Honestly, which of these players are of a first grade standards...?

[_goParra]

What do people reckon about putting both Hayne and Inu on the wing?

Actually on second thoughts, I'd only want to do that if Burt could show he is better than Hayne at fullback again.

why would we want 2 400k wingers.

 

[_goParra]

Really besides Mateo and Hindy most player's all season have not done themselves justice. Everyone loves to give it to Hayne and fair enough his form this season bar a few games has been below what we expect. But what about INU???? I really think he has been awfully dissapointing. I know he had a bad injury to get over but gee he's been very ordinary. But the silence is deafening..........

Inu was outstanding in his return game vs broncos, but since then he has been on a downward slide. Maybe he was trying to fit in with his team mates.

 

[Bazal]

Um, Mitchell has played every game this year and has been outstanding in the second half of the season and he and Gardiner can be thanked for the season turn around.

Both of them have shown individual brilliance to win games in the last 7 weeks!!!!

I'm not sure what games you are watching if you think he has been poor!!

LOL..I said that where? He was MIA for the majority of the beginning of the year and not doing nearly enough to justify his spot in the top 25. I'm not reactionary enough to say that he's overtaken MK based on 7 games...

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

why would we want 2 400k wingers.

Good point. We should restructure their contracts downward until they're at 150k or so. If they don't like it they could be given permission to negotiate elsewhere on the premise that we will not top up any contract they wish to sign with other clubs.

Also, the sentence I quoted from you is a question. As such it requires a question mark at the end instead of a period.

 

[bartman]

It's really hard to identify each of our outside backs best positions... they all tend to play similar generalist games and have lost a lot of their specific skill linked to specific positions.

Listed in estimated order of salary:

Hayne - apparently doesn't want to play on the wing anymore, failed in the centres, does OK at fullback
Inu - really searching for where he can play even OK based on this season's form, I can see him more as a fullback personally...
Burt - looks best on the wing, does OK at fullback
Grothe - winger if he can improve how he reads the game in defence for turning around when chasing kicks over
Ben Smith - OK centre, but Hagan had talked about a shift to the pack this season before injury
Reddy - seemed OK in the centres to me, also does OK on the wing, used to be a fullback too?
Tautai - makes too many mistakes on the wing for mine, too easily targeted there, centre I guess?
Williams - gone, irrelevant... don't think he'll prove that good a tackler anywhere on the field

Is that it? Have I forgotten anyone other than the lower graders (Etu, Iwi, Jono, Gardner etc)?

 

[yy_cheng]

Unless you can outright buy a classy half (lockyer, thurston, prince) you just have to pay market price for potential.

I think a highly rated pack with an excellent half is where you should spend the money.

1 classy back besides the half is enough. However, our backs aren't that expensive if you sum them all up.

1. Hayne, Inu - $800K
2. Finch - $250K
3. TT, Williams, Reddy, Burt, KK - all on a pittance I would guess.

That is a whole lot of Inexperience. Besides Burt & Finch, they are all in their 3rd year at most in 1st grade.

Our money was most likely wasted on Piggy, Grothe, Benny and somewhat Caylo.

 

[bartman]

The only difference between your Folaus and Inglises and the like are that our big contract gambles - Hayne and Inu - didn't step up this year.

They have as much potential as the other guys who have become superstars with their form throughout this season. I guess you win some, you lose some with big contracts, whether it's for the more established players or young potential stars. This year we lost big time!

 

[Daneel]

The uproar around this place if we hadn't retained Inu and Hayne would have been huge. Look at Tony Williams, i think some forum members had to be put on suicide watch when he signed with Manly.

As stated above a gamble had to be taken to keep them and at this stage it looks like a loss. Maybe next year they will prove their worth. Lets remember though they are only outside backs and need some mongrel up forward to lay a platform for the backs to work with.

 

[Tank30]

i reckon it's plain to see that peoples perceptions of KK being our answer as a 5/8 or half in the future was being a tad optimistic.Average 1st grader to say the least or even perhaps a steve witt mark 2

I am glad someone finally said it....Personally I think KK is the answer to our 5/8 problems...Just that he is the answer for Wenty and not first grade....

 

[fish eel]

The only difference between your Folaus and Inglises and the like are that our big contract gambles - Hayne and Inu - didn't step up this year.

They have as much potential as the other guys who have become superstars with their form throughout this season. I guess you win some, you lose some with big contracts, whether it's for the more established players or young potential stars. This year we lost big time!

I'd also look at the performance of the forward pack Folau and Inglis have played behind this year. And the quality of coaching they get pushing them to become better players.

I think a just as valid question as posed in the title of this thread is:

Are we paying too much for experience and so called leadership?

 

[Stagger eel]

i reckon it's plain to see that peoples perceptions of KK being our answer as a 5/8 or half in the future was being a tad optimistic.Average 1st grader to say the least or even perhaps a steve witt mark 2

FMD!! he's a five eight who's been playing 7 in a busted unit, how in f**ks name can you judge his career on this years performances, there weren't 10 clubs chasing him last year for nothing..

f**k there's some hard markers in here.

 

[Delboy]

I think KK will surprise a few people if and when we get a forward pack to get us over the advantage line.

To be frank, with the way we have been playing, Stuart and Daley would have found it tough to look good. In Kk's defence , we went foward against the Panthers in the second half at CUA , and he looked pretty handy. We shouldn't be taking our disappointment out on the kids, look at the gormless coach, he is old enough to cop it and should big time.

 

[fish eel]

I think KK will surprise a few people if and when we get a forward pack to get us over the advantage line.

To be frank, with the way we have been playing, Stuart and Daley would have found it tough to look good. In Kk's defence , we went foward against the Panthers in the second half at CUA , and he looked pretty handy. We shouldn't be taking our disappointment out on the kids, look at the gormless coach, he is old enough to cop it and should big time.

and he got banished back to NYC after that match....

 

[strider]

KK will be a great 5/8 ... runs the ball and is an excellent support player

 

[Gronk]

KK will be a great 5/8 ... runs the ball and is an excellent support player

Agree, but might lack that $$money$$ ball to make him a great player. Time will tell with that...

In the meantime he tackles above his weight and certainly won't be a liability in the side.

 

[Bigfella]

The kicking games of Finch, Keating and Smith have been terribly served by the slow play the balls.

I have been posting on this forum since I joined that I am frustrated by the poor position our kickers get ball in on the fifth tackle. Constant pressure, players in our face. Sure that's part of the game, but blokes like Cooper Cronk and Scott Prince have coaches who prepare their teams to set them up for their fifth tackle options.

 

[Delboy]

Fish, got to love the coaching, some decisions are not too dissimilar from our previous one. Speaking to the father of a player in Newcastle, don't believe it is all roses up there.

 

[The Colonel]

I think we have 25 players that are of first grade standard of varying degrees in terms of bench and starting. The biggest problem is where they play and the lack of experience in terms of first grade. A lot of these kids are 12 months away from playing regular first grade at an acceptable level but for various reasons they have been thrust into the first grade squad ahead of time.

We have two, possibly three genuine props, too many workaholic backrowers, no really genuine centres outside of an often injured one, and half a dozen blokes you could argue are best suited to the fullback or wing. We have one 5/8, one halfback and a lock who can play in the halves. We again go into a new season with potential as our biggest upside.

The team lacks balance, composure and leadership. Fitness is a big issue. The lack of accountability is by far the most glaring problem. Instead we play the same players week in week out with "subtle" changes based on a whim or putting in at training.

 

[Delboy]

Colonel, one of the key points must be the training.

A few players suggested that they didn't get flogged in the last pre-season, and that showed in condition and strength. I believe that was the instructions from the senior coach, and that coupled with a game plan where we tried to match brute strength and no off-loads against bigger sides was crazy. We looked best when we moved the ball at or behind the line, what on earth was the thinking this year, granted we may have high expectations, but the coaching style and selections and recruitment was well below standard.

 

[The Colonel]

Colonel, one of the key points must be the training.

A few players suggested that they didn't get flogged in the last pre-season, and that showed in condition and strength. I believe that was the instructions from the senior coach, and that coupled with a game plan where we tried to match brute strength and no off-loads against bigger sides was crazy. We looked best when we moved the ball at or behind the line, what on earth was the thinking this year, granted we may have high expectations, but the coaching style and selections and recruitment was well below standard.

Comes under fitness. There were times we couldn't compete for the full eighty. That seemed to be due to the game being divided into ten minute periods and interchanges being made accordingly. With 20 minutes to go in a lot of games we had one interchange left.

It was glaringly obvious there wasn't enough miles under a lot of feet. Mateo had a huge year but I think he could have done twice as well with abeing busted in the gym a lot more. Same goes for all the players. Even Hindmarsh started the season slowly - much of that due to his arthritis problems - but it was obvious that players weren't as fit as they could be.