NZ Warriors.....a year later

[Loudstrat]

Bluey McLennan - great in rep games, crap in the nitty gritty of comp footy. The Warriors should be a perennial top 4 side given their huge juniors and even their FG talent - which they always have. They need on field leadership and some f*cking brains in their top squad. Cant help thinking how Mannering's absence and the impending retirement of Luck is very bad news for this team.

Signing Mateo and Inu from us was only going to work if they could remove the idiotic tendencies from their game. Maturity helps, but their decision making needed work. Looks like Inu has found it with Des, but they are a club that always has talent. Therefore, brains is the thing the need to import.

 

[some11]

Don't forget they're losing Maloney next year.

 

[SilentOne]

Don't forget they're losing Maloney next year.

not a big loss, this year he's been pretty rubbish in my opinion.

 

[innsaneink]

not a big loss, this year he's been pretty rubbish in my opinion.

I wonder how much the fact he signed last year with the chooks has to do with that?

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Not alot. He's been rubbish this year, but so has most of the team. The things he did well last year he's still doing well this year, and vice versa, just not at the same level (again, like the rest of the team).

 

[Billythekid]

Not alot. He's been rubbish this year, but so has most of the team. The things he did well last year he's still doing well this year, and vice versa, just not at the same level (again, like the rest of the team).

The problem is his game relies on things which are hard to be consistant at. You can't make line breaks running off the likes of mateo and johnson every week. He really needs to develop both his ball playing ability and his kicking game.

 

[beefstew]

The south auckland curse was to the fore last night and
this type of pathetic performance will continue unless
there is a change in recruiting and philosophy.
Get rid of mcclennan and vatuvei and start recruiting some
hard nosed aussies and not these big powder puff polynesians
who lack the mental and physical nous to be first grade
footballers. This is the auckland warriors and not the south
auckland warriors and picking people with poor communication
and handling skills will not create a legacy, but leave them
languishing 6-8th. You can throw all the money in the world
at the warriors, but unless you change the philosophy and
start developing a professional attitude and not this ad-lib
who gives a shit sort of footy and eliminate the mediocrity
endorsing back slapping and head patting when an error
is made.
The culture in the team might make for a good prayer service
but players of the ilk of luck and friend are needed to
provide the mental toughness and desire so lacking with
this current rabble.

Everyone with at least half a brain knows it, but you're not supposed to say it.

 

[ozbash]

Bluey McLennan - great in rep games, crap in the nitty gritty of comp footy. The Warriors should be a perennial top 4 side given their huge juniors and even their FG talent - which they always have. They need on field leadership and some f*cking brains in their top squad. Cant help thinking how Mannering's absence and the impending retirement of Luck is very bad news for this team.

Signing Mateo and Inu from us was only going to work if they could remove the idiotic tendencies from their game. Maturity helps, but their decision making needed work. Looks like Inu has found it with Des, but they are a club that always has talent. Therefore, brains is the thing the need to import.

Crap where ?

Tell that to Leeds..

 

[Canard]

The south auckland curse was to the fore last night and
this type of pathetic performance will continue unless
there is a change in recruiting and philosophy.
Get rid of mcclennan and vatuvei and start recruiting some
hard nosed aussies and not these big powder puff polynesians
who lack the mental and physical nous to be first grade
footballers. This is the auckland warriors and not the south
auckland warriors and picking people with poor communication
and handling skills will not create a legacy, but leave them
languishing 6-8th. You can throw all the money in the world
at the warriors, but unless you change the philosophy and
start developing a professional attitude and not this ad-lib
who gives a shit sort of footy and eliminate the mediocrity
endorsing back slapping and head patting when an error
is made.
The culture in the team might make for a good prayer service
but players of the ilk of luck and friend are needed to
provide the mental toughness and desire so lacking with
this current rabble.

Putting the VERY thinly veiled racism aside.

The side contains guys like Michael Luck and Jacob Lillyman and made the GF last year, Id say its more coaching than race of player they recruit.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

The problem is his game relies on things which are hard to be consistant at. You can't make line breaks running off the likes of mateo and johnson every week. He really needs to develop both his ball playing ability and his kicking game.

That's why I'm really not concerned about him leaving. His kicking game can be very good, just needs the consistency.

His defence more than anything is what needs to be fixed.

 

[loveleague]

Putting the VERY thinly veiled racism aside.

The side contains guys like Michael Luck and Jacob Lillyman and made the GF last year, Id say its more coaching than race of player they recruit.

Yes - the coach is out of his depth - but it doesn't matter much who the coach is if you
don't have the player balance correct. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
The better teams who play with more structure and have a solid game plan will always prevail over the warriors helter skelter brand. I am not sure if there is a willingness to change that anytime soon - last year they were lucky and some decisions went their way, but the cracks were imminent and so here we are - out of the eight and heading south.

 

[Juju]

Yes - the coach is out of his depth - but it doesn't matter much who the coach is if you
don't have the player balance correct. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
The better teams who play with more structure and have a solid game plan will always prevail over the warriors helter skelter brand. I am not sure if there is a willingness to change that anytime soon - last year they were lucky and some decisions went their way, but the cracks were imminent and so here we are - out of the eight and heading south.

meh... it's definitely the coach. During Cleary's rein (esp on a run too the GF) The Warriors were playing a tough and smart brand of footy.
The team have it in them to do it - they just hate the coach and the system's he has in place hence the dire results.
You are just falling back on tired racial cliches.

 

[firechild]

Yes - the coach is out of his depth - but it doesn't matter much who the coach is if you
don't have the player balance correct. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
The better teams who play with more structure and have a solid game plan will always prevail over the warriors helter skelter brand. I am not sure if there is a willingness to change that anytime soon - last year they were lucky and some decisions went their way, but the cracks were imminent and so here we are - out of the eight and heading south.

I find the bolded part particularly amusing considering they had to contend with the refs giving the Tigers an advantage at every opportunity and yet still prevailed. They had structure last year under Cleary and have lost it completely this year. Keep in mind, they finished 6th last year and until a fortnight ago were in a pretty good position to finish around the same mark this year.

 

[loveleague]

I find the bolded part particularly amusing considering they had to contend with the refs giving the Tigers an advantage at every opportunity and yet still prevailed. They had structure last year under Cleary and have lost it completely this year. Keep in mind, they finished 6th last year and until a fortnight ago were in a pretty good position to finish around the same mark this year.[/QUOT

Just as amusing is the fact they made the final.
Their brand of footy - which hasn't changed much will only take them so far,
and like I said, they get found out against the top tier teams. There is no
consistency and relying on past exploits, misses the point althogether.

 

[DIMEAST]

I think it was more than luck that got us there last year, we played Brisbane in the first finals match away and got slaughtered but that was down to the team having a unified brain explosion and playing our worst game of the year, we then backed up away again and beat the Tigers who were on a run of 9 straight wins and had the refs completely on their side, then we played away again against the minor premiers in Melbourne, and dominated them the entire match. We then played away AGAIN against Manly in the grand final and by then it had probably caught up to us a bit and Manly were just the better team and deserved to win, but we gave them a scare in the end. Even under the new finals system we would've played the Cowboys in the first week at home who we beat 18-6 the week before.

 

[Canard]

Im not sure its possible to argue with you on this mate, if you response is going to be "Well they were just lucky to make it".

Thats just subjective rubbish. If they had beaten Manly? "Just lucky"

Will only take them so far 2 GF in since 2003 is pretty decent for most sides.

Tired racial cliches is all your relying on.

 

[firechild]

To put it into perspective, NZ have played 2 GFs since 2002. What have other clubs done?

Melbourne: 4*
Roosters: 4
Manly: 3
Brisbane: 1
Dogs: 1
Dragons: 1
Wests: 1
NQ: 1
Parra: 1
Penrith: 1
Cronulla/Souths/GC/Knights/Radiers: 0

So not a bad effort. GFs are not easy to make, they've done well.

 

[Juju]

And nobody goes on about how lucky Brisbane were to win in 06 despite losing in the first round of playoffs. Or how unlucky the Warriors were in 10 coming 5th in the regular season and getting bounced in the playoffs first round.

Those GF stats basically dispel love leagues particularly poor argument.

 

[Evil_Mush]

Doesn't add anything to the point people are making, but we've played 2 GF's since 2002. So you can add 1 more game to the Roosters GF stats to even everything up.


The results where we capitulated from potential winning positions (Tigers-Storm-Sharks from mid-year, Broncos-Knights-Eagles from recent rounds) were the difference between us being a fringe top 8 and a top 2/4 team, before our full-steam implosion the last couple of weeks.

I hate the thought of players playing badly because of the coach, actually makes me really lose respect for the players moreso than the coach...

 

[firechild]

Doesn't add anything to the point people are making, but we've played 2 GF's since 2002. So you can add 1 more game to the Roosters GF stats to even everything up.

Sorry, got the 2002/03 seasons mixed up when Canard mentioned 2003. I edited my post earlier giving an extra game to the Roosters and Panthers.