General NRL 2019 Round 4 - General Discussion

[Sup42]

Great to see Mason Lino.

Injured his knee but, hopefully not serious.

 

[Wellington Warrior]

And we finish round 4 just outside the top 8....because our points diff stinks!!

 

[jonno]

And we finish round 4 just outside the top 8....because our points diff stinks!!

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Is that because we didn't score enough tries, or because we let too many in?

We're the 5th highest points scoring team. But yet we're also way down at 14th in the defensive rankings. Lazy defense in games 2 and 3 is why we're not currently in the 8.

Next weekend we're playing the 2nd best points scoring team and the 6th best defensive team.

But we can still win if we play it right and don't quit before it's over.

 

[FuNQie]

...Time to realise that apart from missing Mannering's defence, Shaun Johnson's was pretty important at cutting down a channel...

We’re missing Mannering. That old chestnut keeps on getting trotted out. He made a heap of tackles, good on ‘im. But. Our best run of results last season came when Mannering was out injured. And we beat the Roosters without either Mannering or Shaun Johnson.

Yesterday, cellar-dwellers the Bulldogs were up 10 to nothing against the table-toppers the Storm and only lost by 16-12, without arguably their biggest stars, Foran and big papi. That was by far the Doggies’ best showing yet.

 

[Inruin]

Is that because we didn't score enough tries, or because we let too many in?

We're the 5th highest points scoring team. But yet we're also way down at 14th in the defensive rankings. Lazy defense in games 2 and 3 is why we're not currently in the 8.

Next weekend we're playing the 2nd best points scoring team and the 6th best defensive team.

But we can still win if we play it right and don't quit before it's over.

our attack is inflated due to one big score against dogs.

Our defense has two blowouts.... and two low defensive displays against the two weakest teams in the comp so far.

based on that - we are a bottom quarter of the table team

 

[bruce]

based on that - we are a bottom quarter of the table team

Absolutely, and I cannot see it changing. The way the team can drop intensity at a moments notice is a real worry, just like the old days. I bet the brains trust would pay somebody to come up with the answer, or maybe they have it already, mental frailty with a few players. WTF can they do about that this season?

 

[wizards rage]

Absolutely, and I cannot see it changing. The way the team can drop intensity at a moments notice is a real worry, just like the old days. I bet the brains trust would pay somebody to come up with the answer, or maybe they have it already, mental frailty with a few players. WTF can they do about that this season?

I agree the loses were mental but I honestly can’t see why. The team literally only has Fusitua and Kata from 2 years ago when the team was also mentally frail.

You can’t change the whole team, coach, support staff and management and have the same issue.

 

[snake77]

Funny on NRL 360 tonight the discussion of the Bulldogs try on the weekend scored 5 metres infield but they take the winning kick from the side line.

Traditionally that would be perceived as making the kick harder but they practice from the sideline more than they do from 5 metres in.

Had some funny examples of tried scored infield and the conversions taken closer to the sideline.

 

[bruce]

I agree the loses were mental but I honestly can’t see why. The team literally only has Fusitua and Kata from 2 years ago when the team was also mentally frail.

You can’t change the whole team, coach, support staff and management and have the same issue.

Well they do have the same issue. It doesn't go away. Somebody who was at Christchurch tell me I was wrong.

That kick that Papaili put into the corner not long after the Warriors had scored first. It went within a whisker of touching a Manly hand and a set of 7 for us, but it didn't touch so they got the seven tackle set marched right down the field and scored, and then again, and again.

That ground is small, and the fans get a good view. You could just see the intensity drain away, the lips drop, the grabs for tackles instead of commitment. Quite honestly it was disgusting from so called professional players. It wasn't them all, but you only need a couple of those guys to give up and it opens gaps that are hard for others to cover.

Last week you could hear it (the painful silence) from the crowd as tackles were missed...again and again. They even started calling for more crowd noise on the big screen. The crowd was quiet because of fear that the girls were back in town again.

Sorry guys, but after 26 years of this shite I have a very firm opinion of the problem here, and it is the same with the Blues. We will leave race out of it, because it isn't relevant when you consider guys like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Afoa. It is the failure to differentiate between outstanding athletic ability and weak mentality in building a squad.

HTF can a kid like Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad be an overnight sensation in Canberra but not get a start here? It just sends the wrong message i.e. you can be a pussy and drop your lip as long as you are an outstanding physical specimen who can do things others cannot.

Australians don't tolerate weak mentalities, they are just arseholes, but they don't give up. The Titans were down last week and one of their forwards put a hit on Leeson Ah Mau (one of our best). It was so hard Ah Mau dropped the ball. It was a hell of a hit, and the game was gone. Somebody remind me of when the current mob does that when they are down.

Rant over

 

[Tonbridge (Swanley)]

Why do all other teams look so much faster than us?

the secret is to record Warriors matches and then fast forward times 2...they tend to play quicker then.

 

[wizards rage]

the secret is to record Warriors matches and then fast forward times 2...they tend to play quicker then.

Problem with them playing that quick is they seem to give away twice as many penalties and make twice as many errors

 

[Tonbridge (Swanley)]

Problem with them playing that quick is they seem to give away twice as many penalties and make twice as many errors

yes but its a shorter match as well!

 

[playdaball]

based on that - we are a bottom quarter of the table team

It certainly looks that way. Pre season I had us at 9 or 10, perhaps sneaking into the 8. Not now, plus we’ve come up against 4 sides that didn’t make the top 8 last year. Maybe a good time to play Souths after their loss vs Manly and away from Sydney ... then again Bennett would now want to get them back on track and they’ll be licking their lips, smashing through our forwards.

 

[FuNQie]

I agree the loses were mental but I honestly can’t see why. The team literally only has Fusitua and Kata from 2 years ago when the team was also mentally frail.

You can’t change the whole team, coach, support staff and management and have the same issue.

We can, because we have.
I’m not pointing the finger, but Tony Iro is still there, has been all through these last years.

With situations of malaise, that persists over years, this generates an energy which can and does influence people who are new to the set-up. It’s the same with anything. You can walk into a building or into an area of land, or approach a group of people, and if you choose to, or even if you don’t choose to, you can sense how it is. There could be a happy feeling, a buzz maybe, or a feeling like there’s a void, or...just about anything is possible. No prizes for guessing what I reckon there is at Mt Smart.

 

[wizards rage]

We can, because we have.
I’m not pointing the finger, but Tony Iro is still there, has been all through these last years.

With situations of malaise, that persists over years, this generates an energy which can and does influence people who are new to the set-up. It’s the same with anything. You can walk into a building or into an area of land, or approach a group of people, and if you choose to, or even if you don’t choose to, you can sense how it is. There could be a happy feeling, a buzz maybe, or a feeling like there’s a void, or...just about anything is possible. No prizes for guessing what I reckon there is at Mt Smart.

But the culture is just the sum of the people and the whole group has changed. The senior leadership group and management are all from successful clubs with successful culture. The club should now be set from their successful culture. Only things I can see as constant:

- Travel factor (both poor attitudes results were after travel)

• kiwi bro attitude (plenty written won’t elaborate)
• a feeling like your not meant to win some games (ref calls, etc which tends to kill enthusiasm - been noted by players that have left in the past)

 

[jonno]

But the culture is just the sum of the people and the whole group has changed. The senior leadership group and management are all from successful clubs with successful culture. The club should now be set from their successful culture. Only things I can see as constant:

- Travel factor (both poor attitudes results were after travel)

• kiwi bro attitude (plenty written won’t elaborate)
• a feeling like your not meant to win some games (ref calls, etc which tends to kill enthusiasm - been noted by players that have left in the past)

The problems facing the club haven't changed. Most of them are the same as all the other clubs. Refs etc...

The problems we face that haven't changed, that aussie clubs don't have to deal with are:

Vastly inferior junior development than in Australia.
Extra expenses for Players moving to NZ.

We can't control the expenses for players moving over here, but we can become the best development club in the NRL. When ever a player arrives at the Warriors, be it junior or senior, they need to find themselves in the best development program in the world. There's no reason we can't make this happen. Recruit the best developers, and give them the support to make it happen.

Corvo made a big difference, because he's one of the hardest trainers around. Fill the club from the ground up with guys who are considered to be a little too hard for the clubs they currently work with, so that there are no easy coaches at the club in any of the roles. This commitment to being the best deveolpement club will itself be an incentive for the hardest coaches to want to be a part of our organization. Problem solved.

This way kiwi's can come home if they want, but they are going to be worked into top class footy players when they get here.

 

[Inruin]

Has there been any staff changes with the fitness/conditioning side of things?

I was expecting the players to be similar to last year but slightly better in terms of fitness and conditioning. What I am seeing is not that. What has changed here?

 

[bruce]

Has there been any staff changes with the fitness/conditioning side of things?

I was expecting the players to be similar to last year but slightly better in terms of fitness and conditioning. What I am seeing is not that. What has changed here?

There is a definite difference in appearance. Last year they were ripped, this year they are massive. It won't be by accident. Last year they were fast out of the blocks but ran out of steam. This year they certainly are not fast out of the blocks and hopefully might wear better through the season.

Travel factor (both poor attitudes results were after travel)

The poor attitudes were not just after travel. They were after emotionally draining ceremonies beforehand. That was the same in Melbourne last year. I know Graham Lowe was a great believer in getting out of the sheds, onto the field and kicking off with no stuffing around. A minutes silence is fine, no problem there, but some of these things do carry on. However again if it only affects one team that means it is weak mentality, because it certainly didn't affect Afoa or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

Vastly inferior junior development than in Australia.

I have discussed this for decades with Kiwi league coaches. The main difference between Aussie and here is that the kids get treated like shit over there, so those that survive are well and truly battle hardened. I remind you all again...that back in the day players left the Fox in Auckland and went straight into Sydney first grade and became stars. Please do not blame the Auckland system.

 

[Worried2Death]

There is a definite difference in appearance. Last year they were ripped, this year they are massive. It won't be by accident. Last year they were fast out of the blocks but ran out of steam. This year they certainly are not fast out of the blocks and hopefully might wear better through the season.

The poor attitudes were not just after travel. They were after emotionally draining ceremonies beforehand. That was the same in Melbourne last year. I know Graham Lowe was a great believer in getting out of the sheds, onto the field and kicking off with no stuffing around. A minutes silence is fine, no problem there, but some of these things do carry on. However again if it only affects one team that means it is weak mentality, because it certainly didn't affect Afoa or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

I have discussed this for decades with Kiwi league coaches. The main difference between Aussie and here is that the kids get treated like shit over there, so those that survive are well and truly battle hardened. I remind you all again...that back in the day players left the Fox in Auckland and went straight into Sydney first grade and became stars. Please do not blame the Auckland system.

So we need to start treating the kids more like shit? Why not, nothing else has worked.