👊🏽 OT - THE GRAND FINAL THREAD 👊🏽

[Iamback]

Nah mate…..this year was far weaker and more lopsided than ever before. Never has a team made the semis winning just 10 games. It was obvious that only 3 sides maybe 4 could possibly win the comp a long way out. Congratulations to the Pennies for winning the comp but even they were very underwhelming throughout the semis by their own standards. I think they scored 6 tries in their 4 finals games. Their defence won them the comp and good luck to them but the GF was a yawnathon imo.

2016 you had Parra lose points. They would of been in the top 8 other wise so had weakened top 8.
2017 a busted Cowboys sneak into the 8 by default make the GF.
Since then you have had the depth diluted by Senior guys retiring and lack of junior development with NYC getting scrapped.
The last 2 seasons there has been no 2nd tier footy at all even further ruining the quality.

Like with you guys in 2016. In even 10 years no one will remember the comp being weak so doesn't take away from winning it but does bring up a question of how to improve the quality.

The issue with lack of attack in Finals. Referees have a very skinny 10m and slow play the balls. If they ref it like a mid season game it would give more entertaining GF's

 

[R-15-3]

Worst grand final I can remember, even a die hard panthers fan would have trouble putting together a highlights package.

 

[2012....Sharks Year]

2016 you had Parra lose points. They would of been in the top 8 other wise so had weakened top 8.
2017 a busted Cowboys sneak into the 8 by default make the GF.
Since then you have had the depth diluted by Senior guys retiring and lack of junior development with NYC getting scrapped.
The last 2 seasons there has been no 2nd tier footy at all even further ruining the quality.

Like with you guys in 2016. In even 10 years no one will remember the comp being weak so doesn't take away from winning it but does bring up a question of how to improve the quality.

The issue with lack of attack in Finals. Referees have a very skinny 10m and slow play the balls. If they ref it like a mid season game it would give more entertaining GF's

Some valid points there but at the end of the day it was an awful lopsided comp like we’ve never seen before. Wasn’t trying to offend you… the Panthers did well to win despite playing well below their best. You guys got fortunate that Cody Walker took the wrong option with the cut out pass or the Bunnies would have won the shitfest instead.

 

[Iamback]

Some valid points there but at the end of the day it was an awful lopsided comp like we’ve never seen before. Wasn’t trying to offend you… the Panthers did well to win despite playing well below their best. You guys got fortunate that Cody Walker took the wrong option with the cut out pass or the Bunnies would have won the shitfest instead.

No offence taken it was only ever 2 teams that could win it. Luckily we were one of them. People blamed the rules and to an extent they played a part but the decline has been coming across a few season. Until 2nd tier footy catches up then I don't expect the standard to improve.

 

[2012....Sharks Year]

No offence taken it was only ever 2 teams that could win it. Luckily we were one of them. People blamed the rules and to an extent they played a part but the decline has been coming across a few season. Until 2nd tier footy catches up then I don't expect the standard to improve.

Fair enough…. By two teams I’m assuming you are suggesting the Panthers and Storm. The 2 point margin and the fact you won the game on the back of an intercept and a missed conversion from Reynolds would suggest 3 teams could have won.

 

[Birdee_Num_Num]

lol you're easily amused num nuts lol.
Just maybe lol, those who were interested moved seats lol you know, so they could f**king see. lol.

see what?
those that were interested (not many)
can see clearys chin and ego from Sydney.

It's okay to be jealous.
That sea of blue in 2016 will never be matched.
by anyone. ever.
everyone loves the sharks and don't forget it

 

[Frenzy.]

Yep, and we get to dilute the shrinking talent pool more in a couple of seasons with an extra team.

There are enough players to go around

The deficit in the talent pool is in coaching. Good coaches make good players very good players. The make very good players into stars and then they turn stars into superstars.

There's about 4 of them. Cleary isn't in the 4.

 

[bad boy bubby]

There are enough players to go around

The deficit in the talent pool is in coaching. Good coaches make good players very good players. The make very good players into stars and then they turn stars into superstars.

There's about 4 of them. Cleary isn't in the 4.

Thank you.
I was going ot post this exact same thing yesterday but time caught up with me.
Bellamy
Bennett
Robinson
Will improve the players they have

Hasler - dunno
Cleary - he has made himself into a very good proposition.

Flange isnt in the top 4, nut he is not in the group behind that either.

 

[Blues Riff]

Worst grand final I can remember, even a die hard panthers fan would have trouble putting together a highlights package.

Haha like we give a shit about anything but the final score. The main concern is that we've under-achieved for so long. Only 3 premierships since 1967 is a bit sad.

 

[glenmoresharkie]

Haha like we give a shit about anything but the final score. The main concern is that we've under-achieved for so long. Only 3 premierships since 1967 is a bit sad.

Penrith have the potential to dominate the sport for years to come purely because of the junior base and the pathways that Gould set up. you have arguably the best juniors in the world, matched only Brisbane for size, and have all the right set ups in place to prosper.

I hope the Sharks follow a similar mould and create many successful local juniors/academy players.

 

[Maccas4177]

Started with Presto and the two Langs.

They definitely repaid us with Lewie and Graham.

After Sorro and Capewell we're definitely two in the red.

I wonder whether it might be harder for Penrith to keep players now. You might take less to try and win a premiership with your mates but once that's done perhaps securing your future becomes more important.

Dont forget they sent us Pommeroy.... puts us further in the red!

Also Ben Ross and Matt Reik although no movement on the balance sheet with those two.

 

[Chimp]

There are enough players to go around

The deficit in the talent pool is in coaching. Good coaches make good players very good players. The make very good players into stars and then they turn stars into superstars.

There's about 4 of them. Cleary isn't in the 4.

The bigger issue for me is that whilst there is a salary cap, it’s not really even, as Storm and Roosters in particular have players go there for ‘unders’. You then throw in the murky world of 3rd party payments, and you end up with 2 teams spending the same amount on the salary cap, but one having a squad like the Storm/Roosters and another the 2021 Bulldogs…. How can there be such a gap between 2 teams in terms of talent when they’re spending the same amount…. Now I know there’s a hell of a lot goes into it, and Storm/Roosters are reaping the rewards of years of success and talent management, but it means the strong clubs get stronger, the weak, weaker….

If you took the Roosters 2021 squad (pre-injury and retirements) and have each player a market average salary cap value that they’d get on a fair open market, I reckon their squad would be worth about $15m, if you do the same with Bulldogs/Tigers, they’re probably worth about $6m….

Now, it’s up to those clubs to develop their way out of trouble (Panthers style), but that takes years and years, but for now, we’re left with an awfully unbalanced comp, with those crappy clubs being used to drive up contract values, with no decent player having any intent on ever joining them. The mid table teams then paying overs as a result, and Storm/Roosters continuing to retain/attract the top talent for unders.

 

[bad boy bubby]

For us as a club I hope that Fitzy turns out to be one of those coaches , ala Bellamy or Robinson, and players want to play under him for continued success.
This is the biggest problem the NRL has, and has had for a long while now.
The lack of decent coaches.
Ones that can turn an ok reserve grader into a standard first grader.
The competition could actually expand to 18 teams if there were better coaches about.

 

[Chimp]

On coaches… I wonder how well Fitzy gets on with Cronk - would love to see him at our club mentoring Tricky and Hynes.

When you hear him analyse the game, you really see why he was such a winner - he knows exactly how to nullify the opposition, and it’s rarely anything flash. I heard him in the lead up to the GF saying that all Panthers needed to do was focus on kick chase - win the first 2 tackles every set on the Souths back 3, essentially that would front load energy and mean Souths middles are knackered from having to get all the way back onside and have to dig their way out of their own half, don’t give Walker any ball in attacking position…. Might be a fairly obvious ploy, but the way he explained it was exactly how it played out. That type of simply instruction for our halves week on week would be amazing.

 

[Blues Riff]

Fitzy hates Penrith too. The 2003 GF was the start of his hair loss.

 

[2012....Sharks Year]

Haha like we give a shit about anything but the final score. The main concern is that we've under-achieved for so long. Only 3 premierships since 1967 is a bit sad.

Not as sad as 1 in that time….Exactly though….Pennies were way below their best from after the origin and the injuries and never really got their mojo back yet still win the comp. Augers well for the next few years if you can keep that core together.

 

[The_Frog]

There are enough players to go around

The deficit in the talent pool is in coaching. Good coaches make good players very good players. The make very good players into stars and then they turn stars into superstars.

There's about 4 of them. Cleary isn't in the 4.

But he did stop every one of the 4 with a busted team.

 

[Debt Clock]

Remember when Gus called our premmie a weak comp. Wonder what he thinks this one is

Any competition with Cronulla in it is a weak competition.

 

[Debt Clock]

I turned it off with 5 seconds to go, I hate Cleary with a passion and couldn’t watch him celebrate f**ken merkin.

well You better get used to the Clearys. They will be around for the next 20 years. Jett Cleary on his way through.

 

[Feej 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I still think the whole thing is weird the way that society essentially 'celebrates' drug-taking and alcohol intoxication in the music biz (think Keith Richards etc), but plays the whole "OMG the children" OUTRAGE in the NRL. You can't have it both ways.