Opinion Defensive Improvement

[bowleggedwog]

The saying is defence is attitude, with so many young kids in the team it's hard for them to turn up week in week out. We lack genuine natural attackers so not being able to score also puts pressure on the team. I guess the board and club knew this was going to happen with them releasing so many players and relying on kids. Last week they played as a team, under pressure they showed heart and grit. Haven't seen that in a long time. Hopefully confidence and we see more of it.

 

[DT]

Defence looks good when season is over

This should’ve been sorted prior to round one

Might be some cash changing hands at this time of the year

 

[B-Train]

The defence has improved but our attack is still in the dark ages and we're worst in the comp. We've scored the least points in the comp by a mile and average 12.8 points a game. That is abysmal in the modern game.

Right now, the team plays just like the last few years of Des. Pay hasn't improved the attack one bit in two seasons. You can only grind your way to wins for so long and you have zero margin for error playing this way.

Play Wakeham and some other kids and let them have some fun. Then maybe we could score more than 20 points for once!

 

[flamebouyant]

To bad it took almost 2 years to get something right that we should of focused on since day one. Defenitely think DWZ at fullback has helped improved our defence, not sure if it's because he's better at organising the defence or if the players just respond to him better. Napa and CHN have also stopped recklessly shooting out of the like idiots on every second tackle lol.

Do you watch dogs games on 9 or fox? I watched a recent game of ours on kayo sports and he was interviewed afterwards and he touched on exactly this. Saying how he really likes to organize our defense, and the impact it has had since he arrived.
He had my respect after this interview. I'd actually like him as captain over Jackson. Let Jacko concentrate on being himself.

 

[flamebouyant]

The forward pack has mostly been round for a reasonable number of games. Our backline on one side are all relatively new to the NRL. I'd hazard a guess that most of the points leaked have been on the least experienced wing. At times it can be as simple as one player going up in the line leaving one or two others in a position where they're outnumbered by attacking opponents. It doesn't need to be the whole team making a poor decision to create a gap. One or two players that lack experience alongside one another can mean plenty of issues are occurring.

At the same time, it can be one player that disrupts the whole line of defense. So creating that cohesion and understanding amongst the whole team is very important. I think DWZ is helping to do that.
From memory, one of the big things meaney needed to work on in the preseason was his communication. So I guess you could say that point has been proven now that we have a much better communicator at the back now.

 

[Rodzilla]

defence is 83% about players wanting to defend

 

[coach]

defence is 83% about players wanting to defend

Not 84%......

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Do you watch dogs games on 9 or fox? I watched a recent game of ours on kayo sports and he was interviewed afterwards and he touched on exactly this. Saying how he really likes to organize our defense, and the impact it has had since he arrived.
He had my respect after this interview. I'd actually like him as captain over Jackson. Let Jacko concentrate on being himself.

Fox but I usually don't hang around for the post game talk. It's defenitely noticeable in our play so good to see him talk about it. I also wouldn't be mad if he took over as captain next year like you mentioned.

 

[Rodzilla]

Not 84%......

83.1%, then 9.7% the coach, 7.2% the opposition playing shit

 

[coach]

83.1%, then 9.7% the coach, 7.2% the opposition playing shit

 

[BulldogsNRL]

Defence will win us games especially since we can’t attack

 

[shaun5150]

I thought our defence had improved over the last few weeks so I decided to do some digging and looked at some stats and the improvement is quite remarkable.

At the end of Round 15 we had conceded the most points in the competition with 350 and since then we have conceded only 70 more. So in that 5 week period we have had the 6th best defence going off points conceded. Prior to Round 15 we averaged 23.3 points against and since then its been 17.5.

It's no surprise that we have picked up more wins with tighter defence when we struggle to get more then 3 tries in attack. Now I hope I haven't jinxed us for this weekends game and we end up leaking points again!

I'm shocked that anyone thinks this is good. What are the stats for Melbourne, Roosters or even Raiders. We concede the most metres. It's like we run up, catch the player, run backwards with said player before putting them on the ground. WTF. Hit the F^^kers. Smash them on the deck.
I'm sick of seeing 65metres gained, 70 metres gained by oppositions.
Smash blokes. 30 metres gained and 40 is much better.

To many setting for average. Melbourne never would. #payoutnow

 

[Spoonman84]

I'm shocked that anyone thinks this is good. What are the stats for Melbourne, Roosters or even Raiders. We concede the most metres. It's like we run up, catch the player, run backwards with said player before putting them on the ground. WTF. Hit the F^^kers. Smash them on the deck.
I'm sick of seeing 65metres gained, 70 metres gained by oppositions.
Smash blokes. 30 metres gained and 40 is much better.

To many setting for average. Melbourne never would. #payoutnow

You are delusional if you think we are going to turn into Melbourne overnight. You go find your own stats because you seem to have all the answers.

 

[Dogtime]

Defence looks good when season is over

This should’ve been sorted prior to round one

Says the glass half empty guy. Yawn yawn at your negativity. Any improvement or development over the course of a season is to be applauded. Go stick your head back in the oven.

 

[Freakzilla]

Under Dean Pay:

When Lachlan Lewis plays= 9-11, allow 19.9ppg.

When Lachlan Lewis doesn't play= 6-18, allow 21.3ppg.

It's no coincedence that we play better when Lachlan Lewis plays. Best defensive half in the NRL.

 

[coach]

Under Dean Pay:

When Lachlan Lewis plays= 9-11, allow 19.9ppg.

When Lachlan Lewis doesn't play= 6-18, allow 21.3ppg.

It's no coincedence that we play better when Lachlan Lewis plays. Best defensive half in the NRL.

Yeah very good defensive half, but then Foran adds points or set up try’s that Lewis doesn’t so goes other way too
Could you also put down most of Lewis games have been since dwz has been organising defensive line?
Or weaker or better teams?
Lots of variables, too many

But great insight, very good defender. He just looks so clunky in attack, no rythem

 

[BulldogsNRL]

Under Dean Pay:

When Lachlan Lewis plays= 9-11, allow 19.9ppg.

When Lachlan Lewis doesn't play= 6-18, allow 21.3ppg.

It's no coincedence that we play better when Lachlan Lewis plays. Best defensive half in the NRL.

That’s why lewis over cogger with Foran

 

[shaun5150]

You are delusional if you think we are going to turn into Melbourne overnight. You go find your own stats because you seem to have all the answers.

Not overnight night. But we haven't improved at all from last year. Pay is a freaking joke

 

[Dognacious]

Finishing this season much the same as last, doesn't exactly feel me with confidence...

I reckon a part of the issue the last 2 years is we started them both with a weaker team than we had the year before, due to shedding players the last few years. So we started both years on the back foot, and it took us until later in the season to recover from it. If we can start next year with an equal or better side than we finish this year with, i reckon we are a much better chance of improving, starting from round 1 instead of round 15. Foran only paying half of both seasons also hasnt helped imo. Thrown our halves combination out for long periods. Now Cogger and Lewis have had some games together they are really improving imo. So much in fact i would rather have them as our halves and we need to ship Foran somehow. We can use the cash elsewhere.

 

[bcmf]

It's what Des Hasler sides are built on. Its why he has been so successful for so long, his attention to detail in terms of completing 85% of sets and then defence being the backbone of his sides have continually worked across the last 10 years We just lacked the spine to put points on at the end of his tenure. Now he has a half decent spine in DCE, Api/Fainu and Turbo he is back humming again.

Those are the fundamentals yes. But where des went wrong was he thought it was a formula, in reality it’s a formula and what you do on top that wins games. Just holding onto the ball like we did does fucking nothing.