I still don’t understand the single trial

[Berries]

Can anyone explain to me , where a club that has several new recruits and the “competition for positions is fierce” decides to play one trial and the full team for only one half. Surely we could have found out these backline combinations were not going to work in a second and third trial rather than week 1?

 

[TwinTurbo]

Can anyone explain to me , where a club that has several new recruits and the “competition for positions is fierce” decides to play one trial and the full team for only one half. Surely we could have found out these backline combinations were not going to work in a second and third trial rather than week 1?

There is no guarantee that the 2nd trial game would reveal any more than the 1st trial did. I’m sure plenty of clubs regret having more than one trial due to the injuries sustained.

The fact is losing the 1st game is no big deal for any team, the season is long enough already and adding games in hot February, before it starts, just makes it longer. There are pro and cons of multiple pre season games, it’s not simple black and white,

Go Dogs

 

[Jean-Claude Juncker]

I'd be interested to see if there was a correlation between number of trials played and Rd 1 matches won. Does anyone have the stats?

 

[bcmf]

He’s just an idiot.

I guess the pros are that a) you don’t reveal too much and b) you de-risk injury.

Of course in the first week, the warriors didn’t have to do much to figure us out (hit the edges hard, because the 1on1 d of Holland and Montoya are shit).

 

[gazza]

I doubt it would have made any difference but I appreciate your seeking the opening round stats. Would be interesting to know. That said, the first round results are not as indicative as the say the first three or four. What alarmed me was not that we lost but that we were not even competitive. To be beaten by 40 points and not score until the game was lost is woeful, plain woeful. Hard to build anything from a 40 point shellacking. What happened to Pay’s mantra of getting the team back to playing aggressively so that once again opposition teams will be apprehensive that a game against the Bulldogs will be a tough game. Mate, on that round 1 performance opposition teams will be licking their chops in anticipation of improving their for and against average. The real indicator of the dogs future this season will be to watch the results of Warriors this round against a different opponent.

 

[Dingo]

It's no coincidence that both last year and this year we have been off the pace from the start.

One trial is not good enough from my perspective, especially when our players only get 40 mins game time. We obviously lacked match fitness last week. Collectively gassed after 10 mins.

You can't deny having one trial was part of the reason we were so poor against the Warriors. We had 3 weeks off between games when most clubs only had 2 and it showed.

 

[liljohny]

Most teams had 2 trials this year. I think we were the only club to have 1.

Anyone that's played any sport at any level knows how much more fitter you feel after each game you play. Especially in the early stages of a season.

Dean seems to make some really dumb decisions

 

[Papa Emeritus]

It does look like a stupid move now but hindsight is 20/20.

Personally I am questioning a lot of Pay's decisions and at some stage he is going to have to answer to those.

1. Single trial
2. Not picking Martin (if there is some personal issue then it is ridiculous he is putting that ahead of the team)
3. Moving players to the opposite side of the park than they are used to
4. Sticking with an unchanged squad after being flogged
5. Playing Montoya

 

[UndeadShadowMan]

They had that closed door trial against the West Tigers also.

 

[bcmf]

They had that closed door trial against the West Tigers also.

That was a practice session.

 

[bcmf]

I doubt it would have made any difference but I appreciate your seeking the opening round stats. Would be interesting to know. That said, the first round results are not as indicative as the say the first three or four. What alarmed me was not that we lost but that we were not even competitive. To be beaten by 40 points and not score until the game was lost is woeful, plain woeful. Hard to build anything from a 40 point shellacking. What happened to Pay’s mantra of getting the team back to playing aggressively so that once again opposition teams will be apprehensive that a game against the Bulldogs will be a tough game. Mate, on that round 1 performance opposition teams will be licking their chops in anticipation of improving their for and against average. The real indicator of the dogs future this season will be to watch the results of Warriors this round against a different opponent.

Fair point.

I think if we aren’t in it by week 4, we can write off the year.

 

[Wahesh]

I'd be in favour of them bringing back the World Sevens in the pre-season. It's pretty fun and is a weekend of action.

 

[Boxer]

Dragons got smashed yesterday in the second half 5 tries to 1 and now they have lost 2 straight games, so is there season over, should they give up for the year and hang up the boots.

 

[JUNKYARD DOGS]

Dragons got smashed yesterday in the second half 5 tries to 1 and now they have lost 2 straight games, so is there season over, should they give up for the year and hang up the boots.

How many trials they have though?

 

[Boxer]

How many trials they have though?

2 I think

 

[JUNKYARD DOGS]

They certainly need somoene to cover De Bellen and Frizell. They looked very short in the Forwards again. Started off well but couldnt keep up after about 20-30mins.

 

[Boxer]

They certainly need somoene to cover De Bellen and Frizell. They looked very short in the Forwards again. Started off well but couldnt keep up after about 20-30mins.

They started extremely well then died, saying that let’s see how the dogs go on Sunday and let’s not give up on them .
Every team will have a bad game ours was round 1.

 

[TABOO]

I get the risk of injury, but I feel this year more than ever, we needed two trials.
So many untested combinations, a pretty significant lack of match fitness.
Players being played out of their usual positions.
Wasted bench spots.
All of this showed on the weekend and some of it could have been avoided.
Running combinations at training is one thing but in a real game it can be something else entirely.
Holland back with Smith, Montoya left-right-out, along with your pick of Lichaa or JMK.

 

[wendog33]

Dean doesn't appear to learn from much is the overriding conclusion re trials. Followed exact trials plan from last year and got same result. At this stage of his career he probably should draw on his time will Bellamy and copy his coaching pre season regime.

 

[Big M]

How many trials they have though?

They had a fair dinkum game eg the Charity Shield as well as a trial so just shows that what works for one doesnt work for all.How many clowns on here would have been screaming if Jacko or even Lewis got hurt in a proper trial.Pay was damned if he did and damned because he didn’t.