Match Discussion: Round 20 vs Canterbury @ McDonald Jones Stadium, New Lambton

[Yosh]

All the structures in the world don’t compensate for lack of effort. We aren’t winning any contact, the sign they have given up.

I feel sorry for AOB. By all accounts a hard worker. But he is trying to polish a turd here. We need a huge roster churn

Really? I totally see it the other way round. He hasn't improved any players and if anything confused the younger lads but constantly moving them around in different positions and roles.

Systems must be created to get the best out of our players. I would be less upset with a bad system but it seems we have no system.

We are desperate for two competent halves and maybe an outside back but we have the makings of a competitive side (including our incoming transfers and hopefully the two English lads).

 

[The Axe of Druss]

If you've got a boss you don't respect you're hardly going to be talking him up to the new bloke.

Yep

Im seeing that exact issue in my workplace right now. Guys who are leaders in their field simply not giving a f**k and phoning it in cause our new boss is useless and undermines his workers constantly. He's got no respect from the technical team and it shows

I imagine it's very much the same amongst an NRL squad

 

[Jono078]

Received this email fr the club. Even they didn’t really want to show up to work today.

 

[Alex28]

Green is every chance. I thought due to the KP issues from 2018 it was never going to happen but I will be surprised if Parr does not push hard for him to be our coach. It won't be straight away but if they deem O'Brien's coaching has caused our issues rather than a player revolt then a brave man would bet against it becoming reality.

Paul Green won a premiership off the back of Jonathan Thurston. He has done nothing otherwise.

Who is our Thurston?

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

Paul Green won a premiership off the back of Jonathan Thurston. He has done nothing otherwise.

Who is our Thurston?

Maybe Thurston is our next coach.

 

[Spot On]

Look, of course we could improve and bring in better players but the current ones we have aren't a team that should be sitting 14th. The reason they are is 100% coaching

Are we really saying Pearce and Watson were the difference between 7th and 14th? Let's be honest with ourselves here

Oh, if we had Pearce he’d would have single handedly lead this side to at least another 8 wins this year to get us into 8th spot/26 points.

Absolutely no doubt he is that type of superstar and the difference between top 8/bottom 8.

 

[Jono078]

Paul Green won a premiership off the back of Jonathan Thurston. He has done nothing otherwise.

Who is our Thurston?

He took them to a grand final without Thurston there for majority of the season didn't he?

We'd be praising our coach if they achieved that without Johns.

For the record I don't particularly want Green here.

 

[macavity]

Slater?

please not Fittler either.

 

[aqua_duck]

I think it's absolutely fair to assess that there are multiple factors for the on field failure and unfortunately for AOB most of those factors fall on him.

Alot of people rightly point to a lack of commitment and motivation, being able to gain that commitment and motivation is leadership 101. A good leader is able to gain that commitment and motivate because everyone has bought in and has belief and makes those who aren't committed accountable, the fact that the team has given up is not an excuse for AOB but rather an indictment of him as a leader.

Leadership aside the coaching has been nothing short of barely existent, defensively some players looks like they've never defended in their respective positions before and regularly miss their assignment and in attack there is just absolutely no redeeming facets, again a massive indictment on AOB.

Lastly perhaps the biggest failure under the AOB tenure has been roster management. Not a single 1st grade quality half under contract for next season, paper thing depth, players who have left have by in large done better at other sides whilst our recruitment and retention under AOB has been a abstract failure.

I really cannot find a single area where I think AOB deserves a pass mark

 

[Old dog]

We were ordinary today, (aren’t I kind) with nearly all playing below expectation of each in a game that was critical, home game and chance to skip clear of dreaded spoon
Several mistakes, bad judgement in early part of game cost us any momentum, poor defence reads, knock ons, tackled over sideline in our own halve placing defence and confidence to wane.
4-5 players put in but just as many had very ordinary games the rest didn’t appear interested except for some moments
I expect we will have at least 4-5 changes next week, not bench to 13 or 13 to bench but 4-5 not selected in the 17 this week

 

[newyboy]

And start with who and then bring in.....who?

We need to fix the issue with the head coach before we have any hope that bringing in good players will help. If the attitude amongst the group isn't fixed it'll just poison the new guys

I thought Ponga was our Carrot to attract players.

 

[Knight Tales]

He took them to a grand final without Thurston there for majority of the season didn't he?

We'd be praising our coach if they achieved that without Johns.

For the record I don't particularly want Green here.

Makes GF against all odds with his HB having no input into the finals series at all. Everyone rationalise it and says has to be all Michael Morgan alone. That is just utter BS.

 

[Apey]

The lack of runners and support is incredible. No one wants to be there! What a shambles of a team.

This was my biggest takeaway watching our abysmal attack in the 20. I actually felt sorry for the ball carriers, especially the halves. The team was quite literally just standing around on some plays.

 

[Alex28]

Makes GF against all odds with his HB having no input into the finals series at all. Everyone rationalise it and says has to be all Michael Morgan alone. That is just utter BS.

We don’t have a Thurston OR a Morgan.

What is Paul Green going to do without any halves that AOB can’t?

Settle on a spine for next year - AOB has got to ride or die on whatever he can recruit.

 

[Knight Tales]

We don’t have a Thurston OR a Morgan.

What is Paul Green going to do without any halves that AOB can’t?

Settle on a spine for next year - AOB has got to ride or die on whatever he can recruit.

All true. But yesterday Adam O’Brien showed how arrogant he is by using the fact he was involved in four GFs to defend himself. As an assistant of some capacity! He is now a very desperate man and with Parr’s arrival you can tell he is in panic mode.
what we need is a coach who actually has coached to a GF. In the top seat. It is about Re setting the course. Forget GFs. We just need to once again prove we are a club that can win games without one player being the sole centre piece. As for a Thurston the answer is no one has a JT. Again the reason i raised Green as a possibility is Parr has strong ties to him still. It may never eventuate.