Teams Cronulla Sharks 2020

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Last two comments say it all for me. Johnson was much more effective, but still looked only in third gear. If Katoa can maintain that sparkling form you have a real threat there, and Moylan stood up well in every sense. But tougher trials await.
 
I did not mind Toby Rudolf's game and I agree that Fifita is best used in bursts. He looks to have plenty of weight on and it isn't all muscle.

We had some good moments last night but there were too may gaps for the opposition to exploit as was evident in that Foran try in the second half. It was telling that two opposition players were able get behind our defence and raffle the ball. No pressure on the kicker Elliott and no one went with the two Dogs players who were looking at each other as Foran grounded the ball.

Of course we also paid a price for a loose pass that was intercepted, that happens to the best sides from time to time but it is the sort of glaring error that seems to be happening a lot to us lately.

We currently sit 11th which is probably where we deserve to be.
 
raptalia said:
Katoa- he is either red hot or he is not.

Improved performance from Johnson I thought.

We struggled to bury a side that is struggling
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Kicking game was brilliant, until those last two missed shots! But the first half especially every kick seemed to be on point. Plus we seemed to take more risks to score which was positive

I think the 6 again rule this year helped, we got quite a few we’d otherwise not get penalties for usually.
 

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eddiesmith said:
Kicking game was brilliant, until those last two missed shots! But the first half especially every kick seemed to be on point. Plus we seemed to take more risks to score which was positive

I think the 6 again rule this year helped, we got quite a few we’d otherwise not get penalties for usually.
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Yes, six again is quite good but some sides are slow learners but I haven't seen anyone sent off for a professional foul yet so I guess the sides have learnt how far to push it.
 
raptalia said:
I did not mind Toby Rudolf's game and I agree that Fifita is best used in bursts. He looks to have plenty of weight on and it isn't all muscle.

We had some good moments last night but there were too may gaps for the opposition to exploit as was evident in that Foran try in the second half. It was telling that two opposition players were able get behind our defence and raffle the ball. No pressure on the kicker Elliott and no one went with the two Dogs players who were looking at each other as Foran grounded the ball.

Of course we also paid a price for a loose pass that was intercepted, that happens to the best sides from time to time but it is the sort of glaring error that seems to be happening a lot to us lately.

We currently sit 11th which is probably where we deserve to be.
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With the Foran try, from what i saw Moylan joined the defensive line out to the right because they had an overlap due to a couple of off loads and a set restart. Goodwin or Dugan needed to drop in to cover the backfield from the left.

It looked really bad but on the other hand if the opposition are relying on their lock to hit that kick then you can take that.
 
Johnson was much better last game (aside from that late cutout pass up 8), actually ran the ball like he used to do. Katoa looks great in attack but his defence is pretty suspect though I'm sure he'll get better with more experience.

Nikora and Williams in particular look horribly out of form compared to last year, though Rudolf has been a good addition. Feel like we really need a backup dummy-half on the bench but we don't really have anyway (a shame King did his ACL in the pre-season), Brailey at this stage can't defend in the middle for 80 minutes, and Tracey is nowhere near a good enough passer.

Don't really see us making finals this year sadly.
 
NinjaSwan said:
Johnson was much better last game (aside from that late cutout pass up 8), actually ran the ball like he used to do. Katoa looks great in attack but his defence is pretty suspect though I'm sure he'll get better with more experience.

Nikora and Williams in particular look horribly out of form compared to last year, though Rudolf has been a good addition. Feel like we really need a backup dummy-half on the bench but we don't really have anyway (a shame King did his ACL in the pre-season), Brailey at this stage can't defend in the middle for 80 minutes, and Tracey is nowhere near a good enough passer.

Don't really see us making finals this year sadly.
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Williams has lost his glow since starting. He was so effective last year being used like BHU, in that he was far too energetic for tiring starting packs to deal with but too good for other reserve packs. Personally i think he plays best coming off the bench and playing big minutes as a reserve. I always though Magoulias was the go as a starter with his kicking.

I cant see why Magoulias isnt in the squad as the 14. Plays as a back rower, but his kicking skills mean he has played in the halves and even some Hooker as well in the NSW cup.

He could be brought in for Brailey at 65min mark or so and defend the field late in matches and his kicking would mean we wouldnt lose much play making. Obviously if we needed to bring him in to play as a forward caus eof injury etc that is his go as well.

Bit worried someone is gonna catch on and offer him more opportunity. Apparently the Dragons have sniffed around.
 
Well I did not see that one coming. Nice to beat the Silvertails after the job they did on us last year. We have the Titans, Warriors, Dragons and Broncos over the next five weeks and if we knock those sides off we might be knocking on the door of the eight. Amazing what a win or two will do.

Better performances from Johnson and Moylan and Katoa seems to have cut down the errors and is starting to become an offensive weapon. Fifita was also effective used off the bench.

An interesting stat, that game was only the sixth time that Johnson, Townsend, Moylan and Wade Graham have taken the field together and I reckon you could throw Josh Dugan into the mix as well. Over the past two years it seems that least one or two of that bunch is out injured.

A better performance for sure and hopefully we will maintain that form.
 
3 try assists for Townsend and 2 each for Johnson and Moylan was a nice balance, Brailey had some nice kicks as well if he can keep working on that side of his game and if Moylan stay fit then we could be very dangerous with 5 genuine kicking options in attack.

Still need to work on defending through the middle those last couple of Manly tries were soft but not much else to fault.
 
Promising game yesterday, i have my reservations with Johnson but he clearly looked like he felt .ore freedom to play with Townsend and Moylan both firing as well. Hopefully that trio can get some games together.

The most pleasing thing was again that it was our middles were doing a good job of gaining momentum early and in the middle of sets. Hamlin-Uele is now hands down my new favourite player, whilst Rudolph and Fifita give us real momentum off the bench. There wouldnt be many better sets of bench middle forwards than those two. Our middle defence on the other hand needs a bit of work, though Fonua-Blake is a top 5 prop in the competition.

Two in a row is promising, hopefully we can keep the momentum going.
 
Two in a row against sides we usually struggle against. The Dragons loss looking costly, but maybe it was the wake up call needed?

Panthers next week who we usually do well against recently but they are going a lot better. Positive signs though that last two weeks we didn’t just get over the line but put on good scores.

But then we’ve got Warriors, Dragons and Broncos. Damn good draw
 
Moylan's paper hamstrings strike again!

I would be tempted to play Dugan at fullback as he seemed to do well and his tackle busts are handy when returning the ball. Move Goodwin inside and play Nene Macdonald on the wing
 

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A good win against a side that has upset us a couple of times in recent years.

Good to see Shaun Johnson finally finding some consistent form. That kicking game he had at the Warrioirs has suddenly returned.

Yeah Moylan's hamstrings are becoming a real issue. If a player cannot sprint ten metres without twinging a hamstring his days are numbered imo. it is a toss up as to who has the dickiest hamstrings in the NRL Matt Moylan or Tom Trbojevic.

Apparently Ronaldo Mulitalo is pushing for selection next week so if Moylan comes out some juggling might see Ronaldo back on a wing.

Penrith next week and our performance against them will probably be an indicator of where we sit re making an impact on the top eight. We did well against Manly and won well this week so we are on a bit of a roll, here is hoping we can keep it going.
 
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I just watched Penrith's game and it sure will be a test for you guys. But Shaun Johnson is looking a lot more like his old self, and I think you have decent cover for Moylan. They beat the Tigers (who actually put up much stiffer resistance than I expected) hardly using Kikau, who saw relatively little of the ball. Maybe they have different plans for next week! I'll look forward to it.
 
eddiesmith said:
What are the odds on Seibold getting sacked just before we play them?
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Yeah, poor old Anthony doesn't look happy. He is almost looking over his shoulder every time he speaks.

This from this morning's press...

Broncos boss Paul White nipped those fears in the bud during a press conference on Sunday morning as he put his support behind Seibold.

AFL or NRL, that is usually the kiss of death.
 
eddiesmith said:
What are the odds on Seibold getting sacked just before we play them?
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Its interesting because the Broncos and Bulldogs play each other this week and are the mirror opposite of each other.

The Bulldogs play with 100% effort and a really obvious game plan, but struggle through a severe lack of talent.

The Broncos have more natural talent then they know what to do with, but fade in and out of games and look like they have no idea what they are meant to be doing.

It will be interesting to see how they go, but i expect the Broncos to win, maybe.
 
That about does it for me- Matt Moylan out with a grade 2 hamstring set to miss four weeks. Time to look for a replacement for 2021 no point in paying Moylan big bucks to sit in the stand.

We sit seventh on the ladder which I would not have thought possible a month ago so UP UP CRONULLA.
 
What can you say about a train wreck that was on the cards ten minutes into the game? The Panthers are a good side and on current form they must be a big chance to make the Grand Final. There is no shame in losing to a good side but geez you want to go away knowing you made a contest and we didn't. Just too many gaps in our defence for good sides to exploit. Despite the first try looking forward Penrith were too quick, passed the ball at will and ran into the gaps with ease. We also had too many ball handling errors particularly early in the game when the damage was done.

On the subject of hamstrings another one today with Andrew Fifita outed in the second half. I am not sure if it is the stop start season but there seems to be a lot of soft tissue injuries around the League atm.

Disappointing but we have to put it behind us and go on with the job. We are not going to challenge for the prize but we could play finals if we do not let one bad loss get in the way.
 
Just awful defensively, thought we looked ok in attack aside from all the errors given Penrith have one of the best defences in the league.

Woods, Townsend, and Nene Macdonald were all awful, Nene clearly not ready, and when Moylan returns I'd like to see him at 5/8 and Johnson in the 7 with either Dugan staying fullback or Will Kennedy playing.

Fifita getting injured and Talakai getting knocked out was a big blow though, the 15-20 minutes or so that they played was really the only part of the game where we outplayed Penrith.
 
Yeah, you came up against a very good side, but even a poorer one would have run through some of those gaps. Even the usually reliable Townsend failed to fire.
 
2nd most points scored in the comp now and 26 tries in the past 4 weeks, just need to work out the defence.

Great to have Ronaldo back too, we look much better with him on the wing.
 
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