Anthony Griffin

[OldPanther]

I still don't understand why we care what other team's fans think about the club. Maybe we're all a bit over-sensitive?

I've got no problems with the club targeting the coach they want - the disappointing part is that Dave picked this coach because they're mates.

Exactly. If you are going to trade your reputation at least do it for success.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Perhaps you are right, but I've supported this club a very long time and making the finals every year seems pretty good to me.

It’s an improvement, but how long should the club accept just making the finals as enough?

I think there’s an argument that we’re so conditioned for mediocrity that the mere whiff of success is enough for us. We need to demand more than that, otherwise we end up with complacent team administrators.

 

[TheFrog]

e need to demand more than that

That's great, but it ends with the train wreck that is this season.

 

[Abacus]

Exactly. If you are going to trade your reputation at least do it for success.

Sort of. I'd rather that others equate the club's reputation with success.

In respect of the securing of Cleary from Tigers, I'd be happy for the club to make an offer to Bellamy for 2022. f**k what others think.

 

[herbert henry1908]

That's great, but it ends with the train wreck that is this season.

What’s the real difference? We weren’t challenging for a title last few years.

Making the finals might’ve been a short term hit that papered over the problems.

 

[TheFrog]

What’s the real difference? We weren’t challenging for a title last few years.

Making the finals might’ve been a short term hit that papered over the problems.

Beats not making 'em.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Beats not making 'em.

Not if it locks the club in to a false sense of security that it’s on the right track.

There’s a bigger picture to consider.

 

[martielang]

What’s the real difference? We weren’t challenging for a title last few years.

Making the finals might’ve been a short term hit that papered over the problems.

What were the problems though?

I dont think we were ever as far off as some wanted to make us think we were though. We could of easily been in a prelim final (& then who knows) the last few years if we had the rub of the green -especially v Sharks & v Raiders. We were never comfortably defeated.

Hook got us playing tough & we were ridiculously fit. Our structure allowed us to isolate Kikau one on one several times a game. Something that doesn’t look too easy to do at the moment.

& f**k me, I’d much rather play 1 or 2 weeks of finals then not make it at all.

Edit - and I’m not saying we deserved or were going to win the comp, just I think we were moving in the right direction.

 

[herbert henry1908]

What were the problems though?

I dont think we were ever as far off as some wanted to make us think we were though. We could of easily been in a prelim final (& then who knows) the last few years if we had the rub of the green -especially v Sharks & v Raiders. We were never comfortably defeated.

Hook got us playing tough & we were ridiculously fit. Our structure allowed us to isolate Kikau one on one several times a game. Something that doesn’t look too easy to do at the moment.

& f**k me, I’d much rather play 1 or 2 weeks of finals then not make it at all.

Edit - and I’m not saying we deserved or were going to win the comp, just I think we were moving in the right direction.

The problems.

1. We weren’t improving enough year on year.

2. We weren’t ever competitive against top 4 teams. That says we weren’t close at all.


I know it seems counterintuitive to say that not making the finals is better than making them, but where were the tangible benefits of making the finals?

In the two years after making them in 2016 the team didn’t become more competitive against the genuine title contenders.


So my point is, if not making the finals this year forces the team to re-evaluate decisions they’ve been making around recruitment & retention, it could be a good thing.

Just scraping in & making up the numbers may give them a sense they’re on the right track, even though it’s clear we aren’t.

 

[OldPanther]

The problems.

1. We weren’t improving enough year on year.

2. We weren’t ever competitive against top 4 teams. That says we weren’t close at all.


I know it seems counterintuitive to say that not making the finals is better than making them, but where were the tangible benefits of making the finals?

In the two years after making them in 2016 the team didn’t become more competitive against the genuine title contenders.


So my point is, if not making the finals this year forces the team to re-evaluate decisions they’ve been making around recruitment & retention, it could be a good thing.

Just scraping in & making up the numbers may give them a sense they’re on the right track, even though it’s clear we aren’t.

I agree here. Short term pain for long term gain could see us with some real success if lessons are learned.

 

[herbert henry1908]

2016

14 wins. 23 points per game, 19.3 points conceded per game

2017

13 wins, 21 points per game, 19.1 conceded

2018

15 wins, 21 points per game, 19.2 conceded

No clear improvement there. They were obviously solid seasons, but they lacked consistency too.


In all three seasons we make an exit in week 2 of the finals. The only obvious improvement was we were more competitive against the Sharks in 2018. But Griffin wasn’t actually in charge of that game, and apparently the final straw came after we got smashed against the broncos by 32 points. Ie. They came to the realisation he couldn’t compete against the better teams.


I stress though that appointing Cleary was obviously a mistake.

 

[Abacus]

Or....

The club & Griffin were looking to instil in these players the level of discipline required to have successful careers.

Funny that the first fun preseason these players have results in the first time they won't be playing finals.

And I'm not saying Griffin would win a comp - but it looked like we had a hell of a platform to launch from.

 

[tripster]

3rd best coach club has ever had after Gould and Lang

 

[noforwardpass]

Not if it locks the club in to a false sense of security that it’s on the right track.

There’s a bigger picture to consider.

For sure. Bring on the 2028 season.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Or....

The club & Griffin were looking to instil in these players the level of discipline required to have successful careers.

Funny that the first fun preseason these players have results in the first time they won't be playing finals.

And I'm not saying Griffin would win a comp - but it looked like we had a hell of a platform to launch from.

Griffins discipline approach is definitely better than Cleary’s pre season approach.

But you can’t launch to the next level if you can’t compete against the top teams, and we never did with Griffin.


The mistake was giving Griffin an extension, the next mistake was appointing Cleary as coach instead of someone better credentialed.

 

[herbert henry1908]

3rd best coach club has ever had after Gould and Lang

Ron Willey? 63% win rate, got us to second on the table in 1989.

 

[martielang]

The problems.

1. We weren’t improving enough year on year.

2. We weren’t ever competitive against top 4 teams. That says we weren’t close at all.


I know it seems counterintuitive to say that not making the finals is better than making them, but where were the tangible benefits of making the finals?

In the two years after making them in 2016 the team didn’t become more competitive against the genuine title contenders.


So my point is, if not making the finals this year forces the team to re-evaluate decisions they’ve been making around recruitment & retention, it could be a good thing.

Just scraping in & making up the numbers may give them a sense they’re on the right track, even though it’s clear we aren’t.

We’d fought for the spoon the year before Hook took over. When he was punted we were fighting for a spot in the 4, 6 weeks earlier we were the best team in the comp. The two previous years we were a bees dick from a prelim. IMO that’s significant improvement & I think ‘the cracks’ we are papering over by making the finals (3 years in the row) would of been fixed by the natural progression of the football team. The team still had plenty to learn/improve but the foundations had been built. Gus & co. clearly thought the same when they extended Hook.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Tim Sheens also was responsible for making the club competitive. Before he took over we were a laughing stock. First coach to get us to the finals is 18 years of existence.

 

[Bodhi]

I still don't understand why we care what other team's fans think about the club. Maybe we're all a bit over-sensitive?

I've got no problems with the club targeting the coach they want - the disappointing part is that Dave picked this coach because they're mates.

It was more to drive home the point that we conducted ourselves very poorly (it may all have been solely of Dave’s doing but he was representing the club). What was the harm in letting Griffin see out the year and reviewing his position then?

 

[herbert henry1908]

We’d fought for the spoon the year before Hook took over. When he was punted we were fighting for a spot in the 4, 6 weeks earlier we were the best team in the comp. The two previous years we were a bees dick from a prelim. IMO that’s significant improvement & I think ‘the cracks’ we are papering over by making the finals (3 years in the row) would of been fixed by the natural progression of the football team. The team still had plenty to learn/improve but the foundations had been built. Gus & co. clearly thought the same when they extended Hook.

After the worst injury hit season in our history. Context matters.

In 2014 we make week 3 of the finals.

I was talking about the year on year improvement whilst he was coach, there’s no doubt we improved in 2016, but we would’ve improved a lot just from having a more normal season injury wise.

Obviously they thought the same when they gave him an extension, but they later realised he wasn’t good enough a tactician to compete with the top teams.




I see no problem with sacking Griffin. He wasn’t a top shelf coach, if we wanted to make the next step we needed to move on.