We don't have the depth to get the job done . Our best are as good as any sides best players our bottom 5 ain't any if much worst , however our 10-17 ain't as good as others sides IMO .
Deledio
Cotchin
Martin
Foley
Maric
Riewoldt
Rance
Grimes
Grigg
Newman
Now our 11-18
Edwards
Batchelor
Conca
Houli
Morris
Tuck
Dea
Ellis
Now our 19-22
Nahas
King
Jackson
Miller
Our top 10 look pretty solid, but definitely lack experience on the big stage and overall experience to boot. That's definitely a factor in our inability to run games out.
Our 11-18 on ability/potential again would match it with most top 8 sides. A key point though is the inexperience of Conca, Batchelor, Morris and Dea. Once again a fairly large factor, with any key contests involving these players likely to go against us against top 6 sides when the heat is on.
Morris over committed a few times on Saturday and burnt us on the rebound in doing so. Conca's attempt to take on Jetta and resulting turnover. Dea has some clear rawness about him, and Ellis is still very much learning the ropes. Then the more experienced Tuck, Houli and Edwards have been exposed almost solely to experienced players who exclusively choked in big games over their careers, so they have little experience value when it gets close late against good sides. This is a learning curve for them as much as it is for the others.
And our bottom 4 players do lack polish, but that's no different to most side's bottom 4s. Each of them provide benefits to the side and they aren't what's costing us at the moment. The only reason it appears that way is because our 1-18 players aren't doing their jobs and the blame is landing on these guys.
So basically my point is that it's an overall lack of big game experience that's costing us these wins, but it's not the quality of players. The quality of our players is what allows us to be so close so late against top 6 sides on a now regular basis.
We just need to be patient and the results, and depth (beyond the 22), will come.
