »

reptar wrote: June 18, 2018, 11:07 am
Mr. Snrub wrote: June 18, 2018, 10:32 am
zim wrote: June 18, 2018, 12:07 am Hard to give Tapine an 8 but he was great first game back from injury. There's no way you can rate Knight the same as Soliola and Bateman when he was only on for 15mins. That's just too generous when the other 2 were a big part of our line speed and defense when we turned the game around.
Tapine was suspended, not injured.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by zim »

Mr. Snrub wrote: June 18, 2018, 10:32 am
zim wrote: June 18, 2018, 12:07 am Hard to give Tapine an 8 but he was great first game back from injury. There's no way you can rate Knight the same as Soliola and Bateman when he was only on for 15mins. That's just too generous when the other 2 were a big part of our line speed and defense when we turned the game around.
Tapine was suspended, not injured.
Yep, ta.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by reptar »

Mr. Snrub wrote:
reptar wrote: June 18, 2018, 11:07 am
Mr. Snrub wrote: June 18, 2018, 10:32 am
zim wrote: June 18, 2018, 12:07 am Hard to give Tapine an 8 but he was great first game back from injury. There's no way you can rate Knight the same as Soliola and Bateman when he was only on for 15mins. That's just too generous when the other 2 were a big part of our line speed and defense when we turned the game around.
Tapine was suspended, not injured.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by woppadingo »

greeneyed wrote: June 18, 2018, 6:23 am I see where you’re coming from... he has two missed tackles, I’d say he had two try causes, and was binned. However he also scored a try, produced 14 runs for 136 metres, one line break, seven tackle breaks and 11 tackles. He recovered points for that, for mine.
I like Austin as an attacking player, but we cant win a premiership with a defensive liability like that. Id also argue that as a 5/8 he is supposed to produce some runs, metres and try assists. 11 tackles is only satisfactory. For me he is a 5.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by LastRaider »

woppadingo wrote:
greeneyed wrote: June 18, 2018, 6:23 am I see where you’re coming from... he has two missed tackles, I’d say he had two try causes, and was binned. However he also scored a try, produced 14 runs for 136 metres, one line break, seven tackle breaks and 11 tackles. He recovered points for that, for mine.
I like Austin as an attacking player, but we cant win a premiership with a defensive liability like that. Id also argue that as a 5/8 he is supposed to produce some runs, metres and try assists. 11 tackles is only satisfactory. For me he is a 5.
He might be an option for fullback if Wighton is found guilty


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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by w3b3d1g1 »

Lol at Sezer with a 7?

Also Papalli made the first defensive error.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

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Through green eyes: As I saw it

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Round 16 2018. Brisbane Broncos 26 - Canberra Raiders 22. Yet again the Raiders lost in the final 10 minutes. It was the seventh match this season lost by eight points or less. Four have been lost by two points or less. It was the seventh match this season where the Raiders were in a position to win, only to be run down in the final stages. In this match, Canberra led 16-0 at half time after a dominant 40 minutes. They led the match for the first 70 minutes. But it was an extremely poor second half from the “Green Machine”, conceding 26 points while adding just six.



It is easy to forget how good the Raiders were in the first half. They controlled possession, they made easy metres up the middle of the park, with the Raiders forwards dominating the Broncos’ pack. The Broncos playmakers were forced into error by good defence - the first try of the match to Elliott Whitehead a classic case in point. Josh Hodgson was again in very fine form, in just his second match back after an ACL injury. The Raiders should have led by more than 16 at half time, such was the dominance. A key reason they didn’t was because they chose twice to take shots at penalty goal - when the better option was to keep the pressure on the Broncos. One of those shots was missed.

Most Raiders fans realised that the half time lead was not enough, nowhere near enough, to be confident about the result. And so it proved to be. After the break, the Raiders’ plan was to keep doing what they did in the first 40. But they were a different team. The line speed was poor, there were very easy metres for the Broncos with the ball in hand. There were simple errors at critical stages, handing over far too much ball to Brisbane.

The Broncos did two things successfully in the second half. First they targeted fullback Brad Abbey in his debut match with the high ball. He had a good game overall, but the pressure produced good results for Brisbane. Secondly, they targeted Blake Austin - and that paid off big time. On my count, Austin ended the match with three try causes - simply because of poor defensive reads. Anthony Milford, who has struggled for much of the season, was made to look like a magician. Austin also failed to find touch from a penalty goal, and kicked the ball out on the full while attempting a short line drop out.

Coach Ricky Stuart said after the match that the loss of Jack Wighton to suspension in the days before the game was not a distraction to the preparation. It didn’t look like it was in the first half. But to be fair to the team, Wighton was a very big loss - and it would have been difficult to deal with when the pressure was applied.

Stuart also said that the Raiders’ fade out was not the result of mental fragility.

“There is a bit of a mental stuff in certain parts and phases, but it is not all about looking at the mental side of it or I'd go and get four psychologists to come in and help me,” he said.

“You've got to defend an error. In the first half we were running through them and bulldozing our way through, and we do that every time to them, but we are making fundamental errors and not defending them.”

I’m not so sure there aren’t issues with the mentality of the team. They’re surely carrying some scars from so many close, last gasp losses. But whatever the reason, I think we can certainly rule out “bad luck”. The fade outs happen far too regularly to be the result of bad luck. And the accountability for that falls directly on the coaches and the team.



The loss leaves the Raiders six competition points adrift of the eighth placed Broncos. With nine games remaining in the season, the top eight looks like it is out of the Raiders’ grasp. They would need to win seven, probably eight, of those last nine games to make it. And the draw is very tough. Canberra has not beaten a top eight side all season - and they have six games against top eight teams ahead. If the Raiders do miss the eight, it will mean coach Ricky Stuart has guided the club to just one finals appearance in five seasons. It’s a very bleak prospect for Raiders fans.

Stats that mattered? The Raiders finished with just a 44 per cent possession share, with the Raiders completing at 76 per cent, the Broncos at 89 per cent. The penalties were even at 8-8, but Canberra produced 11 errors to seven for Brisbane. This was the crucial difference - with the teams not that far apart on the other indicators.

The Broncos ended with two more sets with the ball than the Raiders, made more runs (167-153) and more metres gained (1533m-1463m). The Broncos also made more kicking metres (544m-434m). Brisbane produced more line breaks (4-2), while the offloads were even (6-6). The Broncos had a slightly better tackle efficiency rate. The Raiders had to make more tackles (324-311) and missed more tackles (34-31).

Memorable moments? The best moment for the Raiders was probably the opening try to Elliott Whitehead, picking up a loose ball and scoring under the posts - after some great pressure on both Brisbane halves. Blake Austin produced a very good pass to set up Nick Cotric for a four pointer, a plus in a forgettable match for the five eighth. Josh Hodgson’s second half try from dummy half was also well deserved, great reward for a scheming performance. In defence, a tackle from Junior Paulo on Sam Thaiday just before half time dislodged the ball, and will surely be one of the hits of the year.

Best performers?

Josh Hodgson. One try, four runs for 32 metres, two tackle breaks, one line break, one off load, 43 tackles, 120 kicking metres.

Nick Cotric. One try, 16 runs for 146 metres, eight tackle breaks, one line break, one off load.

Josh Papalii. 11 runs for 107 metres, three tackle breaks, one off load, 37 tackles.

Top tacklers: Josh Hodgson 43, Dunamis Lui 38, Josh Papalii 37.
Most metres gained: Michael Oldfield 159, Nick Cotric 146, Joey Leilua 132.

My player ratings:

Brad Abbey 6
Nick Cotric 7
Jarrod Croker 6
Joey Leilua 6
Michael Oldfield 5
Blake Austin 4
Aidan Sezer 5
Dunamis Lui 6
Josh Hodgson 8
Shannon Boyd 5
Joe Tapine 6
Elliott Whitehead 6
Josh Papalii 7

Sia Soliola 7
Siliva Havili 6
Junior Paulo 6
Liam Knight dnp

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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by w3b3d1g1 »

I'd rather a half that makes errors when trying than a half who disappears and does Jack shyte.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by RedRaider »

Austin a couple of points too high GE. Three defensive lapses for 3 tries against. Can't find touch from a penalty kick but can kick it out on the full from a goal line drop out. He doesn't want to be here. It shows. He is challenging Sticky to drop him. Again. Will Sticky just do what's best for the team or continue to pick a player who throws it in his face. We'll know on Tuesday afternoon.

I also think you have rated Oldfield too low. He had one bad play the ball, but generally his running was good and put in a FG wingers performance. A 6 at worst imo.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by -TW- »

Austin should be a 1.. that's it
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by greeneyed »

RedRaider wrote: July 1, 2018, 10:10 pm Austin a couple of points too high GE. Three defensive lapses for 3 tries against. Can't find touch from a penalty kick but can kick it out on the full from a goal line drop out. He doesn't want to be here. It shows. He is challenging Sticky to drop him. Again. Will Sticky just do what's best for the team or continue to pick a player who throws it in his face. We'll know on Tuesday afternoon.

I also think you have rated Oldfield too low. He had one bad play the ball, but generally his running was good and put in a FG wingers performance. A 6 at worst imo.
Very tempted to give Austin a 3 rating, I admit. I’m always trying to be fair in favour of the upside TBH... it is why I do the ratings the next day in the cool light of day. But Austin really cost the match with his defensive errors.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by Billy Walker »

Geez Croker doesn't have to do much to score a six??
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by RedRaider »

I know you are a loyal man GE, with an optimistic (read upside) bias for the players in green. I think Austin is done. He has been telling the Club and Coach as much by not signing a contract, twice. As GD (I think it was in a prior thread) said, we may have avoided a longer term disaster by Austin refusing to re-sign. Time to move on. Stop picking him Sticky. Put some investment into 2019 by picking some possible options for next year. Pick Williams and Sezer as the halves. It will be different without Sezer having to spend some time playing hooker like earlier in the season.

Try other options. BJ likes to be the tough guy. Pick him in the pack where he can play against other tough guys. My eye test tells me he is doing more hit ups, more effectively than either of the two props who are leaving. Pick him at lock with Papa moving forward to Prop. BJ has the size for it. This would allow Cotric to move into the right center position and one of the Mounties Fijians to come onto the wing.

Give the fans something different to look at other than the tried and failed selections of the past two seasons.

PS: and I still think Oldfield is better than a 5.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by Whitty »

RedRaider wrote: July 1, 2018, 10:40 pm BJ likes to be the tough guy. Pick him in the pack where he can play against other tough guys. My eye test tells me he is doing more hit ups, more effectively than either of the two props who are leaving. Pick him at lock with Papa moving forward to Prop. BJ has the size for it. This would allow Cotric to move into the right center position and one of the Mounties Fijians to come onto the wing.

Give the fans something different to look at other than the tried and failed selections of the past two seasons.
Had to read this a few times to make sure i had it right. And the more times i read it the more it made sense.
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

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Through green eyes: As I saw it

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"They [the Bulldogs] should have won, we were pathetic tonight. It's not something I say a hell of a lot about this team because we have been on the receiving end of that for a couple of years now where we've probably been the better team and yet we've been run down or lost the close ones...

“We were trying to take short-cuts tonight. We didn't do anything to earn the right to play footy at them. We were poor and undisciplined...

"Blake [Austin], he's copped a lot this week and he's had a tough week, and I feel really good for Blake right now because he won that for us. Just coming on and giving us that bit of extra spark and then BJ [Leilua] scoring that try in that right corner was good to get it."

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart


Round 17 2018. Canberra Raiders 32 - Canterbury Bulldogs 28. It was the most extraordinary of wins for the Canberra Raiders. The Raiders played poorly for much of the match. The team looked flat, the defence was too often found wanting, the discipline was poor and there were too many errors. It was not a performance from a team that had their season on the line. The Bulldogs went to a 14 point lead with just over seven minutes remaining. But the Raiders then produced one of the most remarkable finishes in their history.



Blake Austin cost his team a win with his defensive lapses in Brisbane against the Broncos in Round 16. Dropped to the bench this week, he was probably fortunate to be a part of the top 17. He came into the match with a quarter of an hour remaining - and made an immediate impact. With 5:30 minutes left on the clock, he sliced through the Canterbury defensive line - and inspired a remarkable last gasp victory. There is no doubt he won this match for the Green Machine. The Raiders lost Brad Abbey, knocked out with less than four minutes remaining. It looked grim. But then Havili stripped the ball from the Dogs one on one, with Joe Tapine crossing with just over two minutes left. And then Joey Leilua finished the job with 55 second left- making up for his earlier ill discipline, which led to one of Rhyse Martin's three tries.

After two years filled with last gasp defeats, the Canberra Raiders finally were on the right end of an absolute heart breaker.

The Raiders are still placed precariously on the competition ladder. They can probably only afford one more loss in their final eight matches. They have still to win a match against a top eight team, and they face the prospect of meeting six top eight teams. They will again be in a "must win" match next week, against a North Queensland Cowboys outfit that is already out of finals contention. But the Raiders are alive in season 2018 for at least one more week.



Stats that mattered? The Raiders had only 46 per cent of the ball in the first half, but finished with a 54 per cent possession share. Canberra had most of the ball in the final stages and that was critical to the result. The Raiders completed at just 74 per cent, the Bulldogs at 76 per cent. The Raiders conceded more penalties (8-6), particularly in the first half (6-2) - and in the end, both teams produced 10 errors each.

The Raiders had more sets with the ball than the Bulldogs (38-35) - and made more runs (171-162) and more metres gained (1631m-1482m). The Bulldogs made slightly more kicking metres (391m-384m). Canberra dominated in line breaks (9-3) and offloads (13-6). The Bulldogs had to make more tackles than the Raiders (334-299), but missed fewer tackles (34-40).

Memorable moments? It was a truly memorable final six minutes, and that comeback was one of the most remarkable in Raiders' history. In defence, the most memorable moment came in the 15th minute, when Brad Abbey produced a try saver, somehow getting his hand under the ball and preventing Will Hopoate from grounding it over the line.

Best performers?

Jarrod Croker. One try, four goals, 11 runs for 135 metres, two try assists, one line break assist, five tackle breaks, three line breaks, one off load, 11 tackles.

Blake Austin. One try, seven runs for 118 metres, three tackle breaks, three line breaks, two tackles in 15 minutes.

Josh Hodgson. Seven runs for 60 metres, four tackle breaks, 36 tackles, 118 kicking metres.

Top tacklers: Siliva Havili 42, Josh Hodgson 36, Dunamis Lui 33, Elliott Whitehead 33.
Most metres gained: Jarrod Croker 135, Michael Oldfield 132, Joey Leilua 127.

My player ratings:

Brad Abbey 5
Nick Cotric 6
Jarrod Croker 8
Joey Leilua 6
Michael Oldfield 5
Sam Williams 6
Aidan Sezer 6
Dunamis Lui 6
Josh Hodgson 7
Shannon Boyd 5
Joe Tapine 6
Elliott Whitehead 6
Siliva Havili 7

Blake Austin 8
Junior Paulo 6
Liam Knight 5
Sia Soliola 7

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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by reptar »

Looks like Shannon half emptied the tank
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greeneyed
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: As I saw it

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Round 18 2018. Canberra Raiders 38 - North Queensland Cowboys. It was tight for 65 minutes, very tight, but in the end it was comprehensive. The Raiders lost their captain, Jarrod Croker, after he dislocated his knee cap in the first half. And despite scoring three tries in the first 40 minutes, Canberra let North Queensland back into the match - and led by just two points at the break. And the score remained unchanged for the first, tense 25 minutes in the second half. Johnathan Thurston repeatedly looked like he'd break the Raiders' hearts... but their goal line defence was desperate. The Raiders saved at least three tries by the barest of margins. Finally, the Cowboys' own defensive line broke, repeatedly, with the Raiders running in four tries in the final 15 minutes.



The Raiders top eight chances are still alive, but they still hang by a thread. The ninth placed Raiders will very likely finish the weekend four competition points adrift of the eighth placed team, given the teams placed seventh and eighth face each other today. Canberra can really only afford to drop one, at most two, games in their last seven. They are yet to beat a top eight side this year - and face six top eight teams in the remaining rounds. It'll be tough going with Jack Wighton, and possibly Jarrod Croker, out for the rest of the season. With Joe Tapine suspended and out next week. With Shannon Boyd, Brad Abbey and Ata Hingano still on the injury list. If they make it... it will certainly show the mettle of the team.



Stats that mattered? The teams ended the match with an even share of possession (exactly 50-50), but the Raiders' discipline proved the difference. Canberra made only six errors, compared with 11 for North Queensland. Both teams conceded eight penalties - which is relatively low for season 2018. And Canberra completed at an impressive 87 per cent, North Queensland at just 71 per cent.

The Raiders had more sets with the ball than the Cowboys (38-35). And while Canberra made only one more run (171-162), they produced more metres gained (1532m-1373m) and more kicking metres (489m-359m). Canberra also dominated in line breaks (6-2), while offloads were fairly even (Raiders six, Cowboys seven). The Cowboys had to make more tackles (323-310) and the Raiders missed more (31-22). However, Canberra made the tackles that were most critical.

Memorable moments? There were some great tries for the Raiders, with Michael Oldfield scoring a hat trick. The best of them was his third, in the 70th minute, when he broke through the Cowboys' line off a scrum win, and ran almost the length of the field unchallenged, to score under the posts. Perhaps the most remarkable try, however, came in the 32nd minute, when Blake Austin chased a Josh Hodgson grubber to the in goal... and he slid on his knees and somehow managed to ground the ball just centimetres from the dead ball line. Let's not forget the defence. And there was no better try saver than Sia Soliola and Junior Paulo - with some help from Nick Cotric - on Johnathan Thurston with just 20 minutes remaining. Outstanding stuff.

Best performers?

Josh Papalii. 19 runs for 182 metres, 101 post contact metres, three tackle breaks, 31 tackles.

Jordan Rapana. Two tries, 16 runs for 173 metres, 67 post contact metres, seven tackle breaks, two line breaks, one off load, four tackles.

Michael Oldfield. Three tries, 13 runs for 199 metres, two line breaks, one tackle break, two tackles.

Aidan Sezer. One try, eight runs for 65 metres, one try assist, one line break, one line break assist, 18 tackles, 264 kicking metres.

Top tacklers: Elliott Whitehead 44, Josh Hodgson 40, Sia Soliola 36.
Most metres gained: Michael Oldfield 199, Josh Papalii 182, Jordan Rapana 173.

My player ratings:

Nick Cotric 7
Michael Oldfield 7
Jarrod Croker 3
Joey Leilua 5
Jordan Rapana 7
Sam Williams 6
Aidan Sezer 7
Dunamis Lui 5
Josh Hodgson 7
Junior Paulo 5
Sia Soliola 6
Elliott Whitehead 6
Josh Papalii 8

Blake Austin 6
Luke Bateman 6
Siliva Havili 4
Liam Knight 5

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Through green eyes 2018

Post by LastRaider »

I thought Lui was good last night, always taking the hard hit ups. Did I miss something in the game GE for Lui to get a 5?

37 mins, 11 hit ups, 95 run metres, 20 tackles


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greeneyed
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by greeneyed »

Good early involvement, but not sustained. Didn't make 100m, 20 tackles. Plus three missed tackles and an error. Might be slightly harsh, I concede.
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LastRaider
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Through green eyes 2018

Post by LastRaider »

Yeah but he did stints of 26 mins then came back on with 10 minutes to go. Maybe a little harsh. He does need to develop a offload though


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greeneyed
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: As I saw it

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Round 19 2018. Cronulla Sharks 28 - Canberra Raiders 24 A match lost by the Raiders in the first half. Canberra's errors and ill discipline gifted the Cronulla Sharks a massive share of possession and a huge territorial advantage. The Raiders lost the ball in the first tackle of the match and that set the tone. Jordan Rapana was sin binned for a professional foul within the first five minutes. Cronulla ended the first half with a possession share of the order of 70 per cent and a penalty count 5-1 in their favour. The Raiders missed twice the number of tackles that the Sharks did. The Sharks made offloads and line breaks at will. And that showed on the scoreboard. The Sharks led 22-6 at the break.



Canberra made a big comeback in the second half, with some barn storming performances from the likes of Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana. It was great to see the courage, the determination, the enthusiasm. But in the end, it was not enough.

The second half was marred by refereeing controversy. There were two critical refereeing calls that were wrong. In the 57th minute, Sione Katoa was awarded a try by the bunker, after the referee had called no try on field. A knock on from Jesse Ramien was ruled on the lead up. There was no conclusive evidence on video to overturn the decision, but it was. What's worse, the touch judge raised his flag at the point the ball was knocked on... and the referee made that call... and the Raiders' defenders stopped. The NRL has already admitted the touch judge erred in raising his flag. I believe there was also the sound of a whistle. Perhaps it wasn't the referee. But in the circumstances, the "try" should never have been referred.

Then with 11 minutes remaining, a Joey Leilua pass was called forward... with Brad Abbey over in the corner for a certain try. The position of the players on the ground, relative to one of the line markings, showed it was fair.

In a close match, we're tempted to blame these critical, incorrect calls for a loss. But we shouldn't give into this temptation. Both Ricky Stuart and Raiders stand-in captain Josh Hodgson said the two calls hadn't cost them the game - the first half had. But still the press conference was all about the officiating.

We need a culture where the team believes that nothing the referees do ever influences the result. I have become a complete believer in this. It is because the Raiders can't ever do anything about the referees... except get them off side, by complaining. So, there is absolutely no point in the club complaining about their decisions. The Raiders must take the view that they'll win regardless of the things outside their control. There has to be fundamental culture change on this... otherwise we will be destined to see history repeat over and over.



The Raiders top eight chances are just about gone. They are again six competition points adrift of the eighth placed Brisbane Broncos. There are six games remaining this season, and if Canberra were to win every one of them, they would finish with 14 wins. Thirteen wins has often been the cut off for the top eight, but even 14 might not be enough in 2018. Canberra is yet to beat a top eight side this year - and the Raiders face five top eight teams in the remaining rounds.

Stats that mattered? The match statistics are much more imbalanced than the final score - which is a tribute to the Raiders' second half comeback and their determination. The Sharks finished with a 57 per cent share of possession. Both teams made 12 errors and the completion rates reflected that (Raiders 76 per cent, Sharks 75 per cent). However, the Raiders conceded more penalties (8-5).

The Sharks had six more sets with the ball than the Raiders (40-34). Cronulla made more runs (204-151), more metres gained (1806m-1453m) and more post contact metres (602m-464m). The Sharks made more line breaks (8-5) and many more offloads (19-7). The Raiders had to make more tackles (342-279) and Raiders missed many more (49-38). The Raiders ended with more kicking metres (387m-265m).

Memorable moments? Sadly, the most memorable moments of the match related to the controversies surrounding the officiating. However, the Raiders did score some great tries. There was some smart work from Blake Austin just after half time, taking a quick tap and standing in the in goal and off loading to an unmarked Joey Leilua for a much needed try. But the best came in the first half, with Jordan Rapana and Joey Leilua rampaging, setting up Brad Abbey for four points.

Best performers?

Joey Leilua. Two tries, one try assist, 14 runs for 155 metres, nine tackle breaks, three line breaks, one off load, eight tackles. The only blot on the copy book was four missed tackles.

Jordan Rapana. One try, 13 runs for 149 metres, seven tackle breaks, one line break, two line break assists, three off loads, five tackles.

Josh Hodgson. One try assist, 10 runs for 77 metres, four tackle breaks, one line break assist, 50 tackles.

Top tacklers: Josh Hodgson 50, Josh Papalii 39, Elliott Whitehead 38.
Most metres gained: Joey Leilua 155, Jordan Rapana 149, Elliott Whitehead 118.

My player ratings:

Brad Abbey 4
Nick Cotric 6
Michael Oldfield 4
Joey Leilua 8
Jordan Rapana 8
Sam Williams 7
Blake Austin 7
Dunamis Lui 5
Josh Hodgson 8
Junior Paulo 6
Sia Soliola 6
Elliott Whitehead 7
Josh Papalii 7

Luke Bateman 6
Siliva Havili 6
Liam Knight 5
Jack Murchie 6

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LastRaider
John Ferguson
Posts: 2383
Joined: March 31, 2018, 9:30 pm

Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by LastRaider »

Well said GE, we need to change the culture about the referring within the club and also by us as supporters. You will always win some decisions and lose others, but we need to focus on what we can control and that is playing consistent disciplined football.


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gangrenous
Laurie Daley
Posts: 16586
Joined: May 12, 2007, 10:42 pm

Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by gangrenous »

Bugger off. I can see the value of the players focussing on that, but what we do as supporters doesn’t do ****. We’re allowed to vent our frustrations and tell the NRL we’re not happy.
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greeneyed
Don Furner
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Joined: January 7, 2005, 4:21 pm

Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: As I saw it

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"It's a little bit hard at the moment with so many injuries. I had to name a bloke that is out for six weeks, he's out for the season, and I had to name him. But Michael Oldfield is out for the season now. We're in a difficult position at the moment. It's not an excuse, it happens. Unfortunately it's just a bad run of injuries we have.

We were going have to be perfect tonight if we were going to win. With the changes that we had - I've got a couple of blokes out of position, a front-rower, and guys who play front-row, playing centre. We knew that we were going to have to be very good, and things were going to have to go our way if we were a chance. [But] same as always. Too many penalties and too many errors."


Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.

Round 20 2018. Melbourne Storm 44 - Canberra Raiders 10. Simply out-classed. There's no getting around it. It was a thrashing. The Canberra Raiders have been torn apart by injury and suspension. Michael Oldfield was named in the team, just to fill out the squad - and hide the fact that coach Ricky Stuart was playing Sia Soliola at centre. There were other smokescreens as well. Nick Cotric played at fullback, not at centre. Brad Abbey played on the wing, not at fullback. Luke Bateman started at prop. Right centre-wing pairing, Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana shifted to the left. Sia Soliola and Abbey formed a centre-winger partnership on the right.

And then, sadly, the Raiders were their own worst enemy. Errors and penalties abounded. The new right edge was exploited by the Storm. There were tackles missed galore. The Raiders were not in it from the first minute.



The Raiders can still get to 13 wins, the traditional cut off for the top eight. To do so, they must win all five remaining games. But a mathematical chance is all that is left. Thirteen wins will almost certainly be insufficient for teams to play finals football in 2018. The worst placed team in the top eight, the Warriors, already has 11 wins, and they are still yet to play in this round. They are already six competition points ahead of the Raiders. It is almost certainly season over. And if that happens, it will mean the Raiders have made the finals just once in six years. We will be living in the least successful period in Raiders history.



Stats that mattered? The No. 1 problem for the Raiders in the match was discipline. The penalties ended 14-4 in favour of the Storm - and Canberra had a player sin binned in the final stages (Jordan Rapana). Canberra also made too many errors, 14, compared with 10 for the Storm. The Raiders had a completion rate of just 71 per cent, the Storm 84 per cent... and as a result, the Storm had almost a 60 per cent possession share (Storm 57 per cent, Raiders 43).

The Storm had 12 more sets with the ball than the Raiders (43-31). Melbourne made more runs (157-134), more metres gained (1197m-996m) and more post contact metres (339m-282m). The Storm made just one more line break than the Raiders (5-4), while the Raiders made more offloads (7-5). The Raiders had to make slightly more tackles (287-272), but missed many more (39-24). The Storm also controlled the game with their kicking, dominating in kicking metres (544m-333m).

Memorable moments? There weren't any for the Raiders, really. They scored two tries, through Sia Soliola and Joey Leilua, but neither were really memorable. Unfortunately some of the things that stick in the memory are silly penalties and missed tackles. Sadly, this match is one to put in the "best forgotten" file.

Best performers?

Joey Leilua. One try, one try assist, 14 runs for 104 metres, eight tackle breaks, one line break, one off load, six tackles. Three errors blight the copy book again, however.

Joe Tapine. Seven runs for 78 metres, three tackles breaks, one line break, 32 tackles, five one on one tackles.

I struggled to find three players to mention.

Top tacklers: Elliott Whitehead 36, Joe Tapine 32, Josh Hodgson 31.
Most metres gained: Nick Cotric 170, Joey Leilua 104, Jordan Rapana 104.

My player ratings:

Brad Abbey 3
Nick Cotric 5
Elliott Whitehead 6
Joey Leilua 7
Jordan Rapana 6
Blake Austin 5
Sam Williams 5
Luke Bateman 5
Josh Hodgson 6
Junior Paulo 3
Joseph Tapine 7
Sia Soliola 6
Josh Papalii 6

Dunamis Lui 4
Liam Knight 4
Siliva Havili 4
Jack Murchie 4

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gangrenous
Laurie Daley
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Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by gangrenous »

7 for Leilua is overs.
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greeneyed
Don Furner
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Joined: January 7, 2005, 4:21 pm

Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by greeneyed »

Through green eyes: As I saw it

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"I haven't spoken to them [the players] yet about [the loss]. That's just marked our season and why we're not in the eight. We've got to so many leads this year and should've won games. So many people ask the question why aren't you in the eight ... there's your reason. Because too many times we've got to wonderful leads going into half-time. We squander not just two-point, four-point leads ... we squandered a 16-point lead against the Broncos, what was that lead tonight, 14 points? We get to leads to win and are not good enough to hold onto leads either."

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.

Round 21 2018. Penrith Panthers 40 - Canberra Raiders 31. Yet more heartbreak. The Raiders led by 14 points at half time. At almost the mid point of the second half, the Raiders led 30-18. They still led, narrowly, with less than eight minutes remaining. But for the fourth time in a row, the Panthers ran over the top of the Raiders in the final stages.



There was more refereeing controversy, with the try to Josh Mansour in the 73rd minute, which put the Panthers in front, coming from a forward pass by James Maloney. And the final try to James Maloney should also have been disallowed, in my view, given Dunamis Lui was obstructed by a Penrith runner. But, in a week when referee Matt Chechin revealed he was leaving the refereeing ranks, after receiving death threats during the World Cup last year, we need to change the culture of referee blaming in rugby league.

Ricky Stuart certainly wasn't blaming the decisions for the loss. "I don't know, I don't want to get embroiled into that side of it again," Stuart said in the press conference later.

I've been saying for some while - and I've received a fair bit of criticism for it - that the Raiders need to be better than any officiating mistakes - and they are better off focusing on the things in their own control, their own performances. Over the last two years, the Raiders have had a consistent pattern of losing matches in the final stages - after getting themselves to a winning position. They have lost six of eight matches decided in the last 10 minutes this year. They were in a position to win a couple more, but conceded the lead in the final 20 minutes.

It has happened far too often to be the result of bad luck - or poor officiating. The Raiders have been too ill disciplined and made too many crucial errors in the wrong part of the field. And have then not been able to defend those errors. And they don't have the players to effectively manage games, to take the right decisions in the clutch.

The match against the Panthers highlighted the wonderful attacking skills of the Raiders. The team certainly had a red hot go. They are the No. 1 attacking team in the competition. No other team has scored more points. Only the Rabbitohs have scored more tries (Rabbitohs 83, Raiders 82). The Raiders have certainly scored enough points to be a top four team. But they are a bottom four team in defence. You don't win football games conceding 40 points. They are still to beat a team in the top eight. And that is why I can't see them playing finals football this year.

The Raiders are eight competition points away from teams 6-8. The Sharks, Broncos and Warriors are all on 26 competition points. Remarkably, the Raiders have a positive points differential, while the three teams above them are in negative territory. But to make it, the Raiders would need to win all four remaining games, and one of the Sharks, Broncos and Warriors would need to lose all four. Three of the Raiders remaining four games are against top eight teams. They are yet to face the Wests Tigers, Roosters, Rabbitohs and, in the final round, the Warriors. It would be the most extraordinary of circumstances, if Canberra were playing for a finals spot in New Zealand in Round 25.



Stats that mattered? The key stat was 71. Seventy one points scored. There were two very loose football teams out there yesterday. The Raiders had an even share of possession, and completed better than the Panthers (Raiders 81 per cent, Panthers 76 per cent). The Raiders made fewer errors (Raiders eight, Panthers 10), but conceded more penalties (Raiders 10, Panthers eight). The Panthers had more sets (34-31), made more runs (164-140) and more metres with the ball in hand (1428m-1352m). The Raiders produced more kicking metres (281m-249m) - but those numbers highlight that this match was all about running, one end of the field to the other.

Both teams threw the ball around and chanced their arm. The Raiders, surprisingly, made more offloads (14-13) - surprisingly, as it felt like the Panthers offloaded at will at times. The Panthers, however, made more line breaks (9-6). This game was all about attack, not the defence. The Panthers produced a whopping 55 missed tackles from 262 required, but the Raiders missed too many as well - 43 from 254 required. The Raiders had the better tackle efficiency rate, but that didn't count in the end.

Memorable moments? This game had many moments of attacking brilliance, but there was no better moment than the Jordan Rapana try in the 39th minute. The Panthers were on the attack in the Raiders' red zone, but Villiame Kikau offloaded into the arms of Rapana... and he set out on the most brilliant of runs down the sideline, just staying inside the touch line. What a try! One of the best of the season.

Best performers?

Joey Leilua. Three tries, 11 runs for 108 metres, seven tackle breaks, three line breaks, one off load, nine tackles. There were some rocks in the performance, but there were largely diamonds.

Jordan Rapana. One try, two try assists, 15 runs for 209 metres, nine tackle breaks, one line break assist, three offloads, seven tackles.

Joseph Tapine. 10 runs for 126 metres, 51 post contact metres, eight tackles breaks, one line break assist, one off load, 32 tackles.

Top tacklers: Joseph Tapine 32, Josh Hodgson 28, Dunamis Lui 27.
Most metres gained: Jordan Rapana 209, Joseph Tapine 126, Joseph Leilua 108.

My player ratings:

Nick Cotric 7
Brad Abbey 4
Blake Austin 5
Joey Leilua 8
Jordan Rapana 8
Aidan Sezer 6
Sam Williams 6
Sia Soliola 6
Josh Hodgson 6
Junior Paulo 4
Joseph Tapine 7
Elliott Whitehead 7
Josh Papalii 7

Dunamis Lui 6
Shannon Boyd 4
Siliva Havili 4
Luke Bateman 4

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reptar
Laurie Daley
Posts: 15755
Joined: January 25, 2005, 9:24 pm
Favourite Player: Josh Hodgson
Location: Brisbane

Re: Through green eyes 2018

Post by reptar »

Why oh why would we not keep running Tapine at Maloney?!?!!!
Gina Riley: Oh, come on, John. That’s a bit old hat, the corrupt IOC delegate.
John Clarke: Old hat? Gina, in the scientific world when they see that something is happening again and again and again, repeatedly, they don’t call it old hat. They call it a pattern.
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