The Overreaction Cycle

[Crush]

What a load of condescending baloney!
Fans enjoy their football when their Team win games, play finals football and have a full blooded tilt at winning the Premiership.
Why are you satisfied with mediocrity?

I am a realist that looks at the bigger picture. I don't call for everyone to be sacked after a couple of poor performances when my team is still in the top half of the comp with the same players and coach that saw them win 6 from 7.
Before the season I set my expectations at this. I wanted them to be competitive every week and play an entertaining style of footy that we could be proud of. I also said a top 8 finish was important. I have to say they have met my expectations thus far.
What were your expectations before a ball was kicked this year? And be honest.

 

[hazzbeen]

I am a realist that looks at the bigger picture. I don't call for everyone to be sacked after a couple of poor performances when my team is still in the top half of the comp with the same players and coach that saw them win 6 from 7.
Before the season I set my expectations at this. I wanted them to be competitive every week and play an entertaining style of footy that we could be proud of. I also said a top 8 finish was important. I have to say they have met my expectations thus far.
What were your expectations before a ball was kicked this year? And be honest.

Crush the way we were last year , I would have signed none of the players on any big money , definitely not signed Mary and bottom 3 was where we were heading . We are doing great at this stage , but Id hate to now start the slip sliding away trick , and struggle to stay in the top 8 . Realistically this can happen Mary coached teams tend to do this . So lets hope he gets them back up and we dont let all the good he has done be a blur come finals time .......

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

I am a realist that looks at the bigger picture. I don't call for everyone to be sacked after a couple of poor performances when my team is still in the top half of the comp with the same players and coach that saw them win 6 from 7.
Before the season I set my expectations at this. I wanted them to be competitive every week and play an entertaining style of footy that we could be proud of. I also said a top 8 finish was important. I have to say they have met my expectations thus far.
What were your expectations before a ball was kicked this year? And be honest.

My expectation was a top eight finish but I didn't think that we could beat the top teams.
So being flogged by Parramatta and Melbourne (which we continuously lose to) and then yesterday, loss number 10 out of 11 to Canterbury.
That doesn't sit well with me.
I am a staunch supporter and I can differentiate between putting in a great effort and losing - and playing badly.
However my main problem is that we regularly get out smarted by opposition coaches.
That is why we don't do better.
As for 6 wins out 7 games - we have lost 4 out of the last 6. That is our recent form.
So being a realist is not really that subjective.

 

[mickeylane]

Mate...we should have been prepared for what the dogs threw at us. they defended well in that first half. What the hell happened in that second half? Couldn't get a repeat set. Trying to push impossible passes. Shirt grabbing instead of tackling. Just really disappointed to lose against the one team I absolutely hate with a passion.

Milne! That's what happened

 

[thebigredv]

Crush the way we were last year , I would have signed none of the players on any big money , definitely not signed Mary and bottom 3 was where we were heading . We are doing great at this stage , but Id hate to now start the slip sliding away trick , and struggle to stay in the top 8 . Realistically this can happen Mary coached teams tend to do this . So lets hope he gets them back up and we dont let all the good he has done be a blur come finals time .......

"It's not good enough" - Paul McGregor (every press conference after a loss)

 

[BennyV]

A few people, myself included, stated early that Mary shouldnt be judged on how he reacted when things were going well, but his ability to pull the team out of a rut and react to a few losses.

Well, following losses to Roosters, Storm and Sharks we came back and had a decent game against Warriors, got lucky to beat Tigpies and had a shocker against Dogs.

Next few weeks will be very telling. Either way, we went off too early re-signing.

 

[BennyV]

Nearly. Its nearly time for him to make some changes.
I think now that Mary has job security he can look towards the future a little more and start to tweak things. I wouldn't suggest big changes to the side but it might be time to start to introduce dufty at the back and see how he goes for example.
After yesterday I am resigned to the fact that Dragons aren't in the same league as the top 4 teams. I mean just compare their rosters.
They have been valiant thus far and over-performed but at the business end of the season they won't beat Roosters, Sharks, Storm, etc etc.
I understand frustration at the dragons losing a game of footy but the way some people carry on is ridiculous wouldn't you say?
Calling for sweeping changes and blaming the coach for everything is craziness. Its the coaches fault that McCrone is playing, Mann is in the centres, Dugan isn't in the centres, Nightingale is too old.
Then IF they were to drop nightingale, promote field to half, dufty to fullback, and the Dragons got lapped for a few weeks it would be the coaches fault again. Do you think that the fans would say 'ahh well, we were never going to challenge for the title so good on Mary for trying something different'?
Let's hope that we improve our ball handling skills, stop trying to do flick-passes all the time, stop kicking the ball dead for 7 tackle sets, start to try to ho forward and break the line before offloading and if the players cannot do these things then it will be time to make some changes to those that constantly make the same errors.

If you think this will happen, you havent been paying attention. Team list today will tell the story but I full expect Nightingale to be selected at the back with KFFL on the wing. Not a youngster in sight...

 

[barry]

I'm going to cop a lot of flack for this post but I feel like it's necessary.

Some of you people are so f**king short-sighted it's ridiculous. Yes the team was abysmal today, they lost a game that they were probably expected to win. i'm angry, we're all angry, but i'm sick of seeing this ridiculous overreacting after almost every single loss.

So many people were happy to see the re-signing of Mary (granted, some weren't). Everyone wanted to keep Milne, to re-sign Mann and were right behind the team as they were charging through the competition and holding down a top 4 spot. Many believed that we were a genuine shot at the title this year.
Now, after a loss, as it happens every time, suddenly the Mary extension was a bad decision, losing Milne to another club was the right decision, we are now pretenders with no chance of winning the comp and this is apparently the start of our big slide out of the top 8.

f**king grow up, seriously. This is basically the equivalent of stamping your feet like a child after not getting something that you want.
Now I understand this isn't all of you, and maybe you need some time to calm down and come at this with a fresh perspective, but i've seen enough this year to know that this team has what it takes to be challenging in September. We had an off day against a team who rallied for each other and showed up to win (remember, they beat the Broncos after losing badly to Manly).

Let's just relax before you write the season off after one loss.

The only concerning thing is that we didn't play our best last week against the tigers and in 2015 we started the year of like this year, but went on the clubs longest losing streak and didn't recover or play anything like we did at the start of the year.

I'm just hoping this doesn't happen again

 

[hazzbeen]

A few people, myself included, stated early that Mary shouldnt be judged on how he reacted when things were going well, but his ability to pull the team out of a rut and react to a few losses.

Well, following losses to Roosters, Storm and Sharks we came back and had a decent game against Warriors, got lucky to beat Tigpies and had a shocker against Dogs.

Next few weeks will be very telling. Either way, we went off too early re-signing.

This ......

 

[getsmarty]

I Think the last 2 games have been very disappointing. Let's hope that we can jag a win against the eels and this is not similar to 2016 when we were leading the table and then had a run of losses and limped into the finals. Every team has a string of losses but it is how the Coach and players can dig their way out of it.

 

[BringTheNoise]

I agree with OP but it works both ways. We win a few games and people think everything is wonderful at the club and Mary is a good coach, we lose and people lose their minds.

All last season Mary, Lafai and Widdop were targets on this forum, fast forward to a few wins this year and they all had to be re-signed.

Some of us have maintained consistency throughout all of it. I've said all along that Mary can't coach for shit. We've got a squad of players who have remained fit and healthy and who have been playing out of their skin and we've been winning games off the back of that. It's a credit to the players and our strength and conditioning team, but I still haven't seen a lot in our structures to suggest Mary is a first grade coach who was worthy of an extension. From all reports our improved attack was a result of Mary stepping back and the players taking more ownership of our attacking structures.

Mary has shown time and time again during post match press conferences that he is out of his depth. His (mis-)use of the interchange is perplexing. His treatment of Mann is proof he is incapable of bringing through the junior players our recruitment team has banked on and signed long term. The more responsibilities the club strips from him the better we seem to go.

The last few weeks have been proof that our style of play is unsustainable and now the wheels are starting to fall off.

When OP said everyone is short-sighted he is correct. Everyone was so damn happy we were winning early on but only a few wanted to consider the big picture (a Premiership). Don't bag the coach, we're winning games in March. Everything is wonderful...

 

[getsmarty]

I agree with OP but it works both ways. We win a few games and people think everything is wonderful at the club and Mary is a good coach, we lose and people lose their minds.

All last season Mary, Lafai and Widdop were targets on this forum, fast forward to a few wins this year and they all had to be re-signed.

Some of us have maintained consistency throughout all of it. I've said all along that Mary can't coach for shit. We've got a squad of players who have remained fit and healthy and who have been playing out of their skin and we've been winning games off the back of that. It's a credit to the players and our strength and conditioning team, but I still haven't seen a lot in our structures to suggest Mary is a first grade coach who was worthy of an extension. From all reports our improved attack was a result of Mary stepping back and the players taking more ownership of our attacking structures.

Mary has shown time and time again during post match press conferences that he is out of his depth. His (mis-)use of the interchange is perplexing. His treatment of Mann is proof he is incapable of bringing through the junior players our recruitment team has banked on and signed long term. The more responsibilities the club strips from him the better we seem to go.

The last few weeks have been proof that our style of play is unsustainable and now the wheels are starting to fall off.

When OP said everyone is short-sighted he is correct. Everyone was so damn happy we were winning early on but only a few wanted to consider the big picture (a Premiership). Don't bag the coach, we're winning games in March. Everything is wonderful...

Agree..What I don't understand is this...Thompson was playing injured/Frizell was needled up...Why have Milne on the Bench? Surely Host would have been better. Then when Mann was being targeted,, couldn't Mary just re-Shuffle the Backs...Dugan to Right Centre in Defence/Nighty to Fullback and Mann to Left wing problem solved. Dugan would have handled the Morris boys no problem. Bringing Milne on only made the right side weaker.

Sorry to say this but I can't see us winning a premiership with Mary at the helm and there lies the problem.

P.S I am not trying to make this into a bash Mary session...

 

[BringTheNoise]

Agree..What I don't understand is this...Thompson was playing injured/Frizell was needled up...Why have Milne on the Bench? Surely Host would have been better. Then when Mann was being targeted,, couldn't Mary just re-Shuffle the Backs...Dugan to Right Centre in Defence/Nighty to Fullback and Mann to Left wing problem solved. Dugan would have handled the Morris boys no problem. Bringing Milne on only made the right side weaker.

Sorry to say this but I can't see us winning a premiership with Mary at the helm and there lies the problem.

P.S I am not trying to make this into a bash Mary session...

Agree 100%. Mary's logic seems to consistently be flawed around selections and interchange.

 

[Crush]

My expectation was a top eight finish but I didn't think that we could beat the top teams.
So being flogged by Parramatta and Melbourne (which we continuously lose to) and then yesterday, loss number 10 out of 11 to Canterbury.
That doesn't sit well with me.
I am a staunch supporter and I can differentiate between putting in a great effort and losing - and playing badly.
However my main problem is that we regularly get out smarted by opposition coaches.
That is why we don't do better.
As for 6 wins out 7 games - we have lost 4 out of the last 6. That is our recent form.
So being a realist is not really that subjective.

So your expectations are similar to mine. Top eight finish but cannot match it with top teams. So why do you accuse me of settling for mediocrity yet we have the same expectations?
Surely if your expectations are met you are satisfied and if they are exceeded you are more than satisfied?

 

[Old Timer]

Crush
You are risk averse and comfortable in the stuff quo and believed we could get top 8.
Some believed top 8 was possible but a significant amount and potentially ongoing change would be required.
Same expectation different way to get there.
You believe in the Mary story and others are sceptical of it and despite the improvement YTD do not perceive it sustainable without further changes.
For some the expectation of top 8 is one thing, how we get there is another and where to from there the ultimate vision.
Your vision is merely top 8 and that rubs your tummy and you roll over and go to sleep.
For myself, if people rub my tummy it is merely foreplay and I get a hard on and want to go as far as I can.

 

[blacksafake]

Crush
You are risk averse and comfortable in the stuff quo and believed we could get top 8.
Some believed top 8 was possible but a significant amount and potentially ongoing change would be required.
Same expectation different way to get there.
You believe in the Mary story and others are sceptical of it and despite the improvement YTD do not perceive it sustainable without further changes.
For some the expectation of top 8 is one thing, how we get there is another and where to from there the ultimate vision.
Your vision is merely top 8 and that rubs your tummy and you roll over and go to sleep.
For myself, if people rub my tummy it is merely foreplay and I get a hard on and want to go as far as I can.

I wish i would have stopped reading after the word sleep.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

I wish i would have stopped reading after the word sleep.

Ha ha..now that's funny.....

 

[Slippery Morris]

They played their worst game of the season and dropped to 4th. Yeah 4th. If they won they would have been 2nd. And it is round 14 after they have played premiers twice, all top 4 sides. To be in this position they must have played some good footy prior to this game? I think they went in their cocky.

This was a bad loss against a crap side but hey the Dragons are still in a good position. Rather than judge them after this loss, lets see how they go in the next 4-5 games and if they lose more then go for it and whinge but until then, look at the ladder and you will see Saints are still 4th,

This week will be tough as Parra are coming off a big loss and have no players in Origin so Saints will be up for it again.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

So your expectations are similar to mine. Top eight finish but cannot match it with top teams. So why do you accuse me of settling for mediocrity yet we have the same expectations?
Surely if your expectations are met you are satisfied and if they are exceeded you are more than satisfied?

Quite simple really...you're happy with a top eight finish and losing in the first week of the finals and I am not.
"Expectation" does not the same as "satisfaction".
Some people are just satisfied with mediocrity, it is not an accusation.

 

[hazzbeen]

Crush
You are risk averse and comfortable in the stuff quo and believed we could get top 8.
Some believed top 8 was possible but a significant amount and potentially ongoing change would be required.
Same expectation different way to get there.
You believe in the Mary story and others are sceptical of it and despite the improvement YTD do not perceive it sustainable without further changes.
For some the expectation of top 8 is one thing, how we get there is another and where to from there the ultimate vision.
Your vision is merely top 8 and that rubs your tummy and you roll over and go to sleep.
For myself, if people rub my tummy it is merely foreplay and I get a hard on and want to go as far as I can.