Kurt Mann didn't play last weekend!!!!!!!!

[giboz71]

Mann is a better wing option than Nighty, no question.

But is he exponentially better that he will transform our team? I don't think so. As I said, our success will lie with our forwards continuing to dominate, and Duges, Widdop and McInnes continuing to deliver, like they did against the Panthers.

If we had Addo Carr, Vunivalu or Radrara waiting in the wings, fair enough to dump Nighty. But Mann, despite he's a very good player, is not compelling enough a case to drop a club legend.

I don't have a problem with sticking with Nighty at least for this year. As long we keep winning

 

[GC Dragon]

Mann is a better wing option than Nighty, no question.

But is he exponentially better that he will transform our team? I don't think so. As I said, our success will lie with our forwards continuing to dominate, and Duges, Widdop and McInnes continuing to deliver, like they did against the Panthers.

If we had Addo Carr, Vunivalu or Radtrara waiting in the wings, fair enough to dump Nighty. But Mann, despite he's a very good player, is not compelling enough a case to drop a club legend.

I don't have a problem with sticking with Nighty at least for this year. As long we keep winning

I am a big fan of Mann and think he should be starting but you make a excellent point regarding Nighty .

Another kid that seems to be on the way out is Izaac Thompson . At the start of the year Millward mentioned him as the other big winger and the one most likely to replace Nighty when the time comes . Now he is talking about Garrick . Thompson was the only player not in the team photo . He was 18th man for the cutters last week and is not in the team this week .

Last year I spoke to JD when the Dragons were up here and asked him if there was any juniors besides Host that would play first grade this year . He said Thompson and Sele should . He said Thompson had been held back though 15 months of injuries but he really rated him highly . So things seem to of changed a lot .

 

[ALSGI]

Kurt Mann should replace Nightingale now. The coach continues to play games. Despite what Millward says Field and Garrick are not up to it yet
and need another six months in the lower grades. Even Field thinks that his elevation is premature. This preoccupation with Mann as a utility is stupid. He is at least as good as Hornby but can score tries at ease. Last year he was our best winger. Last year Mary was scared to drop Marshall and this year he is scared to drop Nightingale. Our backline is very weak and only Dugan and MacDonald stand out. The rest are average and/or playing in the wrong positions. We play Frizell and Thompson out wide because our centres are about half as good as Gasnier and Cooper. We will probably lose Dugan and Mann and end up with a backline of no hopers with no speed or swerve. Things are still far from what they should be.

Spot on Dragons Revival well put.

 

[ALSGI]

Everyone says Flo is a great club man etc etc
Well now he has a real chance to prove it.
For the good of the long term future of our club Mann should be playing 1st grade as of now.
The sentimentality attached to Flo is clouding the rational thinking process.
DR made a good point in his post that, we run the very grave risk of losing a few players and having a dud backline when our long awaited halfback finally gets here.
At what point do players stop being a good club man and become a liability and hang on too long?

Agree OT, however couldn't blame Nighty for staying on, this should be Mary's call.

 

[Dragon Revival]

Old Timer the way that we play indicates that the coaches believe that our backs are
just there to defend and score off kicks. The Club is good when it has a brilliant backline as in 1977, 1979, 2010 and the mid 50's to mid 60's. We have little zip compared to Lumsden, Reg Gasnier, King, Langlands, Goodwin, Brennan, Steve Morris, Johnston, Walford, Blacklock, Cooper, Mark Gasnier, Brett Morris, etc. Dufty and Field are great but if we play them regularly this year we are asking them to jump two grades successfully.
The retention and selection of Mann is a must.

 

[BennyV]

I am a big fan of Mann and think he should be starting but you make a excellent point regarding Nighty .

Another kid that seems to be on the way out is Izaac Thompson . At the start of the year Millward mentioned him as the other big winger and the one most likely to replace Nighty when the time comes . Now he is talking about Garrick . Thompson was the only player not in the team photo . He was 18th man for the cutters last week and is not in the team this week .

Last year I spoke to JD when the Dragons were up here and asked him if there was any juniors besides Host that would play first grade this year . He said Thompson and Sele should . He said Thompson had been held back though 15 months of injuries but he really rated him highly . So things seem to of changed a lot .

Thompson ain't that good.

 

[ALSGI]

I don't have a problem with sticking with Nighty at least for this year. As long we keep winning

Agree with the sentiment giboz but if Mann doesn't play this weekend, it'll be 4 weeks since he's played? I'd at the very least rotate him with Nighty the following week?

 

[goggles]

I love that you are hanging onto that one goggles. The infamous moment when I said that I was feeling positive about marys coaching ability. The "dumbest post ever bar none"
I actually enjoy that kind of banter. The kind where you look for any opportunity to remind someone of something they once said.
I look forward to Kurt Mann becoming a household name.
And btw, I am actually feeling really positive about Mary's coaching ability after last week, really positive!

Sorry to disappoint you Crush, but I'm not holding onto anything at all. As i said earlier, when taken in the context of our previous conversation, i thought your response earlier this afternoon was strange...nothing more, nothing less. Btw, if you are going to attribute a quote to someone, make sure it's to the right person (it wasn't me that wrote "dumbest post ever bar none"). Cheers

 

[Crush]

Sorry to disappoint you Crush, but I'm not holding onto anything at all. As i said earlier, when taken in the context of our previous conversation, i thought your response earlier this afternoon was strange...nothing more, nothing less. Btw, if you are going to attribute a quote to someone, make sure it's to the right person (it wasn't me that wrote "dumbest post ever bar none"). Cheers

Yeah mate, I know it wasn't you that made the original "dumbest post ever bar none" call it was the ever bubbly happy go lucky Objective View. I remember it all clearly, I just quoted that because I remember you taking exception to my comment and you called me out on it. Which is fine BTW, that's what the forum is all about after all.
I do notice though that you have not forgotten that post and I do think that you are holding onto it.
Anyway Goggles, Go the Dragons.

 

[2010]

Titans might have some say about Mann, I believe they are interested in him

 

[possm]

Mann is on the bench today however, this is not going to solve our backline problem. Lafai and Nightingale are the current problem and if Mann gets a run it will be either in the halves or at fullback.

 

[Dragsters]

I'm hoping he gets some decent time at halfback and with McInnes at dummy half would be ideal.

Likely he will get 10 minutes late with McCrone at dummy half though with McInnes getting a breather.

 

[gitano]

I don't get the Mann love in. As someone said earlier, there's plenty of players out there of his standard. Of all our outside backs, he has to be the lowest priority for retention.

 

[getsmarty]

I don't get the Mann love in. As someone said earlier, there's plenty of players out there of his standard. Of all our outside backs, he has to be the lowest priority for retention.

Really??? Leading try scorer for us last year and played half the games.

 

[gitano]

Finished off a few plays. He's hardly a star.

 

[possm]

Love to see Milne, Mann, Lafai in a foot race over 80m. I'd say placings would be:
First Mann
Second Milne
Third Lafai
Fourth Nightingale

How do you think they'd go?

 

[ALSGI]

Finished off a few plays. He's hardly a star.

Finished a few off that Nighty wouldn't have sadly.

 

[Crush]

Love to see Milne, Mann, Lafai in a foot race over 80m. I'd say placings would be:
First Mann
Second Milne
Third Lafai
Fourth Nightingale

How do you think they'd go?

Whilst speed is very important it isn't everything. Ofcourse the younger players will always be faster but the older guys that have played hundreds of nrl games will have the smarts.
Nightingale still knows how to find the tryline don't worry about that.

 

[gitano]

Finished a few off that Nighty wouldn't have sadly.

You don't know that. Let him go, he ain't that good.

 

[ALSGI]

Whilst speed is very important it isn't everything. Ofcourse the younger players will always be faster but the older guys that have played hundreds of nrl games will have the smarts.
Nightingale still knows how to find the tryline don't worry about that.

Crush

Can't agree on Nighty.

Nighty scored 6 tries in 24 games - 2016
5 tries in 22 games - 2015
16 tries in 22 games - 2014

Mann, last year 10 tries in 13 games (2 played at FB where he didn't score until he was dropped).

Nighty is a club legend, and won't score again from more than 15-20m out imo. Yes he'll do some other solid work and be a good leader.

Our wingers need to finish of more tries.

Just my opinion, admire the guy but.....