Coach of the Year: Bennett or Moore ?

[Timmah]

Chuck in a bunch of proven performers?

Like at the Cowboys? What about Souths? Hell, there are a truckload of proven performers at every club. To not credit Moore with a huge part of the Dogs turnaround is naive and stupid. It seems to me like an easy excuse to cast him aside to ensure you can justify naming Bennett as such.

 

[saint pebba]

As a dragons fan I will try to be as objective as possible.

Cartwright has done a good job but realistically the titans have started well the last two years but fell apart when injuries hit. This year they haven't had as many injuries and therefore are where they should be.

Bennett has taken some players that had ability but were inconsistent (soward, weyman, poore, hunt, scott, costigan, stanley) and made them consistent. He has also turned a few no names (prior, saffy) into decent first graders

Moore has taken a team with a few good solid first graders (Patten, El Masri, Ryan) and added a few new players that were quality players (Kimmorley, Morris, Hannant, Eastwood, Ennis) and turned them into a pretty good footy team. He also improved a few other players that are playing at the best of their ability (Warburton, Hodgson, Armit, Goodwin, Roberts).

Based on this I would have my top 3 in this order.

3. Cartwright
2. Bennett
1. Moore

 

[boxa777]

Which proven performers at the Cowboys and Souths are you referring to exactly? Manase Manufakoa or Antonio.. Those clubs recruited sh*t.

The Dogs recruited players who have been performing at a high standard already. Credit to the coach for gelling that but I haven't seen massive improvements in their individual games (maybe not possible). Don't let your bias confuse you into suggesting I'm downgrading Moore's season. I'm basing my opinion on improvements of players and the team as a whole and I'm picking between these two options and providing my reasons.

And Bull4Life, you have thrown in Soward, Morris, Weyman as rep players. Weyman and Morris might have had a Country match before this season but they were hardly rep players. Talk about discrediting Bennett's coaching. Soward is ten times the player he was.

Playing City Country is no massive achievement. And Creagh played one game for Australia in yesteryear but this season he has skyrocketed as a player. And all the other players you have mentioned, are you telling me you haven't seen big improvements in Costigan, Hornby, Poore, Soward etc? Obviously you're not watching that closely.

I've seen the improvements in some of the Dogs like Ben Roberts and Bryson for instance but let's calm down before we start throwing Warburton into the discussion. His form has hardly been earth-shattering.

I judge a coach on how he's improved the players but this is a pointless argument as regardless of logic the Dogs fans will go for Moore and the Saints fans will go for Bennett.. for the most part.

 

[Timmah]

:lol: Really? I've seen a few go for Kev over Wayne, and no Dogs fans in the reverse. The person above you is a prime example.

 

[gregstar]

moore.

i'd say the only way creeping is going to win another gong is if he goes through a season undefeated or wins three on the trot.

 

[Marshall_magic]

Wayne. He finally got the Dragons to click, after Brown spent his last few years struggling with them.

 

[gregstar]

he's achieved no more than browneye at this stage.

 

[redvscotty]

Hey you!, Leave those trains alooooooooooooneeeeeee.

 

[boxa777]

So smiley faces shielding frustrations is your only addition to this argument?

Of course there are differing opinions.

I guess what Saints fans voting for Moore suggests is that Saints fans are more able to think openly utilising logic and not necessarily take the neantherdal approach of simply supporting parochially the coach of their team.

Like I said, the finals await. The Coaching prize is not as important as a premiership.

 

[saint pebba]

Wayne. He finally got the Dragons to click, after Brown spent his last few years struggling with them.

Browny got them to equal first in 2005 with the eels.

 

[redvscotty]

The Dragons and their fans are arrogant.

 

[watatank]

You could make the same argument that Bennett had all these stars at the Dragons as well and when you do that "they will eventually perform, regardless who the coach is."..

Boyd, Nightingale, Morris, Sailor, Costigan, Smith, Cooper, Soward, Hornby, Weyman, Poore, Creagh..

So I fail to see the argument of "Moore had the players there, Bennett had to make his stars". I just don't see that argument or how you could try and get that across given that 9 of those players I mentioned above have all played rep (either CC, Origin or International) before Bennett was there.

We had talented players in that they were highly regarded juniors or underrated. Not crediting Bennett for making the most of that is like not crediting Moore for much of the likes of Idris, Roberts and Morris (arguable as well) has done.

Morris, Weyman, Poore, Soward were not rep players before this year. They were all highly regarded juniors (i.e. had talent) but they've really only just come good now, so much so that they're now a popular choice with most poster's NSW teams. Sailor was a bit of a passenger and was here more on name last year but he's here on merit. Morris and Sailor are playing so well that Nightingale (an international) can't even make a starting spot at this stage. Creagh has really only played for Country and last time he played for Australia in 2005. He's now a fixture in the NSW team and will almost certainly play for Australia again. Costigan is having his best season yet. Smith was supposed to be our big name signing and we haven't missed a beat without him for most of the season.

Yeah Benny has done a great job with Scott, Prior and Hunt.. But you could say the same about Moore with Goodwin, Warburton, Idris, Hickey etc.

Bennett has also done a good job with Jarrod Saffy, Jon Green and Mickey Paea (you guys should know, he's playing for you guys next year). Theres probably someone I missed.

Not to discount what Moore has done but Warburton and Hickey's performances are no better than what they ever were. I will say that Michael Hodgson (not sure if he was already with the club) has been strong.

 

[SilentAssassin]

Browny got them to equal first in 2005 with the eels.

You obviously have no idea.

 

[Marshall_magic]

Browny got them to equal first in 2005 with the eels.

His last few years when he had the new breed of Dragons, Morris, Soward, Hunt, Poore etc, Brown just didn't seem to have them clicking like Wayne has them going this year. 2005 was a vastly different squad.

I think the key for both clubs is how well they bought. How many players did they both sign, and how many of them were flops?

 

[Broncodr01d]

Moore is being criticised for recruiting well and getting the best out of his 17 each and every week - you f'ing tools :lol: What should he have done - persisted with the wooden spoon achievers from 2008? Moore recruited astutely and has performed one of the biggest turn arounds by a club in the game's history. If they win the thing, it will be one of the great coaching achievments of all-time.

 

[the_mighty_refs]

how about Robert Finch??.

 

[LESStar58]

Moore by a long shot!

 

[joel caine number 1 fan]

Bennett took a finals team slightly higher.

Moore recruited heaps of good players to lift the club.

Cartwright, with largely the same playing group, has taken a team that hasn't made the finals for two years straight and now has them still in contention for the minor premiership.

Yet somehow it's a two horse race?

over-rated ,whats there away record like ?

prince is probley the best half in the game they should of been making the finals from 2007

 

[miccle]

over-rated ,whats there away record like ?

prince is probley the best half in the game they should of been making the finals from 2007

I can see from your grammar that I'm arguing with a mental giant, but here we go anyway.

1. Their away record has improved in leaps and bounds this year. As I said, they're entrenched in the top four and could still win the minor premiership FFS. They haven't lost many more games than the Dogs and Dragons.

2. Rep selectors and 99% of the NRL supporting public think Thurston is better than Prince. Tell me, has Thurston played in a Cowboys team that has missed the finals on a few occasions?

3. What about Andrew Johns? Did Newcastle ever lose and miss the finals when he was in the team?

4. How about Allan Langer?

5. Benji Marshall?

6. Stacey Jones?

7. Do you think that one good halfback means a team should make the finals year-in, year-out?

8. Is a halfback only truly good if he plays in a team which never misses the finals?

 

[Parra Guru]

Bennett but Moore has been equally as impressive and probably more surprising.

Bennett has dominated IMO though, the attitude lift at the Dragons has been phenomenal

Those bringing Anderson's name into the mix should consider that the Dragons weren't so flash at the end of 08 either.