Thoughts on 2017/2018

[Tiger Ted]

I want to be optimistic about this season but shit we've had some obstacles thrown in out path. How we can cop the first 5 rounds we've got and the roosters get one of the easiest draws for the entire season has got me buggered. Surely if the NRL were serious about evening out the comp they would use the draw as a part of that strategy. No one could keep a straight face and say the salary cap is an effective tool anymore. It won't be again until TPA's are a thing of the past. You would imagine that making the top teams from the previous year play each other more regularly might actually increase crowds and TV ratings.

I think we will get off to a poor start with 1 and 4 probably the best we will do against the better teams, while we find our combinations and who will be in first grade regularly. I expect our defence to be a lot stronger and our middle to be a lot more effective. I expect a lot of enthusiasm and ticker as we showed towards the back end of last year.

I expect a pretty strong end to the season but can't see us making the 8 under the best of circumstances. I hope I'm wrong. I think the biggest drawback from our roster is a lack of creativity and therefore points. There doesn't look to be much ball playing in the forwards. Both our halves are off the cuff players. Cleary has taken absolutely diabolical teams from the depths to the heights in the past though so I'm hopeful.

The end of last year was great. Most games we were in it with a chance of winning up until the end. If we can get that this year all year, I'll be pretty happy.

I think with our recruitment this year we should hang back and wait for the right players. If I have a criticism last year I think we recruited too quickly and missed some better players that came on the market after season and well after we'd spent our money.

Having said that, go the tigers!!!!!

It’s been a bugbear of mine that IC certainly jumped the gun with a no.of signings.Had he been patient he definitely could’ve done a heck of a lot better recruiting.He has to now play the hand which he had the autonomy to select.

 

[Tiger Ted]

It’s been a bugbear of mine that IC certainly jumped the gun with a no.of signings.Had he been patient he definitely could’ve done a heck of a lot better recruiting.He has to now play the hand which he had the autonomy to select.

Consequently there’s no excuses for IC not to improve this team markedly otherwise he can expect much backlash coz he’s had a huge advantage over previous coaches in virtually being able to assemble a team starting from virtually a blank canvas.

 

[Das Hassler]

I'd expect the run-on side to look quite different 3 or 4 games in....it'll be musical chairs for a while ...these first games against last years top 4 we were never expected to win anyway (as a radically new side) so i'd rather experiment a bit this first month. ..
continue the trial process if you will and be right to start winning rhe one's we should be winning....if we get flogged these first few weeks then so be it...it's about the end game

 

[simmo05]

Ic recruited what he could. Not alot of decent players on the market at the time and he had to replace a good proportion of the squad. Say he sits on his hands and waits for these late season signings and they dont happen. Everyone would be calling for his head! He was going to cop it either way. We now have the basis of a top team, only missing the inclusion of 1 genuine game breaker to go all the way imho

 

[Tigerm]

I thought on paper IC has recruited pretty well. I just think good players are not going to knock on our door until we get consistent and the club management do not look like amateur morons.

 

[Tiger05]

I think IC recruited as well as possible in the situation that he was in. I still don't like the Reynolds signing although I do think he seems like a good guy. The problem I have is that the team with the most ability tends to win games and Reynolds isn't a player who is anywhere near the best in his position.

Still I see this as a rebuilding time for us but one where we are developing a quality team and not a bunch of juniors after the most amount of money.

 

[Clifferd]

Fun fact: Reynolds is one of the halves that won the last NSW series. Pretty sure he has the ability

 

[Tiger05]

Fun fact: Reynolds is one of the halves that won the last NSW series. Pretty sure he has the ability

We haven't seen it so far though. He was pretty poor in the trials.

I want him and Brooks to come good because they are both likable and if we have a quality set of halves it'll go a long way to having a good season.

 

[Clifferd]

We haven't seen it so far though. He was pretty poor in the trials.

I want him and Brooks to come good because they are both likable and if we have a quality set of halves it'll go a long way to having a good season.

They’ll take nearly half a season to gel imo. Only time will tell

 

[Tiger Ted]

They’ll take nearly half a season to gel imo. Only time will tell

Won’t surprise if Brooks is playing reserve grade by mid -season !

 

[super_coach]

Ic recruited what he could. Not alot of decent players on the market at the time and he had to replace a good proportion of the squad. Say he sits on his hands and waits for these late season signings and they dont happen. Everyone would be calling for his head! He was going to cop it either way. We now have the basis of a top team, only missing the inclusion of 1 genuine game breaker to go all the way imho

Said the same thing, you can only recruit players that are willing to sign. I would say IC made approaches to most of the quality players on the market but probably got a polite knock back.. Till our club is viewed as a attractive option for players, we will always be shopping on the second top shelve

 

[Clifferd]

If tonight is any indication of how Brisbane will play this year we may not have the worst halves in the comp

Milford/Nikorima are pretty average

 

[Tiger Ted]

If tonight is any indication of how Brisbane will play this year we may not have the worst halves in the comp

Milford/Nikorima are pretty average

They let go of their 2 best halves from last season Hunt & our prodigal son.Looking at the draw over the next few weeks it’s highly likely us & the broncos will each be 0/2 when we meet at Campbelltown in 2 weeks.

 

[Vozzy]

Andrew Johns working with the roosters probably just wants to take credit for Cronks good year.

Seriously why not work with a half like Brooks not someone who had won premierships and a shit load of origin

 

[stryker]

It doesnt make sense...Cooper could coach that side and there would be very little Johns could teach him. Joey sniffs a premiership.

 

[Clifferd]

Andrew Johns working with the roosters probably just wants to take credit for Cronks good year.

Seriously why not work with a half like Brooks not someone who had won premierships and a shit load of origin

Every young half should have a former great halfback mentor them imo. Brooks/Cleary/Moses etc etc

What a f**kstain joey johns really is. As if Roosters need any more leg ups

 

[Clifferd]

They let go of their 2 best halves from last season Hunt & our prodigal son.Looking at the draw over the next few weeks it’s highly likely us & the broncos will each be 0/2 when we meet at Campbelltown in 2 weeks.

Well I give us some chance this sat. Next to no chance down in Melb & especially Slaters 300th game. Could get very ugly

 

[Das Hassler]

Every young half should have a former great halfback mentor them imo. Brooks/Cleary/Moses etc etc

What a f**kstain joey johns really is. As if Roosters need any more leg ups

It's absurd....

 

[magpie_man]

The old "transit lounge" paradigm continues; Easts really are a turd of a club.
The thing is: for all of the advantages they hold they are woeful underachievers - they're two premierships this milleniumm have come off the back of Canterbury's salary cap shermozzle and SBW - a once in a generation athlete.
They have an appalling culture based on egotism, glory-seeking, greed and revelry. You can bet your sweet bippy that there will be some sort of attrocity involving the Bondi boys at some point in the year - like dry-humping a dog or bashing a girlfriend or defecating in a hotel corridor.
The fact that they have no fans goes a way to restoring my faith in humanity, because what person with any shred of character would support such a plastic pantomime of a club.
They've had the Eastern Suburbs to themselves for over 100 years and yet have bugger-all local juniors, instead they gouge south-west Sydney and the Central Coast and then blame Souths for annexing a few junior clubs decades ago - clubs that would probably be playing Rah-Rah or Aussie Rules if they were left under Easts care.
They're not gonna win the premiership this year - they could buy the Queensland Origin team and still wouldn't win it - it'll go to a team built on work ethic and playing for each other not paychecks and partying.

 

[Clifferd]

The old "transit lounge" paradigm continues; Easts really are a turd of a club.
The thing is: for all of the advantages they hold they are woeful underachievers - they're two premierships this milleniumm have come off the back of Canterbury's salary cap shermozzle and SBW - a once in a generation athlete.
They have an appalling culture based on egotism, glory-seeking, greed and revelry. You can bet your sweet bippy that there will be some sort of attrocity involving the Bondi boys at some point in the year - like dry-humping a dog or bashing a girlfriend or defecating in a hotel corridor.
The fact that they have no fans goes a way to restoring my faith in humanity, because what person with any shred of character would support such a plastic pantomime of a club.
They've had the Eastern Suburbs to themselves for over 100 years and yet have bugger-all local juniors, instead they gouge south-west Sydney and the Central Coast and then blame Souths for annexing a few junior clubs decades ago - clubs that would probably be playing Rah-Rah or Aussie Rules if they were left under Easts care.
They're not gonna win the premiership this year - they could buy the Queensland Origin team and still wouldn't win it - it'll go to a team built on work ethic and playing for each other not paychecks and partying.

Extremely well written. Agree with everything