[2022] R5 Bulldogs v Panthers - Game Day Thread

Solid win !
Nice to see Spencer Leniu and Mitch Kenny on the scoresheet.
Nathan Cleary’s defence was eye catching last night.
Matt Eisenhuth improving with each game.
Dylan Edwards fullback performance was masterful.

Nb Luau was off his game and Crighton/Staines doesn’t seem to work !

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In a good, or bad, way?

went to the game, partly to review the stadium again ahead of commenting on the plans for our new home. It is a great facility, and whilst I have a lot of memories of Penrith Park and it’s evolution since 1967, there are a lot of upsides for having a new stadium.

We were clearly the better team throughout, even though the dogs tried to play their GF against us - we face the challenge each week of the other team trying to beat the premiers, and it’s something we have to live with.

We gave up a soft try, following a dumb play which is the only points the dogs got whilst the game was still alive. Luai’s dropping what was very ordinary kick to gift them points to me shows we are sometimes just getting ahead of ourselves - he was already looking to what to do after he caught the ball.

At one point we stopped playing our game, as we were having too much fun tormenting Dufty & from just after HT when Spencer scored the rest of the game was pretty awful.

Again Edwards shows just how good he is, attack & defence, especially now he is laying on both legs :slight_smile:

5/5 it’s hard to be unhappy, and we know we have the ability to lift when required, and Bizza and Moses to return. The points we are banking will be invaluable come origin time.

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A good all round team performance, yes there were incidentals that we WILL improve but overall i was happy.

Even gave Eisenhuth a vote for MOTM. If he turns up and plays like that EVERY week, he will provide value of the bench.

You are 100% right @SteveTidball we are the bench mark and we SHOULD expect every week to put us under the pump.

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Lots of great analysis here, as usual. I agree that Eisenhuth is like a fine red wine; he just seems to improve every game, and is becoming an integral part of the team. And the comments about Luai are spot on; he risks going from just being exuberant to being a pest.

I’ve been impressed with Staines’ improved energy, but is he destined for reserve grade after To’o returns?

Is all the traffic going down the left edge, starving Crichton and Staines of opportunity? Is so, is that a conscious action, or just reading the defence?

Lenui is still a bit of a loose cannon. Can he retain his energy but dispense with the angry pills?

How far can we go, including the next few years, with a small, mobile pack? Other teams have some giants, and we’re about to lose our one big weapon (Kikau).

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I am hoping that’s where one Mavrik Geyer comes in. Hit’s hard and creates opportunities for those outside him to slip through the gaps he creates in the defensive line.

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mind you Moses and Spencer will make pretty good 'book-ends ! :sunglasses:

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Here’s some more random comments and questions in relation to last Sunday’s game against the Scumdogs, that I forgot to make :-

How much of Burton’s stellar year in 2021 was due to those playing inside him (and hence not transferable)?

Paul Vaughan seems to me to be a knee-lifter; as he approaches the tackler, he noticeably raises his leading leg. I recall that Brent Kite seemed to do the same. This poses a huge risk of serious injury to classic defenders like Koroisau who tackle low (like we were always told to do as kids). For me, it’s a worse offence than, for example, a stiff arm, and yet is NEVER mentioned. It should be outlawed!

Is Waddell another ex-Penrith junior?

How was the Pangai try allowed? Luai had dropped the ball and was clearly about to dive onto it to defuse the attack. Then Burns takes him out, gifting Pangai an easy try. Burns has time to pull out, but obviously had no intention of doing so.

Is any team in the NRL so unready for, so surprised by, short kicks and then fail to defuse them? We even seem to put out shortest players in the firing line, against their jumpers.

Waddell is a Panthers junior. From memory he left us to play for Manly about 5 years ago.

I made the same post about Burton earlier. His win rate with us while he was in the haves was 60%, in a team that was winning 90%+ during that time. Pretty much says it all.