General 2024: Will we make the top eight?

[Tookey 2.0]

None of this bodes very well for next year. Fish replaces Addin and our rookies are a bit more experienced but apart from that what changes?

I feel that every team in that first 15 weeks came for us. We had no easy games. That doesn't tend to happen when you were shit house the year before. So that's hopefully one.

Also, we've been crazy unlucky with injuries this year. Not even just players unavailable, but multiple players injured during games that require mid game reshuffles. We've had a rookie prop in his debut game play centre ffs lol. Hopefully, we take our tough guy pills in the offseason and have significantly less injuries.

TMM has shown what he can do when directing a team, with no preseason or planning for this. I'm excited to see what a whole preseason can do for him.

Can I also ask for a little bit more leniency from the refs next year too? We've done the whole 'dont blame the ref' thing for 2 years under Webby, surely were due a year where we get as many 50/50 calls as we lose? Surely!

 

[Worried2Death]

I feel that every team in that first 15 weeks came for us. We had no easy games. That doesn't tend to happen when you were shit house the year before. So that's hopefully one.

Also, we've been crazy unlucky with injuries this year. Not even just players unavailable, but multiple players injured during games that require mid game reshuffles. We've had a rookie prop in his debut game play centre ffs lol. Hopefully, we take our tough guy pills in the offseason and have significantly less injuries.

TMM has shown what he can do when directing a team, with no preseason or planning for this. I'm excited to see what a whole preseason can do for him.

Can I also ask for a little bit more leniency from the refs next year too? We've done the whole 'dont blame the ref' thing for 2 years under Webby, surely were due a year where we get as many 50/50 calls as we lose? Surely!

Sifa and Leka could also storm out of the blocks and have breakout seasons, SJ might be fit and unlock our OB's. Reckon we still need a R Mulitalo type signing to add some X factor out wide though.

 

[Commonsense]

May have been one change but it was quite a reshuffle. SJ to 7, TMM to 6 but still the dominant playmaker, CNK to play predominantly left edge from fullback. Pretty much reshuffled our attacking structure with one change. Also didn't help getting Berry injured and the sinbins obviously. But you could see the change happening in front of you as it occurred in real time in the space of about 20 minutes.

We looked pretty good in the first 20 mins scoring 3 unanswered tries against the best team in the comp.

I somehow think you are scraping the bottom of the barrel if that is your reasoning for the reasonably shit season we have had.

I think the constant injuries to key players would probably of played more of a part in it don't you think?

 

[Worried2Death]

We looked pretty good in the first 20 mins scoring 3 unanswered tries against the best team in the comp.

I somehow think you are scraping the bottom of the barrel if that is your reasoning for the reasonably shit season we have had.

I think the constant injuries to key players would probably of played more of a part in it don't you think?

Rolling the dice with injured players like Tohu and Shaun was a factor, and TMM last week apparently.

 

[Inruin]

We looked pretty good in the first 20 mins scoring 3 unanswered tries against the best team in the comp.

I somehow think you are scraping the bottom of the barrel if that is your reasoning for the reasonably shit season we have had.

I think the constant injuries to key players would probably of played more of a part in it don't you think?

We scored 2 trys with literally all the possession. I never said it was my reasoning for the shit season. Might pay to look at the facts first and respond to the actual posts content.

 

[snake77]

We may win the next two games due to the quality of the opposition. It is the games after that will be needed to sway my opinion that we could turn things around.

The entire season has been pretty disjointed. Haven't been able to roll out the same side due to injuries and form-wise wise the team hasn't really got going. The second point is partly tied to the first.

The first few rounds looked promising but we lost. At that point it was easy to write them off as things will soon turn around. It never really did turn around.

We had that brief period with the injury toll and a rejigged team. That was great as they battled. I'm more thinking of full 80 minute performances, run over the opposition late type of games like where saw last year.

 

[Worried2Death]

We may win the next two games due to the quality of the opposition. It is the games after that will be needed to sway my opinion that we could turn things around.

The entire season has been pretty disjointed. Haven't been able to roll out the same side due to injuries and form-wise wise the team hasn't really got going. The second point is partly tied to the first.

The first few rounds looked promising but we lost. At that point it was easy to write them off as things will soon turn around. It never really did turn around.

We had that brief period with the injury toll and a rejigged team. That was great as they battled. I'm more thinking of full 80 minute performances, run over the opposition late type of games like where saw last year.

I take some comfort in beating Penrith and Souths, two big hoodoos off our backs. Not that I believe in hoodoos except when it suits me.

 

[jonesy101]

None of this bodes very well for next year. Fish replaces Addin and our rookies are a bit more experienced but apart from that what changes?

No Paul Kent on NRL 360 for the entire season.

 

[Worried2Death]

No Paul Kent on NRL 360 for the entire season.

Almost makes it all worth it.

 

[juju]

I feel like I've made peace with this season know

The first game of the season we were up against the Sharks 12-0 and we were hot on attack, and I thought to myself 'if we score here, well go close to winning the whole thing'. We were looking unbeatable in that opening 20.

We didn't convert that opportunity, and went on to lose the game.
We had opportunities against the Storm and if it wasn't for Super Coates, we would have won that one.
We've had so many moments over the course of the year - some directly and some in directly that have lead to us losing a game. Unfortunately there being so many moments imo there's no way you can look at just one moment as the cause for our seasons short comings. Ironically that thought process has really helped me with the last 2 games. They're heart breaking, but they're just 2 of many instances that haven't gone our way this year.

Coates try
Losing to Titans by 1
Losing to Knights by 6
Dragons ambush
The TMM no penalty ruling
CHT missing those kicks

For me, those are the ones that stand out the most, but there were probably 50 more little moments where if we zigged instead of zagging we'd be lapping it up.

We'd be sitting in 2nd if those things I just mentioned went our way. Kinda mad considering we've played incredibly poor at times....

You didn't mention the 66 - 6 result because of our collective PTSD eh?

I remember thinking in that Rd1 game when we were up and flying "Thank f@#k we're not back to being crap"

 

[Commonsense]

We scored 2 trys with literally all the possession. I never said it was my reasoning for the shit season. Might pay to look at the facts first and respond to the actual posts content.

You literally said by making one change to the team that beat Cowboys it ruined the teams confidence and they never recovered.

Even by your standards that is ridiculous.

 

[John Nick]

I warned and was ridiculed that bringing back RTS as our gun centre was fraught with danger and he needed to earn his spot in the team.
Complete disaster imo.
Positions must be earned not a given

 

[Worried2Death]

You didn't mention the 66 - 6 result because of our collective PTSD eh?

How're we supposed to suppress that memory if you keep bringing it up, thanks a lot now I'm having flashbacks, trigger warnings bro

 

[jonesy101]

How're we supposed to suppress that memory if you keep bringing it up, thanks a lot now I'm having flashbacks, trigger warnings bro

Try this for therapy


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kgALmOVp5CI&pp=ygURTWF0dCBsb2RnZSB0aXRhbnM%3D

 

[BigUCE]

Almost makes it all worth it.

Until you realize james graham is his replacement

 

[Commonsense]

I warned and was ridiculed that bringing back RTS as our gun centre was fraught with danger and he needed to earn his spot in the team.
Complete disaster imo.
Positions must be earned not a given

Yet he has still been our best centre this year so go figure

 

[Inruin]

You literally said by making one change to the team that beat Cowboys it ruined the teams confidence and they never recovered.

Even by your standards that is ridiculous.

Clearly reading and comprehension isn't your strength. You seem set on trying to deride others on here without actually providing anything of value yourself. Unfortunately there are a couple of others like you more interested in trying to misrepresent posts and create an argument rather than contributing anything of substance yourself. If you actually go back and read the posts I was replying to as well as my comments, nowhere did I say that the change from the cowboys to the storm game was the reason for our 'shit season'. I did say that I think the changes from the Cowboys game (which in my opinion was our most complete performance of the season and came on the back of against the odds wins against the Panthers and Dolphins) dented our confidence and combinations which we haven't recovered from. And just as we had built some momentum and performance for the first time in the season. Since that selection and shuffling of positions we have lost to the Storm (where we scored TWO tries, not three, in the first 20 minutes due to sheer weight of possession mainly), thrashed by the Titans, snuck a win against an out of form and depleted Broncos, lost to the Dogs and lost to the Raiders. In none of these games have we looked as confident and looked as connected as a team as we did in the three wins previously. If that seems ridiculous to you I can't help that.

 

[John Nick]

Clearly reading and comprehension isn't your strength. You seem set on trying to deride others on here without actually providing anything of value yourself. Unfortunately there are a couple of others like you more interested in trying to misrepresent posts and create an argument rather than contributing anything of substance yourself. If you actually go back and read the posts I was replying to as well as my comments nowhere did I say that the change from the cowboys to the storm game was the reason for our 'shit season'. I did say that I think the changes from the Cowboys game (which in my opinion was our most complete performance of the season and came on the back of against the odds wins against the Panthers and Dolphins) dented our confidence and combinations which we haven't recovered from. And just as we has built some momentum and performance for the first time in the season. Since that selection and shuffling of positions we have lost to the Storm (where we scored TWO tries, not three, in the first 20 minutes due to sheer weight of possession mainly), thrashed by the Titans, snuck a win against an out of form and depleted Broncos, lost to the Dogs and lost to the Raiders. In none of these games have we looked as confident and looked as connected as a team as we did in the three wins previously. If that seems ridiculous to you I can't help that.

Don't read too much into footy.
Things happen beyond the control of a team and management.
Injuries sin bins just to begin with.
The opposition also has a huge influence on results obviously.

 

[Makasene]

I feel that every team in that first 15 weeks came for us. We had no easy games. That doesn't tend to happen when you were shit house the year before. So that's hopefully one.

I disagree on this point quite heavily.

I think our game plan relied on inviting teams into a grind with us. Sadly, we were not able to execute the plan in full this year.

I think this was evidenced in our long run of close wins against poor opposition last year to end the season.

We should have started the season with 5 wins in a row.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

I disagree on this point quite heavily.

I think our game plan relied on inviting teams into a grind with us. Sadly, we were not able to execute the plan in full this year.

I think this was evidenced in our long run of close wins against poor opposition last year to end the season.

We should have started the season with 5 wins in a row.

Can't it be both though?

• Sharks beat us in a close game to start the season and get hammered by Tigers 2 weeks later.
• Storm beat us in a thriller and then lose to Newcastle the next week.
• Dragons were getting beaten left right and centre and then smash us.
• Same as Titans

I agree that the our game focused on getting in the grind with teams, but that doesn't also mean that teams wouldnt have aimed up against us. Some blokes deadset turned in to superheros against us. Coates, Hughes, Brimston, Lomax all had exceptional games against us. I think even Webby commented on it at the beginning of the year.