Patience

[Simonmyers11]

Have to disagree slightly
DCE and Foran need to be hitting advantage line off quick play the balls with support - we aren’t quick enough in my book to play off deep halves.DCE stands way too deep for kicks also... but that’s a slow play the ball issue too.

Everything else I agree with totally

I think Tom with Manase equals

Friend/ Teddy
Pappy / Cheese
Latrell/ Cook
Hodgson/ hyphenator

They are that good.Throw in Lawton and we start to look ok in the spine, although Foran worries me with his body.

And Cust , unlike Croker , has upside. Possibly dramatic upside. His attitude is fantastic.

This is what I mean about DCE getting a little deeper and running into it, having options to dummy to a running Suli and go out the back to a running Tom

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[ManlyArmy]

Definite improvement last night, however I feel we’ve just forgotten how to win.

I also think that we just need that one win, that one confidence booster and things will hopefully turn out.

 

[Stuey Davis’s Socks]

yes agreed - Sirro was a great hole runner - just not sure what has happened there

Only ever seemed to run a hole off DCE close to the line (for try scoring opportunities), but not in general play.

 

[Wombat64]

Patience ...... that's the lot in life of a fan.

... a fun night out on the Corso that ends in somebody getting stabbed...

Harmless hijinks of the young ....???

 

[Wombat64]

If the club is smart there will be a decent cleanout at the end of this year.

Youth , speed , game management and attitude, desperately needed.

Some of these current players wouldn’t make the cut elsewhere.

I fear we are now absolute favourites for the spoon, in our 75th year.

Maybe our two missing stars ( missing for different reasons ) might make a difference.

Agree!!! I have patience but it has been obvious we've needed this for years and nothing has been done? It's just weird. This "rebuild" has gone on since Tooves was sacked and we are still a **** show.... just awful to watch. It is just the same thing over and over again ... season after season. Injuries, **** defence, **** attack.... boring. Limited resources and too much money concentrated in too few players = unbalanced **** roster and the results are there for all to see. Just abysmal....

 

[frank stokes]

Harmless hijinks of the young ....???

'armless / legless... one or the other....

 

[Bearfax]

As I see it with most teams, its all about confidence. Confidence that the team around you can be relied upon, confidence that there are players in the team who can make things happen, confidence in the strategy the coach has imprinted onto you will be a winner.

This team plays like it has no confidence. Dropped ball, missed tackles, poor positional play and poor passing are all symptoms of lack of confidence. Even the bounce of the ball for or against you can affect confidence. They have to make things happen. Panic, as seen in this team, results when things start to go wrong and the team behaves with less discipline.

Turbo isn't a one man band who comes to save the team. Same with Fainu. Its their presence that gives confidence. They dont have to do much, just be there. DCE is playing like he doesn't have confidence in the players around him. He tries too hard, overplays, and makes mistakes. You didn't see that in SOO, because he had confidence in those around him and played more shrewdly and strategically. He was leading a team of winners.

The backline in my opinion has offered little confidence in recent years, partly because of injury to its primary players, but also because some of the best players are being asked to fill into unfamiliar roles, thereby reducing effectiveness in the position they vacate. Walker is a perfect example. I would suspect the confidence level having him at full back is far lower than when he is playing centre.

Its not that the players aren't trying hard. Its that old psychological niggling feeling at the back of the mind that there is not sufficient confidence that the team they are in is a winning combination. Its herd psychology, and its like a virus that impacts on all the players in the team. Part of that relates to the players who perhaps shouldn't be there. Part of it is not having the best player in a position, as a result of selection or injury issues. They are playing like they dont believe they will win. This team needs to win, not just once but three or four times in a row. With Turbo back and some selection changes, this could happen, but they have to have the confidence they can win, before they do. At present I dont see it.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

This is what I mean about DCE getting a little deeper and running into it, having options to dummy to a running Suli and go out the back to a running Tom

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Croker was dummy half in that play, lol

 

[manly al]

I could see some positives last night , props performed well again ,as they did last week , Just too much indecisiveness and wrong options from D C E , it is that important when there is a bit of decent go forward that the halfs can then can direct some effective attack , turning the ball back inside with the required playing style of the game these days with sharp direct attack is not only counterproductive but down right pointless . Foz had his issues as well and a pretty average kicking game from both . D C E seems to be dropping of tackles more regularly these days as well ,just seems to be too casual and just not applying himself . Showed with a couple of touches that he still has it , probably just needs to be a bit deeper and take the pressure of his outside runners with quicker passing . Even with that poor completion rate , when down by two points, definitely had the opportunity to go on with it , but then the all too familiar unforced errors and disjointed play to cruel it . Full of praise for Jake , played so much better . When i hear that Koula has been signed to a longer contract , Schuster soon hopefully and along with Oloka - atu , know that the future will be looking good . For now though have to expect a fit Tom to make a big difference terrible loss with Davey but most of the forwards are doing their job , Suli had a quite reasonable game for the conditions , Walker may be better a bit closer to the action at centre even though Parker continues to aim up . Things can get better and again especially with Tom back , but if D C E and to a lesser extent Foz can not lift their games considerably , think that the side will still be of the pace a bit .

 

[Snake]

I think our young kids coming up and success of junior rep sides augers well. My issue is we are playing football and making selections circa 2019.
The game is about playmakers playing fast and flat on the advantage line in the middle third with players around the ball left and right - then using speed on the edges to take advantage.

Our playmakers catch it deep and flat footed and our forwards, despite trying hard , rarely run with support. Our centres ( at least the ones we select )are slow and our edge forwards lack speed and agility as well

.Paseka played like the top sides forwards play yesterday - hard at the advantage line looking both sides but there was rarely anyone on his hip except when Marty scored.

We can play whoever we like in our side but if we keep playing this brand of footy and picking slow players it’s pretty irrelevant.

The 9 and 1 issue could end up great or terrible depending on Manase and Tom’s issues - but the planning around it, given it was totally foreseeable, has been awful and that is very dissapointing given how vital the positions are.

Positives - Shuster , Sione Fainu, Tutevakie, Koula , Weekes and quite a few others in the future.

Speed and agility to burn which is tailor made for modern game.Let’s hope when they are ready in the next couple of years our style is different.

btw anyone counting on two points against dragons is getting way ahead of themselves. Hook started the youth and speed outlook at panthers and there is a lot of pace in that dragons side. They played good footy last night and will be clear favourites.
Big test for us for sure.

I look at record at Wollongong as a big problem too.

 

[frank stokes]

I look at record at Wollongong as a big problem too.

Gets bloody cold there... and we are playing at night in the rain...

...im going, but I ain't excited about it...

 

[Snake]

Gets bloody cold there... and we are playing at night in the rain...

...im going, but I ain't excited about it...

The rain helps us at the moment because it is harder for the opposition to run fluent set plays against our left edge. On a dry track, Souths probably score a couple of extra trys yesterday.
But yes, not fun for fans.

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

Only ever seemed to run a hole off DCE close to the line (for try scoring opportunities), but not in general play.

sort of agree but scoring meaties is what it is all about!

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

Great post! But you're missing footnotes and a bibliography.

Sorry man - my apologies - I hope to get better

 

[Simonmyers11]

Croker was dummy half in that play, lol

Haha. Point being players getting a little deeper and running onto the ball, supporting ball carrier.

 

[Shells Eagles]

Just can’t wait to be in the finals this year and hear so many so called supporters explaining their earlier lack of faith.Go Manly

 

[XV-1]

Remember
No Turbo
No Fainu
No Lawton
No Siro
No Olakau-atu
Davey and Cust played 5 minutes each.
Thats a pretty considerable injury toll to come up against a heavy weight in the competition. We aren't as far off as people think! It simply comes down to we have NO starting 9 and NO back up fullback... add to that a significant injury toll only 2 rounds in!

Why are you mentioning Lawton? We just signed him with a long term injury as back up to a guy we re-signed for 2 more years, who will probably go to jail.

This sort of sums up Manly at this point. No idea.

 

[tookey]

Its the coaches fault he picks players who are not first grade standard and then signs new ones who cannot play for most of the season We have the worst backline in history who are so slow and cannot sidestep Parker and Suli just charge at the line but are easy targets to defend against Tom is our only back who can score tries

 

[Woodsie]

I have never blamed or abused an individual for a poor performance .. it is a team game, and all 17 players are accountable for the result ..

BUT ... my problem is that we are so far off the pace of the game .. we look pedestrian compared to most sides ... and don't get me started on standing flat in attack ...

It is our style of play that is frustrating me the most .. they may be well coached by a coach with a stellar record ... but I am seriously questioning if they are being coached to play the style of football that is required today ... time will tell ..

.With the exception of a competent fullback replacement, and making do with part time hookers ... I am satisfied that we have the players that could play up tempo footy if coached that way .. and compete well ...

Yes, we will improve when Tom returns ... but our issues are deeper than that ..

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I have never blamed or abused an individual for a poor performance .. it is a team game, and all 17 players are accountable for the result ..

BUT ... my problem is that we are so far off the pace of the game .. we look pedestrian compared to most sides ... and don't get me started on standing flat in attack ...

It is our style of play that is frustrating me the most .. they may be well coached by a coach with a stellar record ... but I am seriously questioning if they are being coached to play the style of football that is required today ... time will tell ..

.With the exception of a competent fullback replacement, and making do with part time hookers ... I am satisfied that we have the players that could play up tempo footy if coached that way .. and compete well ...

Yes, we will improve when Tom returns ... but our issues are deeper than that ..

The fact that without one single player we lose 74% of games is the biggest concern.

I don’t think one other side could boast this stat.