League nice Matty Johns says “attitude” is the largest concern dealing with the Cowboys after a disappointing begin to the season.
Todd Payten’s facet entered the 2023 season as a real contender however after three rounds sit in fifteenth on the ladder having misplaced to the Broncos and Warriors.
Addressing the Cowboys’ early-season struggles, Johns turned the blowtorch on their defence.
“The Cowboys have got some real problems as far as attitude is concerned,” he mentioned on SEN Radio.
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“I would say 75 per cent of their energy is exerted on attack, they’ve got little focus on defence. All the most important areas to win a football game, they’re considerably worse than last year.
“They trust their attacking brands too much. I see this sometimes with South Sydney, they go into games, and they’ve got a swagger about them that says, ‘If you score 22 points, we’re sweet, we’ll score 26’.
“That is how the Cowboys are playing, frivolous passing, no thought for ball retention. They just believe they can win the game on the back of attacking class. They could easily be 0-3.”
One key space of concern for Payten has been the style at which the Cowboys have pale in video games this season.
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In their season opener the Cowboys raced to an 18-0 after 35 minutes in opposition to the Raiders, however they solely held on for a 19-18 win through a Seventy fifth-minute area objective.
The following week they led the Broncos 8-0 after 20 minutes earlier than shedding 28-16, and the pattern continued in opposition to the Warriors in spherical three.
The Cowboys failed to attain after the 14th minute because the Warriors piled on 4 unanswered tries.
“The area that would worry Todd Payten the most is that they start well and then as the game goes on and gets into the arm wrestle, the other side gets ascendancy,” Johns mentioned.
Fox Sports Lab numbers paint a transparent image.
In 2022 the Cowboys ranked second in factors conceded, they at the moment sit twelfth. For tries conceded they’re eleventh in 2023 in comparison with third final season whereas run metres sees them in sixteenth, approach down from fourth in 2022.
Offloads conceded is one other key stats the place they’re developing quick over the primary three rounds. The Cowboys ranked first in 2023 and at the moment sit eleventh.
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
