Ashley Schaeffer
Juniors
- Messages
- 389
Well, another disaster of a season in 2015. The writing was on the wall way back in October when Hayne left at late notice, however this isn't the problem as we haven't been competitive (bar a golden 3 month period in 2009) since maybe 2007. We seem either to be a hot and cold side or a side that's way off the pace. So what needs to be done? Here for mine are the obvious top 3.
1. Depth. Particularly in our outside backs. No side has deep depth at half (bar maybe the Dogs) but almost every club has an outside back that can come up and fill in and do a job. The likes of Corey Thompson, David Simmons, Daniel Vidot, a promising U20s kid...most clubs have this type of player on the fringe who will come in and do a job. We have this type of player as a starting center (Ryan Morgan) and once we cop an injury we're putting guys like David Gower, Vai Tautai, even Manu Mau in the backline. Just shows how disgracefully our cap has been managed when we can barely fill a 1st grade quality backline let alone have depth in any position. We seem to only want to blood big strong somewhat slow outside backs. Maybe that goes back to the sort of players we bring through our junior system but you can't have the same type of player coming through all the time. We need an injection of speed. Re-signing Ryan Morgan is a joke , he's shown absolutely nothing in 60+ first grade games and isn't even worthy of being kept for depth. At least keep Reece Robinson who's shown he has an ability to play 1st grade and has speed which we are really lacking.
A lack of players outside our top 19 means guys like Watmough, Moreoa and co played half the season busted which really told on us as the seasons gone on. The salary cap must be better managed.
2. Leadership. Why Tim Mannah was groomed as a leader baffles me. He plays 47 mins a game, is an honest toiler at best and has been through the most inconsistent period in our history and shows these scars more than anyone else. You need to see a game of young Timmy from around 2009/2010 and have a look at the difference. He was all energy, all smile on his face and really gave us good go forward especially off the bench. These days he's a solid toiler who looks like he's played a decade of losing seasons and has no belief. Despite what he says publicly about new attitudes and being more mentally tough etc.. I don't think even he believes it. I honestly see as much if not more impact from Alvaro the past 3 weeks. Mannah is an older Alvaro without the energy and with more baggage. Maybe would be best for both of us to spend some time apart. Mannah to enjoy playing again without that burden of losing seasons and us to REALLY get a culture change. This squad is so mentally weak it's not funny. We concede the most trys off penalties in the NRL and have no body who stands up to change momentum when it starts going against us. Dead set no leadership at all.
3 Stop Paying Overs for has beens. Man we really need to have a look at this going forward. I can excuse playing overs for a gun half or a gun fullback but paying way overs for forwards based on leadership is stupid. Watmough and Scott have been bought on massive overs because (see number 2) and to try inject a culture change. However whilst we may get something out of these guys in 2016, 2017, whats going to be left of them in 2018/2019? Just a big hit to our salary cap meaning we have less depth and lose 2 or 3 of the players whose culture they've helped develop. You need your long serving players and big name expensive signings to be setting your culture and if our longer serving players like Mannah, Morgan, Norman, Peats etc can't set the tone for the younger players then at least a couple of them who don't contribute anything great on the field need to be moved on. Watching Scott the last few weeks he seems to be on a down hill slide. Even if we prep him up for 1 year with a change of clubs what's he going to be like the next 3? The money could've been better spend elsewhere if the deal with him was to be that long. Should've been signed for 2 years max along with Watmough at 3 years max.
Apologies for the long post I could've come up with 10 more points but this is a really hard club to follow. They want us to dip into our pockets to sign up for membership and we are continually provided with a club that's poorly run, poorly managed, is potrayed negatively in the media and is completely inconsistent to down right embarrassing on the field. Why should we as fans enter every season with limited hope and watch the last 6 or 7 games almost yearly with nothing to play for? We all stick through thick and thin but the club owes each of its members more and should be putting a competitive team out weekly for 24 rounds a year win/ lose or draw.
1. Depth. Particularly in our outside backs. No side has deep depth at half (bar maybe the Dogs) but almost every club has an outside back that can come up and fill in and do a job. The likes of Corey Thompson, David Simmons, Daniel Vidot, a promising U20s kid...most clubs have this type of player on the fringe who will come in and do a job. We have this type of player as a starting center (Ryan Morgan) and once we cop an injury we're putting guys like David Gower, Vai Tautai, even Manu Mau in the backline. Just shows how disgracefully our cap has been managed when we can barely fill a 1st grade quality backline let alone have depth in any position. We seem to only want to blood big strong somewhat slow outside backs. Maybe that goes back to the sort of players we bring through our junior system but you can't have the same type of player coming through all the time. We need an injection of speed. Re-signing Ryan Morgan is a joke , he's shown absolutely nothing in 60+ first grade games and isn't even worthy of being kept for depth. At least keep Reece Robinson who's shown he has an ability to play 1st grade and has speed which we are really lacking.
A lack of players outside our top 19 means guys like Watmough, Moreoa and co played half the season busted which really told on us as the seasons gone on. The salary cap must be better managed.
2. Leadership. Why Tim Mannah was groomed as a leader baffles me. He plays 47 mins a game, is an honest toiler at best and has been through the most inconsistent period in our history and shows these scars more than anyone else. You need to see a game of young Timmy from around 2009/2010 and have a look at the difference. He was all energy, all smile on his face and really gave us good go forward especially off the bench. These days he's a solid toiler who looks like he's played a decade of losing seasons and has no belief. Despite what he says publicly about new attitudes and being more mentally tough etc.. I don't think even he believes it. I honestly see as much if not more impact from Alvaro the past 3 weeks. Mannah is an older Alvaro without the energy and with more baggage. Maybe would be best for both of us to spend some time apart. Mannah to enjoy playing again without that burden of losing seasons and us to REALLY get a culture change. This squad is so mentally weak it's not funny. We concede the most trys off penalties in the NRL and have no body who stands up to change momentum when it starts going against us. Dead set no leadership at all.
3 Stop Paying Overs for has beens. Man we really need to have a look at this going forward. I can excuse playing overs for a gun half or a gun fullback but paying way overs for forwards based on leadership is stupid. Watmough and Scott have been bought on massive overs because (see number 2) and to try inject a culture change. However whilst we may get something out of these guys in 2016, 2017, whats going to be left of them in 2018/2019? Just a big hit to our salary cap meaning we have less depth and lose 2 or 3 of the players whose culture they've helped develop. You need your long serving players and big name expensive signings to be setting your culture and if our longer serving players like Mannah, Morgan, Norman, Peats etc can't set the tone for the younger players then at least a couple of them who don't contribute anything great on the field need to be moved on. Watching Scott the last few weeks he seems to be on a down hill slide. Even if we prep him up for 1 year with a change of clubs what's he going to be like the next 3? The money could've been better spend elsewhere if the deal with him was to be that long. Should've been signed for 2 years max along with Watmough at 3 years max.
Apologies for the long post I could've come up with 10 more points but this is a really hard club to follow. They want us to dip into our pockets to sign up for membership and we are continually provided with a club that's poorly run, poorly managed, is potrayed negatively in the media and is completely inconsistent to down right embarrassing on the field. Why should we as fans enter every season with limited hope and watch the last 6 or 7 games almost yearly with nothing to play for? We all stick through thick and thin but the club owes each of its members more and should be putting a competitive team out weekly for 24 rounds a year win/ lose or draw.
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