Rain the Equaliser

[malroon]

Beside the error account, the only thing that beat us today was the weather, the rain negated our back line and there forwards negated ours, dry track and we run wild, Big Willie back next week with Tred and we're hunting red rooster....

 

[The Who]

But we had the million dollar halfback with kicking skills shaded only by JT and Cronk?
In wet weather it's not rocker science.... just Kick high and wait for the mistake.
Our kicks were terrible.

 

[ando]

Weather didn't help

 

[XV-1]

The weather combined with the refs keeping 5m instead of 10.

Played perfectly for those big Parra forwards

Why oh why can the refs be consistent with the 10m like in the Souths and Broncos matches and keep the teams apart.

 

[sheridanstand78]

The weather was there for both sides, Manly played like Millionaires! throwing the ball around when today should have been all about getting repeat sets of six and a lot of dummy half running. We missed go forward today which has really turned things around, losing Willie and Jake Turbo still affected by last weeks head knock harmed that. Bottom line today we played a weakened team and we were out enthused and that ultimately cost us the game today.

 

[Wombat Legacy]

I stood dumbfounded watching our boys throw low percentages passes and what I consider dry weather footy in greasy conditions. Our kicking game was rubbish, as was our handling. A game to forget. I was mingling with some of the Golden Eagles and they were like "oh dear"... Bomb thrower remarked that we were never much good in the wet! True, but the game against Melbourne in drizzle town was the footprint for today's game plan. Dear God, what were our boys thinking today??? Bloody terrible-unfortunately

 

[double hoops]

Let's not sugar coat it. Our forwards were completely out enthused and out played. I say it's proof our forwards are too small. Yes wet weather so can't dance around and have to run straight. No Willie today. They have some big boys and we just had no go forward what so ever.

We don't deserve to play finals.

 

[JenEagle]

Yep I couldn't believe we were throwing it around like that either in the wet.

 

[Simonmyers11]

Beside the error account, the only thing that beat us today was the weather, the rain negated our back line and there forwards negated ours, dry track and we run wild, Big Willie back next week with Tred and we're hunting red rooster....

Rain next Friday predicted unfortunately

 

[malroon]

but we will have the Willie factor......

 

[EagleRok]

Sorry, i diddnt realize the rain only fell during the times we held possesion.

We diddnt turn up, plain and simple. If it were a dry track their forwards would have rolled us even harder and semi would have scored 10.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

I thought Denzel Washington was the Equalizer. Or maybe Edward Woodward?

 

[malroon]

Edward Woodward is showing your age...

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

I don't mind admitting it...

 

[Sea Eagle 4 Life]

Always better with a Willie than without one!

 

[TWO DOGS]

but we will have the Willie factor......

And Willie likes it wet!

 

[Loaded dog]

What about semi? Wet or dry, he is nearly unstoppable. Was he considered when formulating the defence?

 

[Technical Coach]

We lack a power element to our game relying on class and skill to generate go forward or attacking opportunities, once the game becomes a grind you can pretty much right off our chances unless we are coming over the top of a fatigued fat pack like the dogs.(or a team that knows how to lose like Canberra)

Was not impressed with the easy yards available to Souths when they decided to run hard and straight with some kind of intensity that resembled at least half of last years efforts, the same for both Cowboys games this year along with the last game against Canberra.

Relying on backs to generate good go forward as your platform (or go to players) is all we really have. Manly's performances have improved off the back of Tafua, Matai,Horo,Hiku(along with second phase play) and Foran generating some punch/straightness to our sets.

We still have the class to beat any side but don't have the platform to take advantage of all the class we have, even to the point of fatiguing our classy players and nullifying any advantage/gains we might have had in this area to overcome our weaknesses.

 

[NYEagle]

Yesterday BOTH the backs and forward were ineffective. The forwards were overrun purely by the size and simple gameplan of the Parra forwards. Any running skill was pretty much nullified including Horo, Mateo. Starling and Jake T looked bogged in the turf and I'll go as far and say Jake T was not 100% yesterday and should have taken the game off.
The backs were nervy all game - a combination of a cake-of-soap football and thinking of the scoreboard and not the gameplan. Having every legend they idolised on the sidelines and chatting with them pre-game would not have done the focus any favours. What happened to holding the ball, running straight, and building pressure?.
NYEagle