just a thought : Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:03 pm  

hi im new to the boards.was thinking that last year defence and discipline were major concern.does anyone think that maybe macca is concentrating on sorting those out first(which does seem to be working) and then following on from a solid base the attacking threat(which we did have last year)will hopefully follow?

: Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:50 pm  

Welcome to the boards.
My only comment would be that if we are to concentracte on defence we need to make sure that at least we can score at the other end. Our problem this season is that whilst we have had a reat deal of possession we have been unable to put points on the board. Conversely the opposition have made the most of their limited possession.

: Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:24 pm  

My comment would be that it is all too easy to be simplistic, but in reality I doubt it's an either-or situation.

In my opinion all the best teams have always been built on solid defnsive foundations and then the attack has grown out of that. Even St. Helens fine team last year was based on a superb defence, brilliant as the attack could be, it was the steel in the defence when needed that gave them the edge over most.

I would say the same, pretty much, over the magnificent 2008 Melbourne Storm, who were a treat to watch all season.

Mind you, in the NRL GF the redoubtable Storm defence was roundly stuffed, and they ended up with nothing. And Saints vaunted attack was outgunned in our GF, so similarly only got the Hubcap. Around here, either outcome would be grounds to lynch the respective coaches in some quarters, for 'winning nothing'.

: Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:58 pm  

so as you both agree,the best teams are based on a strong defence but are also very confident when it comes to attacking(something we seem to lack alarmingly).hopefully once we get a win & a few plays come off and we score a few tries the confidence will come flooding back.after all we didnt really have a problem scoring points last season.

Re: just a thought : Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:36 pm  

bulldogbull wrote:

hi im new to the boards.was thinking that last year defence and discipline were major concern.does anyone think that maybe macca is concentrating on sorting those out first(which does seem to be working) and then following on from a solid base the attacking threat(which we did have last year)will hopefully follow?

Welcome on board, 2 posts and no comment on McNamara to stay or go?? shame on you

I think there has definately been a push to reduce the penalty count and that is coming through in the first two games. The midfield defence has been good, but one or two individual errors have let us down in our own 20. And the attack failing I think (I hope!?!) is mainly due to rustiness and a disjointed start to the season, and even a lot of positional changes due to injuries in the 2nd game. Although Im not confident where any creativity is going to appear from... and that could be a season long achilles heel now we're not getting Bird.

Unfortunatly I think we'll be under a lot of pressure again this weekend so it might not look too fluent again but I would expect marked improvement in our attack by the time we play Hull at home the week after.

Re: just a thought : Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:41 pm  

Duckman wrote:

Welcome on board, 2 posts and no comment on McNamara to stay or go?? shame on you

I think there has definately been a push to reduce the penalty count and that is coming through in the first two games. The midfield defence has been good, but one or two individual errors have let us down in our own 20. And the attack failing I think (I hope!?!) is mainly due to rustiness and a disjointed start to the season, and even a lot of positional changes due to injuries in the 2nd game. Although Im not confident where any creativity is going to appear from... and that could be a season long achilles heel now we're not getting Bird.

Unfortunatly I think we'll be under a lot of pressure again this weekend so it might not look too fluent again but I would expect marked improvement in our attack by the time we play Hull at home the week after.

Or it could be by the time we play Catalans or maybe Castleford.

Re: just a thought : Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:44 pm  

redeverready wrote:

Or it could be by the time we play Catalans or maybe Castleford.

If we have to wait till the cas game to get more into gear I'll be annoyed, I can see genuine reasons at the mo as I've outlined elsewhere, but they'll run out. I think we'll see an improvement by the Hull game IMO - if not this weekend,