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there is a possibility it was a coaching decision to catch them napping, both wingers were taller and bigger than the Rebels counterparts. He was only on for what, 4 minutes? And immediately kicked to one wing then the other.
I groaned like everybody, but it could have been brilliant given about two more inches. Which proves correct the old adage
The long sobs of autumn's violins wound my heart with a monotonous languor
Looks like Pococks absence is covered witth the talent of loose forwards we have at our disposal.
Sharpey on the other hand has left a huge hole. Neither Wykes or the other fella(name is lost to me atm) made any impact at all.
I know its only the first game but the backline looks promising so far. Reminds me a little of the Reds when everyone rdiculed them as the "Entertainers" before finding the balance between running and playing for territory. At least the defenses will be honest having to think a little with Matthewson, Godwin and Christie attacking the line.
Last year we were too predictable in attack.
Other name is Toby Lynn who hits every ruck about 12 inches too high and at one of the rebels counter rucks he was standing straight up and was responsible for the turnover.My 12 year olds I coach hit rucks with more venom and correct body shape than him,it's something that can get sorted easily enough though,it's all in the top 2 inches
Hopefully MMM and Battye will provide Wykes and Lynn with enough competition to either improve their game or get replaced.
scrum was pretty good and faulkner had an excellant match
Cheez struggled a bit i thought and there was pressure on his throw , he can do better
wykes and lynn were pretty lame and highlighted the fact that sharpie isn't easily replaced . both have been around long enough and played enough matches to put a bit more of an effort in around the field
backrow were strong although i thought mccalman wasn't dominant enough . he can carry well but seemed a bit sluggish . no issue with cottrell's or alcocks match
mathewson was good until he had his brain snap
not starting Sias cost us in my book . he is an 80% kicker and it would have taken some pressure off Godwin who is around 60% kicker . rebels made huge yards in and around that 10/12/13 channel which teams will pick up on fast
godwin did have a great match well done Kyle . Stanely pretty lame at 13 . Foley should make a change there (RASOLEA / CUMMINS)
Wingers were pretty good and Tupou ok at the back . 20 minutes either side of half time was pretty ordinary and the defence was not the best when the rebels had the ball
something to build on but i don't see that Rebels outfit winning too many more matches
Battye made a big diff in the lineouts when he came on, however he was a little undisciplined in the rucks, jury's still out as to who i'd prefer in there, with Wykes history i think id favour him but not as a jumper, hell even brownie jumps higher!
I was a little disappointed with our attack during the 20 either side of halftime, there was a lot of flat footed stand still rugby. I assume it was under instruction to retain the ball, but there was no momentum, no get up and go, Kyle/Alby often saved the day charging the channel and sometimes making noticable breaks. that was good to see, but we need a better build up, less flat standing!
Lineout - poor, much work required
Scrum - solid but with some concentration lapses. Good effort from Faulkner
Maul - solid but needs greater dynamism/leg drive
Ruck - better urgency required and greater attention to body height (lost too much ball to counter rucking in the 2nd half)
Defence - too many easy metres, need to meet them on the advantage line and stop them dead (eg what the sharks did to the reds in last years semi final).
Goal kicking - early days but could be a real problem particularly in the close ones
I thought Faulkner, Godwin and Mafi all went well. I was pleasantly surprised by Godwin in defence and also his physical conditioning (bulked up alot since last years U20's). Faulkner tore Henderson into small pieces. Mafi was almost too eager to get his hands on the ball.
Summary - not a bad first up effort. The game was there for the taking but a few mistakes let us down at crucial times. It will be interesting to see what sort of impact Hodgo and MMM have, should go a fair way to fixing some of the issues outlined above.