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Panthers Unpopularity XIII

Pomoz

Pomoz

Bench
Messages
2,868
umina panther said:
Im only 28 and I was a Bears fan till the merger so i haven't seen much pre 96 or so
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Oh to be 28 again. Luckily for you he had retired by then, although you missed out on his comedy value. He wasn't a bad bloke, but he just couldn't catch. A bit of a problem when you are fullback.
 
TheFrog

TheFrog

Coach
Messages
14,300
Pomoz said:
Oh to be 28 again. Luckily for you he had retired by then, although you missed out on his comedy value. He wasn't a bad bloke, but he just couldn't catch. A bit of a problem when you are fullback.
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Baker was a very good goal kicker but couldn't catch a bomb to save his life. He was a pet of coach Ron Willey and followed him to Penrith.

The Tigers game is possibly the '89 major prelim, where Baker gifted the Tigers two tries in the early moments and we never recovered. This is the game when Willey dropped Chris Mortimer to the bench.

This was Penrith's most successful season in its 23 year history at the time, and still they showed the coach the door at season's end.
 
Pomoz

Pomoz

Bench
Messages
2,868
TheFrog said:
Baker was a very good goal kicker but couldn't catch a bomb to save his life. He was a pet of coach Ron Willey and followed him to Penrith.

The Tigers game is possibly the '89 major prelim, where Baker gifted the Tigers two tries in the early moments and we never recovered. This is the game when Willey dropped Chris Mortimer to the bench.

This was Penrith's most successful season in its 23 year history at the time, and still they showed the coach the door at season's end.
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I was there for that. Willey was gone at the end of the year and Gus came in. The Tigers had Ellery Hanley the year before and he nearly beat us on his own in one game. He was so dominant that year, once Terry Lamb knocked his block off in the GF, the Bulldogs were a sure thing.
 
D

darkbloom

Juniors
Messages
750
TheFrog said:
Baker was a very good goal kicker but couldn't catch a bomb to save his life. He was a pet of coach Ron Willey and followed him to Penrith.

The Tigers game is possibly the '89 major prelim, where Baker gifted the Tigers two tries in the early moments and we never recovered. This is the game when Willey dropped Chris Mortimer to the bench.

This was Penrith's most successful season in its 23 year history at the time, and still they showed the coach the door at season's end.
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It was a very good decision to change coaches then, Willey had completely lost the plot and the respect of the team. Your "still they showed the coach the door" seems to infer it was a poor move by the club. It wasn't!
 
TheFrog

TheFrog

Coach
Messages
14,300
darkbloom said:
It was a very good decision to change coaches then, Willey had completely lost the plot and the respect of the team. Your "still they showed the coach the door" seems to infer it was a poor move by the club. It wasn't!
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History proves you right, but I still think its about the only time a club has had its best ever season and sacked the coach.

Ron Willey did really well getting Penrith off the bottom and into contention, but once in contention he was at a bit of a loss what to do next, I feel.
 
roofromoz

roofromoz

First Grade
Messages
7,580
Back on Neil Baker, I was a Tigers fan back in 1988 and Ross Conlon was my favourite player (why, I have no freakin' idea). I remember watching a State Bank Big Game replay where Conlon scored (or stole) a try courtesy of the opposing fullback misjudging the ball in the ingoal. My 9 year old self went ballistic in the lounge room when that happened.

It was only years later, by then a Panthers fan and watching a replay of that match that it all connected in terms of who it was. I was filthy, retrospectively on Penrith conceding a try like that - f*** that Tigers winger! :lol:
 
D

darkbloom

Juniors
Messages
750
TheFrog said:
History proves you right, but I still think its about the only time a club has had its best ever season and sacked the coach.

Ron Willey did really well getting Penrith off the bottom and into contention, but once in contention he was at a bit of a loss what to do next, I feel.
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Yes I see what you mean. What is also not widely known is that at the time Ron's health was declining and faced some quite serious problems.

He was certainly a great contributor to the Panthers story. But it was a very good decision to part company with him despite his contribution.
 
Fangs

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,619
Only Purtell and Franze gave me genuine rage.

After that I mellowed out and joined an NRL forum.
 
Y

YoungPanther

Juniors
Messages
273
Matt Elliott - got chills just typing that.

Jack Hetherington - so sad. All the ability in the world but just can't keep it together. You can't even call it brain explosions, as there clearly is nothing between the ears. He has had the best mentors possible and still doesn't get it.
 
Hooked

Hooked

Juniors
Messages
1,073
Mark O'Halloran. Overhyped by the club as a star signing.
I still remember the hype on PI. Don't worry we have a class centre coming. Once O'Halloran was announced, most fans asked when's the star centre being announced!
 
O

Old and Disgruntled

Juniors
Messages
457
Hooked said:
Mark O'Halloran. Overhyped by the club as a star signing.
I still remember the hype on PI. Don't worry we have a class centre coming. Once O'Halloran was announced, most fans asked when's the star centre being announced!
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Sparkles McGaw same sort of fan fare.
Who can forget Gillmeister.
 
Exsilium

Exsilium

First Grade
Messages
9,569
Fangs said:
Only Purtell and Franze gave me genuine rage.

After that I mellowed out and joined an NRL forum.
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The Turtle wasn't flash but he was always giving 100%. I won't hate on the Turtle.

Franze was one of those stories where the average bloke makes it and manages to create a career purely based on the 'right place, right time' idea.

We've had some unusual selections over the years but we were also a complete mess.

The biggest take away I with how the club is now, is that we're competitive and can build teams year after year.

When Griffin was here, I loved the fact we could be competitive and give the ladder a shake. It was so much better than the hit and miss seasons under Elliott and after Lang.

Nowadays, I get great comfort knowing we're so far from where we were.
 
Fangs

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,619
2003/04 Ryan Girdler and Paul Whaturia to 2005 Paul Franze and Danny Galea with Ben Pomeroy as back up.

Not the best days for Rooney and Lewis
 
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