blueyedsamurai
Kennel Legend
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2012
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Des Hasler’s Bulldogs would go close to having the worst last-tackle options of any team in the history of the great game of rugby league. Whenever the Bulldogs have the ball inside the opposition 20 metres and the referee yells “fifth and last” a strange mix of confusion and panic sets in, as if they have never heard the call before. Most of the time there appears to be no structure, no plan and no communication, as players scramble to come up with something.
If the ball does find its way to either of the halves, it usually results in a harmless kick straight to a defender, or a kick that rolls easily over the dead-ball line or into touch. The key to a quality last-play option inside the opposition 20 metres is to put as much pressure as possible on the defence, leading to either a try or at worst a repeat set of six tackles from a drop-out. The Bulldogs seem incapable of producing either.
On one occasion five-eighth Moses Mbye was so shallow at first receiver inside Manly's 10 metres, that he was wrapped up by a tackler before he could do anything. Their only productive kick on Friday night was a high, innocuous bomb that the Sea Eagles players allowed to bounce. Sam Perrett ran through and took the ball before passing to Tim Lafai, who crossed for the try.
As though to emphasise how poor they are at last-tackle options, they handed Manly one last chance to win the game in the dying seconds of Friday night’s arm-wrestle. With a four-point lead and the clock ticking down, the Bulldogs should have wrapped it up with a kick into touch. Instead they were caught with the ball again and the Sea Eagles had 15 seconds in which they could have snatched victory.
It’s difficult to be too harsh on a team which has played in two of the last three grand finals, but if the Bulldogs are to have any chance of winning one, they’ll have to sort out their kicking game.
http://www.sportsfan.com.au/bulldog...out-of-it/tabid/91/newsid/157193/default.aspx
If the ball does find its way to either of the halves, it usually results in a harmless kick straight to a defender, or a kick that rolls easily over the dead-ball line or into touch. The key to a quality last-play option inside the opposition 20 metres is to put as much pressure as possible on the defence, leading to either a try or at worst a repeat set of six tackles from a drop-out. The Bulldogs seem incapable of producing either.
On one occasion five-eighth Moses Mbye was so shallow at first receiver inside Manly's 10 metres, that he was wrapped up by a tackler before he could do anything. Their only productive kick on Friday night was a high, innocuous bomb that the Sea Eagles players allowed to bounce. Sam Perrett ran through and took the ball before passing to Tim Lafai, who crossed for the try.
As though to emphasise how poor they are at last-tackle options, they handed Manly one last chance to win the game in the dying seconds of Friday night’s arm-wrestle. With a four-point lead and the clock ticking down, the Bulldogs should have wrapped it up with a kick into touch. Instead they were caught with the ball again and the Sea Eagles had 15 seconds in which they could have snatched victory.
It’s difficult to be too harsh on a team which has played in two of the last three grand finals, but if the Bulldogs are to have any chance of winning one, they’ll have to sort out their kicking game.
http://www.sportsfan.com.au/bulldog...out-of-it/tabid/91/newsid/157193/default.aspx
