Cowboys face axe after falling to Tigers

Jimmmy Winterstein, Feldt and O'Neil are used as battering rams inside our own half for tackles 1,2,3 some times 4 with Scott, Bolton and JT13 looking for a carry on 4,5 before JT on the last. Cooper defends as a centre and rarely takes a carry inside his half. They're teaching Hess to be the same. They can't move the ball wide because the forwards are walking back watching the back doing the hard runs. Is it any wonder the outside backs look lethargic and the kick chase slow.

Mosby dropped a ball in the final minutes that would have been a great escape against the Tigers (who were the better team and deserved to win) last year. He was banished and now he hasn't comeback. A serious talent that was knocked down instead of helped up and supported. Hodges after SOO debut. Some how he got another start. Linnett and Winterstein have lost plenty of much bigger games with drop balls but are Greeny favourites with half the ability of Gideon Gela- Mosby.

He seems to prefer a barely able to walk Winterstein over any younger winger.

The biggest knock I have on Greeny is he doesn't back youth. Javid Bowen has been dropped continuously, Tuala had one game last year named every week yet never selected? Moseby banished for dropping a ball 12 months ago. Even when Scott Bolton needs to have a rest and get himself sorted at home Molo is overlooked. Lowe GF winner and junior taking a back seat to 30yld unwanted Raider Fensom. Scott starting coming straight in after a knee recon and then struggling for 7 weeks. What confidence does he show in the young blokes? Resigning Linnett, Winterstein, Coote, and extending JT before Ponga? Everyone wrote the Cowboys of last year and got excited because I thought the kids could surprise and give the Comp a shake with Thurston out. Anyone with half a football brain can see what Ponga is going to be. A Superstar for the next 10 years IMO. Green wouldn't take the punt with him.

Jimmmy, I think we all agree the Cowboys have looked lethargic and methodical. They have played liked this for much of the season. The young blokes are not stepping up when needed but in reality it's everyones job to step up. The old boys can't be missing tackles and shirking the hard run, because they are who the younger players follow. If the leaders are not 100 percent committed the followers get disillusioned. The first thing that needs to change is selections. That's Green's fault he has failed to encourage the youth and taken the slack approach of doing nothing. Second thing is leadership on the paddock JT, Morgan and Taumalolo have to step up the attitude and call on their teammates to lift with talk or actions when required. That is why I was annoyed with Morgo and JT for not taking control in the 2nd half as Maloney and Peachy did last week. I was really impressed with first 30min because they came out with the intent to move the ball and throw plenty of attack at the Panthers. Then they stopped (comfort zone). In the 2nd half they went back to 1 out hit ups. Winterstein, Feldt and O'Neil charging it back off their own line 5min after halftime while Cooper, Hess and JT13 watched. Why are they watching? I believe they are saving themselves for the Thurston short pass so they crash over for a try. Yippee another JT TA and a TV highlight for Kev Walters to view. I find it hard to understand because I thought the centres and wingers(quick, finishers) were out there to score tries. The back rowers were out there to support the big boppers to gain field position and tackle. One out running by the back 5 comes late in the half when the defensive team is tired IMO.

I had mentioned something similar in another article about Green keeping his GF winning team together. I think all of those you've listed above had their contracts renewed in 2016 or 2017. If you compare their starting 13 this year to the GF team they're only missing Tamou. Only Kosjasyn and Hannant off the bench both of whom retired. I compared to the Storm GF team of 2016 where they lost 3 starting players and 1 bench player and then another 3 starters and 1 bench player from last years GF...all of whom are still playing in the NRL. That allowed the likes of JAC, NAS, Suli, Scott to be resigned and Brandon Smith, Joe Stimson to get more first grade time. Considering the amount of young talent that has left the Cowboys in the meantime, Ponga being the biggest one Green definitely has learned the hard way about the importance of squad renewal.

Just going by the commentary last night where A.Johns was discussing with Gould about the type of groin injury that Morgan has he mentioned that it lingers for around 18 months. This probably explains Morgans poor form and especially the dip in his running game. I doubt he would have caught Brooks last night but even Hampton ran past him. If he still is having issues with his groin then he can't be moved to fullback. I don't think he should be picked for Origin either if its affecting him. Can't have below par performances at that level.

Could barely post a comment last night from the sheer anger I felt watching the boys ‘play’. The first 10 minutes was good hard footy and we had the advantage then the Tigers scored a try against the run of play and it’s almost like the cowboys just decided they’d lose so best to stop trying. We always seem mixed up. Boring one out stuff when we need to be expansive and trying to be expansive when we should’ve been more conservative. Granville’s showing improvement, Feldt looks just about done to me and why wouldn’t he be? It must get tiring being the only player on the team who has consistently played well If O’Neil makes the team next week I’m not even going to bother watching. In the past he’s pretty much been slightly above average with flashes of brilliance but now he’s completely inept with rare flashes of below average skill. I seriously doubt he’d get a go in a q-cup side right now so it’s beggar’s belief someone keeps picking him. Hess is also bordering to that level. Very obvious something’s gone to his head as he seems utterly uncommitted in defence, I noticed last week when Wallace scored through a dummy half dive Hess just half heartedly stuck his leg out, great stuff. Last night he just seemed uninterested in defence and it’s clear that he’s afraid of the grind involved with 1st grade. Send him back to Q-cup as well I think, make it clear that he needs to always fight for his spot and he can learn to put in the hard yards away from the media

That's why Green is still a rookie, I bet next time he won't make the same mistake.

Dead right, Albo. 28 points usually gets a team into the dance. I don't think they can pull a rabbit out of their hat this year. But having said that, with the comp the way it is this year and so many teams having upset wins, the 4 - 12 placed teams might end up a little closer bunched and there might be less than 28. It may come down to fore and against. Cows have had some very good runs in th back half of the season on a few occasions this decade. They have the cattle to do it. Will they do it? As we said, the next couple of rounds will be telling.

Rob , that is a very succinct review of our current situation. The first thing Green needs to do is recognise it ain’t happening this year. That is a really hard thing for any coach to do but do it he must. Secondly once he has done that he needs to look towards next year. We need to blood some young players, try some different tactics and to seriously look at who we can recruit. We need ( in no particular order). A speedy winger ,a classy centre, a halfback, a fullback. . One prop , and a couple of Second rowers as well. That’s a rebuild. Whether we recruit or develop is something Greenie can decide . Lastly, he needs to recognise that his tactics are no longer winning tactics. JT 13 and Hess are weapons but they need to learn to offload. We need a player to follow them on every run and be ready for that offload. The only thing I can’t handle is Moreno of the same. Change it up and if we lose by 30 I won’t whinge. Playing the same way and winnng by two is useless,

They need to win 10 of their remaining 14 matches ( excl. the bye) to reach 28 points, the normal requirement to reach the top 8 ( last year it was 30 points). Will need a quick & big turnaround in form to make it with still some tough rounds ahead ?

There's a few fellas who came back after WC better than when they left and Twal is one. Never paid much attention to Blake but when bullied his way over the line last week and backed up this week, he's getting better with confidence. You know what they say, good things happen to good look'n people.

They've hit rock bottom with application and desire. They were probably collectively all guilty of complacence coming into the season, off the back of last years finals preformance. JT and Scott had major injuries at an age when they are in the twilight of long careers. They should have been given some honesty (your time is done) next year the club needs to back the young blokes that preformed and now deserve their oppertunity. Bennett wouldn't have let players continue for personal satisfaction and goals, it should always be about the club, the team and the future. Coote, Wintertein, Cooper, Bolton, Linnett and Fensom are declining in impact by the game. It is, what it is and Green has made his bed. They have been going through the motions and I suspect that is exactly how the season will continue. Not wanting to be there is a road to nowhere.

He did but ineffective ones. Lowe went to the bench for Hess and Hampton for Bowen after Coote came back.

You gave the nod to the Cows forwards? Seriously? Tigers should have put 40 on last night. Tigers were making easy work of it up the middle

I agree that the Cowboys backs lack pace. However, the guy who is most missed at present is also another slow poke - Kane Linnett. His defence and kick chase kept one side of the park safe.

In traffic Thurston regularly attacks the ball or the ball carrying arm looking for a strip or an error ( hence the two strip penalties last night). But he is slowing down and getting bumped off more regularly these days . He is probably carrying other niggles due to the punishment his body has taken over the past decade or more. He's just getting old, he's built like a two iron, and is getting regularly belted by defences. He needs more support from others now, to be anywhere near as effective as in recent years and that support has been lacking .

I thought Green said 3 or 4 weeks ago he was going to make changes. I wonder why it's taken him 10 rounds to realise either the side he has or the tactics he wants the side to employ simply aren't working? Four or five weeks, okay, but he's all but guaranteed the Cowboys will miss the finals by being so slow to do something.

Albo you are 100 percent correct . Our game plan for a long time has been to surge when we have our dominant forwards on the field ( JT 13, Scott and Tamau or now Hess). We have dominated only once this year though. . I thought we were all over the Panthers . JT 13 ran for over 200m, Scott was damaging etc. This week and in most other games this year we have either broken even or been beaten in the pack. We have to accept we don’t have the dominant pack of the comp anymore. So we NEED a new plan and we need it quickly. If we continue to play one out footy, predictable block plays, and rely only on JT 13 and Luck then we are doomed . Change tack next week, I don’t care if we lose by 20 but I want to see our attack change now.