Luke Walsh

[Caged Panther]

f**k Mx. Give the bloke some credit.

He had great service from dummy half yesterday (It is the best game I've seen Kingston play in 2 years so well done to Kevin). Walsh showed great vision and had a great platform to work off and he did well.

Even Thurston looks like shit when his service is crap from dummy half & his impact runners aren't getting involved.

I always respect your opinion but you are letting bias cloud your judgement on yesterday's performance and you are projecting ahead based on past data under a coaching regime that stunted creativity and ball-playing.

Walsh from all accounts was great in the trials, had a bad game against the Dogs in crap conditions, with players going down all around him & extremely poor service from dummy half, and bounced back yesterday to have a great game where he led the team around the park remarkably well.

Now I'm as cautious about his progress as anyone, but I'm not just gonna continually ride the dude when he doesn't deserve it and when his only bad game so far this year has been in terrible conditions with pathetic support play.

Here is a great concept in the meantime while we figure out if Walsh is a changed man under Cleary. Be critical when they deserve to be criticized....and praise when they deserve praise. Yesterday the team performance was great and a large part of that team success was due to Walsh. Give credit when it is due & stop bringing everything down all the bloody time. I mean seriously man...I feel depressed every time I read one of your posts and that was after a great win FFS.

You say he was shithouse all of last year after round 2 & he hasn't shown anything to suggest that will change this season. 2 NRL game sample size, of which 1 was outstanding & the other had several mitigating circumstances isn't a sample size to support your argument - But what it DOES support is my notion of letting it ride for a bit while we figure it out under Cleary & in the meantime analyse each performance on its merits.

Here here

 

[Fibroman]

Walsh has all the ability in the world, just needs to pump his heart up and he will go gang busters.

 

[GongPanther]

Hasler had Manly performing like a bunch of thugs when they realised that we were getting away with that game.

And to Manly's credit,it worked and we got ruffled up and lost our composure and focus.

A little bit of niggle happened in this game against the Roosters but they left it too late to upset the applecart.

The Panthers from now on will have to watch out for other teams that will be using this tactic and will have to solidify a newfound character in to not let this put them off their game.

 

[franklin2323]

Agreed but when you have a two game sample size under a new coach you can't just base everything off what happened under a prior coach.

I watched both trials. The Newcastle game it's a toss of the coin as to whether he or Boyd were best that night. He was our best by plenty. The Parra game he was the best out on the field. Sunday it was only a 5 star performance by Jennings that stopped him from being the best.

3/4 games I have seen have been great. We need 15+ over the season to be a threat so lets see in a few weeks but he seems on the way up.

 

[greenfins]

f**k Mx. Give the bloke some credit.

He had great service from dummy half yesterday (It is the best game I've seen Kingston play in 2 years so well done to Kevin). Walsh showed great vision and had a great platform to work off and he did well.

Even Thurston looks like shit when his service is crap from dummy half & his impact runners aren't getting involved.

I always respect your opinion but you are letting bias cloud your judgement on yesterday's performance and you are projecting ahead based on past data under a coaching regime that stunted creativity and ball-playing.

Walsh from all accounts was great in the trials, had a bad game against the Dogs in crap conditions, with players going down all around him & extremely poor service from dummy half, and bounced back yesterday to have a great game where he led the team around the park remarkably well.

Now I'm as cautious about his progress as anyone, but I'm not just gonna continually ride the dude when he doesn't deserve it and when his only bad game so far this year has been in terrible conditions with pathetic support play.

Here is a great concept in the meantime while we figure out if Walsh is a changed man under Cleary. Be critical when they deserve to be criticized....and praise when they deserve praise. Yesterday the team performance was great and a large part of that team success was due to Walsh. Give credit when it is due & stop bringing everything down all the bloody time. I mean seriously man...I feel depressed every time I read one of your posts and that was after a great win FFS.

You say he was shithouse all of last year after round 2 & he hasn't shown anything to suggest that will change this season. 2 NRL game sample size, of which 1 was outstanding & the other had several mitigating circumstances isn't a sample size to support your argument - But what it DOES support is my notion of letting it ride for a bit while we figure it out under Cleary & in the meantime analyse each performance on its merits.

Very well said Mick, we all will be watching, good luck to Walsh for the season. Hope he kicks on well under the new coach.

 

[mxlegend99]

f**k Mx. Give the bloke some credit.

I did. But I'm also not going to jump on the bandwagon because of a good game. So far he hasn't altered the pattern he showed last year.

If he can string together 4 or 5 good games in a row I'll be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But until he can show some consistency there's no reason to believe that he has improved over last season.

I also remember there being talk of both Burns and Walsh being encouraged to play what was infront of them when Geogallis took over as coach. That didn't last too long either.

I'm just not buying into the hype until I think there's a decent reason to believe it could come true for a change. I'd love nothing more then to be wrong and for Luke Walsh to lead us to a premiership. But I honestly can't see it happening with him in the halves.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

Brian Smith's most epic f### up was letting Walsh go so we could keep Scott Dureau.

 

[mxlegend99]

Against the Souths he looked just like the Luke Walsh of 2011. A defensive liability and didn't create shit for us in attack. I wouldn't be at all shocked for him to tear the Eels a new one this weekend, but at the rate they're going even Adrian Purtell could slot into halfback and do that.

 

[Big Mick]

How did I know you'd bring this thread back this week.

If you think last week was purely on Luke Walsh, you have no idea about freakin football. Because clearly our forwards did their job right? Because clearly our backs did their jobs right? Yeah we were f**king awesome aside from only Luke Walsh...he was the only reason right Mx?

And if he did rip apart the Eels you'd be back here saying he was lucky and anyone could do it and he is still shit because he has always been shit.

I don't want him as our Half in the long term as much as you. But I'm going to assess his performances each week and going to see what Ivan & Gus thinks is best.

For all we know we are in the Cooper Cronk sweepstakes and considering Walsh's contract is very cap friendly...who knows?

 

[mxlegend99]

Where did i say that loss was on Walsh? He was just one of several players who went missing. But yet again he has played a poor game and its excuse time for him... When in my opinion he is just staying true to the form of previous years. The odd great game mixed in with a few average ones and a heap of poor games. Certainly not good enough to be carrying him defensively for when he decides to have a great game.

Burns and Coote have created more opportunities this year then Walsh, and Coote is in average form while Burns isn't much of a playmaker at all. That said Burns offers a hell of a lot to the team and deserves the 9 or 14 jersey even after bringing in decent halves.

Not sure why youre sticking up for Walsh. It was a ridiculous decision to re-sign him and Tighe for 3 years. But you're so confident in Gus that you defend every signing as if its genius. Perfect lengths to contracts and so on. When really its about the exact same level of recruitment and retention as before he arrived. If we sign a decent half and Walsh becomes the backup he deserves, i'l rate tge decision. But to me it looks like they're counting on Walsh for the next 3 years and he just aint good enough to deliver us a premiership. Not without a Lockyer or Marshall quality partner.

 

[Big Mick]

Point is your more than willing to slam him....but not other players...yet when he has a good game it tastes like vinegar to praise him, yet you'll braise others. And where did you exactly say the loss WASN'T on Walsh. All you've done this week so far is to slam him pretty much. You haven't slammed Lewis who hasn't had 1 good game this year...at least Walsh has had that...It is just pure hatred and bias on your part & it is getting old.

I'm not "sticking up" for Walsh. I'm just not willing to deathride him like you are.

I'm not "defending every signing" I'm just willing to let it ride out now instead of crucifying it and judge each acquisition on its merits.

As for the contracts...they are the bloody perfect length as it would allow significant cap room in the year when we'll likely have the most significant jump in the cap and by then all BAD contracts will be off the books. It is cap management 1.01. Although I doubt you'd give a shit. You'll just say it is stupid anyway.

The fact is we are negotiating with players, and yes, one is a half. Walsh is on a very cap friendly contract so you may get your freaking wish soon enough.

 

[umina panther]

We are no chance of winning the comp this year so we should be playing siejka and Austin in the halves imo

 

[abpanther]

I didn't think Walsh was that bad last week, he tried very hard, our forwards got absolutely dominated.

I didn't see Coote create much at all, must've watched a different game.

In fact it was Walsh who did the work to put Coote through to set up the Kingston try

 

[soc123_au]

It is not too often I disagree with MX, but on this one I am still prepared to give Walsh benefit of the doubt. I cant think of to many halves that would have performed behind our forwards on Sunday. We were beaten soundly up the middle, yet still managed 4 trys. That loss was down to rubbish defence in the first 15 mins, nothing more.

 

[age.s]

I think he deserves some credit for his defense too. He's no Pearce and he's never going to be, but he's largely improved his attitude, and does his best to get stuck in most of the time. He's out of the Sandow league IMO. Very few halfbacks are going to be able to stop Inglis 1 on 1 when he has a head of steam up.

 

[Bob]

Point is your more than willing to slam him....but not other players...yet when he has a good game it tastes like vinegar to praise him, yet you'll braise others. And where did you exactly say the loss WASN'T on Walsh. All you've done this week so far is to slam him pretty much. You haven't slammed Lewis who hasn't had 1 good game this year...at least Walsh has had that...It is just pure hatred and bias on your part & it is getting old.

I'm not "sticking up" for Walsh. I'm just not willing to deathride him like you are.

I'm not "defending every signing" I'm just willing to let it ride out now instead of crucifying it and judge each acquisition on its merits.

As for the contracts...they are the bloody perfect length as it would allow significant cap room in the year when we'll likely have the most significant jump in the cap and by then all BAD contracts will be off the books. It is cap management 1.01. Although I doubt you'd give a shit. You'll just say it is stupid anyway.

The fact is we are negotiating with players, and yes, one is a half. Walsh is on a very cap friendly contract so you may get your freaking wish soon enough.

I've got to agree with you Mick, I think we are seeing the benefits of Cleary and Gould with the juniors at the moment, I think both sides are still undefeated, the 20's look a better side, we have some decent players at Windsor and we are not spoon material in 1st grade, we are only 2 or 3 good players short of being a really good side

 

[Doomednow]

It is not too often I disagree with MX, but on this one I am still prepared to give Walsh benefit of the doubt. I cant think of to many halves that would have performed behind our forwards on Sunday. We were beaten soundly up the middle, yet still managed 4 trys. That loss was down to rubbish defence in the first 15 mins, nothing more.

This. If we'd actually turned up on time on Sunday and not let in those first 3 tries that is a very different game. Every try we got was quality, through either grit or technique. We put four on them with a nullified forward pack and an opposition playing the best game they've played in my recent memory.

Walsh has been doing much better this year, no one can accuse him of only going for the bomb anymore. He needs better service and more room, and that's not his responsibility.

One thing I've been noticing are our grubber kicks on the try line. Quite often someone will put one through, but no one puts their hand up to run through and collect it.

 

[Copperhead]

I've just decided to put criticism of the team aside for the next few seasons. Gould made it perfectly clear how things are going to play out, and the fact that all our junior teams are playing strongly is most important now. There's some talented kids coming through, and over the next couple of years those place-fillers we have in so many positions in first grade will be replaced with real talent. I'm prepared to wait.

It's a diferent situation to the last 5 years. An idiot has been replaced by a pair of astute judges, and they told us it wasn't going to happen overnight.

 

[goosie]

walsh will be much happier with grant returning .

 

[betcats]

Im still not sure about Walsh, i dont blame him for the weekend, our forward pack just couldnt match the bunnies but ive been not sure about him for about 3 years now which says to me its just about time to move on, the only reason i havent written him off is because we have a new coach.