Western Force vs Cheetahs, Round 9

[Timbo]

Bring your boots next week!

Ugg boots? or slippers and a dressing gown?

[Scozzie]

All very disappointing...! On paper, that fixture was probably one of our easiest of the season, and we definitely had enough possession to win it. Lacking direction in attack, and I still say lacking leadership on the field. Although Wykes puts in the effort, I still don't see him as the right man to lead the team.

[vulcan]

very disapointed was hoping this was the start of the dream but another bloody nightmare

[boof1050]

I hope i'm proven wrong but we're gonna get raped and pillaged next week against the stormers. Mr Foley please change things now!!!!

[Scozzie]

I hope i'm proven wrong but we're gonna get raped and pillaged next week against the stormers. Mr Foley please change things now!!!!

Yeah, having watched the replay of the Waratahs v Stormers game, and how the Stormers defence held up, I really can't see how our attack is going to worry them. Hope I'm wrong.....!!

[shasta]

The problem with Perth is that players don't want to come to play here as it is so far away from what they want in a city, case in point, the Glory getting done for going over the salary cap, they needed to break the rules to get a competitive team.

How are we supposed to play champagne rugby with goon bag players, what the hell do you people expect?

Maybe stop whinging and bleating and maybe accept after ten years in the competition that the way Australian rugby is set up is not conductive to success in the West.

Our job is to make sure we keep a team here, because you can be bloody sure the pricks over east hold no love for us.

Ahh.. there you go Fulvio. Another one who can handle the truth. I'm not enjoying seeing them losing so many this season. Injuries are playing a part and there is not a lot of depth to cover. It's a cliche but it is what it is.

Go Force!

[Kept One]

Well we know what doesn't win games as we have been doing it all year. Maybe now is the time to experiment with the game plan and hopefully make a difference. Some points I noticed from last nights game:

1. After the bye I thought our boys would be refreshed however they looked tired and were blowing hard with 20 minutes to go;
2. There appeared to be no plan B when plan A didn't work;
3. We never really penetrated the Cheetahs line, when our guys started to run the ball back they always seemed to hesitate and slow down before contact and therefore losing momentum. When you watch some of the Kiwi teams the run full tilt into the contact zone giving half a chance of making a break.

I can only hope that we use the rest of the year to try and fix whats wrong, change some of the way we play to surprise a few teams, and build for next year.

[Hubbs]

Highlights for the night
- Great curry at the Annapurna Nepalese Kitchen Cnr Bulwer and Beaufort (Note - used to be the Gurkha)
- Pre-game atmosphere with good vibe, drummers strumming up a beat, scrum machine (i thought it was a breathalyzer at first) with kids, and adults testing their push force and some 8 year old girl posting a higher score than the your rugby lads:-)
- Expectation of what was could be! Great evening for Rugby, lack of rain, reasonable crowd considering
- Scrum and Lineout were reasonable solid

- Low Lights
- The Force game strategy (The actual reason for us being at NIB)
- Loss of confidence and critical game decision making
- The Force playing as a team magic gone (see below)

It looks like more of a mental issue with the Force to me. When you have a team of average players with a smattering of good players the difference between winning and loosing close games is usually mental. If the Force are not overachieving as a team (think of some of the Force gutsy win last year) and playing for each other, then a home ground advantage, close games, lots of possession etc isn't enough.'We have lost the magic from last year somewhere along the line. Obviously there is leadership issues, but mental confidence is strange beast, and even harder to recapture once lost, but not impossible! I think this is what Foles is referring to in the second half of the season! Keep the Faith!

[choice]

Absolute rubbish, not going to bother anymore!

[Alison]

This isn't an excuse but the officials were second rate at crucial times too last night.

Also wonder if having the Badger back was a mistake. Does his 'cult hero' status have a negative effect on team psychology?

Desperate to work out what has caused the complete turnaround in fortune between this season and last.

Reckon Foles should throw caution to the wind now the season is lost and give all of the new & previously unselected blokes a run! The results can't be any worse than they are already.

[valzc]

I thought the first half actually had some good plays - 2nd half they all started to look tired. But something seems to be seriously wrong with the attack game plans(if they exist). What the hell is happening on the coaching side- are we gonna have to be revolting fans and storm Force HQ for the explanations?

[boof1050]

It's starting to look that way val. Great minds think alike.

[SG1]

We were too flat in attack, committed to many to the breakdown in defence and while Ebersohn did some good stuff with tactical kicking into corners, generally it wasn't great with too much going straight down the back 3's throat. I also think we just aren't big and strong enough to compete with the South African and NZ sides. Almost every time the front 3 went to hit it up, they went backwards just as fast.

[Unregistered]

Wykes sucks as a captain wanabe. He dogged it when the Force turned the ball over and the Cheetahs prop ran away from him. When the prop passed it to a guy near Wykes he didn't even chase him. Dogged it....he is a disgrace and doesn't deserve the honour of being captain.

Well said. Good riddance to very bad rubbish.

[SNOB]

Our scrum is a liability. They can't hook the ball so Benny has to dig in with his hands to get the ball releasing pressure and slowing things up. Alby's not distributing to players on the run at any time but again from the scrums very slow ball.