Mullen The Great Myth

[League_God]

serious question: Can someone name a game where the pressure was really on us/him and he rose to the challenge and played out of his skin?
Every city v country game he's choked. Every game around origin he chokes.
The melb final game in 2013 he choked.
He plays good in regular season games and often plays good against Thurston.
But very rarely does he stand up in pressure games

 

[League_God]

Can we all just agree that you should be banned from the forum after your last thread?

Come on, I'm trying to do the opposite with this thread...play along ;-)

 

[The Showstopper]

Jeff Robson FMD...

You have a better option who would readily sign here then? Did you watch him yesterday against the Roosters. He allows his 5/8 to thrive cos he takes good options to allow them the room and time to think. No one said he was Andrew Johns. He is however a better halfback than the one we have. Tyrone is a utility player.

 

[Spot On]

serious question: Can someone name a game where the pressure was really on us/him and he rose to the challenge and played out of his skin?
Every city v country game he's choked. Every game around origin he chokes.
The melb final game in 2013 he choked.
He plays good in regular season games and often plays good against Thurston.
But very rarely does he stand up in pressure games

No. He can't close a game out.

If people don't know what to expect from Mullo now they never will.

 

[Noname36]

serious question: Can someone name a game where the pressure was really on us/him and he rose to the challenge and played out of his skin?
Every city v country game he's choked. Every game around origin he chokes.
The melb final game in 2013 he choked.
He plays good in regular season games and often plays good against Thurston.
But very rarely does he stand up in pressure games

Huh? He was the best half on the field in last year's CvC. He also comprehensively outplayed the Bulldogs halves again in the same week when we played them. They were going on about how it was a trial for Origin and yet he didn't get picked despite comprehensively outplaying Reynolds twice in a week.

And guess what? We don't get into that final against Melb in 2013 unless Mullo kills it the way he did in the final the week before. Also we were comprehensively outplayed by the Roosters in the GF qualifer but guess who our best player was again? Mullen. He was the only bloke trying to get us out of it.

In the few finals games we made pre-Bennett in 2009 and 2011 the side we had were obviously out of their depth there but again...our best player in those finals? Mullo. His first finals series in 2006? Kicked the match winning field goal.

I can give you plenty of examples when he didn't "choke" in an important game when the pressure was on.. Are they all null and void or something though because he had one bad finals game? (which we still won mind you so he couldn't have been too bad)

It's obvious he can have issues closing a game out, he's not alone there in our squad either, but to say he's never stood up and performed in high pressue finals games based on one game is so unbelievably false. Take off the hate goggles and watch the finals games he's been involved in.

 

[Noname36]

Jeff Robson FMD...

Comprehensively outplayed Pearce and Maloney yesterday. Jack Bird was very good but Robson was setting the tempo of the game and organising the troops. That's what we need. Nobody is saying he's a world beater by any stretch but he's the exact sort of player we need. An organiser to complement Mullo for a year or two until Lamb comes through.

 

[Rod]

Despite one win yesterday (their first of the season) Robson also plays for a team that is consistently one of the worst offensive teams in the comp. Even the last time they did well with Carney tearing up in 2013 they were still comfortably the worst attacking team in the top eight, not to mention worse than half the bottom eight teams too.

If we cut a young talent in Roberts and replaced him with Robson we'd be the laughing stock of the comp.

 

[TooheysNew]

My preference too. Mullo playing to much first receiver last night. Brock Lamb won't cop being leap frogged for long so if we are going organiser Jeff Robson is a cheap and very reliable option. Buys us a couple of years to bring Brock through.

Did you even watch Robson play yesterday?

FMD, Roberts was the one who had a rubbish game. On a dry field we put 20 on the Dragons yesterday. One loss and it's all wrist slits and I told you so's.

 

[Tom155]

Did you even watch Robson play yesterday?

FMD, Roberts was the one who had a rubbish game. On a dry field we put 20 on the Dragons yesterday. One loss and it's all wrist slits and I told you so's.

Mullen was terrible as well stop trying to put all the blame on Roberts, Mullen also deserves all the blame he's getting.

Both need to lift their game a lot.

& one decent game from Robson does not make him a good player.

 

[League_God]

Did you even watch Robson play yesterday?

FMD, Roberts was the one who had a rubbish game. On a dry field we put 20 on the Dragons yesterday. One loss and it's all wrist slits and I told you so's.

Also Roberts is 23 years old.... not 28 and on half the salary Mullen is on.
There's still plenty of time for Ty to getter better, personally I think we've seen the best of Mullen which is very good at times.... but he's never going to win the clive churchill medal.
Frankly, I have more faith in Ty stepping up.

 

[TooheysNew]

Mullen was terrible as well stop trying to put all the blame on Roberts, Mullen also deserves all the blame he's getting.

Both need to lift their game a lot.

& one decent game from Robson does not make him a good player.

Nowhere did I say that Mullen had a great game. But Tyrone's was especially bad. That said, it's one game in the pissing down rain.

Robson is junk. Anyone suggesting he's a better option than Mullen needs their head read.

 

[Noname36]

I never said Robson is a better option than Mullen. I said we need an organising half with his sort of skill set to compliment Mullen.

And lol League_God...you're hating on him because he's not going to win a CC medal? LMAO. Talk about impossible standards. Guess what? None of our squad are going to win one. And sorry but at 23 if Roberts hasn't shown any evidence of decent kicking or passing game he's not going to. People always excuse him and attack Mullen because he's older but Roberts has been in firstgrade since 2011 and can't even pass and kick without f**king up. The games when Roberts "steps up" are fewer and farer in between than Mullen. They're both inconsistent (although Mullen has shown a long period of consistent good footy before injury got him) but Mullen offers the squad so much more than Roberts it's not funny. It boggles the mind that anyone would see it otherwise.

 

[Tom155]

I never said Robson is a better option than Mullen. I said we need an organising half with his sort of skill set to compliment Mullen.

And lol League_God...you're hating on him because he's not going to win a CC medal? LMAO. Talk about impossible standards. Guess what? None of our squad are going to win one. And sorry but at 23 if Roberts hasn't shown any evidence of decent kicking or passing game he's not going to. People always excuse him and attack Mullen because he's older but Roberts has been in firstgrade since 2011 and can't even pass and kick without f**king up. The games when Roberts "steps up" are fewer and farer in between than Mullen. They're both inconsistent (although Mullen has shown a long period of consistent good footy before injury got him) but Mullen offers the squad so much more than Roberts it's not funny. It boggles the mind that anyone would see it otherwise.

What forum have you been reading? Roberts is a regular whipping boy/scapegoat for many posters here, Mullen almost always gets a free pass from them.

 

[Noname36]

What forum have you been reading? Roberts is a regular whipping boy/scapegoat for many posters here, Mullen almost always gets a free pass from them.

Um this one? Mullen has had people going after him from the moment he entered first grade. This thread is just further evidence. I don't know if it was because he was ridiculously hyped as the next Joey in the media when he came through but for whatever reason he's had people going after him for not turning into a superstar. For all the crap he's copped though we would have barely won a game post-Joey if we didn't have him.

 

[Tom155]

Um this one? Mullen has had people going after him from the moment he entered first grade. This thread is just further evidence. I don't know if it was because he was ridiculously hyped as the next Joey in the media when he came through but for whatever reason he's had people going after him for not turning into a superstar. For all the crap he's copped though we would have barely won a game post-Joey if we didn't have him.

This thread is a perfect example of what I am talking about, a poster dared to criticise Mullen & you guys jumped all over him & want to give him another free pass from critcism, you wouldn't see that with any other player on the team.

Maybe in the early years of his career that was true but it's not even close anymore you have many more defending him rather than going after him as you put it.

I am not calling Mullen a dud far from it but it is time to accept he is not going to be as good as we all thought he would be & should not be immune from criticism of his performances is all i am saying.

 

[God-King Dean]

Robson is a better option than Mullen.

 

[League_God]

And lol League_God...you're hating on him because he's not going to win a CC medal? LMAO. Talk about impossible standards. Guess what? None of our squad are going to win one. And sorry but at 23 if Roberts hasn't shown any evidence of decent kicking or passing game he's not going to. People always excuse him and attack Mullen because he's older but Roberts has been in firstgrade since 2011 and can't even pass and kick without f**king up. The games when Roberts "steps up" are fewer and farer in between than Mullen. They're both inconsistent (although Mullen has shown a long period of consistent good footy before injury got him) but Mullen offers the squad so much more than Roberts it's not funny. It boggles the mind that anyone would see it otherwise.

I am not calling Mullen a dud far from it but it is time to accept he is not going to be as good as we all thought he would be & should not be immune from criticism of his performances is all i am saying.

When Mullen first burst on the scene as a 17 year old, many (including myself) were thinking he'd go on to be a mainstay in the NSW and Australian side. I believe that people who harboured this belief had sufficient reason to believe this to be an accurate prediction.
Nowadays, he'll be lucky to ever see rep footy (beyond city vs country) ever again.
He'll never play for Aus that's for sure.
Is that hating on him? To me that seems to just be an accurate observation of the development of his career.
Mullen is arguably the best defensive half in the game, has a great long-kicking game (although not this year) and has many other attributes that make him a very good first grader.
If you look at my previous post I actually state that Mullen at his best is very good. Unfortunately we just don't see it enough... especially when we need his best.

Additionally to imply that we haven't seen any evidence of a good kicking or passing game from Roberts is wrong if not slightly delusional. At this stage, I don't think anyone would say Roberts provides more to the team than Mullen. However, I think it's plausible to argue that it's possible that one day he will from a value-for-money view.

Also, speaking conservatively I still believe Gagai, Scott, Smith are just a few from the team who are more than capable of winning a clive churchill medal as ALL of them have stood up in big games more consistently than Mullen.
Regardless, it sure would help our cause if we had a half in the side who is capable of winning a CM.

Also, what Tom says.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

It's frustrating how someone with all the attributes to be a great player doesn't bring them all together consistently.

At times he demonstrates a great running game. Other times he creates terrific try assists. He can also at times set up tries from his kicks along as well as repeat sets from line drop outs.

All that he offers consistently is great defense and a quality long kicking game.

At 28 it's definitely time to bring his game together.

 

[Wizardman]

Time to call it a day with this dickhead....under the pump, he offers nothing. He is a good downhill skier though.

 

[perverse]

Problem is we don't have any other options. Tyrone needs to go first.