Will 2014 be any better?

[TV Ted Ellery]

This season has been our darkest on record and I'm sceptical about our chances of improvement in 2014. Like everybody, I'm looking forward to Brooks coming on but I don't think he will be the panacea to all our problems. We still have so many weaknesses across the park and without any big recruitments to fill the breach we will be relying on our juniors to carry us along. Maybe some of them will be better for the experience. I'm also keen to see the insidious influence of Marshall removed. His histrionics haven't helped us at all this season.

I thin 2015 will be our year. We need to recruit aggressively. It's what the Bulldogs and the Roosters do every time they have a lean year. The departure of Marshall et al will free up some cash to go after some quality players. No team ever turns around their fortunes on the back of junior talent alone. You need to sign top line players to bring a winning culture to the club and to create the type of environment where the young guys can realise their potential. Losing by cricket scores every week, as the team is doing, does nothing for the development of the young guys and only ruins their morale.

 

[TV Ted Ellery]

Good to see Sironen and Tedesco score late tries. Despite being incredibly despondent this year and sceptical about our chances next year, I'm thrilled with the effort of the young guys. Their performances suggest their might be brighter times ahead, even if a few years away.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

We really need at least two BIG signings.

 

[TV Ted Ellery]

It's too late to sign anybody of note for 2014. Maybe Ferguson will be released by the Raiders but we wouldn't be able to compete with St George or Roosters who would both find space under their cap to sign him on a 'minimum contract'.

 

[magpie4ever]

I f**king hope so.

 

[mepelthwack]

Impossible to see us not improving in 2014. How could it be worse?

 

[Matchball]

Benji gone will help.

 

[TV Ted Ellery]

Parra have languished at the bottom of the table for years without improvement. Until recently it was common for certain teams to struggle for year after year. The salary cap is not being as rorted as it was in the past which is ensuring a more equal distribution of talent. Anyway, I just posed the question because I think we still have a lot of weaknesses that will prevent us from competing with the top sides.

 

[Magpies Forever]

At very least, the poisonous mates culture of marshals clique will be gone and most of the deadwood gone. A rebuilding year yes, but hopefully better than this drama queen filled year. A year to sign some names for 2015 onwards.

 

[Tiger05]

We need to put a dominant pack out there. It has to start with that. Seriously we just got overrun out there tonight and its not like Woods and Farah would have changed the result. Ava, BMM, Sue & Galloway can all help create a decent forward pack along with Woods and Farah but we will need more players to stand up. Fulton might need less game time and more rest. I'm not sure if Blair deserves a spot even though he hasn't been bad recently.

I think we have enough outside backs to go well. Simona to me looks like a gun. Nofo is great. Lote might still be able to put in a big game. I'm hopeful Tedesco will be a quality fullback.

I think though without good halves we won't go that well. Maybe Brooks and Sironen or Brooks and Moses can come straight in and kill it.

 

[madunit]

I think we should be prepared for a vastly different style of play next year.

The play will evolve around Farah and halfback for the first time since.....Pearce was coach?

It's how a smart team should work, not around a bloke at second receiver who doesn't run.

We only need to make dramatic improvements to our pack. We lack power, aggression, dominance and depth up front, and that alone puts all the pressure on the halves to chance miracle plays to get us out of the shit.

Thats a Sheens concept which we saw from day one, picking back rowers who could cover centre and five-eighth and that bullshit.

We need some big mongrels on the fringes, not lightweight guys like Fulton, Bell, Anasta, Blair, etc. 1 of those is adequate enough on the bench.

We need some big blokes who rip in.

Just don't know who there is that could fit the bill though.

 

[madunit]

We need to put a dominant pack out there. It has to start with that. Seriously we just got overrun out there tonight and its not like Woods and Farah would have changed the result. Ava, BMM, Sue & Galloway can all help create a decent forward pack along with Woods and Farah but we will need more players to stand up. Fulton might need less game time and more rest. I'm not sure if Blair deserves a spot even though he hasn't been bad recently.

I think we have enough outside backs to go well. Simona to me looks like a gun. Nofo is great. Lote might still be able to put in a big game. I'm hopeful Tedesco will be a quality fullback.

I think though without good halves we won't go that well. Maybe Brooks and Sironen or Brooks and Moses can come straight in and kill it.

Your halves will be shit every time if the pack isn't going forward and giving them room.

We need to fix the forwards big time.

I'll give Potter all the time in the world, but he should not have wasted money and time with Richards. I don't care how well he's playing or will play for us, we had the backline covered already.

We need to go forward before we can go wide. It's just that simple.

 

[gronkathon]

I want to see how our forwards progress as a unit in the off season.

I am hopeful of a decent growth year and being able to know they will show pride in their performances

 

[super_coach]

its hard to see this playing roster minus a few and the addition of a few causing any other teams any grief come 2014. I would imagine we will be a short price for the spoon. In saying that they could really start to turn things around with a big off season,but gee they have some ground to make up

 

[madunit]

Front Row should be okay.

Its the back row that is the most major concern.

We cannot have Sironen in the forwards next year, he's a good defender, we will need him in the halves, to help sure up our fringe defence.

 

[851]

It's too late to sign anybody of note for 2014. Maybe Ferguson will be released by the Raiders but we wouldn't be able to compete with St George or Roosters who would both find space under their cap to sign him on a 'minimum contract'.

Canberra won't release him,and his manager has said he won't be linking with Dugan,and easts cannot fit him in unless SBW goes.

 

[super_coach]

till we can either develop or buy some real grunt in the forwards we will continue to struggle.Its been the same for years, we just dont have the size,speed or power in the forwards to be a force. Brooks will probably make a difference but he is not going to help our defense and that is our main problem and thats all about a good big man will always beat a good little man.

I think we are going to narrow the gap but that will probably not equate to a lot of wins.Although I think we are one of the few teams that has a young roster on the rise.I really hope for Potters sake we have a really strong year, but its hard to see where that is going to come from

 

[TrigaTheTiger]

Next year will be better as changes to our higher paid roster will prevent our cap issues, which means more competition for positions.

Knowing you could actually be replaced might help......

 

[Mader45]

Cant we just play like Souths? A good organizing halfback in Brooks. A hard running 5/8th in Sironen. A metre finding hooker in Farah. A speedster with decent defense in fullback with Tedesco. Fast outside backs. And forwards whose sole jobs are to make metres and smash the opposition when they have the ball.

 

[Old Time Tiger]

Mader45, it really is a simple game, isn't it?

We have a 7 that Andrew Johns believes is ready for 1st grade.
We have a 1 who puts his body on the line and has done pretty well considering his 2012.
We have 2 big guys who could play 5/8 in Siro and Austin,
We have Farah as you said,

What we need are some of the young forwards to start believing in themselves, look at BMM he has turned it around, we need more of that, we need leaders in the forwards, hard, tough, crazy, big guys who will get out there and as you say, play like the Souths forwards, I'd be happy with that.

Look at the games of late, even last night, they compete well but just lack that killer to go on with it, is it fitness? I doubt it, I think it is leadership and it can't always be up to Robbie.

2014 will be better.