Walker say Souths in the 8

[Seano]

Walker predicts Souths to make 04 finals
November 11, 2003

CALL him crazy but former Manly five-eighth Ben Walker today made a bold prediction - South Sydney to make the top eight in the National Rugby League next year.

The Rabbitohs were the whipping boys of the competition this year, winning just three games on their way to collecting the wooden spoon.

But Walker, whose brother Shane plays for Souths, believes the Rabbitohs will be competitive in 2004 following the signings of veterans Terry Hill and Adam MacDougall.

"I reckon they'll make the eight," said Walker today from his family's pub in Crows Nest, near Toowoomba, in Queensland.

"It's a bold prediction but they were pretty competitive last year without winning games. I wouldn't be surprised if they made the eight, that's for sure."

Souths have also recruited Shane Marteene, Glenn Hall and Todd Polglase from the Bulldogs and former Wests Tigers forward Willie Manu.

They have signed former Cronulla five-eighth Mitch Healey as one of two assistant coaches under Paul Langmack.

Walker was cut from the final year of his contract with the Sea Eagles following news in August he would need a knee reconstruction.

The former Brisbane player, on the long road to recovery, said today he was in no hurry to find a new NRL club.

"I've just had the operation and I'll have nine to ten months off, kick back and be a publican for that amount of time," said the 27-year-old.

"If a club approaches me I'd be more than happy to sit down and have a chat about it but at this stage I won't be fishing for any contracts.

"I'll get my rehab done and do my training to keep fit .... but I'm not going to go out and openly look for a club."

Walker said he harboured no bitterness towards Manly for dumping him from the club, which finished above only Souths on the NRL table.

"You can't really blame them because I certainly wasn't going to be right for the start of the season and maybe halfway through I would've been 100 per cent but they weren't to know that.

"They were just looking at the chance I wouldn't be right for the start of the season and better to let me go."

The Sea Eagles, under new coach Des Hasler, have signed Jye Mullane from Cronulla and former Canberra utility Michael Monaghan to cover the five-eighth position vacated by Walker.

AAP

--
Now this is what you call being optimistic!
As much as id love us to make the 8, i just cant see us being ahead of 6 or so other teams.

But id love to be wrong!

 

[madunit]

Theres nothing wrong with high hopes, but don't you think just by improving on last year should be the first and foremost priority, focus on finals football once the improvements begin?

I didn't think you guys would listen to what any Walker brother had to say after Chris's efforts this year.

 

[Seano]

i didnt say that i agreed with him, in fact i think i said i didnt think it would happen.
I would be happy should we win about 5 times the games we did this year (we would end on say 24 points), prob wont make the semis but lay a good platform for the year after

 

[Mambo]

Farkin hell.

Just when the club itself learns not to make these stupid pointless 'bold' predictions, someone from outside the club opens his trap. I swear, the media must go after someone to provide this slant each and every season so that down the track they can come back to it and put the boot in.

Why is Ben commenting on our fortunes anyway? He doesn't know much about the club except maybe the second hand stuff his brother tells him. Hardly enough to warrent such a 'bold' prediction, is it Ben :?

 

[rastus]

Ben Walker is entitled to his opinion as is everybody else, in fact, I regard this as a a positive indictment of where the club is heading this season. Obviously Ben has got a bit of info from his brother Shane, in order to formulate that opinion, which can only mean that things are going well ;-)

 

[Tigerpete]

One thinks that Ben Walker is still high on hospital anesthetic! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[The Colonel]

One thinks that Ben Walker is still high on hospital anesthetic! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

One thinks he may not have been just running the pub but rather drinking the profits???

 

[Mambo]

Absolutely 100% disagree rastus.

The minute someone comes forward and makes this call there is immediate speculation and pressure. Do you ever hear anyone from any other club say 'we'll make the 8 this year' and it come accross as a 'shock' prediction. The reason we have so much shock value is that we haven't been to the semis in 13 years!

The priorities are all screwed up and so is the logic.

It should be 1) Get the results 2) make the statements and predictions.

not the other way around. We have a track record of not being able to provide step1 so in my mind not even our coach or CEO has the right to make such claims of top 8 until we actually get there. End of section.

 

[Tigerpete]

Seriously.....name 1 club that isnt striving to make the top8 in 2004???? There is none. Walkers comments are stupid....Langmack and co realise souths have other things to do before making the top 8,, i think their first goal will be to at least double the wins column from 2003's 3 wins to at least 6 in 2004.

 

[rastus]

Absolutely 100% disagree rastus.

The minute someone comes forward and makes this call there is immediate speculation and pressure. Do you ever hear anyone from any other club say 'we'll make the 8 this year' and it come accross as a 'shock' prediction. The reason we have so much shock value is that we haven't been to the semis in 13 years!

The priorities are all screwed up and so is the logic.

It should be 1) Get the results 2) make the statements and predictions.

not the other way around. We have a track record of not being able to provide step1 so in my mind not even our coach or CEO has the right to make such claims of top 8 until we actually get there. End of section.

Since when is Ben Walker part of "we'll" as far as I know he has no involvement with the club. Once again, it is his opinion, that is all.

 

[rastus]

Seriously.....name 1 club that isnt striving to make the top8 in 2004???? There is none. Walkers comments are stupid....Langmack and co realise souths have other things to do before making the top 8,, i think their first goal will be to at least double the wins column from 2003's 3 wins to at least 6 in 2004.

Why are his comments stupid - he has no involvement with the club - he is just another person expressing his opinion. Everyone else is entitled to an opinion why is he any different?

 

[Mambo]

Absolutely 100% disagree rastus.

The minute someone comes forward and makes this call there is immediate speculation and pressure. Do you ever hear anyone from any other club say 'we'll make the 8 this year' and it come accross as a 'shock' prediction. The reason we have so much shock value is that we haven't been to the semis in 13 years!

The priorities are all screwed up and so is the logic.

It should be 1) Get the results 2) make the statements and predictions.

not the other way around. We have a track record of not being able to provide step1 so in my mind not even our coach or CEO has the right to make such claims of top 8 until we actually get there. End of section.

Since when is Ben Walker part of "we'll" as far as I know he has no involvement with the club. Once again, it is his opinion, that is all.

So how can he have an informed enough opinion to make this statement if he has "no involvement with the club"

Why can't he just worry about himself. Langmack and the players are the only ones that know for sure how well they are travelling. And i don't even want to see them make these comments so there is no way I want to see Ben Walker make them.

Isn't it funny, how his opinion, despite having "no involvement with the club" gets splashed all over the front page of nrl.com

I've seen this all before. The only opinion I want to care about is that of the coach after a win/loss. For the time being, do the hard work and keep out of the news. The less I hear about us over the off season, the better I will feel.

 

[rastus]

Absolutely 100% disagree rastus.

The minute someone comes forward and makes this call there is immediate speculation and pressure. Do you ever hear anyone from any other club say 'we'll make the 8 this year' and it come accross as a 'shock' prediction. The reason we have so much shock value is that we haven't been to the semis in 13 years!

The priorities are all screwed up and so is the logic.

It should be 1) Get the results 2) make the statements and predictions.

not the other way around. We have a track record of not being able to provide step1 so in my mind not even our coach or CEO has the right to make such claims of top 8 until we actually get there. End of section.

Since when is Ben Walker part of "we'll" as far as I know he has no involvement with the club. Once again, it is his opinion, that is all.

So how can he have an informed enough opinion to make this statement if he has "no involvement with the club"[/quote]

Who says that he has to be "informed" to have an opinion??. Does that mean that everyone has to be "informed" to have an opinion - I think not. If he has an involvement with the club, please enlighten me as I am not aware of it.


[/quote]Why can't he just worry about himself. Langmack and the players are the only ones that know for sure how well they are travelling. And i don't even want to see them make these comments so there is no way I want to see Ben Walker make them. [/quote]

He was probably asked about football generally as football players often are. What is the difference between him making that statement and say Peter Frilingos? Would you feel "better" if Frilingos made the comment? As far as I am concerned I would much rather hear these sort of comments from outside the club than inside

[/quote]Isn't it funny, how his opinion, despite having "no involvement with the club" gets splashed all over the front page of nrl.com [/quote]

Who gives a .... . It would have been mentioned had he tipped the Tigers, Manly or Cronulla "no involvement with the club" has nothing to do with it.

[/quote]I've seen this all before. The only opinion I want to care about is that of the coach after a win/loss. For the time being, do the hard work and keep out of the news. The less I hear about us over the off season, the better I will feel.[/quote]

So you don't want publicity?? Me, I'll take it if it's good. This one goes in the "care factor - zero" category. It makes an interesting read, and that is all

 

[Mambo]

So you don't want publicity?? Me, I'll take it if it's good. This one goes in the "care factor - zero" category. It makes an interesting read, and that is all

No I do not want publicity. In case you have been hiding under a rock, we've had more than enough of that in the last couple of years.

The point I am trying to make is this is only good publicity IF WE CAN LIVE UP TO IT. If we aren't up to it, its just added undue pressure.

Surely rastus, you must be sick of this club not living up to expectations. So lets at least try and set our own expectations and set them low. Then we might be able to move forward for a change.

PS: Rastus, i think the heart of my disagreement goes well beyond this one comment. I think it has more to do with outright culture change. Sorry if it seems like i'm going over the top, but it takes a lot of small steps to walk a mile, when you try and use giant leaps, you more than likely twist your ankle.

If we keep right out of the media in all aspects over the next 3 months, I'd be more than happy.

 

[Seano]

I agree with NWR here.
For the last two years (and a few before that) we have been hearing about how good preseason training is going and how we are going to challenge for the semis this year - then we run last.

I just think it is better is Souths are neither seen nor heard in the offseason.
Lets go about our business quietly and not create any extra pressure to succeed other than the pressure the team places on itself.

I dont know why Ben Walker was asked his opinion about Souths, maybe it had been too long without a Souths story for the papers (it wouldnt suprise me).

At the end of the day, in my opinion, no news is good news when it comes to Souths - i think thats the attitude a lot of people have taken anyway. its important that we are successful this year - however the pressure to perform needs to come from within and not from ppl not associated with the club making huge statements 5 months from the kick-off of the new season.

 

[Harko]

Who takes a "Walker" boy seriously? I mean really, there all full of crap!

 

[HBG]

I hope he is right, because I have taken 10 to 1 odd on Souths making the Top 8.

 

[Tigerpete]

Geez buddy i hope u didnt put a lot on them, the 2 sides that finished above them(wests/manly) have an improved squad this season as well so in actual fact u guys are almost certain to stay put.......like i've said before you will win more games but it wont get you near the top 8 just yet!

 

[ozzie]

actually it was Max Walker and he was talking about the "South" Australian Cricket team - no one would pick Souths to make the 8 this year

 

[Slugs]

actually it was Max Walker and he was talking about the "South" Australian Cricket team - no one would pick Souths to make the 8 this year

I would ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

Caaaaannnn The Buns !!!!