Post Match 2023 Penrith vs Warriors - Week 1 Finals (Post Match)

[3rdstriker]

The Warriors is a Club right? Yesterday the NSW Cup team were in a must-win situation while the NRL team had a game up their sleeve. My guess is that the scenario was discussed within the team, and a collective decision was made to support the cup team with first choice players starting with Volkman. And they nailed it properly. With SJ out, the NRL team were always on a hiding to nothing in this one, and in a sense keep their powder dry for the next game, at home. I don't think it is realistic to believe that with Ronny in the NRL team yesterday that the outcome would have been much different. The contest could only be somewhere near equal by fielding SJ on Cleary. Cleary had a good game last night with some moments of brilliance but it only matched the level of urgency required to win the game. So it looks to me that a Club [family] decision was made re Volkman especially.

Yeah it also protects volkman from being thrown to the wolves especially as a young up and Comer him in there last night would have potentially been a sabotage to his young career.

 

[Aman 2.0]

I’ll cop the Volkman thing but what about fucking sirro and lussick both in the bench?? Why isn’t Ale there instead of one of them??

Bench of jazz, sirro and lussick isn’t small ball it’s midget ball and none of those have x favtor or anything particular different about them that would change the game. I would go as far as to say Sirro is big average, lussick is serviceable and Jazz is still underdone. Ale apart from a few games has been killing it all season.

Also get fucking ford out of there the bloke is so one dimensional. Curran is the fucking man!!

 

[Aman 2.0]

Wow is this what it feels be a winning team and suffer a rare loss?

I like it, more rage please!!!!!!

 

[Beastmode]

100% agree.

Webby decided the boys could "tough it out" and that was the dumbest fucking decision of all time.

Either he thought that game was unwinnable and didnt try, or he cant adapt. Shocking display from the coaching staff

Mate, I don’t think you have given enough thought on just how fucking good Penrith are. All our errors came from intense pressure applied by the cats . Our try came from a freakish offload that could have easily been another error. It was a Hail Mary play.

I saw very little opportunities for our boys to offload. Penrith were that good on D. They were quick and fast and I saw very little holes for us to exploit.

I agree the bench selection was puzzling, but we don’t have the full story. There may be other factors involved with why Lussick was chosen。. Ale and Bunty have done simple brain farts in the past, maybe they didn’t put in the effort. Fuck knows. Either way I trust the coach 100%

The use of the bench a wasn’t great either. Why did we take so long to bring Curran on? Ford looked buggered towards the backend of the first half. Yeah he’s an 80min player, in a regular game. But this is not a regular game. Intensity speed and pressure is next level. His brain farts came from mental fatigue imo.

Game plan - yeah everyone thinks Webby’s got some fucking magic trick up his sleeve. You guys have no idea about how difficult set moves are to execute. To think that he’s somehow holding back moves and saving it for the finals is delusional.

There is no X factor in this team without SJ. I know it, Webby knows it. Thinking we’re going out there and throwing the ball around like it’s free and easy isn’t going to work. Yeah Eels pulled Penrith pants down and so did the Tigers. How? Penrith played shit that’s how. No pressure, errors and they beat themselves.

If you watched the Chooks vs Sharks game - massive contrast in speed, and pressure. They were pushing to many plays. Errors everywhere by both teams. A total shitfesst to watch.

Our game was quality. The “forced” errors and the ref bias the difference

I am confident after yesterday that we can take Knights next week. And I reckon we can crack the Broncos. They have players with brain farts and make high risk plays.

Then we have another go at Penrith in the GF.

All good in my books

Deep breathe everyone. Trust the Process.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I’m confused.

Saying the boys have the skills to beat Penrith but had a shit plan, isn’t backing the team.
But
Saying we never had a chance and should have given up before we kicked off, is somehow being fan?

We are (were) a fucking top four side. We should have it in us to beat any team on any day. Without or without SJ.

If you go into a fight thinking you have no chance, you don’t.

 

[JustLikeStartingOver]

The cup doesn’t matter - it’s a feeder team for the ones. They don’t even show the cup games in TV here bro. Nobody really cares.

If that’s the decision the club made instead of fielding the best team in one of our biggest games of the decade then they’ve lost the fucking plot.

Yeah imagine telling Cam and Alpha we are going to reduce our chances at a maiden premiership so NSW cup isn’t affected, thanks for the jet ride though.

Maybe if we are in top 4 again next year we can get the big team ref privileges and just cheat without consequence, Penrith do that every week mind you.

When we weren’t dropping it and inviting them into our half we didn’t look mismatched, ran hard, tackled hard.

Errors are unforgivable in those circumstances though, if your setup to win a 16-12 game can’t let them in like that

 

[Beastmode]

I’m confused.

Saying the boys have the skills to beat Penrith but had a shit plan, isn’t backing the team.
But
Saying we never had a chance and should have given up before we kicked off, is somehow being fan?

We are (were) a fucking top four side. We should have it in us to beat any team on any day. Without or without SJ.

If you go into a fight thinking you have no chance, you don’t.

I don’t know where this comment comes from ? In all the interviews leading up to the game, Webby said the team and players were confident.

They believed they are going there to win. So strong was that belief GC hired them a private jet. He oozed with so much confidence people on this forum thought he had a surprise up his sleeve. What a laugh

He did everything right in getting the boys in the right head space. They didn’t clock off in the entire 80mins.

Errors came from Penrith pressure and trying Hail Mary passes off pressure leads to errors . I will admit, the one where Rocco didn’t compete for the high ball and instead turned his back and the ball hit his hand and we lose our challenge. That was strange as fuck. It looked dumb, but i bet it was from the sun was coming down, and in his eyes blinding him for a split second. Cause and effect.

 

[SJ2k]

One positive was our intensity finally lifted ...our last 6 games the intensity was poor, to a point of non existent.
Sure, it wasn't near enough to win yesterday but if they keep it up could be the difference of winning next week... been a great achievement already to make top 4. To play in wk 3 would top off a good year...

I agree the intensity was way up there, we matched Penrith there. If we're full strength next week I'm pretty confident we'll beat knights/raiders with that intensity.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Everyone talking about the first try rolling over the line but no talk about Pompey being taken out (albeit accidentally)? Not the best from photos but I can’t post a video but this took out Pompey as a defender as Edwards circled in front of Pompey:


This was the other way around, the Warriors would have been called back for obstruction.

 

[Beastmode]

Everyone talking about the first try rolling over the line but no talk about Pompey being taken out (albeit accidentally)? Not the best from photos but I can’t post a video but this took out Pompey as a defender as Edwards circled in front of Pompey:

View attachment 519View attachment 520
This was the other way around, the Warriors would have been called back for obstruction.

Dylan is within his right to stand his ground. Pompey ran into him..

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Dylan is within his right to stand his ground. Pompey ran into him..

Watch a replay, the photos don’t do it justice. Edward was not stationary, he ran across cutting Pompey off who was trying to get around him, not attempting to tackle Edwards.

Clearly went through the gap this caused.

He was directly in front of Cleary so it obstructed the defender and took Pompey out.

 

[Smac19]

After Montoya dropped Hugh ball catch today I am officially done with him
Has been out of form form for the past 15 games or so
I would give Kosi his spot next week

yep Kosi has at least a little 'X' factor about him

 

[pleatedpantspete]

i mean, some perspective really helps. This Penrith team have been one of the most dominant teams of the nrl era. It’s frustrating because I think we know our team can compete and we didn’t get to see it.

Ultimately though, look at our team. Player for player we punch hard above our weight. I don’t think we deserve to get bundled out next week but the team have been immense this year and I’m sure we’ll have more success. This has been a successful rebuilding year.

 

[Stalefish540]

The scorline says what it says, but I don't think it's all doom and gloom. We took the likely Dally M POTY out of our team and one of the best defensive halves this year from that right edge. We moved TMM off his favoured left edge to the right for a new untested half/2rf defensive combo on the right. We took Walker from the bench, where he's been good through the middle all year on to the left edge where he's played maybe two games right at the start of the season beside Ford.

So you create two completely new half/2rf defensive combos that are untested. I am a firm believer that while the trys usually come out wide, your edge defence is largely decided by the decisions your half/2rf make on the inside, and this filters out. So you can't take two untested combos to Penrith and expect any other result is my take anyway. It also took away our creativity and speed through the middle, with Walker having to move to an edge. All in all, this made for a one-dimensional attack, with untested edges on both sides of the field on both defense and attack, leading to poor edge defensive decisions, and no kicking game.

I thought our middles handled Penrith well at stages, and we scrambled well, but with all of the above, we were on a hiding to nothing before a ball was even kicked playing Penrith in Penrith how we ran out.

I am confident that if SJ is fit next week, we can certainly put a more cohesive performance together with him on the right, TMM back on the left and Walker coming on through the middle causing issues with his speed and footwork.

 

[Beastmode]

After Montoya dropped Hugh ball catch today I am officially done with him
Has been out of form form for the past 15 games or so
I would give Kosi his spot next week

@Wrighty you’ve outdone yourself again

Finished with Montoya because he dropped a catch, then proceed to say Kosi, the kid with two left hands who isn’t able to think properly under pressure, to replace him, in a finals game?????

What next ?? Should I fire up the Sack Webby Thread??

I’m joking mate. You’re a good laugh for a Sunday though. I needed that.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Watch a replay, the photos don’t do it justice. Edward was not stationary, he ran across cutting Pompey off who was trying to get around him, not attempting to tackle Edwards.

Clearly went through the gap this caused.

He was directly in front of Cleary so it obstructed the defender and took Pompey out.

Pompey overran, the play passed him and he had to catch up. Move on

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Which is better?

Finish strong and scrape into 8th, then go out in first week of the finals.

Or about to finish 3rd, cruise the last month of the competition, rest players and drop our last regular season game, then lose 2 in a row in the finals?

Feel I’ve gone from a massive high 6 weeks ago to a limp finish to the campaign.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I don’t know where this comment comes from ? In all the interviews leading up to the game, Webby said the team and players were confident.

They sure didn’t look it. And it was in response to posters not the Warriors.

They believed they are going there to win. So strong was that belief GC hired them a private jet. He oozed with so much confidence people on this forum thought he had a surprise up his sleeve. What a laugh

Believing and having a clear pathway to victory are two very different things.

He did everything right in getting the boys in the right head space. They didn’t clock off in the entire 80mins.

The only good thing.

Errors came from Penrith pressure and trying Hail Mary passes off pressure leads to errors .

Everyone is acting like Penrith are unbeatable because we lost. Reeks of a lack of accountability.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Which is better?

Finish strong and scrape into 8th, then go out in first week of the finals.

Or about to finish 3rd, cruise the last month of the competition, rest players and drop our last regular season game, then lose 2 in a row in the finals?

Feel I’ve gone from a massive high 6 weeks ago to a limp finish to the campaign.

Can’t be the coaches fault . Everyone is just too good for us and we are doing well to just be in the 8 and let’s just be happy with that up the wahs.

 

[Beastmode]

Everyone is acting like Penrith are unbeatable because we lost. Reeks of a lack of accountability.

Expectations

They’re not unbeatable but you need a fair few things to go your way to stand a chance

To come where we have from 15th last year to now matching up with Penrith is already a massive win.

For people to get anked because we made forced mistakes and lost like we played poorly isn’t a fair reflection of the team’s performance