Where can we improve?

[Interestingg]

Ok so now that I am slowly exiting the euphoric state I was in yesterday, it's time to get our thinking caps on. Where can we improve on our great game from yesterday?

I personally think our support play needs some addressing. Given our method of play which usually involves defending the house down and grinding out wins, we need to convert any half chances we make. Both Jackson and Reynolds made line breaks yesterday and it was slightly concerning that someone wasn't there for a pass, given only slater was ahead.

 

[finchie]

Support play, esp up the middle. Grub made a break and no support plus tolman and graham were able to get arms free amd looked for support and there was none .
also last tackle kick options when we were ahead by 20 and had 2 players down we needed to find touch and slow the game down.

 

[Interestingg]

^ definitely agree with the kicks when we were leading. I was screaming at Reynolds to just slow the game down to our pace when he instead kicked it dead in goal.

 

[Natboy]

Keeping our intensity up for the second half is an obvious one

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Grand Final winning, definitely the place I want us to improve the most.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Support play, esp up the middle. Grub made a break and no support plus tolman and graham were able to get arms free amd looked for support and there was none .
also last tackle kick options when we were ahead by 20 and had 2 players down we needed to find touch and slow the game down.

It's why we've been screaming for a fast fullback for so long. When Reynolds makes a line break, no one can keep up with him so support just isn't going to get there unfortunately.

^ definitely agree with the kicks when we were leading. I was screaming at Reynolds to just slow the game down to our pace when he instead kicked it dead in goal.

It's something Reynolds has struggled with his whole career, controlling the power of his kick. I remember when he first started his soft grubbers would go 60m.

That said, the kick only went dead by one bounce so it wasn't a terrible kick, he just should have kicked to the corners rather than attempting to get a repeat set while 40m out.

 

[Interestingg]

Keeping our intensity up for the second half is an obvious one

I thought we did that well yesterday. Storm picked up the pace and dominated possession and we only conceded 1 try. It'd be nice to score more than one though lol

 

[Dog Till I Die]

Keeping our intensity up for the second half is an obvious one

Absolutely. Our 2nd half stats of late have been less than impressive. Seemed to me the boys lost that intensity for a brief period at the start of the second half, but then recovered and defended like dogs!

 

[Natboy]

I thought we did that well yesterday. Storm picked up the pace and dominated possession and we only conceded 1 try. It'd be nice to score more than one though lol

Absolutely. Our 2nd half stats of late have been less than impressive. Seemed to me the boys lost that intensity for a brief period at the start of the second half, but then recovered and defended like dogs!

Yeah agree with you both. We might not be able to blow all teams away in 18 minutes and will have to rely on more than tough defence in the second half

 

[Raikkonen]

Support play, esp up the middle. Grub made a break and no support plus tolman and graham were able to get arms free amd looked for support and there was none .
also last tackle kick options when we were ahead by 20 and had 2 players down we needed to find touch and slow the game down.

I agree with finchie.

 

[jmaamary]

Support play, esp up the middle. Grub made a break and no support plus tolman and graham were able to get arms free amd looked for support and there was none .
also last tackle kick options when we were ahead by 20 and had 2 players down we needed to find touch and slow the game down.

I sound like a broken record but if Thompson was at fullback trailing Jackson and Reynolds, he would of had at least scored one of those

 

[Chris Harding]

We lack a player who just follows the ball ready to back up a break. That said, I though that we had players coming through but the ball carrier held on just too long to get a pass away.

Our defence was rock-solid. Ball control as good as it gets. If we just keep doing the same, we should trouble any side.

 

[The DoggFather]

Keeping our intensity up for the second half is an obvious one

And the main one.

 

[DOGSOFWAR2013]

Support play

2nd half fade outs.

Keep an eye on kicks to us from drop outs dont sail over the side line and lost possesion through the melb drop out that dribbled 10 metres and melb got the ball back. -thats two lost sets of six off massive clutch plays.

 

[Fully Sik Drop kick]

We dont seem to kick many 40/20's either, and i think that is a huge momentum swinger that they can knuckle down on during training hopefully and pull out game time..

 

[Fully Sik Drop kick]

that scrum where we pushed over the storm pack was awesome, more of that please...

 

[finchie]

Beat manly with aggression and line speed the same as the last tym we played them. Tim browne was on fire then and leading the frwds in defence.

 

[Bulldog wazza]

^ definitely agree with the kicks when we were leading. I was screaming at Reynolds to just slow the game down to our pace when he instead kicked it dead in goal.

I would have opted for a kick to in the goal with our backs and 2nd rowers chasing hard for a repeat set to keep the possession with us .. who cares if we did it 10 times to just keep the ball up their end with them defending and trex and co running at their halves. Pressure built less defence required and more opportunity ti put more points on them.. Id defintely like to see Hokko, Ennis and Reynolds do this to Manly this week and have our boys run at D.C.E. and Foran all game. its defiently the style thats suits Dogs of war..

 

[Kiraz Crazy]

Im not totally convinced with our last tackle options..

Simply put, we need more repeat sets.

Also, sharpness/awareness when they are kicking off, twice they managed to get the ball from their own kick off simply due to us not being awake.

 

[Rodzilla]

no need to improve, just bring the same attitude

i could tell that we were on straight away yesterday