Re: 2014 Official thread and signing news
Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 11:49 am
I would love to see Duffie back and playing great footy however I can't help but feel he might be done.
With the exception of Chambers and Sisa, our outside back stocks lack a power running game. For that reason alone the investment in Mahe needs to continue. We get our sets on a roll when Mahe is in the team. Sure, there are some loose carries that need to be addressed and I am not convinced he is a winger but we need his barnstorming runs. Put him at centre and work on defensive decision making.
Matulino would be a massive signing. I don't think he will be in our price range unfortunately. Some of the poorer performing clubs will/should offer some pretty big bucks and rightfully so.
Key issues to work on over the off-season;
1. Line speed in defence. When we come up quickly, our defence looks solid. When we sit on our heels and wait for the ball runner to come to us, we get rolled and the edges open up like a tin can.
2. Quick play the balls. Don't just let the opposition lay on top of you for 4-5 seconds and then slowly get to your feet (I'm looking at you O'Neill!). Fight. Kick. Struggle. Get up and play it as fast as humanly possible. Our forwards are getting dominated for a number of reasons, one of which is opposition defensive lines being given every opportunity to get back onside.
3. Tackle in numbers. We play the most compressed defensive line in the competition and still opposition teams are getting into one-on-one contests in the middle of the park. It is almost as if we are playing compressed but then hedging our bets by getting ready to slide on every play. This opens up our usually rock solid centre. On the few sets in recent weeks where our line speed has been good and we have hit the attacking player with numbers, we inevitably drive them back and force a slow play the ball.
4. Start sets strong. Like most teams these days, our outside backs take the first couple of hit-ups when we have received a clearing kick. The problem is we aren't making a dent in the oppositions defensive line. O'Neill runs sideways most of the time (as does Slater) and neither look likely to poke their head through. Fonua would help here. Other teams have big outside backs that can bend the line. Look at Newcastle for example. All of their back five can do it, but particulary their centres + Uate pick up 30m+ to start every set.
With the exception of Chambers and Sisa, our outside back stocks lack a power running game. For that reason alone the investment in Mahe needs to continue. We get our sets on a roll when Mahe is in the team. Sure, there are some loose carries that need to be addressed and I am not convinced he is a winger but we need his barnstorming runs. Put him at centre and work on defensive decision making.
Matulino would be a massive signing. I don't think he will be in our price range unfortunately. Some of the poorer performing clubs will/should offer some pretty big bucks and rightfully so.
Key issues to work on over the off-season;
1. Line speed in defence. When we come up quickly, our defence looks solid. When we sit on our heels and wait for the ball runner to come to us, we get rolled and the edges open up like a tin can.
2. Quick play the balls. Don't just let the opposition lay on top of you for 4-5 seconds and then slowly get to your feet (I'm looking at you O'Neill!). Fight. Kick. Struggle. Get up and play it as fast as humanly possible. Our forwards are getting dominated for a number of reasons, one of which is opposition defensive lines being given every opportunity to get back onside.
3. Tackle in numbers. We play the most compressed defensive line in the competition and still opposition teams are getting into one-on-one contests in the middle of the park. It is almost as if we are playing compressed but then hedging our bets by getting ready to slide on every play. This opens up our usually rock solid centre. On the few sets in recent weeks where our line speed has been good and we have hit the attacking player with numbers, we inevitably drive them back and force a slow play the ball.
4. Start sets strong. Like most teams these days, our outside backs take the first couple of hit-ups when we have received a clearing kick. The problem is we aren't making a dent in the oppositions defensive line. O'Neill runs sideways most of the time (as does Slater) and neither look likely to poke their head through. Fonua would help here. Other teams have big outside backs that can bend the line. Look at Newcastle for example. All of their back five can do it, but particulary their centres + Uate pick up 30m+ to start every set.