Match Discussion: Round 4 vs Melbourne @ AAMI Park, Melbourne

[Pleb]

Do you guys have any good halves coming through juniors? I actually felt sorry for you guys watching brooks out there yesterday he is deadset clueless.

 

[Tigerm]

It was those putrid white shorts they are wearing, they are unlucky and should be banned

 

[Tooooks]

What did you guys think of Kepaoa and Junior Tupou? I thought they showed some promising signs. Naden and Staines have looked ok too.

 

[Tigerm]

What did you guys think of Kepaoa and Junior Tupou? I thought they showed some promising signs. Naden and Staines have looked ok too.

Yeah, happy with all 4, hope they can consolidate, we finally have a bit of speed out wide for a change, just some direction from our halves and we are half way there.

 

[Tooooks]

Yeah, happy with all 4, hope they can consolidate, we finally have a bit of speed out wide for a change, just some direction from our halves and we are half way there.

Naden is quicker than I thought. And early days, but he seems to be making fewer dumb mistakes.

I thought for sure you guys would take the opportunity to punt Brooks to the Knights, keep Hastings and take the extra half million (?) in your cap for another good player.

Showing some good resilience the last couple of weeks. Those scores could easily have blown out.

 

[Tigerm]

Naden is quicker than I thought. And early days, but he seems to be making fewer dumb mistakes.

I thought for sure you guys would take the opportunity to punt Brooks to the Knights, keep Hastings and take the extra half million (?) in your cap for another good player.

Showing some good resilience the last couple of weeks. Those scores could easily have blown out.

Most of us I think, thought we would’ve/should’ve got rid of Brooks, but the Sheenius has different ideas to most of us mere mortals

 

[MasterTiger]

The sad thing is I genuinely believe Brooks cares about the club and his under achieving. It is difficult to pin down why as a player he has not progressed to be the player he really should be. Anyway the time has come for him and the club to part ways. His game against the Storm was probably the worst I have seen and his confidence would be at an all time low. To be honest even though he is on big money I feel sorry for him. He obviously is not a dickhead . Let me tell you… under Bennett or Bellamy he really could be anything.

 

[MasterTiger]

And that is the issue.Sheens can see the potential.. the game in Brookes. But can he extract it?

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

And that is the issue.Sheens can see the potential.. the game in Brookes. But can he extract it?

No.

Brooksy’s been finished for a few years now.

Sheens and the Wt coaching staff are the only people in the world who can’t seem to realise that.

Hes a massive liability.

Its best for all concerned that he finds another club.

Nothing personal.

 

[Tigerm]

The sad thing is I genuinely believe Brooks cares about the club and his under achieving. It is difficult to pin down why as a player he has not progressed to be the player he really should be. Anyway the time has come for him and the club to part ways. His game against the Storm was probably the worst I have seen and his confidence would be at an all time low. To be honest even though he is on big money I feel sorry for him. He obviously is not a dickhead . Let me tell you… under Bennett or Bellamy he really could be anything.

Is he tanking?

 

[Tiger Ted]

Is he tanking?

No as he’s glaringly a shithouse player.Only the toxic saboteur Sheens would put the kibosh on a dream opportunity to discard the biggest liability in the NRL to the knights.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

Is he tanking?

That’s just @stryker-puss cruel!

 

[MasterTiger]

One thing I am certain of he is not tanking. Trying to hard maybe. Lacking that 10% finesse that top players have 100%.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

One thing I am certain of he is not tanking. Trying to hard maybe. Lacking that 10% finesse that top players have 100%.

Lacking 90% of finesse that top players have might be more accurate.

Anyway, you are more than entitled to your view here. Echo chambers are awful.

I think he started tanking 3 or 4 years ago.

Hopefully you don’t have more extreme views such as the club is in good hands or Tim and co can coach!

 

[Fordy20]

Do you guys have any good halves coming through juniors? I actually felt sorry for you guys watching brooks out there yesterday he is deadset clueless.

We had a young bloke called Lachlan Illias running around a few years back, but I guess he wasn't on Ivan's bus

 

[MasterTiger]

Lacking 90% of finesse that top players have might be more accurate.

Anyway, you are more than entitled to your view here. Echo chambers are awful.

I think he started tanking 3 or 4 years ago.

Hopefully you don’t have more extreme views such as the club is in good hands or Tim and co can coach!

TSP
I hear your frustration. I think now I’m over that and am now resigned to the reality of where club is at after such a prolonged era of failing. It is more then just one or a few individuals fault is the point I am trying to make. Don’t ask me what the answer is because I have no idea but I hope to god they find someone who has.

 

[Fordy20]

The sad thing is I genuinely believe Brooks cares about the club and his under achieving. It is difficult to pin down why as a player he has not progressed to be the player he really should be.

Let's do a quick comparison. Moses has had one coach since he left us. The Eels brought in the best halfback of his generation in Andrew Johns to be his specialist tutor. They also brought in one of the greatest football minds in Warren Ryan to help educate him on strategy and tactics. The Eels built their spine around him, shifting Gutho permanently to fullback and bringing in a decent hooker to give him early ball. They stuck with that. They recruited forwards that could provide him a platform and identified and recruited good line runners for their second row.

Now Brooks has had a different coach every two years with a different halves partner to go along the different spine players every two years as well. Even when he was developing combinations with players like Garner, those combinations would be broken up as well. He's never had a specialist halves coach or sessions with a master strategist like Warren Ryan.

There might be players out there who would thrive in an environment like that, but I would argue that they are an exception and not the rule.

 

[Old Time Tiger]

Let's do a quick comparison. Moses has had one coach since he left us. The Eels brought in the best halfback of his generation in Andrew Johns to be his specialist tutor. They also brought in one of the greatest football minds in Warren Ryan to help educate him on strategy and tactics. The Eels built their spine around him, shifting Gutho permanently to fullback and bringing in a decent hooker to give him early ball. They stuck with that. They recruited forwards that could provide him a platform and identified and recruited good line runners for their second row.

Now Brooks has had a different coach every two years with a different halves partner to go along the different spine players every two years as well. Even when he was developing combinations with players like Garner, those combinations would be broken up as well. He's never had a specialist halves coach or sessions with a master strategist like Warren Ryan.

There might be players out there who would thrive in an environment like that, but I would argue that they are an exception and not the rule.

All good and valid points Fordy but,

In that time with different coaches every 2 years, do you think that since his debut at the end of 2013, Michael Potter, Jason Taylor, Andrew Webster, Ivan Cleary, Michael Maguire & Brett Kimmorley may have spent time in the game reviews highlighting anything to Brooks?
Told him he must speak more, do this, do that, don't do this or that? I think the answer would be yes and Brooks has not learnt from those coaches and the associated coaching staff.

 

[Tigerm]

Let's do a quick comparison. Moses has had one coach since he left us. The Eels brought in the best halfback of his generation in Andrew Johns to be his specialist tutor. They also brought in one of the greatest football minds in Warren Ryan to help educate him on strategy and tactics. The Eels built their spine around him, shifting Gutho permanently to fullback and bringing in a decent hooker to give him early ball. They stuck with that. They recruited forwards that could provide him a platform and identified and recruited good line runners for their second row.

Now Brooks has had a different coach every two years with a different halves partner to go along the different spine players every two years as well. Even when he was developing combinations with players like Garner, those combinations would be broken up as well. He's never had a specialist halves coach or sessions with a master strategist like Warren Ryan.

There might be players out there who would thrive in an environment like that, but I would argue that they are an exception and not the rule.

For me though, Brooks has rarely ever shown a capacity to manage this team or the game for us.
Yes, he hasn’t had this player or that along side him, but shit, he has to show something?
I just don’t see anything to say that he can do it and he is now one of the highest paid players in the league.
This season alone, we have consistently failed to attack the opposition try line, to me, that’s one of his main roles in the team.
I admit good halves are like hens teeth, but we gotta try something else, I’ve said it a few times, he is the constant over the last decade of our failures.
TBH, I was surprised he wasn’t hooked in the last game, he was woeful.

 

[Fordy20]

All good and valid points Fordy but,

In that time with different coaches every 2 years, do you think that since his debut at the end of 2013, Michael Potter, Jason Taylor, Andrew Webster, Ivan Cleary, Michael Maguire & Brett Kimmorley may have spent time in the game reviews highlighting anything to Brooks?
Told him he must speak more, do this, do that, don't do this or that? I think the answer would be yes and Brooks has not learnt from those coaches and the associated coaching staff.

I reckon that's a fair call. The Kimmorley part is particulary frustrating given I always rated his game management skills. You go back and watch Game 3 of the 2009 State of Origin series and he's barking orders all over the place, telling Gidley when to make tackles and really taking control of the game.

I don't know what kind of coaching or effort has been put in behind the scenes, but the club has consistently decided that Brooks is their halfback by offering him huge dollars to stay to keep him in the #7 jersey. If he's not learning from the methods the coaches have employed, surely the onus is on the club to give the player more assistance and support to improve in that position, move the player to a position where they are better suited or simply move the player on.

I just don't buy into this simplistic meme that Brooks is shit and that all a club should have to do is shower a bloke in cash in order to turn a player into a superstar. He a decent #6 in a club that has been searching for a halfback since Prince left and I reckon the club needs to take some responsibility for their poor roster management and poor player development over the past 20 years.