NRL Finals 2024

[Blair]

Before Penrith start as favourites again next year we should factor in the loss of their humble, well-worn home.

Parramatta Stadium can be a cold, soulless concrete bowl, and that's for Eels fans!

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Just amazing - best team of my lifetime, 5 finals in row, 4 wins...

Rightfully Cleary gets a lot of plaudits - but it's more than him, he and Luai are up there with Sterlo and Kenny, and Stuart and Daley as the best clubs halves pairings I've seen (maybe Langer and Walters too, I guess)...

And my pick was their pack was going to dominate, with or without NAS, Yeo is as good as anyone ever at 13, Martin and JFH play much bigger than their size, and Leota is elite and underrated, as is Kenny etc... and look at the talent they've lost in the last few years...

Even without JFH and Luai, they start favourites next year, someone is going to have to beat them in the finals series... and atm Melbourne is the only team close, I'd expect Easts and Cronulla to be top 4 again I guess

Big call on Roosters

Chad Townsend May end up a very astute signing, but some massive holes to fill in that squad. Will be an interesting watch to see how Robinson goes about it

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Kyle Flanagan 4 weeks for biting, Munster already cleared with no case to answer

Australian squad members.
Kiwi player would get 4 weeks.

 

[JJ]

Big call on Roosters

Chad Townsend May end up a very astute signing, but some massive holes to fill in that squad. Will be an interesting watch to see how Robinson goes about it

True, on more reflection probably others more likely - the interesting thing is whether AFB can push Cronulla to genuine contender - Hynes obviously still key

Penrith remain the ones to beat, I see Smith now in Kangaroos squad, good player, not JFH but could be that level with time

 

[Penrose Warrior]

True, on more reflection probably others more likely - the interesting thing is whether AFB can push Cronulla to genuine contender - Hynes obviously still key

Penrith remain the ones to beat, I see Smith now in Kangaroos squad, good player, not JFH but could be that level with time

Of course AFB makes them better, although having said that they have a very well functioning pack. Hynes just isn't the guy to pull the strings. It's a tough one. They paid $1m a year for him to play halfback, having never played there. I'd like to see him go back to fullback, but they have Kennedy there and then who plays 7? So he just has to stay there and try to become the player they need him to be.

I think the Sharks can make a GF next year, but there's just not any sides in this comp that can match it with the Storm and Panthers when it counts. Brisbane may very well become that next year under Madge.

The Roosters could be there too, if they keep key players fit they have a lot of big names. Again, do they have the style to win a 14-6 GF over this year's big two? I doubt it, but they'll need to figure out how to do that. All well and good having the best attack in the comp and scoring 700+ points by demolishing average teams (and fans love it) but that's not the style that will win a premiership.

 

[sup42]

How do warriors fans feel about Ivan Cleary when he coached you guys.

We have a pain on our forum that argues Ivan was an average coach for his first 13 years.

I argue he was your best coach in your history.

He got you to finals 4 years out of 6 including a GF.

The 2 years he missed out was 2006 when the Salary Cap punishment cost you a finals and 2009 tragically lost Sonny Fai in the off season which took a lot emotionally out of the side.

He beat Bellamy in 2008 and 2011 in finals in Melbourne who finished Minor Premiers.

I would say he overachieved and got more out of your side then any other coach has.

He was quite a boring coach. Thing is though he was really just an ex player applying basic principles to improve the Warriors which took him several years.

As such the inevitable negatives were that he came in with a one dimensional approach, used lots of tackle bot types to fix the Warriors leaky defence and kick the ball to Manu Vatuvei as the game winner in pretty dour affairs really (when compared to the exciting fast flowing big contact sides Anderson created).

I actually hated a lot of the Ivan era, I felt he was strangling the team. I look back on it more kindly now, knowing that he was dealing with terrible criminal administration/owner who just cared about exploiting merchandise sales from a sucker NZ league public.

Still, Ivan's biggest crimes were stifling the NZ style of second phase and then bringing in two Aussies to do that job instead, both of whom for all their Xfactor were even worse defenders than the Kiwis Ivan put on a leash (Mateo and Inu). That was daft.

 

[King-Gutho94]

He was quite a boring coach. Thing is though he was really just an ex player applying basic principles to improve the Warriors which took him several years.

As such the inevitable negatives were that he came in with a one dimensional approach, used lots of tackle bot types to fix the Warriors leaky defence and kick the ball to Manu Vatuvei as the game winner in pretty dour affairs really (when compared to the exciting fast flowing big contact sides Anderson created).

I actually hated a lot of the Ivan era, I felt he was strangling the team. I look back on it more kindly now, knowing that he was dealing with terrible criminal administration/owner who just cared about exploiting merchandise sales from a sucker NZ league public.

Still, Ivan's biggest crimes were stifling the NZ style of second phase and then bringing in two Aussies to do that job instead, both of whom for all their Xfactor were even worse defenders than the Kiwis Ivan put on a leash (Mateo and Inu). That was daft.

Fair enough but his results show he had a system in place that got results.

I have a feeling if he stayed you guys would have won a comp.

He certainly seemed from an outsiders point of view to find the perfect mix between a balanced structure and still allowing that flair when reuqired.

I reckon the warriors have had just as talented sides post 2011 as what Ivan had and havent even got close bar last year.

 

[JJ]

Fair enough but his results show he had a system in place that got results.

I have a feeling if he stayed you guys would have won a comp.

He certainly seemed from an outsiders point of view to find the perfect mix between a balanced structure and still allowing that flair when reuqired.

I reckon the warriors have had just as talented sides post 2011 as what Ivan had and havent even got close bar last year.

Winning a comp is really hard, we might have had a few top 4 opportunities

 

[sup42]

Fair enough but his results show he had a system in place that got results.

I have a feeling if he stayed you guys would have won a comp.

He certainly seemed from an outsiders point of view to find the perfect mix between a balanced structure and still allowing that flair when reuqired.

I reckon the warriors have had just as talented sides post 2011 as what Ivan had and havent even got close bar last year.

Mate they couldn't even construct backline movements to pass the ball to the most devastating winger in the NRL the beast in space, instead they kicked it to him till they stopped because surprise surprise he couldn't jump anymore (knees with his weight).

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Ivan has quite clearly changed his style and loosened up a lot over the years. Perfect example is when he was coming through was Lewis Brown liking to do the shark fin celebration when he scored. Ivan pulled him aside and told him to knock that on the head. Now he is quite happy for the likes of Luai and Crichton to express themselves

Is all a bit of crystal ball gazing, who knows how much Ivan would have evolved staying in Auckland, and probably shouldn’t understate the tips and tricks he would have picked up from Gus Gould on his initial move to Penrith.

 

[Blair]

Ivan has quite clearly changed his style and loosened up a lot over the years. Perfect example is when he was coming through was Lewis Brown liking to do the shark fin celebration when he scored. Ivan pulled it aside and told him to knock that on the head. Now he is quite happy for the likes of Luai and Crichton to express themselves.

Despite the euphoria of the 2008 win at Melbourne I reckon the first thing Cleary did was make a beeline for Witt.