2018 Pre-Season and Trials

Just reading on the trial in Melbourne, there were 14 penalties in the game just relating to incorrect play the ball alone!

That's staggering.

https://pickle.nine.com.au/2018/02/13/10/49/how-the-play-the-ball-could-define-the-2018-nrl-season

Makes it pretty hard to read anything in to the result of the trial honestly.

Brown said:

“Every time we started to get going in attack, we’d get penalised and hand it over, and the same with Melbourne,” Brown said.

“So there wasn’t a lot of flow to the game.”

Apparently 10 off those were against us which makes the result even better. But we need to fix it ASAP


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Really though how hard is it to just attempt to play the ball with your foot instead of rolling it back and walking over it ...Fair dinkum its not rocket science ...I have coached kids for quite some time now and we always coached them to play the ball with the foot as did every other coach in every grade so imo if they are not doing then its coached into them when they join an Nrl club ...
 
They did this not too long ago, also

Last season was just so sloppy tho, it got back to the old school toss it between your legs caper, the NRL waa bascially forced to do something about it. Its a quick shape up. Wont last long
 
If they slow the play the ball down a little by making players actually play the ball, they better also crack down on defenders being off side on their own try line and racing up.

We will see players being tackled the instant they pick up the ball from the ruck. They are practically there now and you often see defenders get there so fast they are blocking the passing avenues for the dummy half.
 
The whole area around the play the ball has fallen away in recent years, teams are coached to try and get the advantage such as quick play the ball. Because of interference from the markers they roll it rather than play it with foot due to being manhandled, of balance and ball being knocked on. I hate that teams can be penalised for not playing the ball but markers get away with holding on, shoving etc. The advantage should be with the attacking team so penalise the markers.
 
Another area that annoys me is dropped ball while getting up to play it, sometimes a loose/bad carry but generally tacklers trying to cause the knock on or delay the play the ball, like I said before this whole area is messy.
It's a pity that once called tackled the play is dead until such time it is played then a player could get up quickly without fear of losing or being stripped. If player looses it before tackle, knock on, if stripped after tackle called, penalty. Don't know if that could be policed and if it could work, just a thought.
 
Another area that annoys me is dropped ball while getting up to play it, sometimes a loose/bad carry but generally tacklers trying to cause the knock on or delay the play the ball, like I said before this whole area is messy.
It's a pity that once called tackled the play is dead until such time it is played then a player could get up quickly without fear of losing or being stripped. If player looses it before tackle, knock on, if stripped after tackle called, penalty. Don't know if that could be policed and if it could work, just a thought.

I am with you Frank, it is a real mess and as Brownie said they are just enforcing the rules as written.

What gets me is that in their wisdom the NRL rule/Refs committee has decided that Touching the ball with the foot is the most important aspect of the PTB and it needs to be singled out when , hand on ball , crowding , markers standing either side of the PTB, sticking Knees forward, pushing the player in motion of playing the ball backwards and off balance, Holding the ball carrying arms elbow, walking forward off the mark , stepping to one side of the Markers are all deemed acceptable.

We will just have to put up with the disruptions to the game the "Whistle Storm " that is coming will have, until they find another pet rule to enforce latter on in the year.

I only hope our boys are being flogged and this new motion is being coached under fatigue conditions cause "old habits die hard" especially when some of these players have been doing it all their playing lives.
 
I only hope our boys are being flogged and this new motion is being coached under fatigue conditions cause "old habits die hard" especially when some of these players have been doing it all their playing lives.

Get penalised for not playing the ball correctly and you do a few extra laps at the conclusion of training sessions for the week!
 
Here are some more Gardner quotes I've found:

"We're committed to making this a benchmark organisation, as good as anything else in the league,"

"We want a team that’s regularly competing in finals football, and a stadium that is at capacity with Red and Blue supporters."

"Asked if the finals were a realistic goal, Gardner replied: “Absolutely.

“If you bring in a player of the quality of Mitchell Pearce, you’ve got to have the expectation that the team will go better."

“You don’t go into any competition not to win it. That’s the ultimate goal and what we’re working towards.

“Realistically with regards to next year, even before Mitchell Pearce, we were confident we would improve and be very competitive.

“Now we have to be a bit better than that.”

Now again, my interpretation of that, along with the language that Gardner used in the previous quotes I posted, is that they are highly ambitious for the future, they want to be a heavyweight & yes it is absolutely realistic that we can make the finals this year. The majority of us are on the same page as him. You could also interpret those quotes as Brown needs to make the 8 in 2018, but I personally don't think he's saying that. And it would be highly irresponsible for him to say such a thing as well. Now I along with others read most of, if not every Knights article, especially the ones posted on here & yet I don't recall a single statement explicitly saying "anything less than finals in 2018 is unacceptable". Confidence within Brown & the squad, yes.

So unless there's some sort of Mandela effect happening here for 2 specific forum members, then I think you guys have just formed an idea in your heads that was formed from the memory of multiple quotes put together. Either that or you guys just simply interpret those quotes as "We won't accept missing the finals in 2018" which is fine, nobody can know what he's truly saying or meaning. Or maybe there is some quote out there that is just super hard to find, which if is found, I will happily admit I missed it & was wrong.
 
Just reading on the trial in Melbourne, there were 14 penalties in the game just relating to incorrect play the ball alone!

That's staggering.

https://pickle.nine.com.au/2018/02/13/10/49/how-the-play-the-ball-could-define-the-2018-nrl-season

Makes it pretty hard to read anything in to the result of the trial honestly.

Brown said:

“Every time we started to get going in attack, we’d get penalised and hand it over, and the same with Melbourne,” Brown said.

“So there wasn’t a lot of flow to the game.”

As long as they are consistent with it. But you know they never will be, there's so much riding in games that they just tend to let the minor things slip. Be nice to have an old school ref running around that was just a black & white hardarse that said, nup you didn't play it right, cop a penalty.

They did this not too long ago, also

Last season was just so sloppy tho, it got back to the old school toss it between your legs caper, the NRL waa bascially forced to do something about it. Its a quick shape up. Wont last long

They do it literally every year. Yearly crackdown for a few weeks before they forget about it. It's laughable.
 
Im happy with that decision. Hes a good leader and good talker. Id prefer not to have co-captains. I assume that means Buhrer will be a starting back rower and Fitz either on the bench or in reserves.
 
Very good decision imo. Pearce has enough on his plate.

There were many games last year when Buhrers injection into the game had huge impact on the boys. I dont know what he is saying or doing out there but he obviously knows how to get the best out of the people around him
 
If they slow the play the ball down a little by making players actually play the ball, they better also crack down on defenders being off side on their own try line and racing up.

We will see players being tackled the instant they pick up the ball from the ruck. They are practically there now and you often see defenders get there so fast they are blocking the passing avenues for the dummy half.

id like to see them police the defenders peeling off 1 at a time. They cracked down on it for about 3 weeks and then it was forgotten again.
 
Im happy with that decision. Hes a good leader and good talker. Id prefer not to have co-captains. I assume that means Buhrer will be a starting back rower and Fitz either on the bench or in reserves.

From what I've read I can see Fitz getting the nod over JSafiti.

From how he finished last year to how he has apparently gone in the preseason I can't see Fitz seeing NSW cup this year.
 
Fitzy
Jsaf
Heighington
Lillyman
King
Saulo
Stone
Jones

Plus Levi

8 forwards need tl fit into 3 bench spaces. I'd say Fitzy will spend about half the season in reggies. Granted, perhaps 3 of those forwards wont see much if any FG. But Fitzy will have to have a blinder of a season to play every game
 
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