I know there was a lot of conjecture over the merits of sitting the side out for last night, but I think that the decision was a correct one. There would be no upside to running out the #1 team, only a lot of possible downsides.
I for one, would not have wanted to risk the possibility of injuries and the inconsistencies of the refs/bunker/review committee/judiciary leaving us players short for the job ahead.
I thought the boys tried hard, didn’t have much luck & lost to a better team. I suggest on last night’s form, our team could have beaten a couple of current NRL teams. A win in Cup with the backup players is a good pointer for the Cup team over the coming weeks.
Significant for our NRL aspirations, was that Kenny was good & Sorenson (perhaps trying too hard) & Eisenhouth were not so good. Not likely to see any of the others, except maybe Smith, in the running for the finals.
Future looks bright for the Panthers.
Watching the other games, if we play close to our best we should give this a hell of a good shake. There is no team we cannot beat, and with an even share of the calls & a bit of luck we can certainly do this.
After rewatching last years GF a few times, I noticed how gassed we were in the back end of the game after taking the long road. Giving our best players time to rest up & get over minor niggles is probably a good thing. Not to mention eliminating the referees/judiciary possibly hurting us.
Personally, despite the scoreline, I was pretty happy with what I saw. The NSW Cup side did very well, and I feel that if they fielded a team in the NRL would settle in the upper half of the bottom 8, which would be rather good considering the skills gap between grades.
It bodes well for the future of our club, with quality players in development and it shows the approach to our clubs pathway systems are working.
What also deserves a mention are the two lower grades this week. The Jersey Flegg team that played the NSW Cup final against the third placed Bears put on quite a hard fought match. They have placed the NSW Cups side well, and if the team that played the Cowboys play the way they did, I can see them taking out the whole thing.
The Jersey Flegg side, made up of a mix of Ron Massey Cup, Sydney Shield and SG Ball players lost to the Knights, but matched them in tries, only goal kicking (in terrible weather) being the difference.
The Coaching Staff of all grades and development pathways should be commended for their efforts, the club benefits from the fruits they have cultivated.
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