Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:14 am  

Looking like both sides pretty much had their best lineups out and Leeds couldn't compete, I didn't watch the game as I'm working but presuming it was all Melbourne looking at the stats.

Shame really as I'd of liked it to be closer, will it effect their performances in the league?

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:26 am  

I watched it at my desk on Sky Go - which is a massive faff; but that's another story.

Leeds had a good opening 10 minutes, but once Melbourne blew off the cobwebs, it was very one-sided; they weren't helped by some injuries, and awful performances from Ablett, Briscoe and Myler; and despite there being 2 referees on the pitch, they still can't (or won't) stop Melbourne slowing down every ruck to snails pace with wrestling and spoiling tactics.

Mid-way through the 2nd half, the commentators started referring to Leeds as 'plucky' and 'spirited,' and guesstimating that the English champs might scrape 7th or 8th in the NRL ladder; patronising, but probably true.

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:41 am  

Trinity18 wrote:

Looking like both sides pretty much had their best lineups out and Leeds couldn't compete, I didn't watch the game as I'm working but presuming it was all Melbourne looking at the stats.

Shame really as I'd of liked it to be closer, will it effect their performances in the league?

First off, Melbourne are a class outfit and we’re big favourites for this match despite only having one warm up game to Leeds’s two rounds in SL.

Leeds however were far from full strength but crucially they were very weak in the front row and it increasingly told on them as the game wore on.

After 30 minutes they lost Ward and Walker which not only disrupted their interchange options but it also disturbed their already weak spine.

While Melbourne fielded Slater, Munster, Croft (Cronk clone) & Smith, Leeds had Walker off injured on 27 minutes, Moon whose a centre playing Stand Off and was only passed fit hours before the game, Myler who’s just moved to Leeds and Parcel.

Back to where I started, Melbourne are a class act and would win this match 19 times out of 20, they won their last 6 NRL Play Off matches by an average of 37 - 8 so this scoreline against a depleted then disrupted Leeds isn’t far off.

I wouldn’t be judging all of the SL competition on this performance or scoreline.

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:02 pm  

The Avenger wrote:

First off, Melbourne are a class outfit and we’re big favourites for this match despite only having one warm up game to Leeds’s two rounds in SL.

Leeds however were far from full strength but crucially they were very weak in the front row and it increasingly told on them as the game wore on.

After 30 minutes they lost Ward and Walker which not only disrupted their interchange options but it also disturbed their already weak spine.

While Melbourne fielded Slater, Munster, Croft (Cronk clone) & Smith, Leeds had Walker off injured on 27 minutes, Moon whose a centre playing Stand Off and was only passed fit hours before the game, Myler who’s just moved to Leeds and Parcel.

Back to where I started, Melbourne are a class act and would win this match 19 times out of 20, they won their last 6 NRL Play Off matches by an average of 37 - 8 so this scoreline against a depleted then disrupted Leeds isn’t far off.

I wouldn’t be judging all of the SL competition on this performance or scoreline.

Who were they missing in the forwards? Mullally, Garbutt, Ferres and Galloway... the team they played all have been given a place in the squad this season where you'd have to respect them as either experienced or well thought of. Would the score line of been any different with them 4 present? No.

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:12 pm  

Trinity18 wrote:

Who were they missing in the forwards? Mullally, Garbutt, Ferres and Galloway... the team they played all have been given a place in the squad this season where you'd have to respect them as either experienced or well thought of. Would the score line of been any different with them 4 present? No.

Garbutt and Mullally would've definitely been on the bench if fit. Galloway and Ferres might have missed out if everyone fit but would've been in ahead of Ormondroyd and Keinhorst on the bench.

The score line most likely would've been different if we could've rotated our forwards properly. Down to 2 subs after 25 mins and no out and out props on the bench of course we ended fatiguing badly which increased the winning margin. Not saying we'd have won with those players in but we could've at have least halved that 34 point margin imo.

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:20 pm  

PrinterThe wrote:

Garbutt and Mullally would've definitely been on the bench if fit. Galloway and Ferres might have missed out if everyone fit but would've been in ahead of Ormondroyd and Keinhorst on the bench.

The score line most likely would've been different if we could've rotated our forwards properly. Down to 2 subs after 25 mins and no out and out props on the bench of course we ended fatiguing badly which increased the winning margin. Not saying we'd have won with those players in but we could've at have least halved that 34 point margin imo.

Nothing can be said about the two injuries during the game, they weren't to be foreseen.

I just couldn't see anything other than Melbourne by at least 20 today, regardless of the SL side they were up against. Except Castleford, Castleford would've OBVIOUSLY given them a run for their money #champions #ohwait

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:41 pm  

Trinity18 wrote:

Who were they missing in the forwards? Mullally, Garbutt, Ferres and Galloway... the team they played all have been given a place in the squad this season where you'd have to respect them as either experienced or well thought of. Would the score line of been any different with them 4 present? No.

Garbutt, Galloway, Peteru, Mullally & Ferres, all forwards which is where the biggest disparity between the two teams was.

IMO if all were fit then all would have played and they 100% would have made a difference to the scoreline but not the result.

My assertion that they were far from full strength wasn’t just made based on availability, as I said such as Joel Moon was passed fit just hours before the match, he was a gamble which didn’t pay off but fully fit he’d have caused more problems to the Storms defence.

Cuthbertson has played 13 for Leeds for 2 seasons and he was asked to push up to play purely as a prop forward which further disrupts Leeds style of play. To make it worse, the player asked to come in and play 13, Steve Ward, then goes off injured after just 29 minutes negating their pre game preparations to account for this change.

Melbourne were always going to win this match because Leeds, even at full strength are not good enough nor do they have the quality to go to Melbourne and win but the scoreline and the respective performances of both teams was not a true reflection of the norm.

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:55 pm  

Storm are on a different level to the rest of the NRL and still had plenty more in the tank. Might have been closer with the injured Leeds forwards available but no changing the result. Mullally is always a big miss for Leeds, I really rated him when he was with us in 2015. Could never understand the attitude of some Leeds fans towards him around 2016, ok he wasn't Peacock but he's a complete nuisance to deal with ball in hand.

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:51 pm  

Trinity18 wrote:

Shame really as I'd of liked it to be closer, will it effect their performances in the league?

Hopefully.

Re: Difference in class : Fri Feb 16, 2018 2:04 pm  

The Avenger wrote:

First off, Melbourne are a class outfit and we’re big favourites for this match despite only having one warm up game to Leeds’s two rounds in SL.

Leeds however were far from full strength but crucially they were very weak in the front row and it increasingly told on them as the game wore on.

After 30 minutes they lost Ward and Walker which not only disrupted their interchange options but it also disturbed their already weak spine.

While Melbourne fielded Slater, Munster, Croft (Cronk clone) & Smith, Leeds had Walker off injured on 27 minutes, Moon whose a centre playing Stand Off and was only passed fit hours before the game, Myler who’s just moved to Leeds and Parcel.

Back to where I started, Melbourne are a class act and would win this match 19 times out of 20, they won their last 6 NRL Play Off matches by an average of 37 - 8 so this scoreline against a depleted then disrupted Leeds isn’t far off.

I wouldn’t be judging all of the SL competition on this performance or scoreline.

Moon is our first choice stand off.