I know a bunch of you are pissed off about how the team is going. But the fact of the matter is we haven't had the same 17 run out consistently each week at all this year. If there was it would have been a significantly weakened squad.
Factors of a weaker roster & injuries have clearly impacted us and without any continuity no team is going to succeed. There is a reason that 9/10 times the team that wins the comp is the team has the least amount of injuries during a season.
Let us focus on what has been good so far in 2012:
- Our juniors are going really well in the Harold Matthews & SG Ball. Both squads did well this year and there looks to be a few genuine shots at first grade there.
- Our Toyota Cup squad has been competitive & winning for the first team since the initial year of the competition's formation. We have about 4-5 guys from that squad at least capable of transitioning to first grade.
- Our NSW Cup team is staked and is playing extremely well right now and we are building better depth for the team going forward.
- We have unearthed a few potential first graders who have had limited time in grade that were unheralded signings looking for opportunity (Matt Robinson, Ryan Simpkins, Josh Mansour, Etu Uaisele, Mitch Achurch)
- We have been active in the market already for next season signing a genuine current International backrower in Lewis Brown. When was the last time this happened at Penrith??
Those are just a few of the things.
Sure we can focus on the negative all you want. That Galea, Newton & Ciraldo look like ordinary signings..but realistically they'd be depth if we were full strength.
You can focus on the fact that they have re-signed Tighe & Walsh and yeah that might be a mistake in the long run...but for what they are on...meh.
You can focus on the fact that Mick Gordon isn't signed...but then again you could focus on the fact that Blake Austin IS signed, that Harry Seijka IS signed etc, that they are focusing on junior retention much more than the previous regime.
And as for the roster...when fully fit...How far away are we actually?
1. Lachlan Coote
2.
3. Michael Jennings
4. Michael Gordon
5.
6. Blake Austin
7.
8. Sam McKendry
9. Kevin Kingston
10. Tim Grant
11. Lewis Brown
12.
13. Luke Lewis
RES:
14. Dayne Weston
15.
16.
17. Vaipuna Tia-Kilifi
For the 2 vacant winger positions - Josh Mansour, Etu Uaisele, Junior Tia Kilifi, George Jennings, Tony Satini, Andrew Pelasio, Brad Tighe, David Simmons...other options?
For the 3 vacant forward positions - Nathan Smith, Nigel Plum, Chris Armit, Cameron Ciraldo, Clint Newton, Danny Galea, Ryan Simpkins, Mitch Achurch, Matt Robinson, Jesse Sene-Lafao etc
See...not that far away...maybe a few juniors away...maybe a few FG signings away...maybe a few young blokes from other clubs looking for opportunities away, maybe we have the solution already....but we aren't that far away.
What people need perspective on is the whole picture.
While the NRL team has shown itself to be somewhat lacking right now given injuries, inconsistency and lack of continuity...If we take the NRL results away...would you say our club is going better or worse?
The results show they are going better.
Off the field the players are integrating more in the community and re-connecting the team to the community. The players are active in Social Media and proving that we can be a family club as well as young and innovative.
Off the field we have new major sponsorship which is generating better income than the previous long term Sanyo partnership.
Off the field, we have increased membership at a greater rate than most of the bigger clubs in the NRL.
On the field all grades (bar NRL) have improved dramatically with the moves made in the past 12 months & the talent that has been nurtured.
On the field in the NRL...yeah not great...but when we were healthy early in the year we saw what this team was capable of. Now throw in Lewis Brown and a few talented juniors...
Sometimes focusing on one thing...blinds you to bigger picture. While the NRL is the same as last year due to various factors, we have improved in nearly every other area significantly both on and off the field.
We aren't that far away...you just have to have a bit of perspective, patience and faith.
It'll turn around for the NRL side...get on board.
Factors of a weaker roster & injuries have clearly impacted us and without any continuity no team is going to succeed. There is a reason that 9/10 times the team that wins the comp is the team has the least amount of injuries during a season.
Let us focus on what has been good so far in 2012:
- Our juniors are going really well in the Harold Matthews & SG Ball. Both squads did well this year and there looks to be a few genuine shots at first grade there.
- Our Toyota Cup squad has been competitive & winning for the first team since the initial year of the competition's formation. We have about 4-5 guys from that squad at least capable of transitioning to first grade.
- Our NSW Cup team is staked and is playing extremely well right now and we are building better depth for the team going forward.
- We have unearthed a few potential first graders who have had limited time in grade that were unheralded signings looking for opportunity (Matt Robinson, Ryan Simpkins, Josh Mansour, Etu Uaisele, Mitch Achurch)
- We have been active in the market already for next season signing a genuine current International backrower in Lewis Brown. When was the last time this happened at Penrith??
Those are just a few of the things.
Sure we can focus on the negative all you want. That Galea, Newton & Ciraldo look like ordinary signings..but realistically they'd be depth if we were full strength.
You can focus on the fact that they have re-signed Tighe & Walsh and yeah that might be a mistake in the long run...but for what they are on...meh.
You can focus on the fact that Mick Gordon isn't signed...but then again you could focus on the fact that Blake Austin IS signed, that Harry Seijka IS signed etc, that they are focusing on junior retention much more than the previous regime.
And as for the roster...when fully fit...How far away are we actually?
1. Lachlan Coote
2.
3. Michael Jennings
4. Michael Gordon
5.
6. Blake Austin
7.
8. Sam McKendry
9. Kevin Kingston
10. Tim Grant
11. Lewis Brown
12.
13. Luke Lewis
RES:
14. Dayne Weston
15.
16.
17. Vaipuna Tia-Kilifi
For the 2 vacant winger positions - Josh Mansour, Etu Uaisele, Junior Tia Kilifi, George Jennings, Tony Satini, Andrew Pelasio, Brad Tighe, David Simmons...other options?
For the 3 vacant forward positions - Nathan Smith, Nigel Plum, Chris Armit, Cameron Ciraldo, Clint Newton, Danny Galea, Ryan Simpkins, Mitch Achurch, Matt Robinson, Jesse Sene-Lafao etc
See...not that far away...maybe a few juniors away...maybe a few FG signings away...maybe a few young blokes from other clubs looking for opportunities away, maybe we have the solution already....but we aren't that far away.
What people need perspective on is the whole picture.
While the NRL team has shown itself to be somewhat lacking right now given injuries, inconsistency and lack of continuity...If we take the NRL results away...would you say our club is going better or worse?
The results show they are going better.
Off the field the players are integrating more in the community and re-connecting the team to the community. The players are active in Social Media and proving that we can be a family club as well as young and innovative.
Off the field we have new major sponsorship which is generating better income than the previous long term Sanyo partnership.
Off the field, we have increased membership at a greater rate than most of the bigger clubs in the NRL.
On the field all grades (bar NRL) have improved dramatically with the moves made in the past 12 months & the talent that has been nurtured.
On the field in the NRL...yeah not great...but when we were healthy early in the year we saw what this team was capable of. Now throw in Lewis Brown and a few talented juniors...
Sometimes focusing on one thing...blinds you to bigger picture. While the NRL is the same as last year due to various factors, we have improved in nearly every other area significantly both on and off the field.
We aren't that far away...you just have to have a bit of perspective, patience and faith.
It'll turn around for the NRL side...get on board.
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