3 key areas. Poor coaching, poor culture, poor leadership.
Coaching can be seen in poor game plans and poor selections. Blues refusal to move on from Beauden at 10 in big games is laughable - he refuses to take on line which stuffs the whole attack. Game plan wise the Blues attacking shape sucks - it's either Beauden standing still shovelling, Beauden cross kicking or some big forward hitting it up one out. Predictable and weak.
Dalton even admitted as much: "That first half, we just tried to get too fancy with the tips and back passes. We just didn't do our basics and that's the carry and clean. That's what we put our hat on all season and when we've played well we've done that well. We sort of took a backstep in that first half."
The culture and leadership go together - they talk a good game but fold when it counts. They don't build into a season - they just roll out the same game all year and wonder why it doesn't work vs top teams (Blues were 0 and 5 vs the other semi finalists this year).
Leadership wise there's no pivoting on the field when things start going badly - they just get pumped. Papalii tries and Tuipulotu I think was missed but otherwise there is nothing.
Rieko claims he's a leader but he shits the bed in big games for the Blues constantly. How about you learn how to catch the fucking ball - I'm not sure I can remember an AB midfielder with worse hands - Tana had poor hands at times but Rieko's are worse. It's infuriating because he has such ability but parts of his game just have not developed. I get the sense he walks on water and doesn't get challenged enough. Hopefully Razor can sort him out for ABs next year.
They also had constant discipline issues all year (and Leon laughably said recently he thought the discipline was mostly good this year). I sat and watched them get pinged off the park vs Brumbies which had them down to 13 men at one stage.
You take out the best coach (Schmidt) and the best leader (Romano) from last season and this is the result.
I'm glad Leon is moving on - I have some hope he's a better assistant coach but Blues badly need a new voice as head coach.
That semi final was right up there with the most pathetic display I've seen from a Blues team - losing is one thing but that display as the final product of Leon's 5 years in charge was utter shit.
As I reread this post the red mist is starting to descend again.
8 months later and I'm still trying to come to terms with the utter, utter brain degradation of that semifinal capitulation versus The Cantabs and I just can not mother fucking do it.
I cannot fucking BELIEVE the cotton-wooling kickbot has the unmitigated gall to actually COME BACK and pop on a Blues jersey again after his spineless shitshow last time. Another sweet, sweet Blues sabbatical to keep the bod fresh for the parks and rec centre paydays in Japan.
JUST FUCKIGN STAY THERE CNUT.
DONT COME BACK.
He'll probably just rock up to Razor's 1st test in charge and say "you want me to start at 10 or just move into the 10 position after kickoff?"