After a number of losses earlier this season, the Eels were criticised for being too lateral in attack. The rationale for such opinion was that the forwards needed to win the middle before any big shifts were attempted.
In those poor performances I subscribed to that theory.
Though it would be wrong to suggest that Parra’s pack has completely dominated their opponents in recent weeks, they have established a strong enough platform for the spine to better orchestrate a victory.
That seemed to be in evidence against the Broncos.
In the light of this year’s exposed form, Thursday night’s loss to Brisbane wasn’t a huge stretch to envisage. Parramatta’s defence is the worst in the top 8, and conceding 24 first half points signalled that another disappointing result was on the way.
And though the errors and the inability of the team to defend in their quarter had plenty to do with the outcome, I was also left with a burning question about our playmakers.
Is the spine delivering as it should?
The combination of Mahoney, Moses, Brown and Gutherson has long been hailed as one of Parra’s greatest assets, and it’s not just Eels fans who have labelled it so.
Reed Mahoney went to market last year and will be taking up a rich deal with the Bulldogs in 2023. His contract will make him one of the highest earning dummy halves in the game.
Dylan Brown made his international debut this season, and was one of the best on field. The Eels will be expected to shell out at least $900K per annum over 3-4 years to retain his services.
Mitch Moses played Origin football in 2021, and due to form and market demand, his next contract is likely to hit six figures per annum. It’s been mooted that he will see out his career at the Eels.
And the captain, Clint Gutherson, has also represented the Blues in Origin football and should have won the 2020 Dally M Player of the Year Award. He is now locked into a lucrative deal for the next three years.
In the past, this talented group have been the on field architects of regular Eels victories, but in 2022 finding any level of consistency has become a challenge.
As a combination there appears to be a disconnect. It’s rare to find all four in form during the same game.
Let’s examine the Broncos clash as it is the most recent example.
In his Stats That Matta post, Colmac provided two thought provoking heat maps.
This first map shows the hit ups.
Quite clearly, the forwards and the outside backs did what they needed to do with their carries. Shown in a left to right representation, you can see that Parra’s set carries took them deep into the Brisbane half. This was one of the best maps I can recall seeing from the Eels this year, yet they could not convert the territory into enough points.
The other map worthy of attention is this kicking map. With so many kicks launched from close range, there was minimal reward achieved.
The outcome from kicks is not necessarily the sole domain of the kickers. After all, the Eels don’t compete for the ball in many kick chases, instead preferring to set for the tackle.
However, when compared to the results achieved by the Broncos, the Eels short kicking game could best be described as ineffective.
It’s not a question of effort from the spine. All four are busting a gut.
Clint Gutherson is the epitome of someone who literally couldn’t give any more. Yet, the errors which have become a feature of his game in 2022 raise serious concerns.
Gutho’s 2022 stats are not flattering. His average run metres (150) are the lowest of the last four seasons, with his high being 190 metres in 2020. His 2022 try assists currently sit at 6, after being in double figures since 2019, and as high as 20 last year.
The King’s 2022 tackle efficiency sits at 72.32%, close to a career low and down on 86.62% in 2021. On a positive note his tries scored and line breaks are on par with the last couple of years.
Reed is another player that cannot be doubted when it comes to effort. He tops the tackle count on a weekly basis and works himself to a standstill. Perhaps Parra place too great a burden on him?
Let’s compare his workload and stats to similar dummy halves in the NRL.
* Reed Mahoney (18 games) 43 tackles per game (92.9%), 6 tries, 5 try assists, 6 line break assists, 32 average run metres. 80 minutes in 14 games
* Harry Grant (14 games) 37.5 tackles per game (91.3%), 4 tries, 12 try assists, 11 line break assists, 92 average run metres. 80 minutes in 8 games plus one 77 minute game.
* Api Koroisau (17 games) 42 tackles per game (92%), 3 tries, 10 try assists, 12 line break assists, 43 average running metres. 80 minutes in 6 games plus a 78 minute game.
* Damien Cook (16 games) 45.5 tackles per game (97.5%), 7 tries, 4 try assists, 6 line break assists, 81 average run metres. 80 minutes in 12 games.
* Reece Robson (18 games) 41 tackles per game (95.5%), 5 tries, 4 try assists, 4 line break assists, 71 average run metres. 80 minutes in 11 games.
The defensive workload across the other dummy halves is very similar. There’s a couple of outliers in try assists and line break assists, but the obvious difference is that Reed sits much lower in run metres.
Reed Mahoney
Maybe it isn’t fair to compare Reeds stats to other teams who use different structures or have different expectations of their dummy half. So let’s look at past seasons.
Reed’s 2022 stats are generally well down on 2021. Given he played 17 games in 2021, and he currently sits on 18 games this season, it seems like a suitable point to make a comparison.
Firstly, his try assists have diminished (13 in 2021 vs 5 in 2022), his kick metres average is less (75.79 in 2021 vs 52.46 in 2022), his total missed tackles are greater (59 in 18 games in 2022 vs 31 in 17 games in 2021) whilst his average run metres is less 37 vs 32.
However, it should be noted that outside of 2021, Reed’s 2022 numbers are very similar to every other season.
Dylan Brown had a terrific first half of the season and his stats read quite well. In attack he’s registered 7 tries, 11 try assists, 10 line break assists and 9 offloads. All of these stats have improved on 2021.
Dylan’s average run metres sit at 118, significantly up on 2021 (98). However his average kick metres (54) are about half of what he returned in 2021, whilst his five forced drop outs have to improve to reach his 11 in 2020 and 8 in 2019.
Brown is an elite defender. His 2022 tackle efficiency currently stands at 93.3%. Though he’s missed more tackles so far in 2022 (31) than he did in all of 2021 (27) and 2020 (26), he’s still in the upper echelons of defensive halves.
Dylan Brown
Let’s compare Dylan to the dominant half, Mitch Moses. Moses has 5 tries, 20 try assists, 11 line break assists and 6 offloads. His 14 forced drop outs are on track to equal the last two seasons (18 & 20). Though his average run metres are about ten metres less than last year, most of his overall stats are very similar to 2022.
Mitch Moses is a brave defender, putting his body on the line against much bigger opponents. His tackle efficiency of 82.8% probably doesn’t reflect the job he does in first contact – slowing up ball carriers and making the job easier for the next defender.
So what have we learned from the numbers?
Bluntly, Mahoney and Gutherson are down on their outstanding 2021 returns, Moses is having a similar season, and whilst Dylan is enjoying a much better year, his kicking game has regressed.
Playing in the fullback role brings great responsibility. There is a high involvement rate in both attack and defence (organising the defensive line) and that means that Gutherson (in fact every fullback) is instrumental in determining the result of every match.
Defensive errors (fielding kicks, making tackles, positioning) can all have immediate consequences for a fullback, far more than any other player has to face in a game.
And the custodian role is only getting tougher.
Teams now play their fullback in the defence line in their red zone. As the defence line moves up, the fullback moves back and across, following the direction of the play. Watching how much they have to move is astonishing.
Unfortunately for Parra, teams with an excellent short kicking game have made life hell for the King this season. He’s either not been in the best position to cover the kick or has fumbled the bouncing ball.
There is a groundswell of opinion amongst supporters that Gutherson should be moved, or at the very least given a rest. The suspicion being that he has an injury which is impacting his form.
So let’s ask a blunt question. Is Gutho currently the best fullback option in the club?
The answer is probably yes, because the alternatives aren’t apparent or proven. Furthermore, the King is just as likely to be the match winner in the Eels next game.
Clint Gutherson
But to be a match winner, I’d like the King to remember what made him so critical to the Eels attack – his support play. When Gutho lurks around the ruck, he turns half chances into line breaks. His darts out of dummy half are unexpected and very effective. Conversely, restricting himself to making the extra man out wide limits the unpredictability of the Eels attack.
I wonder whether Brad Arthur needs to make adjustments if he continues with Gutho as his long term fullback, especially in defence. Should he buck the trend and revert to traditional fullback positioning in the Eels red zone? In addition to providing better coverage for those kicks behind the line, it might just add some energy to the King’s attacking game.
Reed Mahoney divided fan opinions when he accepted the attractive offer to defect to the Bulldogs in 2023. Some blamed the club for lowballing negotiation tactics, others looked negatively upon the rake for jumping at the filthy lucre waved in front of him by the Eels arch rivals.
Regardless of the early season divide, Mahoney did himself no favours with some poorly chosen responses during an recent interview on SEN.
As far as I’m concerned, the only thing that matters is how Mahoney performs when he’s wearing the Blue and Gold. He’s an Eels player in 2022 and I’ll worry about next season when it comes.
Reed plays 80 minutes in most weeks. That isn’t too dissimilar to other top rakes. Even Harry Grant plays long minutes for the Storm despite the presence of Brandon Smith.
Unquestionably, 2021 was a breakout season for Reed. Take out last year and his 2022 stats aren’t too dissimilar to previous seasons. He’s never recorded big running metres or try assists. Maybe he isn’t expected to do so. The bloke is as tough as nails, so perhaps he is still impacted by his 2021 injury.
I’m of the opinion that the key to unlocking Dylan Brown’s full potential is yet to be found. We’ve seen more of it in 2022, but how much does he want it? Should he be demanding more of the ball? Taking more of the kicking workload?
Maybe some of the responsibility falls on those around him? I’ve lost count of the instances where he takes the line on and stands in the tackle, only to find nobody coming through in support.
Mitch Moses
Mitch Moses is the closest to an X factor that the Eels possess. When he runs the ball, his speed off the mark makes him a difficult target for defenders. He’s passionate about his football and cares about the results. His 2022 season is as strong as last year, so from a statistical perspective, it’s tough to point any finger at him.
If there is a criticism, it’s that his passion to make something happen sometimes leaves him taking wrong options. However, it’s difficult to be critical of a player who’s trying to change the momentum of a game. Maybe we can say that his journey to game management composure is not yet complete.
Are there any conclusions that we can make?
Parra’s form across the entire 2022 season has fluctuated more than last year. After Round 19 last season, Parra sat on 28 points, scoring 484 and conceding 267.
The losses came in a batch towards the back end of last year, with the Eels winning just two games from Round 20 onwards, conceding 190 points in defence over those 6 games.
However, at that point the Eels had been one of the best defensive teams and still finished the regular season with the fourth best defence in the NRL despite being lambasted for a weakness out wide. And they conceded just the one try in their controversial finals loss to the Panthers.
Working from a worse base this year, a similar fade can’t be afforded. Then again, it’s still possible for the Eels to drop a game and finish on more points than 2021.
So are the poorer returns to date of some of the spine reflective of a less successful 2022, or are they contributing to the reason?
The chicken or the egg?
Food for thought.
Whatever the case, the season is still in the team’s hands, and very much in the hands of a spine who can get back to steering them to success.
Eels forever!
Sixties
It’s gotten to the point where I only have a passing interest now. I have my kids this weekend so I won’t even be watching the game on TV. I’ll check the result on my phone the next morning. The worst part is I’m half expecting them to fire up and win, and I still don’t care enough to watch anymore. I was born with a B&G umbilical cord and this is what’s it come to. I won’t be renewing my membership next year after 10 straight years as a full season ticketed member who lives in Brisbane. Got better things spend my money on.
Good luck Brett.
You don’t feel the same depression 60’s ?
We have a good chance of beating the panthers this week , as they have a few injuries, Romy, Critta, & Falls all possiably not playing , and as we beat them last time this is our time to shine 💙💛 #parradise
I’ll be honest. I’m not confident but I’ll be there.
Good summary Sixties. While his stats are similar to 2019 and 2020, it feels like watching Reed defend this year he doesn’t have confidence in his shoulder, so while he makes his tackles, they are more arms than shoulders and rarely dominant and often lead to quick play the balls for the other side next play. Combine this with Nathan Brown, who has been key at leading our line speed in defence, being absent from the team for much of the season, I think these are key factors in why our defence has been so much worse this year. Not sure there’s a solution with Reed (although I would like to see Rein given another go at 14 and given some proper game time), but will be interesting to see if Brown makes it back in the team before finals. Some of our attacking structures, especially in the red zone, no doubt need improvement and less predictability, but if we don’t fix the defence by then, we’ll be cannon fodder in the finals.
I thought that Rein might get more game time this year, but the Cup team is starting with hands in the 9 this week.
Great read Sixties and really well put together.
For mine it’s a either a mentality issue or key players are playing injured. Not sure which. But from all reports, we are known to have a soft underbelly and are easily put of task. We just simply have to be better than our opposite number. But frequently we are not.
I think the forwards are mostly doing enough to put us in position even when outplayed.
Gutho – How often has he been the best Fullback in a game? His error rates are demoralising and pivotal. He keeps getting caught out of position. Now he appears too slow to make up for that. His defence and highball confidence are suspect. He should of held the ball and taken the big shot last week. Instead he threw the ball into touch. He’s not an inspirational leader. He’s not a patch on Teddy, Papenhauzen. Mitchell, Ponga or Turbo and yet he expects that kind of money. If you look at Drinkwater, Kennedy, Edwards, Savage, Nui all on a fraction of what Gutho is on and these latter guys outplay him in most occasions. Gutho unless he improves needs to play centre next year and we get a Fullback with pace. Like a Joeseph Sualli.
Mahoney – the stats are better than I thought. Because he’s often the last person I see strewn on the ground before an opposition try or a run through the middle. I’m not sure if there’s a stat for missed tackles leading to tries or tackles that lead to quick play the ball. I think he’d probably be up there. His misses are crucial. He’s not running, his kicks are poor and his passing is erratic. Previously annoyed by him leaving but after watching him this year Hodgson will be a huge upgrade (if stays fit). I saw him take the wrong option to put pressure on Reynolds when the pass had already gone to Mam. The Broncos scored off that play. He missed Carrigan and Haas in the same lead up to the Haas try. As I said the stats are better than I thought.
Moses – going ok. But if he misses the first kick for goal you know his head isn’t on. Predictable last tackle kicking. Needs to kick to corners more so the bomb is not so predictable.
Brown – Good early year but going off the boil. Needs to step up. Needs to cut out to Sivo early ball on tackle 2 or 3.
Simmonson – Just not improved enough for mine. Needs more involvment and Meters.
Please give Jake more minutes. 6 minutes is not enough.
Anyway just my opinion.
Just hope we can turn it around.
Thanks again Sixties
Go Eels!!
Thanks for the detailed response Pete. Jake will be getting more time in Cup this week, not NRL. And for those thinking it’s a reaction to last week, it’s simply a continuation of rotating that cover position on the bench.
I was surprised that Jake was not selected. I wouldn’t mind if BA doubled down and selected him but gave more game time at 9. 10 minutes end of first half and first 10 minutes of second half.
Anyway, Cartwright return from injury is good to get some players back in contention. Also note Opacic is playing back row in reserve grade….adding to versatility.
Just need something to change. A few Panthers out a good opportunity to get back in form.
Go Eels !!
Pete, I would have been happy to see that too but this is the rotation that BA has used all year. Jake was t given any preferential treatment. Never has been. He is the number three half in the club behind Moses and Brown based on where his game is at. There is nothing unusual in his place in the pecking order.
Agreed.
I’ve been super critical of the team this year and I will continue to be.
One of my big frustrations is the defence you can tell a teams attitude by the defence apart from the edge defence that we all no hasn’t or can’t be fixed, one issue is line speed teams are rolling up field on us we don’t have someone setting the tone you look at Reed he makes a million tackled but very rarely is he coming up for contact this is where I had high hopes for Ray Stone unfortunately that ship sailed, in years gone by Nathan Brown led the line speec his replacement Matto is similar to Reed he will make the tackles but won’t lead the line up.
I’m a gutho fan but I really feel his future is not at fullback it’s as a centre defensively he can handle it and would have enough skills to put his centre away.
I had a beer recently with a coach from another NRL team he mentioned how quite the right edge is this could be down to personalities Penisini is still young Ice is a actions over words guy and Baily seems the quite type I reckon Gutho would fix that issue food for thought
Offside, it’s impossible to argue about how quiet the right has been in attack. From memory, our main breaks on that side have come via Moses making the break himself. I’m not sure if Gutho would be the answer but a few people are suggesting that as an option to me lately.
Not just quite in attack from what I was told there isn’t alot of chat going on that edge.
I think with Guth he’s a footballer he will get the job done he has a skill set that will have the defense guessing run pass kick that creates chances outside and inside of him.
Penisini is a long term prospect but needs a spell in Reggie’s to get some confidence.
It won’t happen I remember the year we got the spoon I was doing some work with some parra reserve grade staff and they said Brad’s biggest strength is his biggest weakness he’s to loyal to players and will make changes after its to late hopefully he’s learnt from his mistakes
Again, I won’t argue about BA’s loyalty.
Unfortunately it can only get you so far I remember junior reps and had a bad run and a coach from reserve grade said ‘ you only get a handful of missed opportunities before you don’t get another chance’
I was never going to go to that next level but as I get older and works with youngsters I find myself using that alot.
I often wonder if the players don’t have that risk of job security and does that lead to complacency.
Alex Ferguson used to make sure every united player knew that they had someone ready to take their place and that competiveness from within is part of why they were so successful obviously not restricted by salary cap but.
Just one point, the old days are gone, good players don’t get better by going back to reggies, Penisini is a victim of the whole process with regard to his development.
So are you saying there is no one at the club who’ll give BA some home truths ?
Is there nobody at the club who’ll stand up to BA and say “Brad, mate, this isn’t working, we need to make some changes”. Is there no one prepared to do that ?
I’m no longer work on those circles so couldn’t say but I sure hope now there is with Ennis and McGregor you’d hope they speak up.
It was a issue for Brad a few years ago I’d hope he’s worked on it.
As I said loyalty only lasts so long.
I’m pretty sure that the halves aren’t the problem. Gutho however is maybe at a career crossroads. Maybe centre is where he needs to play (and which he would excel) and someone new plays fullback with pace and better able to cover positional play. Reed has had some good moments recently but he just doesn’t seem to be on song (as the stats indicate) like he was in 2021. I’m not sure why that is but it seems a year of regeression for him. Of course, hoping they find form on Friday.
Shaun, I remain hopeful that the players can take the reins and find the form that they need to from this week onwards.
I live in hope. It is also the hope that kills you.
We’ve survived thirty six years of living in hope!
In a game of inches, I can’t help but think that BA’s practice of wasting a bench position on a back rower points to a lack of confidence that members of the back row will see the game through – are players injured or fatigued? Whatever it is, I can’t help but think this strategy (not reflected anywhere else in the NRL or Superleague) is having an impact on the team’s ability to play to their highest standard. This in turn puts more pressure on the spine who (with the exception of Moses) are struggling to cope.
Use the full bench, share the fatigue load, and maybe we’ll see the spine lift and bring us the victories that we’ve been able to achieve previously.
Genuine question – if you are advocating for 3 props on the bench (assuming keeping cover for hooker/backs – ignoring who that should be), whose minutes are you cutting? Do we actually want to cut Junior or Reg’s time? How does a fifth choice prop in the rotation justify their time over the other four?
That’s what BA has obviously decided this year – that he wants maximum time out of Junior and Reg.
He wanted that in 2020 and 2021 too. How did those seasons finish?
Considering BA has gone into games with 3 or even 4 middles/props on the bench before, your comment doesn’t really hold much water.
If you are critical of 3 or 4 middles, are you critical of the coach we already have?
Plus, Junior and RCG look completely busted. We have a fringe rep middle in reserve grade who can’t get a look in. While we overplay our stars and burn them out. Our middles look desperste for a rest, as do many of our players.
We overuse Junior so he stops being effective at the end of the season. Even Reg looks burned out now. Reed looks busted. Even Matto is losing effectiveness. How is it going continually using and relying on our starters for diminishing returns?
I wonder if it lead to any late season fades in the past? Can you recall?
1. Wasn’t asking you.
2. Did you miss the “genuine question” bit?
There was really no need for the tone of your response. Play nice.
Am I allowed to answer this question? Or is it not a genuine question?
I thought the subtext of my response should be pretty clear. That our middles, in particular Junior and Reg, need a rest. That they do, in fact, need their minutes reduced. That we should be utilising our fringe rep forward, Nathan Brown, in addition to the other players we use. I guess I didn’t make that clear enough.
But right, you weren’t asking. I guess I’ll go back to the other fansites and twitter where vigorous debate is welcomed.
This site in particular has a bit of a reputation for attempting to push out dissenting viewpoints. God forbid you don’t toe the party line here. Here comes the banhammer!
Gosh you are an angry little man aren’t you?
I’d have had no problem with a response that wasn’t loaded with “you’re an idiot”. But all of your posts seem to be. Heaven forbid anyone dissents from your viewpoint.
But if you read it again, you’ll find you assumed my view. I simply asked a question, trying to understand someone else’s view. That person wasn’t you.
I think that is Grunta from IEE Wilhelmina and you are right he is “an angry little man”
I have a feeling he has posted under my name here on at least one occasion.
Grunta is Hayze Perhams biggest fan.
Poppa, I meant to message you after a post under your name last week didn’t read like you. I don’t think it’s Grunta. It doesn’t read like him either.
Thanks mate, whoever it is I am not very happy, identity theft is a new low for some people.
I assume that anybody can use a name if they supply a legal email address…..I suppose it is up there with the “booing” and our new society that I will never understand.
Poppa, there are some small minds that get a kick out of being disruptive. They think it’s clever when it’s simply childish.
Banhammer! Man you are full of accusations not based on fact. There has been no shortage of dissenting opinions here Champ.
That said, if were a guest in anyone’s home and started telling them how much you disliked their home and make up a bunch of crap to go with it that would be an incredibly rude and ungrateful way to conduct yourself. In the real world you’d be quickly asked to leave.
This is our home that we our proud of and gladly welcome guest into. You don’t like it, so please, return to those other places you speak of.
See ya
PE – Forty broke it down very well. We play our backrowers for 80 minutes each. Nothing unusual. Junior and RCG play around 50 minutes. Nothing overextensive there. Matto around 60 minutes.
So that means 80 minutes needs to be covered by 4 bench players. Marata will be at least 30 minutes of that. So that is generally split between two players, with the fourth getting minimal minutes unless there injury.
Further to that Trouser, I’m wondering whether his cover is actually a worry about the spine getting an injury. Gutho and Moses have both worn strapping in games and Reed has the shoulder issue. Even Carty could play at half and you get a positional shift with the others. Eg Moses can cover fullback, Dylan can cover centre and dummy half.
Doesn’t Hayze Perham cover fullback, halves, and centre? That’s at least cover for Dylan, Moses and Guth, not to mention centre. He also plays wing.
Surely he can play dummy half for 5 minutes if we needed him to as well.
Food for though?
2023…Dylan Brown to full-back, Gutho 5/8..
I’m having wet dream already…
We don’t have a fullback ready to step in now. Young Fenning in Flegg has only had a couple of Cup games. Rankin is ready to transition to coaching. Russell is playing wing. Out of the current players, both Moses and Brown could be moved there. The question is, would we experiment now or next year?
I think you are right that if we have Gutho for the next few years, something needs to change with the team. I’ve always been a big fan, but the reality is he is a bottom 5 FB this year in arguably the most important position on the field. The output he’s providing v prior year form and v the best FBs is telling.
The other persistent issues of bench rotation and output, defence and footy iq all contribute to the eels lack of consistency and fan frustration.
It really hasn’t been an inspiring season from the eels, whatever the diagnosis. We’ve probably had 4-5 good wins. This is about where the Tigs and Titans sit. Naturally they’ve had much worse seasons, but neither were slated as premiership contenders, losing players to cashed up bottom 8 teams buying their way out of trouble. I always think (like golf where you get beaten up more than you win) it’s more about the process than the result. This year the process has kind of sucked, and that’s generally not a recipe for a result.
Hopefully they can turn it around, deliver some solid footy over the next 5 weeks and prove me wrong.
It’s a year which thus far hasn’t met our expectations or even met what the players declared as their intent with so many moving on.
The fluctuations in performance, almost weekly, has drawn the ire of fans, possibly more than what the teams ladder placing would normally deserve. It feels like everyone, from the players to supporters need an injection of positivity. Not sure how that is achieved.
That’s the problem, even a win this weekend will be met with a shrug of the shoulders by the fans. There’s simply no, or at best greatly reduced significance to any win from now on.
Interesting read 60’s. For me we have not had great go forward with Mahoney and his running game has been lacking at times. I can’t fault his defence tbh but some of his kicks and passing have not been great. We don’t often ask too many questions with our forwards. But when we do, we go well.
If Guth is injured then he needs a spell otherwise he may need a change of position next year, and yes a move to centre. He would be good there too. Yes backing up like L Burt used to do from the forward runs.
I truly think BA has been too loyal to some of these players….
I cannot fault Moses and DB to me they’ve been v good.
I haven’t taken a deep dive into the stats of players outside of the spine as yet. It’s likely there might be some who are also down on last year. But as far as the spine is concerned, the eye test said that Gutho was down on last year. The stats back it up – and that’s not trying to find any stat on being caught out of position or being unable to field a kick. I can’t help but feel there’s a niggling injury at play.
First of all 60’s I think your analysis is sound and your basic assumptions correct. Maybe what is missing is they are a year older and the competition has become more athletic!
We have seen 3 young mobile and athletic teams emerge in Cowboys, Broncos and Sharks…..we have seen the falling away of Storm, Roosters and Parra…… maybe some reality coming home.
I don’t believe that BA has grown with the changes necessary to combat this, most of the changes envisaged in the last 6 or so discussion points amount’s to rearranging the “deck chairs”.
I am disappointed in how predictable we have become, Easts game aside. Let’s use that Easts game as an example, brilliant play first half and then in the second half we tried to close it down and lost it (the half) 12 nil.
I think we start games like we did the second half against Easts, we are scared of losing or trying to be too conservative, Coach’s responsibility!
This is where BA has not grown (no one doubts his commitment). He also has used his wings as the battering rams that developed when we had genuine wingers to do that. Has Baily Simonsson been put into the clear once this year? but he is reputably our fastest player.
Moses positions himself on the right and does the attacking and comes back and links sometimes to the left, I would prefer to see him and Dyllan moving together on the field and making it less predictable as to who is going to run. Presently the right side is too predictable with Moses the go to man on the right and Dyllan on the left, I would prefer to see Moses play more like Reynolds and run the whole game. The other things is that Moses is an elite short kicker as well as the distance ones….. Dyllan’s kicking is something he is still working on….its not a sharing exercise but an opportunity lost when Moses doesn’t short kick…he (Dyllan) should be working on the deep kicks as well and our chases are mostly ordinary.
I think we are headed for a rebuild and this window has just about closed. I also think we should be chasing Ciraldo as he has a handle on the best juniors and the reality is that Penrith’s are better than ours, our programmes are well behind at this point.