I've got this game recorded, and keep getting interrupted each time I want to watch it.
From what I've seen, this game was dominated in the horizontal lines by the Dragons.
Regardless of whether they were offside or not, the Dragons repeatedly advanced their defensive line, and we (aside from some very good dummy half scoots) accepted that tone. It wasn't the Dragons that gave us no room to move, It was us that allowed them to dictate the play and the advantage line... Whilst we had the ball!!!
I've always been a fan of deep attacking backlines, and it has been so long since we've seen it here.
I've never been a fan of Ricky Stuart as a coach, but I don't hold him accountable for this per se. We lost this game because we do not have an on field offensive leader.
In essence, the boys put up a fundamentally strong performance, and I honestly reckon that at half time, an absolute class coach like Wayne Bennett knew that 2 Sharks tries in the second half was enough.
The blow out at the end was a result of Wayne Bennett. The Dragon's game plan was never overtly challenged, and they consequently never had to worry about what we were doing.
FFS... They are chokers, and we didn't even attempt to put our hands around their neck...
A deep attacking backline would have taken the game to them, rather than them bringing their game to us.
With due respect to those that play and coach the game, the full on defensive intensity that the Sharks displayed in this game worked to our detriment when playing an obviously far weaker opposition (
Cowboys, Round 16).
Our forwards ****ing rip... We just don't have the same beauty in our backline... Yet
.