3. Shark attack
The Reds game against the Sharks was a case of so-close-and-yet-so-far, in that they had plenty of good moment but never really looked like winning. The Sharks just kept potting penalties and threw the occasional try in to ensure their lead was always comfortable. A home town ref certainly helped, though that wasn’t the reason the Reds came second.
Once again the Reds showed plenty on attack, but just made a few too many errors to really threaten. In 2011 those 50/50 balls were coming off, but now they are going to ground (not just the 50/50 ones either). Guys like Aiden Toua and Rod Davies are capable of doing great things, but just lack that class edge that others (like Chris FS) have developed.
It was nice to see Will Genia back in a bit of form, and Quade continues to be the form 10 in the conference (and arguably the comp). The backrow continue to work tirelessly, but what has happened with the tight five, in particular the second row? Hard to believe that Simmons and Horwill are the incumbent Wallaby pairing. They just aren’t showing enough at the moment, and are being outplayed by Jones, Douglas, Carter and even Sam Wykes. As senior players they need to lift, and you would think the team would follow them.
