Page 4 of 7 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 LastLast
Results 46 to 60 of 91

Thread: Match Report: Western Force vs Blues

  1. #46
    Veteran Contributor hertryk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Devonport Tasmania
    Posts
    4,881
    vCash
    5000000
    Quote Originally Posted by jargan83 View Post
    Got to agree - he kept popping up everywhere

    Hope he hasnt done anything serious seeing him limp off
    Spoke to Mitch the Team Manager and Wykes was just a severe cramp....He reckoned no one was certain when Ripia would return..and Pocock he expects to return in April...Dunning didn't appear to be too serious either...

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  2. #47
    Player bunter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    401
    vCash
    5000000

    Thumbs up

    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.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  3. #48
    Legend Contributor
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    5,259
    vCash
    5100000
    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.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  4. #49
    Veteran Contributor normie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Beenup Heights
    Posts
    3,175
    vCash
    5000000
    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....

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  5. #50
    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Mandurah
    Posts
    15,726
    vCash
    5470000
    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.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David


  6. #51
    Champion Contributor tragic's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    ... between a rock and a bigger rock.
    Posts
    2,110
    vCash
    5000000
    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.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
    it is the courage to continue that counts.
    - Winston Churchill

  7. #52
    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Rockingham
    Posts
    20,508
    vCash
    1296000
    Quote Originally Posted by AndyS View Post
    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.
    right in front of me mate, it wasn't accidental and I was screaming for the card, because we'd have lost him for the season looking at last week.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    C'mon the

  8. #53
    Senior Player Hoolly Doolly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Karratha WA
    Posts
    998
    vCash
    5000000
    Jerome Kaino

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  9. #54
    Immortal Contributor
    Moderator
    Burgs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Country WA
    Posts
    22,644
    vCash
    334000
    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

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "Bloody oath we did!"

    Nathan Sharpe, Legend.

  10. #55
    Immortal Contributor
    Moderator
    Burgs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Country WA
    Posts
    22,644
    vCash
    334000
    Quote Originally Posted by tragic View Post
    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.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "Bloody oath we did!"

    Nathan Sharpe, Legend.

  11. #56
    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Mandurah
    Posts
    15,726
    vCash
    5470000
    Quote Originally Posted by tragic View Post

    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.
    Hallelujah to that! I was saying with a few minutes to go that even if we were to hang on for the win I'd still walk out disappointed with a couple of those decisions.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David


  12. #57
    Immortal Contributor
    Moderator
    travelling_gerry's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia, Australia
    Posts
    18,483
    vCash
    5062000
     

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  13. #58
    Legend Contributor brokendown gunfighter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    wembley
    Posts
    8,036
    vCash
    5364000
    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

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  14. #59
    Legend Court Reporter
    Contributor
    James's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Bridgetown, WA
    Posts
    6,103
    vCash
    20000
    Quote Originally Posted by hertryk View Post
    Spoke to Mitch the Team Manager and Wykes was just a severe cramp....He reckoned no one was certain when Ripia would return..and Pocock he expects to return in April...Dunning didn't appear to be too serious either...
    I am pretty sure Richard Graham said Ripia would return to training on Tuesday in the post match interview. Fairbrother will definitely be back.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.

  15. #60
    Immortal Contributor
    Moderator
    Burgs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Country WA
    Posts
    22,644
    vCash
    334000
    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.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "Bloody oath we did!"

    Nathan Sharpe, Legend.

Page 4 of 7 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. FORCE RUN IN SIX TRIES TO BEAT HIGHLANDERS
    By RugbyWA in forum Front Page News
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 17-04-10, 11:00
  2. EMIRATES WESTERN FORCE FINISH SEASON WITH EMOTIONAL WIN
    By RugbyWA in forum Front Page News
    Replies: 47
    Last Post: 18-05-09, 20:36
  3. Western Force Snatch Loss from Jaws of Victory
    By pieter blackie in forum Front Page News
    Replies: 109
    Last Post: 13-04-09, 09:17
  4. Force Defeat Chiefs After Siren!
    By Darren in forum Front Page News
    Replies: 36
    Last Post: 06-05-08, 19:06
  5. Statistics - Super 14, Week 9
    By travelling_gerry in forum Super Rugby
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 14-04-08, 22:07

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •