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If we win the comp this year, it is a bonus.

We are one year ahead of schedule and we will have a stronger side next year.

This season our advantage is, good position on the table, good depth and minimal injuries.

We need to find something to be a genuine contender that starts against the Storm.

I don’t think that we are far off. We need to defend mistakes better and minimise the damage when things are not going our way.

Penalties which piggyback opponents out of their end are the biggest problem.

Unforced dropped balls are another big issue.

We can train for what we need to improve.

Cirro is serious about trying to win the comp this year.

Mostly we have the right players in the right positions, starting lock and a couple of bench positions are the only things I would change.
 
Hounddog said:
If we win the comp this year, it is a bonus.

We are one year ahead of schedule and we will have a stronger side next year.

This season our advantage is, good position on the table, good depth and minimal injuries.

We need to find something to be a genuine contender that starts against the Storm.

I don’t think that we are far off. We need to defend mistakes better and minimise the damage when things are not going our way.

Penalties which piggyback opponents out of their end are the biggest problem.

Unforced dropped balls are another big issue.

We can train for what we need to improve.

Cirro is serious about trying to win the comp this year.

Mostly we have the right players in the right positions, starting lock and a couple of bench positions are the only things I would change.
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I agree that we dont quite have the team but not sure we have it next year either.

Im not convinced Thompson rectifies anything. He should offer more punch but i dont believe we hit our runners or support them enough for it to make a difference.

My concern is still on who the spine is and what they're doing. We are doing well this year because we had an easy draw to start with and banked wins early. Our defence early on this season was top notch which allowed our mediocre attack to win games.

We would need a similar start next year and hopefully have our spine click to take us even further.
 
Thompson is a big body who can play long minutes, he has skill and can create trys with a run or a offload.

In addition we will have better versions of Hughes and DSF.

Our kicking game is good and our halves are a run threat, Burto can work the plays on his side.

Woods will be halfback sooner or later, he will add to play making.

We could use more pace on the wings.

Lots of our players including Hayward and Galvin will be better.

We have a young side, good depth and lots of talent in the lower grades.

New players for 2026, Thompson, Latu, Dykes, CHN and a few others.

We will be able to match other sides in the forwards and score trys through the forwards. That will drag more defenders into the middle and create more overlaps outside.

We should be able to retain our defensive standards and build the attack from week 1.

I am happy with all of the recruitment and retention decisions.

I wanted to keep Averillo, but apparently Cirro also wanted to keep him.
 
Winning this year needs to be built on fitness, execution, kicking game, defence and team spirit..

Other teams have more size and talent, defence, team work and fitness can help cancel that out.

It will be built mainly on defence and execution in attack.
 
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I still think that our style of attack is good and the best that we can do with a small pack and with our current wingers.

We can't do much without possession and field position.

Skinny 10, fast opposition line speed, and slippery conditions are krypotonite for our attacking style.

If we stay in the grind long enough, limit the opposition opportunities and defend them, sooner or later we will get our opportunities.

Next season Woods 7 and Dykes 1 can potentially improve the spine. My thoughts are keep Burton at 6 and move Galvin to a lock / bench role or play Woods off the bench.

Woods at fullback is another idea, he has the attack to be great at that role, defence is unknown, and he is a classic elite halfback.

We do have some good young tall / fast wingers in the lower grades. Rinakama is the closest to NRL, and Sua is a class winger/ centre. Mazzone is a real flyer, possibly the fastest guy at the club, even when Foxy was here. Jope Rauge is a giant Fijian winger with the emphasis on GIANT.

Some of these guys are mostly playing reserve grade this season others are in Flegg. They should progress to NRL 2026-2027.

I hope that we keep Sua, Rinakama has progressed ahead of him, but Sua has silky skill, real pace and the ability to turn nothing into a try. I think Sua just needs to get better at some of the basics, practice should sort that out. As for Rauge, him being the best winger in the NRL in a couple of years wouldn't be a major surprise.
 
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Plenty of effort, just need to improve execution in attack and kicking game.

Team is giving it everything they have.
 
The team are finding it hard to get a try ..need to be more creative near their line .
 
OldDogFan said:
Yeah, just tidy up in the second half and we may be in with a chance.
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None of our wins earlier in the season where against an opposition side playing this well.

Winning this type of game is the next step for our side.

Not easy, but we are still a chance.
 
You can't be disappointed with that effort. The boys had every chance to ice that but oh well the cruel bobble of the ball
 
Ladder positions don't matter that much in the semis, the main thing is to be playing our best footy.

We need to improve our first half, attack was a bit clunky.
 
IMO it is worth trying Turpin starting at lock or start Mann.

Or start Marhoney at 9 and Hayward at 13.

I am still wondering about going to the GF, I need to see a bit more.
 
Hounddog said:
IMO it is worth trying Turpin starting at lock or start Mann.

Or start Marhoney at 9 and Hayward at 13.

I am still wondering about going to the GF, I need to see a bit more.
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Raiders and Storm GF . Us and Panthers outsiders . Better effort this week .
 
Zoz2025 said:
Raiders and Storm GF . Us and Panthers outsiders . Better effort this week .
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If we play the Storm in week 1 or the semis our best chance is winning that game.

Second half this game says we are close, first 30 mins says that we are far off.

I want to see an even better performance next week against the Panthers.

After a while a close unlucky loss isn't quite good enough.

We are likely to be good enough next season. We should have the quality, depth and consistency to finish top 2.
 
Top priority for Galvin during the off season should be weights in the gym.

The long term target should be a body shape similar to Steve Price or perhaps Brad Clyde. I still see him developing into an 80 minute lock who can fill- in in the halves and at centre.

Woods is apparently far more advanced in physical condition, and not by accident.

Tigers really tossed Galvin in at the deep end and overall he is handling it well.

Because he is a hard worker I'm backing him to build his body and his game.
 
I still say Dykes, Galvin, Woods, Burton and Hayward is a lot of kicking ability on the field at the same time.

Dykes, Galvin/Mann, Woods, Burton, Hayward and Critter is a lot of ball playing ability.

Thompson, Latu, Hughes, DSF, Kiks, Toups) is a lot of forward muscle some players (Thompson/Latu/Kiks/Toups) having the ability to play long minutes with high involvement.

I've been a fan since 1973 this is best club management and coaching we have ever had. Yes even better than Bullfrog and Shify/Wok/Gus and co in the glory days 1979-1995.

It is difficult to compare eras and we had the right formula for success in both eras. This era is more professional and more sustainable.

While I am bullish about next season, I am still on the fence about this season. We need to produce a performance that surprises everyone before the semis and only 2 games to do that in.

The second half against the Storm provided some hope that that performance isn't impossible. But it is far from certain, only Cirro, most of the players and a few hardcore dogs fans think it is possible.

It has to be against the Panthers then I will lock in going to the GF. I don't just want a narrow win, I want 80 minutes of mostly being the better side and mostly leading.

We need the good performance to convince any players who do not fully believe and to unsettle the opposition teams we will face in the semis. Belief wins and fear loses.
 
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While the Storm paised us, they think that they have our number. That is confidence, with a small amount of disrespect.

We need to plant a seed of doubt in their minds before we play them again. We want them coming out of their system, before we come out of ours.

At times in the second half we achieved that, but only when we planted a seed of doubt.
 
Hounddog said:
While the Storm paised us, they think that they have our number. That is confidence, with a small amount of disrespect.

We need to plant a seed of doubt in their minds before we play them again. We want them coming out of their system, before we come out of ours.

At times in the second half we achieved that, but only when we planted a seed of doubt.
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I wasnt too fussed losing that game other than the fact that it has cost us a top 2 finish and home final in week 1.

I just watched Hawthorn give up the chance to go top 4 and so will now play an away elimination final.

Absolute disaster for them. The last thing i want now is for the Dogs to blow it also amd get bundled out of top 4.
 
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