Our best chance of finishing top 4  is now Panthers losing one of their last 2 home games.

Sharks, Roosters and Storm impressive, I expect that Panthers will  also switch on.

If we finish 5th, the big danger is the Broncos finishing 8th, they would need to beat the Storm in the last round.

Just making the semis is a big achievement.

I would hate to have to play the Bozos in our first finals game. The Dargons are hopefully going to make it and be an easy win for us. 

We are the most cosistent team, it is hard to get a read on all other sides because they are inconsistent. 

The concern is that the top four have another gear and 3 of them have switched on. 

The Canberra intercept to beat the Panthers was lucky, that keeps the door open on 4th.

Even with Cam Murray Souths are not winning many games, hard to see them beating Penrith without him.

Last round Des's Titans could do anything. 

The Fins might even switch on and beat the Bozos, they have the Storm in the last round.

Just being in the mix is good, but I don't know if we have another gear and we might need one.

hd, we have a few finals experienced players in the side that know what is required. I believe the reason we have been keeping sides scoreless in the 2nd half is that they are learning to "step up a gear".

I am still optimistic...

Most teams are great this season when they are on top and can fall apart when the opposition get on top.

The Donkeys turned it around against the Eels, but as soon as they stepped up the Eels crumbled. 

The Warriors started fast and tough against us, it was fairly physical and intense all game.

Out of all the sides in the comp we can handle early set backs, grind away, execute and finish on top in the end.

Top 4 + Broncos can blow sides away, we need to hang in to stay in the contest.  We have done that regular season, but semis are a whole new ball game.

We need better starts, I am sure Cirro is working on that.

I would like to see how we go with Morrin starting at lock and one bigger forward on the bench. 

The next 2 games are a good time to experiment.

I actually fear having to play the Cows in an elimination. They are unpredictable and beat us last. 

What worse is if we have to play them in last round and then again a week later. For thst to happen, we would have to lose oir last 2, Manly win their last two (one against us) while Cows lose to Storm but beat us in Rnd 27.

I don't think we have another "gear" this year - so to speak.

Our greatest attribute as you pointed out is ability to hang in there, not lose patience and finish strongly.

If we can keep teams to 3 or less tries, we likely win. If we are to let in more than 3 tries, we would need to ensure we dont let in 3 consecutive ones or allow a team to get a 16-18 point lead. Especially one of the top 4 teams.

That’s why I’m worried about playing Bozos or the chickens. Both can put on points fast. Our defence can beat both these sides but on their day they are the biggest threat outside of Melbourne and Penrith. 

Mase had a pretty good suggestion. 

Start King and Curran at prop,  probably Salmon at lock.

Hughes,  Hayes, Morrin and Hayward on the bench.

I think that we need to kick long and kick early,  try to make the opposition pack spend a fair bit of time tracking back.

The Roosters and Broncos can score long range trys, but that is harder to do bringing the ball out of their own end,

Now the main  problem is bigger players winning the collision and us conceding 6-agains and penalties.  No solution there, other than a good kick chase and dominating the early tackles. 

If it is 0-0 after 20 mins and we have had approximately 50% possession, our chances of winning from there are pretty good. 

I still think we need Hughes starting. That extra big body early helps so much. The smaller bodies off the bench have been very effective. 

As for the game plan. Keep doing what we have been doing. Like you say. Kick early and long. Good kick chase. Tire the opposition out. We do that better than anybody. 

My other suggestion is keep Hughes starting, start Morrin at lock.

Bench : Curran,  Hayes, Patolo,  Hayward. 

I doubt that Cirro will do this he rates Salmon and I am not sure we have another big body who he trusts.

IMO Salmon makes too many mistakes and conceeds to many penalties. Kiks is the same, but the good stuff Kiks does more than makes up for it.

I think that we have a squad and a game plan that gives us a shot in the semis this season.

And if we don't win it we will know what we need to work on for next season. 

I like him too. You always know when he has come onto the field coz he makes an immediate impact hitting a hole and putting defence on the back foot. 

Itd not power running, its just smart angled runs in between defenders forcing them to tackle him side-on rather than front-on.

Hayes definitely increases our chances of winning. 

Especially Hayes, Curran and King all in the same side.

The best emerging player this season is Hayes followed by Hayward. 

Most improved probably Sexton, Morrin and Hughes also big improvers.

A lot has gone right and been done right.

With the talent we have at the  club, the coaches are getting everything out of them.

I can't think of a player who is injury free and is underperformed expectations. 

Perhaps Kinght but even then I think he is doing the best he can and isn't that bad.

The only real question is  - do we have enough talent?

We don't have the rep class players to match the Storm and Roosters  - but on the field names and reputations don't count.

We don’t have the team to win the comp just yet. Some more smart signings and a few more standout juniors and we could next year. And certainly we should compete for the next few years if our defence continues to improve. 

Micko, I can't agree with you on this one. During the regular season they proved they can mix it with the best sides and although semi final football is a different kettle of fish I believe the Dogs have enough experienced players (and coach) to navigate the team through the finals series and enough firepower to win it outright.

It will be interesting to see if we play Clark and  / or Underhill against Manly. 

This is the last week in which we can experiment. 

We might want to see what the young guys can do in case we get injuries or HIAs in the semis.

Clark might be a good option for 18th man in the semis.

We should play our top strength side against the Cows in preparation for the semis, Critter and Curran would come straight back in. 

I don't  mind giving Curran another week's rest, he was pretty banged up, might need surgery in the off season. 

The other reason to have a look at Underhill is if we are 50-50 on signing a guy like Leo Thompson. 

I think Thompson would suit our style. Rumours are that the Knights are offloading props. I bet that they promote Friz to prop, they have some good props in the lower grades and they may have a signing in mind.

With the improved form of Sexton and with Woods only a few years away, I am not sure how much opportunity O'Neill will get at the club. The Knights might be wanting to sign a halfback,  they need one.

I expect a bit of player turnover in the offseason with many players signing short term deals, but clubs locking in key players longer term.

It’s highly unlikely mate. I hope you’re right though. 

Thompson would be a great signing. High work rate, high effort with a bit more size. Perfect fit for us. 

It will be funny if the Storm reserve grade side rolls the Cows.

On paper the Cows should win easily. 

Even their mum's haven't heard of some of the dudes on the Storm bench. Any guy that told his mum he was an accountant is busted.

Scratch my theory about young players getting a run.

Looking at reserve grade Clark, Underhill,  Taffee, Todd, Hutch and Turpin are all playing.  So Curran and Skelton are playing NRl.

With Todd and Taffee back Sutton and Mann are our main injuries 

I am glad that Todd, Taffee and Turpin are back even though I can't see Todd playing NRL this season.

We are deliberately flying under the radar when it comes to NRL signings. I think that means we are mostly promoting young guys.

I hope Underhill,  Todd, Clark and Sua are promoted and that we lock up Papalii.

Its hard not to get swept in the emotion of this run if ours, and think we can go all the way. But my gut feel is come finals time, the other sides (especially the top 4) will rise another gear or two. I dont think our guys have any gears left. But the game style we play can win games if these finals teams dont improve on what they've been dishing out.

First things first, and we need to secure a home final (5th or 6th). From there hopefully we put in a good performance and give ourselves a shot at making a prelim or GF.

For some reason, i like prelims more than GFs. I get too nervous on GFs. The last 2 were real emotional rollercoasters for me....

Geez lucky i have a Galaxy Andrroid phone that detects Telemarketers and Robocalls....

The amount im getting lately is out of control.
Do they not get the hint when i don't answer?

Other teams are so inconsistent that it is hard to predict outcomes.

Will the best version of Manly turn up on Friday?

How good is the best version of Manly?

If we stay in the grind will we frustrate Manly into error?

Mann is a big loss for us,  Curran is a big plus. Dogs will maintain our level, the rest is up to the opposition. 

Hard to predict anything from here, just enjoy the ride.

If we start well Manly might fall apart, their defence was ordinary against the Tigers. They will start out determined and energetic, but can they cop a couple of early setbacks?

No point in looking further ahead, take it week by week.

Not much of a true supporter, but hey, what I've seen so far a GF win is not a pipe dream but a real possibility.

Unfortunately I’ll be in Hawaii for the Grand Final if we make it. But somehow I’ll find somewhere to watch it. Either way I’ll be throwing down a few to calm
the nerves. 

It’s the toughest game we have had for a while. Luckily we are at home. I’m worried about this one. It’s a game that we really have to win. We need to push for top four and beat both Manly and Nth Qld to get the mental edge on whoever finishes 8th. 

we are finishing 5th with one win required from the last 2 games. 4th is gone in my view
thus I would expect curren won't play this week ,possibly kikau and tracy too

We are down to a 2 man extended squad- Underhill and Hutchinson.

Still a chance that Underhill might play instead of Curran. 

We will want to  secure a home final.

What  a joke the Cows v Storm game was. The Cows don't deserve a home final after that performance.

If the Cows ground announcer didn't wip up the ground with a lame Cowboys,  Cowboys chant, there was less noise, atmosphere and passion that a typical library.

Cows fans don’t seem to be very passionate. 

If we can keep the winning momentum going. 

The AFL have named an Australian side. Must be a big game against a handball team from Taiwan coming up.