Coaches Comment 13th April

Coaches Comments
Saturday 11th April John Paul College Bethlehem college 11.00am
Result Win 12 – 10 Tries Nathan Miller 1, Sean Turner1, 1 con Joshua Berry
Often it is better to say nothing if you haven’t got something positive to say, I felt a little bit like that after the end of our game today. However, after spending time reviewing the tape done by Chris C today I feel I now can say quite a few positive statements based on the goals we discussed.
1. We had possession of the ball for a good number of phases and had a large percentage of possession & territory. This is a goal I would like us to continue working on. As long as we have the ball the opposition can’t score. This also demonstrated that those who had done the training over the last six months had made a difference. Without this base training we would not been able to keep possession of the ball as long as we did.
2. We protected the ball during phase ball & only a few turnovers occurred. Once again I would attribute this to the time working on fitness on developing strength, stamina & speed. We need to continue to build on this foundation.
3. Tackling was Ok. However, we did have holes & will need to work on defensive lines & covering defence- People need to know their roles & the positions they should be whether on or off the ball.

I can’t say we played poorly as I have nothing to compare it with as this was our first game. But I can say we need to learn to use the possession of ball better than we did today. We moved laterally & need to add go forward momentum. Inside ball, players take ball at pace, players going for the gap – taking them on & setting up phase ball. (Maori/Samoan/Tongan sidesteps are OK but choose your moments)
We need to look at how we are protecting the ball at rucks & mauls. Backs were getting slow ball, we were getting slow ball as a result we were faced with a defensive line & it proved difficult to break. Plus we gave away too many penalties. DON”T TALK back to referee’s– losing 10m & maybe 3 points through a penalty is dumb. Be polite to referees & allow the captain to do the talking.
We will look at how we place the ball & how we approach contact zone or confrontational area so that we are able to have quick ball.
Tackling close to rucks is OK – However from 2nd receiver outwards we have holes & further out even more holes. Too many are tackling hands or playing hand games with opposition. Use your shoulders & make firm contact. Secondly we will need to work on team defence / sliding & man on man defensive pattern
To the following players for making there debut for the 1st XV in a full 15 aside game congratulations, Andrew, Gareth, Corey, Sean, & Adam. I am sure as the season progresses you will grow in confidence and give even more value to the team.
Our goal is to develop a team game & everyone has a role to play – whether large or small. Today, I would like to commend the following players – Waldo – your entry into the backline at times was very good and it is something I would like you to develop further – being the link with mid field & wingers. William your leadership & your go forward play – you lead by example.

On Friday I asked everyone to have at least 3 goals for the game in preparation for this match & I will continue to ask you “What are your goals?” Therefore, as feed back could you please email me back through comments –What your goals were for the day & what were your results. Lastly I would appreciate your feedback on how you thought we did as a team.

Yours in His Service
WHENZ