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Great effort from the K bomb when he came on. Held the scrum up well, hunting for work and solid tackles. Proud of you mate, Rocky proud.
Well I've stepped back to let the blood settle and all those good things, but I still find myself profoundly irritated and frustrated by that result. They played well no question, and it was a performance to be proud of in terms of the actual play. But it doesn't matter a damn what people might have accepted before the match, the fact remains that the Force once again put themselves in a position to win and choked. It is hardly the first time; it happens almost routinely. But no team with any aspiration to be involved at the pointy end of the season should fall over from that position.
It is almost as big a concern that it has become expected. Putting aside how cheerfully folk seem to argue the teams limitations - 10 up with 15 to go, 10 up with 10 to go, 10 up with 5 to go...not a soul sitting around us was starting to celebrate. It really was as though everyone was just waiting to see how they were going to cough it up. And if it has become an expectation for us, how much must it provide encouragement to the opposition in those dying minutes? Even the ref - no chance that they might subconsciously looking for the moment that the Force cock it up? Watching both live and on replay, there is no question that the penalty was there. But I do wonder whether, with their reputation for ruthlessly closing out games, would the Crusaders have been called? Had the positions been reversed even, would the ref have called that penalty with four seconds left on the clock against the team expected to win? No-one else seems to get so routinely called for things like crooked feeds and lifters blocking, so we are either doing all the little things differently and poorly or it is a burden we've created for ourselves over five and a bit seasons.
I've said it before in various forms, but I think this team projects a defensive mindset. I had no argument with any of the penalties kicked last night per se, but like Sheik thought that it was a poor strategic move to kick that penalty when we had finally extracted a warning for the Blues from the ref. Hard on attack, the opposition on a fresh warning and 10 out, a confident team takes the scrum or line-out. Draw another penalty and you are playing 14 men, opposition sits back a bit and you have a chance at 7 points, either way it sends a clear message to the opposition that you are coming for them. Instead we kick the penalty and let them off the hook, which projects nothing but that we aren't confident and we better take the points because we might come away with nothing otherwise. Plenty here have played - who was scared of the opponent that always passed rather than take contact?
Got to say I feel better for the rant. As an aside however, anyone else see the aborted restart after the yellow card? Sheehan was being his usual pain-in-the-arse self, leaning over one of the Blues forwards in the tackle. The bloke stands up, tipping Sheehan upside down and shaking him off. He was lifted, upside down and dropped from height...we had someone rubbed out for three weeks for that. It wasn't a tackle, so it begs the question whether dangerous play only applies while the ball is live. It might be worth asking, because if not we should perhaps look at belting a few blokes when the ref blows time off.
I agree, Andy, going for the 3 points, especially from long range with Rabbit's fatigue growing puzzled me. IMHO putting the ball into Blues territory for a line out was the way to go. Or, maybe let Shep, a long range bomber, have a crack.
Saying the Force choked is not giving credit to the quality of the opposition. Is it a case of Force choking, or a quality unit gaining the edge in those last few seconds?
Close but no cigar....
Agree with all of the praise for effort in this thread. I thought Alfi Mafi looked good and did enough to keep his spot. It will be worth keeping him there to allow Cullett to get experience at 13 when Inman returns too. He's quite entitled to move to Melbourne but Cummins is the long term option now.
I think there is a lot to Andy's theory about the referees' mind sets towards our team and the way to turn that around is by lifting the standard of play CONSISTENTLY week-in-week-out.
Last nights referee did a good job for most of the game but should have carded the Blues for constant infringements in their defensive 22 in the first half by comparison to the Jenkins carding and that one's context in the match. There was also a penalty not given our way at the 78th minute when Kaino, who was not bound to the ruck, waltzed around the side and pulled Sheehan off the ball as he was bout to pick it up. That one most likely changed the result as much as the final one did.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
The fact that the Blue's supporters were happy with the draw only highlights the fact that everyone knows that the visitors did not deserve the result. However, the scoreboard is what counts and a draw is what goes down in the records.
Aside from the Blues being able to join rucks from the side with impunity, the Force have to start scoring tries, and give up the "take the penalty points at all times" idea. The cynical, professional fouls committed by our opposition in sight of the try line shows that they know we will kick, know we will give up on what we ran all that way down there to do, and know that their repeated infringements will be rewarded, not punished.
It shits me to tears to see that tee come out time and time again, and see all that good play rewarded with only 3 points. The boys deserve better, and it's time they started believing it.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill
With the penalty you highlight, I would have
a) Kicked for the corner as Sharpe was dominating the lineout, or
b) Used Shep not JO'C
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
watched Lions v cheetas replay,another pedantic display from our ref from last week(I think),mr Brown
Lions run it from everywhere,so our defence needs to be on song next week
Yeah, watched the first half last night Gunny and agree re defence, they'll have a crack from anywhere.
Will be interesting coaching head to head.
Good to hear James.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.