It depends where you start from doesn't' it. If you come in and start with a good roster then you can do something. We had a roster that was screwed by non spine players taking up 60% of the salary cap, a reserve grade team that was run by St Marys and failed junior development that yielded so few first graders we were signing Burns, Walsh and Ciraldo. Mediocrity squared. The Roosters also had a chairman that was able to fund the acquisition of top class players. He certainly hasn't had that at Penrith.
The problem with that thinking is we made the top 4 and within three years of Gus taking over.
So Gus actually did turn around the on field results quite quickly, since then he seemingly abandoned a strategy that worked and we haven’t had as good a team since.
I think the signs are there that the system is now producing consistently good players and we just need to supplement them with a few astute recruits. Our spine currently consists of three players in their early 20's and an ageing Maloney. This can change over time but there just hasn't been people out in the marketplace that we can attract, so we are doing the best we can with what we can get. One area I do think Gus overlooked and that is the UK. The Raiders have shown there's quality to be had if you look in the right places.
I think for the system to work well here it needs to unearth stars, not just solid first grade talent. The great hope was Nathan Cleary, hence we gave him a big, multi year deal. But I don’t think he’s going to be a genuine star, which leaves our salary cap in some strife.
I just don't understand people on this forum. We don't make the semis for years and then we suddenly make them 4 out of 5 years and as a result we conclude the system doesn't work we need to change it. With Gus gone, mistakes and all and Dave's mate trying to recruit mediocrity like Thompson, I can see us returning to one semi appearance every 10 years. I would also add that Ivan's playing style makes your eyeballs bleed. Attractive it aint. At least Hook let the reins off once we were suitably far enough behind. Would any player want to play in a team playing the sort of crap we are producing?
Two reasons.
After making the top 4 in 2014, and beating the roosters in week 1 of fbe finals, many of us reasonably felt the team should’ve kicked in from there. Instead we had to go through almost another rebuild. There was poor transitional planning here.
The other reason is some of us want more than mediocrity. The teams have made the finals for the last 3 years, but as Gus said himself, it’s been a poor comp in that period. More than that the team hasn’t performed consistently. In all three of those seasons they had terrible patches & good patches. Sounds a lot like this year? Where’s the development of the team? They should be improving, not standing still.
I know everybody wants us to sign some stars and not just rely on juniors and I agree with that, subject to a massive reality check. If the media is to be believed we can't even attract Corey bleeding Thompson to our team. We are just not a club people want to come too. Double that and times by three now we don't have Gus to persuade and charm them.
Not many clubs consistently signs stars, but we have made big signings before Gus, and we can make them after him.
In fact non of Gus’ signings were as big as Preston Campbell, Luke Priddis, Petero Civonevica,
Penrith might not be a great destination for everyone, but for a family man I think it can be a very good one.
