tajhay
🏉
Congrats Melbourne. Just so good. That club oozes proffessionalism in everything they do.
General 2017 NRL Grand Final Thread
- Thread starter ajofbrisbane
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- 2017
AlexM
gREVUS
Long live the Rainbows and Butterflies
Contributor
thought it was really classy that both Billie and Cronk , when asked about their futures by media flunkeys said that this is a time for the team and that they would get back to them in the future. Billy got very emotional proving how after all these years and so much success this still means so much to them.
Pozza
I was at the game, a couple of observations, was a bit of a weird feeling as I had no emotional involvement and times felt like I was watching a Friday night game. Once the storm won the arm wrestle they cranked it up a notch and it was all over. They were a class above the Cows and at times it looked like a Storm training run, especially the Kafusi try. Congrats to the Storm, what a team.
jonno
rugged
I still think Melbourne get away with doing a lot of extra work wrestling around the neck and shoulders of opposition.
Pozza
I think it’s a little more than just fitness mate.
Pozza
I was sitting way up on level 6 so from a purely football perspective you could really see what the Storm' plan was. Rarely do they waste a tackle. Cronc and Smith moving guys into position, setting up for the next play two tackles ahead. Teams know it's coming but stopping it is a different story. The Kafusi try how times have they put that move on this year. Cows would know it but could do fuck all to stop it.
Sad thing about it is most of those AFL supporters in Melb have no idea how great this team is.
Sad thing about it is most of those AFL supporters in Melb have no idea how great this team is.
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eudebrito
|-|
Contributor
Despite the premierships that were (rightfully) stripped, wins in 1999, 2012 and 2017 and runner up in 2006 and 2016 make them the most successful team in the NRL era (1998 - )
The only think that really annoys me about the storm is that the smartest coach and smartest players never admitted to the rorting, especially Bellamy pretending that he knew nothing about having internationals and origin players sitting on his bench, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
But also fairly sure the 2013 roosters could not have been fair dinkum, but they will stay in the record books
I don’t really buy the argument of the rorting enables what they have today, it wouldn’t have been the big 3 getting kicked off to be cap compliant, it would have been all the other rep players who were eventually forced out anyway, Inglis, Folau, Hoffman, Brett White, Jeremy Smith, Adam Blair, Michael Crocker, Dallas Johnson, Steve Turner. Replace those guys with cheaper versions and they still would have been thereabouts.
And no one ever goes back to back, so someone else will win it next year!
The only think that really annoys me about the storm is that the smartest coach and smartest players never admitted to the rorting, especially Bellamy pretending that he knew nothing about having internationals and origin players sitting on his bench, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
But also fairly sure the 2013 roosters could not have been fair dinkum, but they will stay in the record books
I don’t really buy the argument of the rorting enables what they have today, it wouldn’t have been the big 3 getting kicked off to be cap compliant, it would have been all the other rep players who were eventually forced out anyway, Inglis, Folau, Hoffman, Brett White, Jeremy Smith, Adam Blair, Michael Crocker, Dallas Johnson, Steve Turner. Replace those guys with cheaper versions and they still would have been thereabouts.
And no one ever goes back to back, so someone else will win it next year!
jonno
Without the extra fitness they can't use their skills and holes open up in their defence before their opponents defence starts showing cracks.
gREVUS
Long live the Rainbows and Butterflies
Contributor
and the cowboys were dumping people on their heads and slowing down the play of the ball heaps. But they werent called either. They said during the game that the ref, i forget which one, had only called 10 penalties for the entire finals series. It was always going to be a fast flowing game, with very few penalties.
gREVUS
Long live the Rainbows and Butterflies
Contributor
To me the big thing about their success is that they werent developed somewhere else and then bought in to make a power team, like with the roosters or doggies. These three were all developed by Bellache, and have been one clubmen till now.
Pozza
You know I sort of hope Cronc calls it quits I would hate to see he reputation tarnished by having a ordinary season with another club. Away from Bellamy and the Storm structures he might struggle not because of his lack ability but because the the players around him aren't on the same page. I can't recall too many players maintaining there Storm form once they leave.
I honestly don’t think they’re fitter. I think most teams are honestly pretty identical. The sport science and resources are all similar, but it’s things like accountability, pride, confidence, patience, unselfish, buying into the bigger picture, high standards and a culture of excellence. It’s the attention to the little things, turning up on time, doing the extras, players holding each other accountable and not forcing the coaches to install standards.
Every player had a clearly defined role. Sure, they’re fit. But what happened on Sunday, for the team to lose by almost 30 points is most certainly not fitness. They ground them down with their structures and consistency and eventually the flood gates opened. That’s all mental in my books.
Tragic
Contributor
jonesy101
I Agree. If the Storm's fitness is that much superior to other teams I would expect them to wipe the Warriors clean off the park every time they meet. But season after season the Warriors seem to mentally lift for the ANZAC day game. Just look at how tight it was this year - it took a dodgy Addo-Carr try to break the deadlock.
A blotch on that record was last years flogging which just happened to be at the height of the energy drink/prescription drug scandal. So that was the perfect example of where things can fall apart mentally.
snake77
That statistic wouldn't of gone unnoticed by both of the coaches either. Get stuck in boys there will be plenty of leeway.
It's good in league that the refs let the game flow and let the players sort it out but sometimes it goes a bit to far. A few penalties could get the players on edge and help alleviate some of the wrestling tactics.
