Official 2024 Sharks NRL General Discussion

[Western Sharkie]

I've got a new theory. And it's definitely not just killing time until the footy starts. Have at it you lot...

The teams that are playing well have fullbacks that are very involved in playmaking. I could name them but I reckon you know who they are.

Our Will is currently playing as a backline player and rarely as an extra half. With Trindall's inexperience and Nicho seemingly less than settled in his role (or not entirely sure what it should be yet), we're missing that option, to our detriment.

When we all got excited about Will it was when he was getting early, deep ball and using his running and a newly found passing game to carve up. We haven't seen that for a while. And I think to get back to where our attack was, Will needs to take on more of that playmaker role again.

Agree. I touched on this a day or 2 ago, in that we don’t seem to be playing that “side to side sweeping attack” so much this year. This is where Will has been involved with “getting early, deep ball and using his running and a newly found passing game”.

I’m not against mixing our attack up a bit, but we seemed to have gone away from this highly successful play pretty much altogether.

 

[BurgoShark]

I've got a new theory. And it's definitely not just killing time until the footy starts. Have at it you lot...

The teams that are playing well have fullbacks that are very involved in playmaking. I could name them but I reckon you know who they are.

Our Will is currently playing as a backline player and rarely as an extra half. With Trindall's inexperience and Nicho seemingly less than settled in his role (or not entirely sure what it should be yet), we're missing that option, to our detriment.

When we all got excited about Will it was when he was getting early, deep ball and using his running and a newly found passing game to carve up. We haven't seen that for a while. And I think to get back to where our attack was, Will needs to take on more of that playmaker role again.

Imo there is only one "playmaking" fullback in the NRL. Drinkwater.

What you are talking about is teams running specific structures to create 3-on-2 situations for their fullbacks. The guys you are talking about are for the most part run-first players who can execute a 3-on-2. Guys like Drinky, Walsh, Ponga and Papenhuyzen can also create them by themself on the back of quick ptbs because they are so fast.

Kennedy is very good at this. Always has been. It was a feature of his game way back in his first Jets season, Teams need possession and field position to do it though. Last week the Sharks had neither.

 

[Wizard]

Even just looking at Kennedy + Hynes the Sharks have only had them together in 32/54 games under Fitz.

That's 41% of games where they were missing one or both. I know of a few of these games where at least two other outside backs were missing too.


If you want to ignore Dale, that's fine.

You don't think the step down from BHU/Rudolf to Hunt/Kaufusi/Hazelton is a big one though? I do.

FYI since Fitz came on board 3 the Sharks are 18-1 in games where BHU + Rudolf + Kennedy + Hynes were all in the starting line-up and finished the game healthy - and it came out later that in that one game Kennedy was playing injured in that loss (Bunnies final).


Bellamy and Fitz have won exactly the same amount of games since the start of 2022.

In finals the Storm are 1/4 and were fisted by the two top teams last year.


It's pro sports. They either have the talent and the depth to succeed or they don't.

The Sharks in 2022 and 2023 have had the talent but not had the depth. This is why the AFB signing along with keeping both the current starters is such a good move (along with getting valuable experience for the other middles). The drop off has been a factor. Fitz has addressed it for 2025.

That’s a lot of text so I’m just going to keep it short.

Even with all our troops on deck we still sht the bed, you think Fitz has it covered I think Fitz needs to work out how we play when his Plan A doesn’t work

 

[Sparkles]

Imo there is only one "playmaking" fullback in the NRL. Drinkwater.

What you are talking about is teams running specific structures to create 3-on-2 situations for their fullbacks. The guys you are talking about are for the most part run-first players who can execute a 3-on-2. Guys like Drinky, Walsh, Ponga and Papenhuyzen can also create them by themself on the back of quick ptbs because they are so fast.

Kennedy is very good at this. Always has been. It was a feature of his game way back in his first Jets season, Teams need possession and field position to do it though. Last week the Sharks had neither.

Probably a fine line between playmaker and playmaking. My first thought for an example was Drinky. Teddy's not far behind. The other guys you mentioned definitely feature enough to be in this conversation around fullbacks who take on playmaking duties

I get your points around possession and position, but we didn't really see it against the dogs either, and there was plenty of opportunity to open things up in the second half. We were also getting pretty good at running Will's attacking shape from our own half at one point. I think we need to see it come back.

 

[BurgoShark]

That’s a lot of text so I’m just going to keep it short.

Even with all our troops on deck we still sht the bed, you think Fitz has it covered I think Fitz needs to work out how we play when his Plan A doesn’t work

Haha - new account. Same old wiz. Your opinion counts for more than anyone else’s facts.

 

[BurgoShark]

Probably a fine line between playmaker and playmaking. My first thought for an example was Drinky. Teddy's not far behind. The other guys you mentioned definitely feature enough to be in this conversation around fullbacks who take on playmaking duties

Yeah- just language/semantics.

I get your points around possession and position, but we didn't really see it against the dogs either, and there was plenty of opportunity to open things up in the second half. We were also getting pretty good at running Will's attacking shape from our own half at one point. I think we need to see it come back.

I hadn’t noticed that as being a regular thing - but WK was o it for quite a while. I’ll keep an eye out. Do you mean on the short side, or as a longer shift?

No Moylan is possibly a factor here. For all his warts, creating space for Nicho and Will was something he did to a tea.

 

[Wizard]

Haha - new account. Same old wiz. Your opinion counts for more than anyone else’s facts.

Nah I just don’t agree with you

You think Fitz has it all put together I think we are way off

 

[Sludge]

You know the way the media is bragging on you’d think Leichhardt was the only suburban ground needing an upgrade.

 

[Sparkles]

Yeah- just language/semantics.


I hadn’t noticed that as being a regular thing - but WK was o it for quite a while. I’ll keep an eye out. Do you mean on the short side, or as a longer shift?

No Moylan is possibly a factor here. For all his warts, creating space for Nicho and Will was something he did to a tea.

Not sure specifically, though he seemed to work pretty close in with the backs, but that's probably the result of getting the ball off Moylan to Hynes while hooking around.

It's tough to say there's a standard Will usage with the time he's spent out, for sure

 

[BurgoShark]

Nah I just don’t agree with you

You think Fitz has it all put together I think we are way off

That’s the thing about facts mate. They are still true even when you don’t agree with them.

 

[Wizard]

That’s the thing about facts mate. They are still true even when you don’t agree with them.

My man.. just the other day “your facts” said Trindall had the most errors and that’s not even the first or second time you’ve been caught out with lies

Maybe one day I’ll find enough time to factcheck your post and get back to you

 

[BurgoShark]

My man.. just the other day “your facts” said Trindall had the most errors and that’s not even the first or second time you’ve been caught out with lies

Maybe one day I’ll find enough time to fact your post and get back to you

Ok snowman

 

[Wizard]

Ok snowman

That’s right.

Made ya put your hands up and say freeze

 

[Jasonstevenswedgie]

Yeah- just language/semantics.


I hadn’t noticed that as being a regular thing - but WK was o it for quite a while. I’ll keep an eye out. Do you mean on the short side, or as a longer shift?

No Moylan is possibly a factor here. For all his warts, creating space for Nicho and Will was something he did to a tea.

no moylan is a big reason for the clunky attack

 

[egg]

Who is a better coach
Fitz or Flanno ?

 

[apezza]

Who is a better coach
Fitz or Flanno ?

Right now you would have to say Flanno as he has won a premiership. Mind you he has about 10 years on Fitz.

Let's revisit this post in 15 years time!

 

[egg]

Right now you would have to say Flanno as he has won a premiership. Mind you he has about 10 years on Fitz.

Let's revisit this post in 15 years time!

Yes agree ,
But , our club had no appetite for a Flanno return ( partially understandably ) .
I reckon he would have killed it here with our squad .
Especially with Gal and Fifita in the background

 

[Western Sharkie]

Well **** me.
had we won the one we should have, we would be sitting on top alone as the only undefeated side.

but…………..

well you know……


we ****ed up against the Tigers

 

[HaroldBishop]

Well **** me.
had we won the one we should have, we would be sitting on top alone as the only undefeated side.

but…………..

well you know……


we ****ed up against the Tigers

The Tigers were great. I don't have an issue with the fact we lost, it was how we lost.

 

[Western Sharkie]

The Tigers were great. I don't have an issue with the fact we lost, it was how we lost.

Fair