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Darwin game vs Cowboys team thread

Eelogical

Referee
Messages
23,262
Not picking on him but geez Semi has made some shocking errors all aeason

We can chew it three ways 'til sunday, ain't gonna change shit. Our form will see us end up at seasons end as a middle of the road team, and that's an improvement. When we're off our P plates we should take a chance in the overtaking lane.
 

emjaycee

Coach
Messages
13,826
Someone else summed up my thoughts pretty well, so instead of typing them up, I thought I would just copy it and add a couple more throughout.
Thanks Eele


May I just ask - what's so special about our roster?

I believe we have a balance of speed and power in the backs, albeit with some limited experience in key roles.
I believe we have inconsistent, yet creative halves who are yet to work out their individual roles in a team sport.
I believe we have top class edge forwards although KE worries me sometimes with his contributions.
But imo that's where our strengths end.

We have a hard-working - yet small - middle pack who can and sometimes punch well above their weight.
We have a hooker who is inexperienced, injury-prone, and not ready to play 80 minutes every week but is showing signs of being a really good dummy half.
Our roster, imo, is mid-table at best, so to me - as disappointing as it is to lose to and/or get flogged by much better teams - we are pretty much par with where we should be.

I completely understand fans' frustrations - I share the same frustrations.
But the reality is that thanks to an incompetent board, we are rebuilding for the third time in as many years, and any astute analyst will tell you that a proper rebuild doesn't take 12 months - it takes a lot longer.

Arthur has seen our weaknesses - we needed size in the middle, so he signed Evans; we need a hooker to take pressure off Pritchard, and so we are in the market for another 9, I believe - and he has moved to address them.

After Foran dogged us, he knew we needed a partner for Norman; he signed the bloke with the most upside that was available at the time.

Moses has flaws, but he's 23, and should statistically improve the more time he gets to play with his new team.

I understand that we are all frustrated, but I, for one, am pleased to see the coach is playing the long game of trying to set us up for long-term competitiveness, rather than shooting for short-term glory.

Let's not forget that our cap situation for 2017 was still muddy merely weeks before the season began.
 

Eelementary

Post Whore
Messages
57,213
Someone else summed up my thoughts pretty well, so instead of typing them up, I thought I would just copy it and add a couple more throughout.
Thanks Eele

Bang on, imo.

I know we are all frustrated, but our squad just isn't "there" yet.

We are definitely on the right track, but it will unfortunately take time.

I know we are all tired of saying it, but if our previous board hadn't screwed up so badly, and if Foran had not left us in the lurch, we might actually be seeing the fruits of Arthur's hard work this year.

Instead, things conspired against him, and set the club back another 12 months, minimum.

However, we now have a very professional board, and have some genuine First Grade talent coming on board next season - I will stick my neck out now and say we will play Finals in 2018, and we will not merely be making up the numbers.
 

Bazal

Post Whore
Messages
103,072
Bang on, imo.

I know we are all frustrated, but our squad just isn't "there" yet.

We are definitely on the right track, but it will unfortunately take time.

I know we are all tired of saying it, but if our previous board hadn't screwed up so badly, and if Foran had not left us in the lurch, we might actually be seeing the fruits of Arthur's hard work this year.

Instead, things conspired against him, and set the club back another 12 months, minimum.

However, we now have a very professional board, and have some genuine First Grade talent coming on board next season - I will stick my neck out now and say we will play Finals in 2018, and we will not merely be making up the numbers.

Far too many people

-Want immediate success and
-Believe that immediate success is possible for a club that has had the decade we have

It's simply not. in 2004, we were able to sign a bunch of quality players and immediately turn ourselves around because we had been successful recently. A club like the Bulldogs can attract good players much more easily than a club that hasn't played finals in eight years for the same reason.

A club like Parramatta needs to either pay big overs and potentially screw the squad, or start the way we have under BA, making astute buys. Brown and Gutherson were inspired signings, Hoffman is top value, the guy has brought the right juniors through and has identified quality outside our system in guys like GL, Stone, Niukore, Dresler etc. But it takes time to build a winning side out of the ashes of a double wooden spoon squad. Especially when the cheating thing put the club back a few steps.

But people will continue to bitch and moan and blame everything about the club for not being done like X club does it. And then next year or the year after we'll blitz it and finish top four and there will be a thundering silence from the hand wringers....
 

84 Baby

Referee
Messages
29,748
I don't think we're even that far behind. We were completely f**ked in the SK and RS years with complete gambles and stop gap measures masquerading as key players. Now those new players coming in are among our best each week
 

Chipmunk

Coach
Messages
17,375
So it appears that we should play the Storm in Round 18 in Melbourne without Slater, Chambers, Blair, Cronk, Smith, McLean and Glasby.
 

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