Force deserved the win in every respect, well done, and they were disciplined as well, a leading position didn't go to their heads and start risky plays. Harvey's place kicking excellent. And definite improvements on show by Force backs generally.
The weakness of the Reds script disallows us knowing how much of this the Force can replicate against much better teams, the Reds forwards offered themselves up. Waylon, minus gloating, has the right assessment.
As I've said earlier, the Reds' version 2012 is, sadly, a deteriorated machine on 2011's version against virtually every skill parameter. No 2011 skill level or playing intensity variable has held its ground. Period. Our appalling performance last night was, relative to recent achievement and reasonable expectation, the worst of any Australian team in many a year.
Newter in his last post here well highlighted how our forwards have lost intensity and accuracy, with the obvious results: every week our capability to win the upfront battles has worsened, with the consequent results in low tries scored from fast ball and low bonus points for losses.
Our handling and ball security has been woefully error prone since Round 1, and has not improved as was evident last night.
Genia is slowly losing composure under the pressure of our forwards startling deficiencies in application and aggression, and pursuing risky and frenetic work vs historically disciplined creative energy around rucks and in open play. Worse are his shocking kicks under pressure when such are both poorly executed and the wrong option (see butchered try opportunity last night via the silliest of kicks).
Our backs are really the least of our problems, except as above they're spilling ball vastly more often than in 2011. The 'injured 10s' factor is mythical in justifying or explaining the current deterioration, the essential problem is forwards related, and then other weaknesses merely magnify this core, bleak mediocrity. The true big losses are QC (Quade Cooper) and Diggers, but they might as well rest up until the forwards are improved.
Defensive structures and application have again worsened in the last 3 games, and they were only just tolerable from Round 1. These crucial skill areas now look a sad reflection of 2011's defensive excellence.
Etc. The injuries are no explanation for all this. Rarely has a top team deteriorated so quickly in terms of hardness of team mind and overall skill level from a Final in July 2011, to a rambling mediocrity in March 2012 and one that represents a scary echo of the worst Reds' teams' culture and playing output of 2008-9. The next 4 or more games could well take the Reds right back to these years, and those memories.
Time to face hard facts, I do speak of facts not idle fan pessimism after one bad game. I'm working on an explanation, but speculation rules as to precisely why this consistent decline - finally rendered in the open vs a not-great team in Perth - has come to pass.
On a final note, if I see another flippant little fucking Tweet like the ones from Robinson over night, or more bland inanities tweeted by Link, I'll take the shotgun to Suncorp on Friday night. These poor judgements in communication in such wildly underachieving circumstances and following the 'when greatness calls' 2012 QRU tag line, reveal much.
