Was Saturday our best effort ? Thoughts ?
I am leaning towards it being yes, outside of the bombed tries which did turn out to be crucial
Was frustrating after the match to see us win every stat other than the one that counted, on the scoreboard
Personally, I thought we held the ball better than in the 2 wins, used it better than in those 2 games, and the defence was probably a bit better as well, with plenty being thrown at it, 2 bits of Thurston magic that we couldn't do a lot about accounted for most of the losing margin
All in all, I thought it was the highest quality game we have been involved in this season, and I also thought after watching a few other games in the round, we would have beaten plenty of sides with that performance.
Other points from the match
Tallis needs to be put down, 1 of the worst, most one sided efforts I have heard. My personal favourite was the one where Thurston knocked on, and the camera from behind the play showed the replay, with the idiot saying "That angle clearly shows it went backwards". Muppet
The 2 guys I expected to be our biggest weapons with Stewart out were both down a bit on recent form, Lyon and Watmough
Robertson was solid at fullback without being spectacular
Matai, Cuthbertson, Rodney, Hall and G. Stewart were our standout performers. I also thought Orford played reasonably well, although I still see him getting hammered on here, which is nothing unusual. He took the line on well, kicking game found space most of the game, and created opportunities which other didn't finish off.
Probably the highlight of the whole match though, was the hit. Harris will still be feeling that one, was a Matai special, Hope he has more saved for Slater and sMyth this weekend
I am leaning towards it being yes, outside of the bombed tries which did turn out to be crucial
Was frustrating after the match to see us win every stat other than the one that counted, on the scoreboard
Personally, I thought we held the ball better than in the 2 wins, used it better than in those 2 games, and the defence was probably a bit better as well, with plenty being thrown at it, 2 bits of Thurston magic that we couldn't do a lot about accounted for most of the losing margin
All in all, I thought it was the highest quality game we have been involved in this season, and I also thought after watching a few other games in the round, we would have beaten plenty of sides with that performance.
Other points from the match
Tallis needs to be put down, 1 of the worst, most one sided efforts I have heard. My personal favourite was the one where Thurston knocked on, and the camera from behind the play showed the replay, with the idiot saying "That angle clearly shows it went backwards". Muppet
The 2 guys I expected to be our biggest weapons with Stewart out were both down a bit on recent form, Lyon and Watmough
Robertson was solid at fullback without being spectacular
Matai, Cuthbertson, Rodney, Hall and G. Stewart were our standout performers. I also thought Orford played reasonably well, although I still see him getting hammered on here, which is nothing unusual. He took the line on well, kicking game found space most of the game, and created opportunities which other didn't finish off.
Probably the highlight of the whole match though, was the hit. Harris will still be feeling that one, was a Matai special, Hope he has more saved for Slater and sMyth this weekend