Theory - We are in neutral gear.

[blueyedsamurai]

These under the radar posts always crack me up. Des: "Listen boys we have to play absolutely shit house tonight, and Mbye, when you get the chance to seal the game with a conversion you have to miss it"

 

[Shnissss]

I sometimes think this but in reality It's like any sport. Teams lift when they play quality teams. I don't think we had any respect for the dragons and expected regardless of what happened that we would win.

I'm hoping our forwards step up a gear against the roosters and we do them over next week. Rest assured they won't be taking us lightly even though we scraped home against the dragons

 

[pisssst]

I sometimes think this but in reality It's like any sport. Teams lift when they play quality teams. I don't think we had any respect for the dragons and expected regardless of what happened that we would win.

I'm hoping our forwards step up a gear against the roosters and we do them over next week. Rest assured they won't be taking us lightly even though we scraped home against the dragons

maybe, but a real quality team respects any team they play, and wins well. Our team hasn't really achieved anything other than making the gf and getting smashed twice. when you win the comp and be a dominate force like the storm or manly have been the last 10 years be cocky, we have achieved nothing to not respect any team out there.

 

[Chris Harding]

We don't put sides away because we lack any cohesive attack. Too many players are out of position, and have no concept of how to set up a break and capitalise on it.

 

[immortalbulldog]

After the Bunnies game we have definitely stopped playing an attacking game. We have reverted back to playing our boring one off bullshit.
I can put it down to two things
1) We are doing what we need to do and steeling ourselves for a defensive finals campaign and we will revert back to our expansive game when we really need to I.e next Friday.
2) tolmans return means we revert back to our front row dominated game

 

[The DoggFather]

It was "weird" that once we went behind we pulled a try out of our arse....

 

[S4Sonny]

Our clutch is f*cked hey, grinding away and struggling to get out of 1st gear..

 

[_G-Dog_]

Weve played the last 2 games exactly how weve played all year

Weve had a rollercoaster of a year because were a rollercoaster of a team.. some times great defence, sometimes great attack, sometimes illdisciplined, sometimes struggling for creativity..

We rarely put it all together in one game and didnt again tonight... We need to play alot better to win next week

We finished 5th for good reason - too inconsistent

 

[_G-Dog_]

It was "weird" that once we went behind we pulled a try out of our arse....

Should play like we did in that set more often - more offload and second phase

 

[GRKDOG]

It was "weird" that once we went behind we pulled a try out of our arse....

My wife who hardly ever watches football said this before they scored. She said watch them fire up more if the dragons score.

I think we went in there expecting to win, that along with the work on defence we had to do really ****ed us up. I'm looking forward to a massive Improvement next week. God knows we need it.

 

[Horse]

I'm wondering if Hasler has us playing "just enough to win games", and this theory often stuffs us up mid game.

Tonight we looked totally in control before Maxwell intervened and got Dragons back in it.. despite it looking like we were struggling.

In other words our gameplan is to win by 1% with what would be a perfect run of penalties.

When the game takes an unexpected turn, we go from winning by 1% to possibly losing by 5%.

Hope this makes sense.

In other words I see a completely different Dogs side coming out on Friday ..

Yeah nahh this post made zero sense. Not sure if srs tbh.

If so then I'm pretty sure Des would've been the first coach in the history of any sport to coach and instruct their team to play without cohesion and systematically 'do just enough' to win an elimination final.

Plz delete this post out of shame.

 

[magdog]

Should play like we did in that set more often - more offload and second phase

JMoz and Rona are one of if not the most dangerous edges in the game.
They saw **** all ball last night. Every time they did, we got around their compressed defence. Moses needs to stop being such a nice guy and demand the ball. Also stop running it on the 5th close to the line MM, get the ball to Frank, BMoz and Rona and support them instead.

 

[The DoggFather]

JMoz and Rona are one of if not the most dangerous edges in the game.
They saw **** all ball last night. Every time they did, we got around their compressed defence. Moses needs to stop being such a nice guy and demand the ball. Also stop running it on the 5th close to the line MM, get the ball to Frank, BMoz and Rona and support them instead.

Thank you! Our left side is lethal but for some ****ed up reason we kept going to the right.

Pure genius.

 

[KelpiesHuskies]

if we play like we did tonight we are done.

however, there could be some truth in it as we were in control most of the game and when we needed a try it came easily.

 

[Mr Invisible]

If so then I'm pretty sure Des would've been the first coach in the history of any sport to coach and instruct their team to play without cohesion and systematically 'do just enough' to win an elimination final.

Nope.... you've missed the point.

I reckon Hasler is coaching them to do enough to win the game, but completely misreading / not treating the opposing side/coach with the respect they deserve.

In other words "we do A B and C and we win, because McGregor coaches the same plan all the time, and we don't need to worry about players X Y and Z".

and yet when McGregor pulls out an unexpected game plan, or players fire up better than expected, Des's game plan gets us caught out.

E.G
Okay guys forget about Widdop he's on one leg, and Nabuli is rubbish.

Then during gametime they fire up.

 

[doggieaaron]

We have not been the same since des put kas on the bench and tolman starting why the **** is des so stubborn with his selections and why change a winning formula

 

[Bakes]

We are a different side against the top teams. Will fire up from here on.

 

[doggieaaron]

We are a different side against the top teams. Will fire up from here on.

I do agree,plus we will be massive underdogs which is when we seem to play our best

 

[Blue&White]

We have not been the same since des put kas on the bench and tolman starting why the **** is des so stubborn with his selections and why change a winning formula

Nothing to do with the bench rotation. Losing Hodko has fuked us. The same posters calling for Hodkos head have now gone a bit quiet.

 

[Moe]

I think you're right, and im sick of this "do just enough to win" shit. We are making it hard on ourselves.

Obvisouly our game plan was to play it safe once we got a lead. And it was a shit plan. 100% Des just said "just hold the ball and points will come"