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Smith fears Chooks will be fair game
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...will-be-fair-game-for-all-20100814-123gn.html
Frustrated Smith fears Chooks will be fair game for all
Jamie Pandaram
August 14, 2010
ROOSTERS coach Brian Smith fears his side has been exposed before the finals series after their inept performance against Cronulla.
''We are vulnerable, that is where we are at right now,'' Smith said following the 18-12 defeat, their second in as many weeks after five successive wins. ''We need to regroup fast.''
Smith was frustrated with the impatient nature of his team's play, a factor that cost them victory last weekend against the Dragons.
His side was penetrated through the middle of the park, with off-loads in the tackle by Sharks attackers causing chaos. In attack, Smith bemoaned their attitude.
''I thought we looked like a team that were not confident in the amount of energy we had to expend in the game, we were trying to get it all done at once, without spending all the energy and doing all the detail,'' he said.
''We had more than enough chances to score tries in the first half and put ourselves in a reasonably comfortable position but we fluffed those opportunities. Most of the time it was because we were in a hurry.''
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan enjoyed his first victory in charge of the side and said his team had preyed on the predictability of the Roosters' attack, forecasting that other sides would follow his plan.
''The Roosters have been pretty structured in the last couple of weeks,'' Flanagan said. ''Where we are on the ladder, it's going to be how the Roosters played, but it's how you allow them to play. Our defence was good.
''They ran some regular plays … we didn't take any dummies from their No.6 or No.7.''
Roosters captain Braith Anasta was left bloodied and on report following a bizarre incident in which he was pushed from behind by teammate Anthony Minichiello onto Cronulla fullback Nathan Gardner, who was mid-air fielding a bomb and was nearly flipped on his head. The 74th-minute incident highlighted the blundering nature of the Roosters' performance.
Anasta was cut above the eye after colliding with Gardner's knee and had to be bandaged before referee Matt Cecchin placed him on report for dangerous contact on a player who was in the air.
Gardner, the best player on the field, was able to continue. The Roosters had been desperate to hit back and launched a midfield bomb, but as Anasta chased it Minichiello raced up behind him and accidentally bumped his skipper into Gardner.
Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce took partial responsibility for their ''lack of composure'' in the game.
''We probably tried to do too much, that comes back to myself, we've got to get that balance right - taking our chances and being composed about it,'' Pearce said. ''We blew about five tries.''
The Sharks would give other top-eight sides problems, Gardner said. ''We proved that tonight, we've got the Gold Coast and Penrith later on, so hopefully we can spoil a few of their plans too.''
In a niggling contest, Roosters prop Jason Ryles again tested the patience of officials when he mouthed off after a penalty midway through the second half. Smith was annoyed by the referee's ruling of the tackle, saying Paul Gallen stepped off the mark sideways to create an opening for his dummy-half, and Ryles had been wrongly penalised for tackling him.
Key Roosters back-rower Frank Paul Nu'uausala would be unlucky to be suspended after being placed on report for a high tackle on Gardner early in the match.
Smith has a long week ahead. ''We've got a Monday night game coming up, that gives us a long turnaround. We'll need to use every day, that's for sure,'' he said.
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...will-be-fair-game-for-all-20100814-123gn.html
Frustrated Smith fears Chooks will be fair game for all
Jamie Pandaram
August 14, 2010
ROOSTERS coach Brian Smith fears his side has been exposed before the finals series after their inept performance against Cronulla.
''We are vulnerable, that is where we are at right now,'' Smith said following the 18-12 defeat, their second in as many weeks after five successive wins. ''We need to regroup fast.''
Smith was frustrated with the impatient nature of his team's play, a factor that cost them victory last weekend against the Dragons.
His side was penetrated through the middle of the park, with off-loads in the tackle by Sharks attackers causing chaos. In attack, Smith bemoaned their attitude.
''I thought we looked like a team that were not confident in the amount of energy we had to expend in the game, we were trying to get it all done at once, without spending all the energy and doing all the detail,'' he said.
''We had more than enough chances to score tries in the first half and put ourselves in a reasonably comfortable position but we fluffed those opportunities. Most of the time it was because we were in a hurry.''
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan enjoyed his first victory in charge of the side and said his team had preyed on the predictability of the Roosters' attack, forecasting that other sides would follow his plan.
''The Roosters have been pretty structured in the last couple of weeks,'' Flanagan said. ''Where we are on the ladder, it's going to be how the Roosters played, but it's how you allow them to play. Our defence was good.
''They ran some regular plays … we didn't take any dummies from their No.6 or No.7.''
Roosters captain Braith Anasta was left bloodied and on report following a bizarre incident in which he was pushed from behind by teammate Anthony Minichiello onto Cronulla fullback Nathan Gardner, who was mid-air fielding a bomb and was nearly flipped on his head. The 74th-minute incident highlighted the blundering nature of the Roosters' performance.
Anasta was cut above the eye after colliding with Gardner's knee and had to be bandaged before referee Matt Cecchin placed him on report for dangerous contact on a player who was in the air.
Gardner, the best player on the field, was able to continue. The Roosters had been desperate to hit back and launched a midfield bomb, but as Anasta chased it Minichiello raced up behind him and accidentally bumped his skipper into Gardner.
Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce took partial responsibility for their ''lack of composure'' in the game.
''We probably tried to do too much, that comes back to myself, we've got to get that balance right - taking our chances and being composed about it,'' Pearce said. ''We blew about five tries.''
The Sharks would give other top-eight sides problems, Gardner said. ''We proved that tonight, we've got the Gold Coast and Penrith later on, so hopefully we can spoil a few of their plans too.''
In a niggling contest, Roosters prop Jason Ryles again tested the patience of officials when he mouthed off after a penalty midway through the second half. Smith was annoyed by the referee's ruling of the tackle, saying Paul Gallen stepped off the mark sideways to create an opening for his dummy-half, and Ryles had been wrongly penalised for tackling him.
Key Roosters back-rower Frank Paul Nu'uausala would be unlucky to be suspended after being placed on report for a high tackle on Gardner early in the match.
Smith has a long week ahead. ''We've got a Monday night game coming up, that gives us a long turnaround. We'll need to use every day, that's for sure,'' he said.
