Defence
That's a good point Bruce.
They didn't have much choice with Klemmer, woods and Trbojevic tho- all the best teams middle forwards are Polynesians or poms.
That's a good point Bruce.
They didn't have much choice with Klemmer, woods and Trbojevic tho- all the best teams middle forwards are Polynesians or poms.
Swanley
I'm watching the game again to pinch myself to make sure we actually won.
Everyone played well, good to see what Shaun Johnson can do behind a pack that dominates.
However, all this talk of a new dawn, etc etc is rubbish, more like false dawn. Until we start beating regularly, I'm not holding my breath. Remember this was our 1st win after 13 attempts...that's right 13 attempts.
Not having the once in a generation players like Smith, Cronk, Slater and Thurston really hurts Australia.
Cook got shown up behind a beaten pack, and so did Hunt, even though Kerry went off, I do not think he is test standard yet.
I was really impressed with Smith, Taupau and JWH, finally put in a worthy performance, in a kiwi jumper. Manu was great along with Rapana.
I think we are really a good chance of beating the poms, no Sam Burgess helps us massively. Shame I'm not able to go see a live match.
Everyone played well, good to see what Shaun Johnson can do behind a pack that dominates.
However, all this talk of a new dawn, etc etc is rubbish, more like false dawn. Until we start beating regularly, I'm not holding my breath. Remember this was our 1st win after 13 attempts...that's right 13 attempts.
Not having the once in a generation players like Smith, Cronk, Slater and Thurston really hurts Australia.
Cook got shown up behind a beaten pack, and so did Hunt, even though Kerry went off, I do not think he is test standard yet.
I was really impressed with Smith, Taupau and JWH, finally put in a worthy performance, in a kiwi jumper. Manu was great along with Rapana.
I think we are really a good chance of beating the poms, no Sam Burgess helps us massively. Shame I'm not able to go see a live match.
bruce
Contributor
Good point. If Hunt is their second best half back you really have to ask questions about their depth.
Brother Faisal
I think we may have lost 5 straight to aussie since 2016 not 13 straight. Correct
Me if im wrong
razzrillinger
Anybody else think it was strange that they had Tommy Turbo at centre and Gagai on the wing? Should have switched IMO, maybe they will this week.
All this talk of watching replays in this topic, might have to give it another re-watch one night this week.
All this talk of watching replays in this topic, might have to give it another re-watch one night this week.
francis faafua
Sup42
Yeah their veteran forwards carried those great sides and made it very hard to beat them, Paul Gallen is another very experienced rep footy player of course. Can't forget what Greg Inglis and Jared Hayne did for that side either, they have gone from being stacked with freaks to a team of very good NRL players.
The origin is bollocks now.the first game was riddled with errors, the big body contact has gone, it really has lost its special category status...and most of all....they aren't using that trial hit out to smash international sides a week or two later.
There has been some lofty projections about the future of the game with the like of Tony Kemp saying we will dominate more than any other time in our history over the next ten years.
I get why he's getting excited, our depth is where we are being pleasantly surprised, but not unlike Aussies problems, we are going to face our own serious succession problems.
Who will replace Johnson ? Where is the next Foran or Marshall coming from ?
Watching the replay that game is really weird as far as Transtasman clashes go, a lot of unspoken rules were broken.\
The game starts off in typical fashion with an instant try to Aussie. Every Kangaroo side I've ever seen does that.
Then you have that early period where New Zealands chances are decided....often times Aussie convert those early chances and the game is dead inside thirty minutes.
In games where we win we keep Aussies to 12 or less in the first half, and quite often need to keep them to that range in the second half too.
Most of all in the games we have won in the past the Aussies and Kiwis slug it out set for set, shared possesion, and the Kiwis have to hang on for grim death on their own Try line.
Saturday night we took control early, ten or so minutes into it, we are controlling the pace of the game (fast) and controlling the ruck (no offloads from Aussie, the Kiwis, especially Proctor and Hargreaves wrap up the ball and lock it down, dominate in the tackle).
We were dominant in post contact meters, our forwards barely needed big Ken, they rolled over the top of Aussie. There was some criticism by Tony Kemp of the constant dropping a player back on the inside ( he was right we looked like the North Queencland Cowboys, especially during that back to back repeat sets period in the first half) but the real point was we were camping in their half and holding the ball, forcing them to play long range).
If that wasn't strange enough, seeing Aussie start to stress and be forced into taking risks, the second half was the twilight zone, the kiwis came out and played even better than they had in the first half (at over eighty percent completions thanks very much).
Interesting to hear the Kiwi players say that Madge kept talking about winning all week 'you will win the ruck....the kicking.....post contact meters' every sentence was win this win that...they recon they couldn't see anything other than win win win.
I guess seeing our débutantes and lesser known players like Manu, Masters, Smith, seize Trys seemingly from out of nowhere was a bit of a flash back to the old school Kiwis sides, where relative unknowns would grow an extra leg and play ten foot tall and bullet proof.
Very pleasing to see the Kiwis shift the ball to the edges off the half chances Smith Johnson and Marty Tapau created.
That Kiwis team was intense man. Brandon Smith hanging his head during the Anthem to hide his tears Joseph Manu was moved - (Latrell Mitchell in contrast was totally self absorbed grinning like a smug fk during theirs), Liu looked like he wanted to kill someone (seen that look before, scary, lucky it was only a sports contest) Proctor had his game face on, JWH looked like he had grown up finally, the body language really stood out from that kiwis side, really impressive turn around from our dark recent past.
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Inruin
Contributor
Good win. Not sure I would be carrying on like there is a new dynasty forming though.
we played very well
the Kangaroos played fairly poorly
we won by 2
Its our first win since......
One game, one win. Nice but lets see a few more performances before crowning us world champs
we played very well
the Kangaroos played fairly poorly
we won by 2
Its our first win since......
One game, one win. Nice but lets see a few more performances before crowning us world champs
Hardyman's Yugo
drunk_monk
Totally, but take that line off and I reckon he looks comfortably offside. At least enough for the decision, would have just preferred it be disallowed for that instead of disallowed for a wicked pickup.
Off The Bench
Aussies played really well.
It took us a long time to crack their line .
An when they made breaks they scored
We just played better .
It took us a long time to crack their line .
An when they made breaks they scored
We just played better .
Run_it_str8
Just watched the replay and saw one example of what you're talking about. Three of our guys made the tackle. The ball carrier went to ground hels by only one of our guys while the other 2 fell off behind the tackle. What made it crap was they fell on the Australian's side so they couldn't even be a speed bump.
Brother Faisal
yeah i think its stuff that can be ironed out, i mentioned earlier in the chat when i was watching the junior kangaroos it seems through all levels the aussie sides including the womens are really good at exploiting the short side, all three of the aussie sides scored tries off quick ptb on the short side and knowing the numbers made the right decision to score, all long range as well, it may need to be an area of focus not only for the kiwis but the nzrl.
Wasn't Watene Zelezniak inspirational? Bit of a dilemma when Roger Tuivasa-Sheck returns. I guess Watene Zelezniak transitions to the centres to replace Marsters. Or perhaps Maumalos wing. Maybe Roger Tuivasa-Sheck Plays 6? Good scenario for the Kiwis anyhow. That was a true captains knock.
I’m thinking he’ll return to the wing in place of Maumalo, his carries are arguably as strong out of the backfield and I reckon he scores that try on the weekend with his extra speed.
Trying to recall the last player to Captain from the wing, maybe big Dell for the Broncos or Luke Burt (Eels), anyway, it doesn’t happen that often.
Trying to recall the last player to Captain from the wing, maybe big Dell for the Broncos or Luke Burt (Eels), anyway, it doesn’t happen that often.
Run_it_str8
Doesn't matter where but having Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and a developing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak both in the side is a great problem to have.
Hopefully the tour will produce performances that bring everybody back to wanting to wear the black jersey.
Even giving Tonga all their players back we'd still get a beasty team together. Our propping stocks are in my highly opinionated opinion what set us apart.
Hopefully the tour will produce performances that bring everybody back to wanting to wear the black jersey.
Even giving Tonga all their players back we'd still get a beasty team together. Our propping stocks are in my highly opinionated opinion what set us apart.
gREVUS
Long live the Rainbows and Butterflies
Contributor
Manu, 1 game, total disaster. think it was in the last of the bluey days, after he lost the keys to the bus.
Stalefish540
.
Contributor
Although he didn't have a great year, I reckon Morgan will come back with a vengeance in 2019 without JT. I would expect him at 7 and Munster at 6 if both were fit.
Boats n Hoes
Mal's always had a hard on for stacking his backline with fullbacks......skillfull players tho, didn't fire this week but you'd suspect they will at some stage.
Watching the replay brings a whole lot more clarity I reckon, don't have all that emotional angst and investment that u do when watching live. 2nd go around I can see why Shaun Johnson got MOTM. He played a great controlling game. While he was getting some criticism for it game day ive got to say his option taking was mostly on point, his execution may have let him down on a couple of occasions but u could see what he was trying to do and it was generally what was needed.
Thought particulary in that second half stanza where we dominated and piled on those points to make the game ours he was a catalyst in everything we did. Put it this way I've seen Thurston not been as influential yet still get fapped on about big time.
That said if Brandon Smith played 80 he would have been my choice. However there's no way he'll be able to play 80 with the amount of energy he plays with....it's unsustainable.....he was into absolutely everything...brilliant mind you, but he'll learn with time......great impact player for now tho.
While most of the plaudits went to Manu and Maumalo, 2 players I thought went really well and under the radar a bit was Marsters and Liu. Liu especially locked that whole left side together attack and defence and was solid as buggery.
Like others have mentioned talk of a dynasty shouldn't even be in the picture. We did play really well and applied pressure but im not so sure we we're dominant as all that. The first half especially the Aussies did what we're normally guilty of, they made more unforced errors than us, they gave away more penalties, and they we're doing this in their own half meaning we got to camp down their end. Throw in we we're able to force repeat sets as well and for all that dominance im amazed they we're still able to go into half time leading.
I think 2nd half all that pressure they we're under ist half caught up with them, and Bromwich, JWH, and Tapau we're able to get on top. You could use the excuse their a young team (but then so are we), but you very rarely see an Aussie team play that poorly twice. I think Tonga may be in for a hua of a hiding this weekend.
brightman
My own MOM before the 1st half had finished, he was SOLID!
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