Discussion point #357:
The Reds have had ordinary starts against the Ponies and the Force, to the point that it seems like they didn't gain any real possesion until around the 20 minute mark. By then some damage had been done. While I applaud the way they came back against the Force, that intercept try to Coops was fortuitous and against the flow of play. What happens if they freeze for the first 20 this week? We know about the injuries to some key starters, but to enter the finals they need some confidence and momentum. Therefore, do the Reds need to demolish the Chiefs, or will simply getting over the line be enough so that they can re-enter fortress QLD knowing they are contenders?
Daz, great point re the first 20. But it was worse: needless penalties were also given away in both games in this crucial period of play, and whilst there has been justifiable focus upon the injury log, IMO our Reds were actually not playing to their usual high standards in both games in terms of, for example, handling errors and defence/missed tackle rate. This from ruckingoodstats.com (where btw there is an absolute treasure trove of exemplary stats regarding every imaginable aspect of the Reds' - and all teams' - S15 games) re the Force game:
"There were 36 missed tackles with the Force missing 17 or 1 in every 7 attempts and the Reds missing 19 or 1 in every 5 tackle attempts."
Hmmm, 20% of all tackles missed, not the mark of champions.
Equally, the howls of 'so sad, the brilliant Force deserved to win' favoured by those hapless FOX comms (Horan is especially banal and disappointing) is exposed as an unbalanced and inaccurate analysis by these stats, gained also from ruckingoodstats.com:
"The Reds dominated the 2nd half to get the win. They had 67% possession and 63% territory. They spent 29% of this half inside the Force's 22."
...which highlights the significant improvement in the Reds' play in 2H, and that contributed directly to the pressures the Reds successfully exerted for the ultimate win. The superb Horwill-led charge up the field within unbroken possession in the final 7 mins (and that lead to the crucial final try) mirrored precisely the same impressive achievement v Cru which got the Reds within penalty kick position and forced HRH McCaw into that final high risk ruck ploy that cost the Cru the game. Both IMO were tremendous examples of Horwill's great skill as a Captain and his now proven competence in configuring this team's ability (mentally and tactically) to close out very tight games under losing pressure.
