Eels news in the Sunday Telegraph 14/5/06

[lucablight]

Sorry I don't have the actual articles but the gist of it is

*Tahu supposedly admitting that the Eels are rattled and disappointed that Brian Smith is leaving and how it has had an effect on the players.

*Brett Delaney has apparently told the Eels he will be going on the open market after June 30 so he is pretty much gone

 

[varion]

Delaney is no real loss at all, only thing we may miss is his Goal kicking. If he stays all good it would mean we wont be paying overs as he is obviously not happy with what Eels may of offered him thus far (unless he has an over inflated opinion of his true worth).

Tahu can hold his head up this year, was slow to last year but this year has been one of our best.

 

[Y2Eel]

Not to fussed with losing brett delaney we have better options in the team will be good next season with a few players going and some fresh faces in first grade...

We dont ever want to lose tahu...

 

[Eelementary]

Sorry I don't have the actual articles but the gist of it is

*Tahu supposedly admitting that the Eels are rattled and disappointed that Brian Smith is leaving and how it has had an effect on the players.

*Brett Delaney has apparently told the Eels he will be going on the open market after June 30 so he is pretty much gone

If this is true...Then please drop him.

FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, we made him an offer, and if he's refused it, it probably means he'll leave. So if he does leave, why persist with improving him at someone else's expense?

 

[damo72]

If this is true...Then please drop him.

FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, we made him an offer, and if he's refused it, it probably means he'll leave. So if he does leave, why persist with improving him at someone else's expense?

I agree, with Ben Smith back soon it could be a chance for Inu, Hayne or Williams to step up.

 

[Eelementary]

I mean, I don't mean it as an insult to him.

But IF he is going to leave us, I don't see the point, really.

He may be a great kid, but he really hasn't set the world on fire. Benny's due back soon, and we have Inu and a couple of other guys who I'm fairly certain are still contracted to us for next year that we could use instead, you know?

 

[damo72]

Then again, BS won't be here next season so he is more than likely to stick with him as he does with Petersen for God knows what reason. I heard all the wraps on Delaney and he hasn't really impressed me too much, his defence has been sound but doesn't look likely to threaten the opposition with his attack.
I understand what you are saying and if he has been offered a new contract from us and declined to sign it and test his value after June 30, it means to me that his manager has more than likely to him to hold off signing because Penrith or the Gold Coast will offer him more. If that is the case I would rather see someone who is going to be a part of the Eels in the future be tested in the top grade than someone who is not.


on another note - Go the Hammers, would love to see them win this

 

[Glenn]

No great loss if BD does head elsewhere, already have the goal kicking covered between Burt/Riddell atm, and possibly more depending on signings.
Also as mentioned the likes of Ben Smith,Hayne,Inu,Williams etc can be given the opportunity there.

 

[Hurriflatch]

Delaney will come back to haunt Parra if he goes

Might take 3 years to happen but it will

 

[Twizzle]

sound like he may not be happy with the Lyon situation

I know who I'd prefer, Delaney hasn't impressed me so far

 

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

Delaney has been solid, but unspectacular, only reason he keeps getting picked, is bcoz we have an eye to the future, if his future is elsewhere, then we shuold promote Inu, Hayne etc. but having sed that it wont happen

 

[ParraDude_Jay]

*Tahu supposedly admitting that the Eels are rattled and disappointed that Brian Smith is leaving and how it has had an effect on the players.

They should be happy he's going, they'll finally have a coach who isn't stuck in 2001.

*Brett Delaney has apparently told the Eels he will be going on the open market after June 30 so he is pretty much gone

Good news at last. He has had another shocker today to pile with the poor games he's had... well everytime he's played first grade really. I'd like to know why anybody rates him.

 

[Twizzle]

its time to send Delaney back to PL, he was poor today

 

[bartman]

Don't forget with a coach going elsewhere, and Delaney reported to be going open market, the coach (who makes selections) wouldn't be swayed by whether Delaney is staying next year or not. If Smithy's keen on Delaney going with him, then of course he would keep picking him until his future is decided...

But at the moment Delaney seems the best option to pick, if only because of solid first-grade level defence, something we have been lacking in the backline a fair bit. It's all good to think of next year, but in the meantime we should still pick the best available side, until all (matehmatical) hope is lost.

 

[ParraDude_Jay]

But at the moment Delaney seems the best option to pick, if only because of solid first-grade level defence, something we have been lacking in the backline a fair bit. It's all good to think of next year, but in the meantime we should still pick the best available side, until all (matehmatical) hope is lost.

Does that include the tackle he missed on Maitua for a try?

He is woeful. If he was a bad defender but was lighting up our attack then that's fine, and on the other side if he was an ordinary attacker but saving tries and shutting down opposition centres with great defence then that's great too, but he is AWFUL at both. He's a poor man's Luke Covell, apart from goalkicking he's useless.

 

[bartman]

Mate, didn't see today's game yet. But with Ben Smith out who else are we going to play in centres? Wagon? O'Dwyer?

In the previous four games I've seen Delaney seemed to do alright in defence, compared to many around him anyway. Debuting Inu or Partmagana (sp?) into a losing side would be a risk - maybe a risk some think is worth taking, but I fear the end result would be the same, and maybe the confidence or development of someone like Inu might take a battering if thrown into a side like this at the moment.