From the title of this thread I would follow Gus's advice below : Flanno is just lucky he didn't say 15 of the 16 NRL teams follow this script ~ one just continues grinds it's spectators into a coma .
Victory over Canberra Raiders shows no one executes blueprint for success better than Sydney Roosters
SOURCE : Brisbane Times
Date
March 29, 2015
from Phil Gould
League Columnist
I have always had a saying when coaching rugby league teams. Basically, "It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it".
Let me make just a little addition to that thought; because if you watched the Roosters play against the Raiders this weekend, it's painfully obvious that the way that you do it depends greatly on the quality of players who are doing the doing! I'm not sure if that's an appropriate use of the Queen's English, but I'm sure you get my meaning.
This was a complete team performance.
Every team in the NRL pretty much plays the same way when in possession of the ball. When coming out of their own end of the field, teams rely on attacking the advantage line with their big men to get themselves rolling forward. We see the occasional change of direction or conservative quick shift of the ball to the faster men on the edges. However, the basic plan is to control the football and safely work to a point where they can position their kicker to fire the ball off down field.
Only when they get into the opposition half, do they start to expand the ball movement and set about scoring points. The big men take a couple of runs to position the team in a certain part of the field. From there, we see playmakers drifting across field with a series of inside and outside decoy runners looking to create space down the extremities of the field for the outside backs. If they don't score on one side, they simply come back the other way and repeat the dose towards the opposite sideline.
We occasionally witness the odd variation to this structure, but very few of the 16 NRL teams stray too far away from this simple blueprint. It must be the best way to play this modern game, because all teams choose to play this way.
Obviously some teams do it better than others. Judging by what we have seen in the opening month of the 2015 season, though, I can declare that no one does it better than the Roosters, when they put their minds to their work.
They have the slickness and precision few teams in this competition can consistently match. I watch many teams every weekend in this competition roll through the identical plays, but many fall well short in their game-day delivery.
Their attention to detail is evidence of a purposeful and dedicated coaching regime. It's easy to see that when this team prepares itself for competition, "close enough is never good enough". You don't get such clinical execution on game day if this is not the norm at practice sessions during the week.
What also helps their cause is the fact that in just about every position on the field, the Roosters team boasts players who rate amongst the top echelon of those in the game today.
Sometimes the sides with elite football talent in a number of positions tend to rely on individual brilliance to provide the difference on the scoreboard. Those sides which consist mainly of tradesmen-like performers, work hard on their attention to detail and resilience to keep themselves competitive.
The fact that these brilliantly talented individuals in the Roosters' team come together to respect each other and contribute to a totally committed team performance, speaks volumes for the culture that exists in this formidable club.
All six tries posted by the Roosters against the courageous Raiders on Sunday were scored by back-line players. In fact, every back-line player scored, except half-back Mitchell Pearce. While his name did not appear on the scorer's sheet by full-time, the experienced playmaker could be well satisfied that his passing and kicking game instigated many of the successful attacking raids for the afternoon.
While it was the speedy backline players who were scoring the points, it was the hard-nosed forwards who were setting up the victory. The Rooster big men completely dominated the battle of the advantage line and made easy metres on just about every carry of the ball. They take pride in their work and they celebrate their dominance.
This was a complete team performance.
The Raiders? Well, I actually don't mind them.
I know they were somewhat outclassed and the final numbers on the scoreboard do not paint a pretty picture. But there is something to like about this side.
They are enthusiastic and willing. They are determined and courageous. Their execution has room for improvement, but I also think this is because they try to play beyond their capabilities at times.
This is often the case when young players get behind on the scoreboard against quality opposition. If the Raiders can just come together and be comfortable in their own skin, I think they have the ability to play some very good football.
Despite the best efforts, though, they were no match for the Roosters on this sunny Sunday afternoon in Sydney.
The two teams did the same things. The Roosters did it better, and to be honest, they just had better players doing it.
