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globalrugbyleague - Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:53:00 GMTThe Phantom has gone back to coaching text books this week as recently his own tactical and coaching assessments have been a tad off cue.
However, you live and learn all the time.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons v SYDNEY Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters
Friday April 25th
ANZ Stadium, 3.15pm
Referee: Sean Hampstead
The first game we are previewing this week is the Anzac Day battle between St George Illawarra St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons have talent but their performance against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs">Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs was easily the worst I’ve seen from them season. They never looked like competing until the final 20 minutes and are just not playing to their strengths.
They’ve got the talent and have only narrowly gone down to Canberra, North Queensland and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in golden-point extra time.
Coach Nathan Brown is right when he says he has to get the team on the ''same page''.
Individually, the St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons, have been performing okay. It's when they try to ``link'' in attack that the jigsaw puzzle falls to pieces.
The combination of Ben Hornby and Jamie Soward in the halves is the way to go at this stage.
In the current era the half and five-eighth occasionally operate together but many clubs employ the ``either side of the ruck'' theory.
In fact the roles of the half and five-eighth have become similar rather than dissimilar in recent times.
In some clubs' cases it doesn't work and has resulted in many teams playing and attacking the same way.
Dean Young at hooker will take the St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons team forward from the play the ball area.
Justin Poore and Jason Ryles will benefit from this style of attack and it will help Hornby and Soward get outside men, Matt Cooper (left centre) and Chase Stanley (right centre) able to get space to get on the outside of their defenders' shoulders.
The Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters had four tries in eleven minute thrown against them last week by the ever improving Newcastle Newcastle Knights">Newcastle Knights.
Sheer weight of possession wore down the Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters.
The Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters' defence has been the cornerstone of their play this year along with tries from kicks. Eleven of the team's 18 tries have come inside the opposition 20 m zone.
Mitchell Pearce and Braith Anasta have played some good old fashioned footy.
They often pass to each other more times in a game than any other club combination. How good is it to see the number seven pass to the number six!
The Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters' bench is very strong with the Aubusson brothers - Mitch and James giving it variation and punch during the game.
Nate Myles is in career best form and will walk straight into the Queensland State of Origin team.
The St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters have close games. In 17 matches, the tally stands at nine wins for the St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons while, the Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters, seven and one draw.
Have a close look at the matches in the past five years and there ain't many points between them.
Verdict: The St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons to win by four in a high scoring thriller.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks" title="Cronulla-Sutherland Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Wests Tigers
Sunday April 27th
Toyota Stadium, 3:00pm
Referee: Shayne Hayne
This match has much appeal between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, under Ricky Stuart and the Tigers, prepared by Tim Sheens.
Ironically, Sheens coached Stuart at Canberra between 1988-96.
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are a work in progress and my exclusive tip to win their maiden competition in 2009.
Their defence, ruck plays and team-oriented coaching is paying dividends.
Stuart is the consumate professional. He’s working hard on changing the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks' attack. It is improving but the scoreboard doesn't truly indicate this at the moment.
They are shifting the ball early in the tackle count across the ground in a bid to get outside the defences.
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks win by narrow margins or lose by small margins. But Stuart teams compete for 80 minutes.
Wests Tigers needed Mathew Head to steer them around the park. Benji Marshall is back while Robbie Farah is probably out for another few weeks resting his bad back.
John Morris will play hooker and Stuart Flanagan, the young talent from Cooma, who has signed with the Canberra Raiders">Canberra Raiders for the next three years, is on the bench.
The Tigers need their ``triangle'' to align like the Greek coach Pythagoras orchestrated in ancient times.
The way Sheens coaches, the triangle includes the number 9, number seven and number 1. In the Tigers' case, the hooker, half and fullback dominate the attack for the ruck fringe players like Todd Payten, and Liam Fulton to hit holes and get away off-loads.
One area the Tigers do struggle in is when it comes to coping with physical sides. The bigger teams break their defence line.
That's why the Canberra Raiders">Canberra Raiders always trouble the Tiger.
Canberra are one of the two biggest teams in the competition and it's no secret they used size, off-load skills and power to beat them this season.
The Tigers have a lot of smaller, athletic forwards, but as the game wears on they get bumped off and tend to ''leg tackle'' rather than ''body tackle.''
The Tigers have won seven of the 12 encounters at Shark Park and the scoreline reads 10-4 overall with one draw.
Verdict: The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at home by 7 care of Luke Covell's goal kicking.
He needs to sharpen his average this season but the Phantom is told he has been working overtime this week on the kicks from wide-out. - Read More, Here
However, you live and learn all the time.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons v SYDNEY Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters
Friday April 25th
ANZ Stadium, 3.15pm
Referee: Sean Hampstead
The first game we are previewing this week is the Anzac Day battle between St George Illawarra St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons have talent but their performance against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs">Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs was easily the worst I’ve seen from them season. They never looked like competing until the final 20 minutes and are just not playing to their strengths.
They’ve got the talent and have only narrowly gone down to Canberra, North Queensland and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in golden-point extra time.
Coach Nathan Brown is right when he says he has to get the team on the ''same page''.
Individually, the St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons, have been performing okay. It's when they try to ``link'' in attack that the jigsaw puzzle falls to pieces.
The combination of Ben Hornby and Jamie Soward in the halves is the way to go at this stage.
In the current era the half and five-eighth occasionally operate together but many clubs employ the ``either side of the ruck'' theory.
In fact the roles of the half and five-eighth have become similar rather than dissimilar in recent times.
In some clubs' cases it doesn't work and has resulted in many teams playing and attacking the same way.
Dean Young at hooker will take the St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons team forward from the play the ball area.
Justin Poore and Jason Ryles will benefit from this style of attack and it will help Hornby and Soward get outside men, Matt Cooper (left centre) and Chase Stanley (right centre) able to get space to get on the outside of their defenders' shoulders.
The Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters had four tries in eleven minute thrown against them last week by the ever improving Newcastle Newcastle Knights">Newcastle Knights.
Sheer weight of possession wore down the Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters.
The Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters' defence has been the cornerstone of their play this year along with tries from kicks. Eleven of the team's 18 tries have come inside the opposition 20 m zone.
Mitchell Pearce and Braith Anasta have played some good old fashioned footy.
They often pass to each other more times in a game than any other club combination. How good is it to see the number seven pass to the number six!
The Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters' bench is very strong with the Aubusson brothers - Mitch and James giving it variation and punch during the game.
Nate Myles is in career best form and will walk straight into the Queensland State of Origin team.
The St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters have close games. In 17 matches, the tally stands at nine wins for the St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons while, the Sydney Roosters">Sydney Roosters, seven and one draw.
Have a close look at the matches in the past five years and there ain't many points between them.
Verdict: The St. George Illawarra Dragons">St. George Illawarra Dragons to win by four in a high scoring thriller.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks" title="Cronulla-Sutherland Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Wests Tigers
Sunday April 27th
Toyota Stadium, 3:00pm
Referee: Shayne Hayne
This match has much appeal between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, under Ricky Stuart and the Tigers, prepared by Tim Sheens.
Ironically, Sheens coached Stuart at Canberra between 1988-96.
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are a work in progress and my exclusive tip to win their maiden competition in 2009.
Their defence, ruck plays and team-oriented coaching is paying dividends.
Stuart is the consumate professional. He’s working hard on changing the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks' attack. It is improving but the scoreboard doesn't truly indicate this at the moment.
They are shifting the ball early in the tackle count across the ground in a bid to get outside the defences.
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks win by narrow margins or lose by small margins. But Stuart teams compete for 80 minutes.
Wests Tigers needed Mathew Head to steer them around the park. Benji Marshall is back while Robbie Farah is probably out for another few weeks resting his bad back.
John Morris will play hooker and Stuart Flanagan, the young talent from Cooma, who has signed with the Canberra Raiders">Canberra Raiders for the next three years, is on the bench.
The Tigers need their ``triangle'' to align like the Greek coach Pythagoras orchestrated in ancient times.
The way Sheens coaches, the triangle includes the number 9, number seven and number 1. In the Tigers' case, the hooker, half and fullback dominate the attack for the ruck fringe players like Todd Payten, and Liam Fulton to hit holes and get away off-loads.
One area the Tigers do struggle in is when it comes to coping with physical sides. The bigger teams break their defence line.
That's why the Canberra Raiders">Canberra Raiders always trouble the Tiger.
Canberra are one of the two biggest teams in the competition and it's no secret they used size, off-load skills and power to beat them this season.
The Tigers have a lot of smaller, athletic forwards, but as the game wears on they get bumped off and tend to ''leg tackle'' rather than ''body tackle.''
The Tigers have won seven of the 12 encounters at Shark Park and the scoreline reads 10-4 overall with one draw.
Verdict: The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks">Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at home by 7 care of Luke Covell's goal kicking.
He needs to sharpen his average this season but the Phantom is told he has been working overtime this week on the kicks from wide-out. - Read More, Here