Round 8, 2010: St-George Illawarra 38 - Sharks 0, at WIN Stadium Wollongong

Bennett forecasts tough rep period - ABC Online

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=...e=news&usg=AFQjCNGzarUmHvNRTa_e-afLWDH4I_58Lg

Bennett rapt with early form
4:00 AM May 2, 2010

Dragons 38 Sharks 0

Dragons coach Wayne Bennett said he was ecstatic with where his side was at after eight rounds but he cast a wary eye over his side's upcoming schedule, with representative commitments set to ravage his side.

The Dragons remain top of the table after a convincing win over the struggling Sharks.

The potent left side attack of Bennett's team toyed with their outclassed opposition, Brett Morris registering his second hat-trick of the season and Matt Cooper finishing with a double in the seven tries to nil rout.

"I'm one to encourage them [playing representative games] but you take a bit of pain with it unfortunately," Bennett said.

"We leave here tonight 7-1, the next two months is an absolute turmoil for us.

"We're going to have players in Queensland teams, NSW teams, Country teams, Australian teams ... the next two months the balls are in the air. Who knows what we'll produce?

"That's why the start of the season's so important - you've just got to get this part under way and get some confidence knowing the next two months is pretty much out of your control."

The next two months must seem like eternity for Sharks coach Ricky Stuart as he searches for a combination capable of staying with other sides in the competition.

"I've got about five or six blokes I really feel for ... when you've got players that aren't playing up to first grade standard it's not helping players like Gall [Paul Gallen] and Snow [Kade Snowden] and Trent [Barrett]," Stuart said.

"Their fullback, two centres and two wingers - they outclassed our players in those same jumpers.

"They were just so dominant, they're playing against kids.

<EDITED>

Stuart felt for former Steeler Barrett, who is likely to retire at the end of the season. ''For Trent to come back here in what is likely to be his last game on this ground, I'm disappointed in that regard for Baz as well,'' he said.

"He doesn't need to be playing in that sort of scoreline.''

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Well how about he starts doing what you bought him to the club for and "LAY ON SOME DAM POINTS"!!!!!!!!!!!!****ing idiot!!!

This is what i think-

-Stapleton is useless,he is a fullbacks equivalent to luke covell in terms of speed,the kid will never be first grade standard as long as his knee is stuffed and from what i've read it will never come good.
-Toupou is a passenger,as with barrett we got this guy to the club to lay on tries and haven't seen squat so far.
-Tautai is a winger not a centre.
I would be doing this for the next game......

1.Gordon
2.Tautai
3.Pomeroy
4.Collis
5.Fergo
6.Smith
7.Porter
8.Cuthbo
9.Flanagan
10.Snowden
11.Douglas
12.Gallen
13.Barrett

14.Toupou
15.Wright
16.Vave
17.Kelly

There has to be massive changes.Ricky should shake it up a bit.
i think with gordon at the back he could be a little like slater and rome the field looking for offloads because once this kids in a gap no one will catch him.Porter has the 7 from what i hear he is killing nsw cup.
Pomeroy as bad as it sounds was looking quite good untill injury.
barrett is doing nothing running the team but has to be there somewhere,maybe taking the pressure off him at lock(take the captaincy away as well)will do him some good.
Anyway something drastic has to happen soon!

The last thing Tautai is is a winger mate. He makes Covell look like a speed blur. I do like your thinking though. I would love to see Kelly back in there somewhere, he atleast looks like making a break.

Albert Kelly has just gotten the NYC into the top 8. ****in leave him there so i can enjoy some success for the sharks this year

hahaha might as well cheer someone on

ben said:

**** me stapleton - I was a fan but now I dont know - bring back kelly. Or what about gardner?

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Do you even remember Kelly's experiment at fullback? Didn't work! Not saying he won't be a good fullback in the future, but not yet.

Anyway you were a fan of Stapleton before this week, and he had one bad game (i gather, i didn't see the game) and your already dumping him for a teenage fullback? I'm glad your not a selector.

Our team is very different then it was compared to last year so therefore the players arn't quite used to playing together and combinations haven't quite developed. Give us time.

But I do think something should be done about Barrett, like bring in one of our NSW Cup halves (Lewis is in better form but Porter is a sentimental favourite) so they can start attempting to gel with next year in sight.

slide rule said:

oh well.

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Yep.

IronShark said:

What was the final penalty count? At one stage in the second half, it was 7 to 2!

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Dragons 8, Sharks 2 would you believe.

could fergo play fullback or what?

I'd like to see Fergo have a run in the centres, personally. He's got the build, step and agility for it. He's an absolute waste out on that wing.

Wait, has he played centre for us before? Memory is a little rusty...

From memory his first couple of games were at centre, same for Stapleton.

I am just so sick and tired of the Bomb we seem to use it more then any other team even smith has seemed to fall into this same crap game plan.

This is not an attacking play its a ****ing Speculator Play why cant we just kick for the corners and put some pressure on them.

To be fair, Nightingale was a little awkward under the high ball there for a while. Unfortunately our team is unaware of the term "kick chase"...

think noddy is upset sticky punted him?

League: Stuart feels for stars

Shattered Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart has expressed empathy to the handful of players who he believes are being forced to carry the load for their underperforming team-mates.

Source:http://sportal.com.au/default.aspx/news-display/stuart-feels-for-stars-90471

Stuart feels for stars
02/05/2010 12:02 PM
Steve Orme

Shattered Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart has expressed empathy to the handful of players who he believes are being forced to carry the load for their underperforming team-mates.

Just seven days after producing their best performance of the season against Newcastle, the Sharks were dealt a major reality check in the form of a 38-0 loss to competition leaders St George Illawarra.

"I was very disappointed, I've got about five or six blokes there that I really feel for," Stuart said immediately after the embarrassing defeat.

"When you've got players that aren't playing up to first grade standard it's not helping players like Gal (Paul Gallen) and Snow (Kade Snowden) and Trent (Barrett)."

"For Trent to come back here (WIN Stadium) in what was probably going to be his last game on this ground, I'm disappointed in that regard for Baz as well because he doesn't need to be playing in that sort of score line."

"There's players there who I think are representative players in Gallen and Snowden but they're just not getting any help at the moment."

Asked his feelings towards those players who went missing against the rampant Dragons, a frustrated Stuart refused to name names but challenged his lesser lights to start contributing.

"They've got to lift themselves up to first grade ability," he said bluntly.
"It's not a negative comment, it's not a negative comment at all, but you've only got to have a look at the workload that some of these players are carrying."

"They've got workloads of one-and-a-half to two players. You've only got to look at the statistics of a Gallen or a Snowden to understand that."

For the record Gallen was the most damaging forward on the field from either side, running for a total of 146m from 14 hit-ups and throwing in 34 tackles for good measure, while Snowden was the Sharks' next best up front with 92m from 10 hit-ups and 41 tackles.

Barrett, who was forced to endure a horror homecoming on the ground he called home for 11 seasons with both Illawarra and the Dragons, added of his side's woeful display: "It was hard mate. We didn't help ourselves.
There were tries there that we should have stopped particularly in the first half, we had enough people there to stop them."

"Their back three were pretty good ... but it's the same story for us, we have one good week and then we're down again so we've just got to fix it I think."

The Sharks have a fortnight to lick their wounds courtesy of the bye week before hosting Penrith at Toyota Stadium on May 16.

Everyone was **** last night so I don't agree with pointing out individual ones. I am not saying no one should get dropped, simply that I guess I don't have the expertise to point out where the problems came from last night because of how bad it was.

The only positives out of the game was Stapo smashing Morris (although he still scored) which was impressive and also Beau Scott getting injured after being such a ****. Everyone was **** and I cant say I watched the game all that closely after we were 16-0 down. I assume the usual suspects were solid (ie Snowy, Dougie and Gal) but I did notice Tupou being particularly ****.

Ibanez said:

I'd like to see Fergo have a run in the centres, personally. He's got the build, step and agility for it. He's an absolute waste out on that wing.

Wait, has he played centre for us before? Memory is a little rusty...

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Fergo has been great on the wing - a strong finisher and an uncanny ability to stay in the field of play.

I don't feel he is wasted there.

I don't think he did alot in the centres when he was played there. Then again our centres rarely do anything anyway...

Gards said:

Fergo has been great on the wing - a strong finisher and an uncanny ability to stay in the field of play.

I don't feel he is wasted there.

I don't think he did alot in the centres when he was played there. Then again our centres rarely do anything anyway...

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Fergo's one of our worst defenders. He basically added nothing to last night game. He hasn't really done anything since the eels game.

Thats why I suggeste him at 1, he will get more involved, and defensively he wont be stranded on a wing.

JimBob said:

Fergo's one of our worst defenders. He basically added nothing to last night game. He hasn't really done anything since the eels game.

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I agree with you there mate, he was useless when they went down his side.

hitman124 said:

Thats why I suggeste him at 1, he will get more involved, and defensively he wont be stranded on a wing.

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That could work. Stapo didn't get involved much last night.

tupou doesnt have heart for the sharks
barrett either

snowden and gallen in my view are the top players so far and i would be disappointed if snowden doesnt get rep call but yet we need him on the field for us.

i wouldnt be upset or surprised if kelly gets called on for penrith game and stapo moved to centers. tautai would have to go. barrett seriously i dont know, hes just lost all passion.
I would pick this team
1.Kelly/Stapleton
2.Ferguson
3.Collis
4.Stapleton/Pomeroy
5.Gordon
6.Barrett <-------PASSIONLESS DRAGON WHO SHOULD BE REPLACED BY SCOTT ****ING PORTER
7.Smith
8.Snowden
9.Aiton (should of always been starting hooker)
10.Vave
11.Douglas
12.Tupou
13.Gallen <--------------------CAPTAIN

14.Bukuya (comes back round 10)
15.Wright
16.Millington
17.Flanagan

gallen proves each and every game that he is THE REAL ****ING CAPTAIN OF THE SHARKS DAMMIT STUART!
not some washed up exdraggie

btw Porter can play 5/8, that what hes NSW cup coach said.

you can disagree but i mean no harshness or disrespect. im just fed up with no results.