Guys, I've been reading this thread for the last 4 or 5 pages. I haven't come in here to gloat or anything like that, I actually feel sorry for Parramatta at the moment because truth be told it's how Souths have been for about the last 400 years.
I have a good friend who is a staunch Parra fan and I console him every week, basically telling him that the only way is up, there are positive signs but you just have to look for them.
You can't all just sit here bagging out Sandow, when he has the go forward and some confidence in him by the coaching staff to play however he wants, then there isn't many halves better than him on his day. Simple fact of the matter is that he is playing behind a struggling pack who are consistently failing to bend the line. Mannah busts his hump every week and so does Fui, but other than that the rest are just plodders.
Sandow also doesn't have someone in the halves who is dominant to be the sane one in the partnership, to pull him into line and help him with structure. The most important thing you guys need to realise is how can a midget carry 16 other blokes?
You guys aren't too far off, it's stupid little mistakes that cost you dearly, like pushing miracle passes inside your 20 on the 2nd-3rd tackle.. What for? Get into the grind and play it out, too often when Parra get 6-12 points down they panic and start pushing passes and the mistakes flow and that 6-12 point start turns into 18-24 point start and it's all she wrote.
I tell my Parra mate all the time, there are many similarities with Parra and (Souths) hang on to the young blokes like Tanginoa, Terepo, Loko, Williame etc. and develop them (Sutton, Merritt, Farrell, Champion, Tyrell, Peats, Luke etc.) Mix them in with a couple of older players like Fui, Reni etc. (Geddes, Stuart, Cusack etc.) and then every year try and get a marquee signing, Norman, the pommy forwards, Hoppa (G.I., Sam Burgess, Asotasi) and give the young guys time to develop and it will come good. Just have to keep the faith and everything ends up turning around.
Not all Souths fans are loud mouths, I hope it all turns around soon. I think next year you guys will probably be around the edge of the 8, just have to keep building.
