Crystal Clear

[watatank]

Widdop is signed for at least two more years. Rest is speculation.

 

[gaz_head]

Every person who is talking about marshall v widdop please take a second and remember one thing. We have had a prop rotation that involves frizell, matthews and jdb. All great players but all genuine second rowers or locks. This is why the roosters, souths, broncos and cowboys are the top flight of the comp. They set the platform for their halves and the team scores points. Even if we had Joey and Locky in their primes in the halves we would still be in the same shit. Our management is to blame for the hole we are in. Hence why they have made purchases like Packer, Masoe and Havili. All hard nuts who can eat metres. If you don't believe me check out what our team lineup will be next year below:

1. Dugan
2. Mann
3. Aitken
4. Mataut'ia
5. Nightingale
6. Widdop
7. Marshall
8. Masoe
9. Rein
10. Packer
11. Frizell
12. Thompson
13. Cooper

14. Creagh
15. Ah Mau
16. Matthews
17. Havili

Imagine what our halves will do behind this pack. 4 genuine good props in a 17 man lineup instead of the 2 we play now. I highly rate the centres we have at the moment so the only thing that would make sense to me is have Mann on the wing.

 

[rhino2009]

Widdop is signed for at least two more years. Rest is speculation.

I know he is signed for another 2 years but that speculation won't go away some of it fuelled by some of your own supporters?

 

[Jubileeboy]

I know he is signed for another 2 years but that speculation won't go away some of it fuelled by some of your own supporters?

'Supporters'....offers too many connotations.
Pretty sure we've covered this a few times now.

 

[BennyV]

What's going to happen to Widdop?

He partners whoever the preferred half is. He is signed on foot another year after Marshall anyway so will see what happens...

 

[giboz71]

Does anyone else thinks it's not the players? How many more halves combinations do we want to try?

Since we won the comp, we started with our grand final pairing who we deemed not good enough. Hornby was moved on and Sowie got punted by Price.

Fien was always going to be a stop gap measure and we all screamed for young dynamic halves.

So in steps guys like Drinkwater, Stanley and later Sam Williams. Nope...can't get the job done.

So we throw the kitchen sink at a former golden boot winner and and another international premiership winner, causing us to screw our cap and lose our two best players and local juniors.

And we're still nowhere???? Think we need to face facts, we don't have the coaching capacity to manage our halves. Thurston and Cronk could come in here and our backline would still be clueless.

 

[Mr Red]

Does anyone else thinks it's not the players? How many more halves combinations do we want to try?

Since we won the comp, we started with our grand final pairing who we deemed not good enough. Hornby was moved on and Sowie got punted by Price.

Fien was always going to be a stop gap measure and we all screamed for young dynamic halves.

So in steps guys like Drinkwater, Stanley and later Sam Williams. Nope...can't get the job done.

So we throw the kitchen sink at a former golden boot winner and and another international premiership winner, causing us to screw our cap and lose our two best players and local juniors.

And we're still nowhere???? Think we need to face facts, we don't have the coaching capacity to manage our halves. Thurston and Cronk could come in here and our backline would still be clueless.

Agree with this.
Most of us before the season began expressed concerns about hiring an inept attacking coach from 2014 as head coach in 2015.
there was a glimmer of hope with some good early season form, however it seems as the season has gone on other teams have lifted whereas we have gone backwards.
And once again the board has to be questioned in giving yet ANOTHER rookie coach a three year deal...
I sense another payout after year 2, the board must be seriously questioned in wasting club funds with poor decision after poor decision

 

[Vasilevsky]

Widdop is signed for at least two more years. Rest is speculation.

For real? He was resigned??? FFS, I thought this nonsense ended with supercoach Price. That is who probably resigned him as a parting 'gift'. Well I hope some of you are right about seeing something in him I don't.

 

[Vasilevsky]

Agree with this.
Most of us before the season began expressed concerns about hiring an inept attacking coach from 2014 as head coach in 2015.
there was a glimmer of hope with some good early season form, however it seems as the season has gone on other teams have lifted whereas we have gone backwards.
And once again the board has to be questioned in giving yet ANOTHER rookie coach a three year deal...
I sense another payout after year 2, the board must be seriously questioned in wasting club funds with poor decision after poor decision

Stanley never actually got a chance in the halves. Well he did in one game. I believe it was against the Shonkies. In the first 15 minutes the Dragons had scored at least one try and were hopelessly dominating even though they were expected to lose. Then Stanley took the ball, stepped off his left leg and that was it. Torn ACL and season over for him and the team. Shonkies went on the win that game comfortably.

 

[dragonreddy]

For real? He was resigned??? FFS, I thought this nonsense ended with supercoach Price. That is who probably resigned him as a parting 'gift'. Well I hope some of you are right about seeing something in him I don't.

He was originally signed for 4 years, pretty sure that would've been one of the main reasons he signed.

He would have signed for more money than anyone else offered and a longer time frame, no doubt ,good luck to him he has a young family, why wouldn't he .

 

[denis preston]

Every person who is talking about marshall v widdop please take a second and remember one thing. We have had a prop rotation that involves frizell, matthews and jdb. All great players but all genuine second rowers or locks. This is why the roosters, souths, broncos and cowboys are the top flight of the comp. They set the platform for their halves and the team scores points. Even if we had Joey and Locky in their primes in the halves we would still be in the same shit. Our management is to blame for the hole we are in. Hence why they have made purchases like Packer, Masoe and Havili. All hard nuts who can eat metres. If you don't believe me check out what our team lineup will be next year below:

1. Dugan
2. Mann
3. Aitken
4. Mataut'ia
5. Nightingale
6. Widdop
7. Marshall
8. Masoe
9. Rein
10. Packer
11. Frizell
12. Thompson
13. Cooper

14. Creagh
15. Ah Mau
16. Matthews
17. Havili

Imagine what our halves will do behind this pack. 4 genuine good props in a 17 man lineup instead of the 2 we play now. I highly rate the centres we have at the moment so the only thing that would make sense to me is have Mann on the wing.

Agree with most of this except the centres.We need a explosive or quick centre to test defenses.

If the coaching staff then can't get this side to improve immeasurably in attack then we know where the fault has been all the time in regard to our offence.

 

[watatank]

For real? He was resigned??? FFS, I thought this nonsense ended with supercoach Price. That is who probably resigned him as a parting 'gift'. Well I hope some of you are right about seeing something in him I don't.

This is Widdop's second year of a four year deal

 

[giboz71]

Agree with this.
Most of us before the season began expressed concerns about hiring an inept attacking coach from 2014 as head coach in 2015.
there was a glimmer of hope with some good early season form, however it seems as the season has gone on other teams have lifted whereas we have gone backwards.
And once again the board has to be questioned in giving yet ANOTHER rookie coach a three year deal...
I sense another payout after year 2, the board must be seriously questioned in wasting club funds with poor decision after poor decision

We've just had a revolving door of halves combinations since we won the comp. Mixture of veterans and youngsters, expensive and inexpensive recruits. Nothing seems to work, and I haven't seen any evidence of any combination have the ability to direct our attack.

Here's a damning statistic, we were dead last in attack in 2012, second last in 2013 and last again this year. so 3 out of the last 4 years, we're bottom 2 or worse in attack. Is it a wonder we never make the semis any more?

Somehow I don't think it's entirely to do with the players. Its like when you're up to your 4th ex-wife, maybe the problem is you.

 

[BennyV]

Stanley never actually got a chance in the halves. Well he did in one game. I believe it was against the Shonkies. In the first 15 minutes the Dragons had scored at least one try and were hopelessly dominating even though they were expected to lose. Then Stanley took the ball, stepped off his left leg and that was it. Torn ACL and season over for him and the team. Shonkies went on the win that game comfortably.

That was 3 years and 3 ACL tears ago. Prior to that, he underwent 2 ACL tears, and only prior to that was he a promising junior. Last year when he played for Cutters, he had lost all his evasiveness and speed, then this year he busted an ACL again. Letting go of him was a wonderful decision. Feel bad for the guy, but his career in Rugby League is over, and i hope noone at or club is toying with the idea of signing him again.

 

[BigH]

It's time for hard decisions, bring on the the two contenders for the 1/2 spot and see how they go, who knows, they can't be any worse then what we have now

 

[Vasilevsky]

That was 3 years and 3 ACL tears ago. Prior to that, he underwent 2 ACL tears, and only prior to that was he a promising junior. Last year when he played for Cutters, he had lost all his evasiveness and speed, then this year he busted an ACL again. Letting go of him was a wonderful decision. Feel bad for the guy, but his career in Rugby League is over, and i hope noone at or club is toying with the idea of signing him again.

Fair enough. Really too bad. He was an extremely talented 5/8.

 

[jenninga]

Widdop is signed for at least two more years. Rest is speculation.

Means nothing of course:sarcasm:

 

[bottle]

Means nothing of course:sarcasm:

True, but the point being it was correcting a perception that he'd been re signed.

 

[krispyredv]

we will win the next 6 and make the finals

 

[BennyV]

Fair enough. Really too bad. He was an extremely talented 5/8.

Oh indeed, its s monstrous shame. If Stanley and King didn't succumb to injuries and lived up to their potential, we would likely be in a very different position...