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Roosters lost to the Warriors 42-18 and Panthers 40-4 under the early season rules.

They lost to the Phins 48-10 with a team weakened by SOO.

Their win over the Sharks 27-8 is probably their most impressive recent result.

Filter out the Sutton factor both teams are close to full strength and in good form.

IMO they are the best team in the comp at converting opportunities because their kicking game and wingers are very dangerous in the red zone.

Keep them coming off their line, grind away set for set, they can get impatient, lose discipline and make errors.

We have enough attack to post points. but we can't let them get on a roll with 2 quick trys back to back.

IMO we can play a style that can beat them, they don't like working hard in a grind,
 
We hanging in there . If we had managed to get a try converted 8 all would've really put confidence in us hopefully Preston and kicks interject into this game now full on.
Cut back on errors don't really want give them gift field advantage they make you pay for it .
 
Hopefully we are not out of it and csn scape into the 8.

Injuries and mistakes earlier in the season against weaker tesms cost us some vital wins.
 
Zoz2025 said:
So we need towin every game now ?
Click to expand...
I think so, we might be able to afford one more loss.

Broncos in the last week of the season worries me.

We had the game under control, but unfortunately let them back into it.

Shaky under the high ball, particularly to Roosters last try and their guy got a great bounce.
 
That's the thing about Roostets . They always get the luck of the green the bounces but have always had good kickers over the years decades .
They always had that covered with their halves .
 
We are definately better this season compared to last season.

We can match and beat the top teams.

Next season I hope Woods can play a lot of games.

If we make the 8 we can win a few gsmes.

On the game itself, the defence caused both teams to get frantic in attack at times. Beyond that, we were shaky under thr high ball and clunky at times.

Our exection was better against the Warriors. Maintain the intensity and improve execution, we can beat anyone.

We did make some mistakes earlier in the season, we have learned the leseons.

Yep, I would prefer is to always get everything right, but learning from mistakes is the next best option.

If we make the 8 we can win a few games, if we miss the 8 we can start preparing for 2027.

Winning the comp in 2027 seems possible, only an outside chance this season.
 
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The boys sht themselves in the foot. That was a game thst got away. I question the ability of the ref and bunker to understand the difference between a knock-on and a knock-back. I also question the refs ability to send a player to the bin for a professional foul. The Chooks fans should be more worried than us becuse they are just a one trick pony in attack, kick on the fifth an hope the opposition drop it, unfortunately it wored against us.
 
It was a gutsy performance from most of the team with a few sub par performances costing us a victory. If this game doesn't put a rocket up Ciraldo nothing will and it will convince me who is sabotaging the team. Rinakama is suspect under high balls, Tracey is not the FB we need, Crighton is NOT a ⅝ and Salmon is rocks and diamonds. Sitili was thrown in too soon and we should have played Curran instead. That's my beef with Ciraldo there is now 4 games to go and we had/have a chance to make the 8 and he is still fücking tinkering and putting players in positions they don't normally play in. So what is it? Evil genius or saboteur.
 
Kurt Mann is the only selection I question, I woild have played Curran intead of him.

Hayes looked more like Hayes.

Mann has improved, but I think Curran would have been better.

But if Toups didn't come off injured, the Mann selection looks a lot better.

Rinakama is the best wing option at present, he does need to work on catching the ball.

If Woods was fit and ready I would play him at 5/8, long term IMO Teaupa is an even better prospect as a left sided half, Woods can play both sides.

Dykes ever got on the park at 5/8 or fullback in the NRL coming back from a long term injury he has had a few games out of reserve grade injured.

Dykes was a gamble on a very talented player with injury issues. Not sure if he will be there in 2027.

We have signed another fullback and Cocherane, Puru and Fing are very talented young players.

Cirro mentioned trying to improve depth, that is just solid NRL level players who can do a job. Developing young guys is still the plan.

We didn't get a lot wrong against the Chooks, the coach picked the right side and got most of the interchanges right. The players made the effort.

We only seem to manage a few games with excellent execution each year. We have been suspect under the high ball all year.

I agree that we need a better fullback. We will not win a comp with Critter at 6 or Tracey at 1, unless we manage to achieve a major miracle this year. But there isn't a solid alternatve at the club at present.
 
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Longer term.
1. Cocherane / Fing
6. Teaupa / Woods
7. Woods / Conti
9. Hayward / Young
13. Galvin

This spine based on young players at the club but not yet ready for NRL. Ticks all of the boxes, and we have a few more good young players halves in particular.

Fing can play fullback and halfback.
 
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2027 needs to start like 2025, and end like 2026.

We have a better team this year, but a slow start and a lack of depth cost us.

Hopefully Cirro has learned that players playing injured is a bad idea. That is the main thing he got wrong in 2025 and 2026.
 
As for Critter at 5/8 it is working better than Burto at 5/8.

The inexperience of Galvin is one reason why it is necessary.

Cirro doesn't seem to have much faith in O'Sullivian and I share that opinion.

The good form of Tuala and Burton in the centres is another factor.

At the start of the year my thoughts were:=

5/8 - Woods / Dykes
Fullback - Dykes / Cocherane / Bryenton

Bryenton left the club, in part becuase he didn't walk straight into the NRL team. I am sure that the Broncos, Phins, Tits and Cows can't wait to sign Bryenton and he will prefer to play in SEQ.

I'm 50/50 on Bryenton, he seemed entitled, but he was a unique talent, we probably overdid the "tough love". I do expect to see him carve us in the NRL sooner or later, but he may not play 50 games. Talent eventually needs to work hard.

All of the other options didn't work out.

I'm pissed off that neither Woods or Dykes played any NRL so far this year and seem very unlikely to play.

With those options off the table 6. Critter and 1. Tracey is the best option we have at present. O'Sullivan might deserve more of a shot. But I would try starting Turpin at 9, with Hayward on the bench.

We actually probably left it a bit too late to experiment with Critter at 6.

How many current SOO players in the Roosters and Dogs teams? The fact that we had the game won with 20 mins to go speaks volumes.
 
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Fans that don't like Cirro or Gus are better off taking an interest in women's lawn bowls. I can't see the club replacing either of these guys anytime soon.

If Gus retires, he will have trained a replacement.

Josh Jackson might join the NRL coaching team and might, be a long term successor to Cirro.

If Jacko takes the reins, Cirro might step back into a director if football role.

Contract negoitations requires an genius negoitator like Gus or Bullfrog. I can't see Cirro ever doing that job, or wanting to do it.

I can see Cirro over seeing recritment and retention, pathways and club wide coaching.

Guys with hamstring issues seem to be right at training then break down during games, Turbo, Woods, Sitili.

We could have eased Sitili back off the bench slowly in reserve grade, but we wanted to beat the Chooks and 15-20 mins of his best footy might have won it for us.

We need to find an absolute genius on hamstrings ASAP, Woods and Sitili are very important players.
 
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If these guys were at the club, Cirro would be selecting them
1. Walsh. 6. Munster. 7. Cleary.

Aside from Benny Barba at 1. In 2012, we haven't had had top class players in these positions since 2004.

The funky selections are caused by limited options.

The chooks had 6. DCE, 7. Walker, 9. Robson. We were lucky Teddy wasn't playing. Walker took a couple of seasons to get used to NRL.
 
Storm so far doing us a favour keeping Manly behind us :
Hopefully Eels can muster up something this year and pull their fingers out beat South's this week and Cows next week :
Next 4 games are winnable Panthers could rest players when we play them .
 
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