Rd2: 4:05pm Parra v Wests Tigers GAME DAY THREAD @ Commbank 16/3/25

[Chipmunk]

Ffs the coach doesn't do the recruitment.

What players think of your coach impacts your recruitment efforts.

 

[JohnStoppafarty]

I did play quite a bit of cricket there til the late 80s.

Woogoolga Weddy Weddys ?

 

[Chipmunk]

I agree we needed to replace Gutho with another player that can lead.

I think the club was trying to do right by him. As he would have been playing 14 this year with the whole squad fit and that would have decreased his price for his next contract.

I would assume if they knew Moses was going to go down for the first 8 weeks and Brown piss off to the knights they would have kept Gutho as a 5/8 while they brought someone else through..

RCG isn't a big loss in terms of meters or tackles but he does bring leadership in running hard and tackling hard hoping the other players all follow.

RCG was our Player of the Year only 6 months ago, which means in the last 12 months he was better than anyone else we still have on our books from last season.

 

[JokerEel]

What players think of your coach impacts your recruitment efforts.

I agree and he would have involvement in player recruitment.

 

[Soto]

I think from the presser Hawkins will be featuring this week...we are doomed either way....

 

[Chipmunk]

Dean Hawkins has played 14 NRL games and won 4. He's had only 1 NRL win in two seasons.

Anyone who think that Dean Hawkins will positively influence the result of an NRL game by himself is delusional.

 

[King-Gutho94]

Dean Hawkins has played 14 NRL games and won 4. He's had only 1 NRL win in two seasons.

Anyone who think that Dean Hawkins will positively influence the result of an NRL game by himself is delusional.

One of those 4 wins was against Parramatta at Commbank stadium where Souths won 26-0.

Says a lot really.

 

[Wally21]

I think the assumption is that us punters know what the CEO and or Board do and whether individuals are doing a good or bad job.

I know the “buck stops here” but I also know there is a tendency for blue collar workers or minnow white collar workers to draw uninformed conclusions that senior executives are impostors. Worse, the internet just loves to find scapegoats and I take these allegations with a grain of salt.

We are losing, therefore you must be shit is such a superficially braindead conclusion that so many people on here apply to people in the Eels office, when in reality they know nothing about them or their competence.

I don’t disagree with your assertion once again. However, what you are missing is the results portion of this. So whether or not we know anything, the results are what we have to go off. And the recruitment, retention, and on field performance since 2022 have been ordinary, which any blue collar or “minnow” white collar worker can understand. Unless of course you discount buying and keeping talent and on field results from KPI’s.
and if that the case, the board should rethink their entire strategy.

 

[Gronk]

Someone has to be accountable for the decision to not immediately replace your (1) Captain and a result influencer with over 200 NRL games, and (2) Your Player of the Year and only genuine starting middle forward with over 200 games, and also previously a result influencer.

You can replace your fullback with a bloke who has played 1 NRL game, but you can't replace your Captain with over 200 NRL who directly influences results with a bloke who has played 1 NRL.

You can't expect to be competitive with no genuine starting Front Rowers in your squad.

We went into the season with one result influencer in the entire squad, who will likely miss half the season injured.

We then used the second trial to play 28 blokes in about 50 positions on the day...is it any wonder we lack any kind of confidence and cohesion after two games? We're essentially still treating matches like they're trial games, giving kids a run for experience.

This is a high risk strategy that ultimately the Head Coach has to wear. The Head Coach, and the Head Coach alone, is responsible for where we are at present.

It's only a high risk strategy was fans being impatient and expecting immediate results.

Flanagan has recruited for immediate results, but his strategy will probably backfire when age catches up with his big money recruits.

Personal performances of players aside, I think the fans need to calm the f**k down and face the facts that Ryles boning so much experience, leaving a lot of experience in Cup and his own inexperience means that we will be slow out of the blocks.

I think that we do have a good core group of players and that cohesion will take some time. We have a war chest as well that means we are in a good place (checks pou's notes) and have 23 spots filled in the 2026 squad.

 

[Gronk]

I don’t disagree with your assertion once again. However, what you are missing is the results portion of this. So whether or not we know anything, the results are what we have to go off. And the recruitment, retention, and on field performance since 2022 have been ordinary, which any blue collar or “minnow” white collar worker can understand. Unless of course you discount buying and keeping talent and on field results from KPI’s.
and if that the case, the board should rethink their entire strategy.

Do you want the board to tell the new coach how to do his job or give him autonomy ?

 

[Angry_eel]

I think the assumption is that us punters know what the CEO and or Board do and whether individuals are doing a good or bad job.

I know the “buck stops here” but I also know there is a tendency for blue collar workers or minnow white collar workers to draw uninformed conclusions that senior executives are impostors. Worse, the internet just loves to find scapegoats and I take these allegations with a grain of salt.

We are losing, therefore you must be shit is such a superficially braindead conclusion that so many people on here apply to people in the Eels office, when in reality they know nothing about them or their competence.

I guess the punters point is that our board/CEO/HOF removed our previous coach because we were a yearly 6-8 team and we wanted to be a 1-4 team.

However, it now looks like we've gone from a 6-8 to a 15-17 team. Of course, this could be temporary and we might become a 8-14 team which will be the best result we can hope for this year.

Personally, I am thinking for 1-3 years at least, we're the new Bulldogs or Tigers. Complete rebuild years. Whether we become 1-4 team in 3 year and if the board/CEO/HOF football will be around for it, we'll see.

 

[Gronk]

I guess the punters point is that our board/CEO/HOF removed our previous coach because we were a yearly 6-8 team and we wanted to be a 1-4 team.

However, it now looks like we've gone from a 6-8 to a 15-17 team. Of course, this could be temporary and we might become a 8-14 team which will be the best result we can hope for this year.

Personally, I am thinking for 1-3 years at least, we're the new Bulldogs or Tigers. Complete rebuild years. Whether we become 1-4 team in 3 year and if the board/CEO/HOF football will be around for it, we'll see.

I think if you want to find some criticism for the way that the Board handled things, we were "building nicely" after the 2016 bruhaha and started making regular Top 8 finals appearances, culminating in a 2022 GF appearance. 2023 was a massive let down after poor recruitment following key squad losses. A ruthless Board should have axed the coach then, but they left it to early 2024.

 

[Wally21]

Do you want the board to tell the new coach how to do his job or give him autonomy ?

You are missing the point.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Woogoolga Weddy Weddys ?

Nah played against them for West Coffs (and later Sawtell), and in the 'Aus v India' game they have once a year.

 

[King-Gutho94]

RCG was our Player of the Year only 6 months ago, which means in the last 12 months he was better than anyone else we still have on our books from last season.

Terrell May I wonder if we did ask the question after letting RCG go but felt he wasn't the right fit culturally.

I suppose Ryles would have known May from his time at the Chooks.

And taking a punt on the Fox may have been they didn't want to bring in 2 off field gambles.

He dominated us yesterday with and without the ball.

Roosters fans are still shaking there heads they let him walk.

 

[Chipmunk]

Terrell May I wonder if we did ask the question after letting RCG go but felt he wasn't the right fit culturally.

I suppose Ryles would have known May from his time at the Chooks.

And taking a punt on the Fox may have been they didn't want to bring in 2 off field gambles.

He dominated us yesterday with and without the ball.

Roosters fans are still shaking there heads they let him walk.

Leo Thompson has gone to the Dogs for next year. Did we even show interest?

 

[lucablight]

Terrell May I wonder if we did ask the question after letting RCG go but felt he wasn't the right fit culturally.

I suppose Ryles would have known May from his time at the Chooks.

And taking a punt on the Fox may have been they didn't want to bring in 2 off field gambles.

He dominated us yesterday with and without the ball.

Roosters fans are still shaking there heads they let him walk.

Before the season started everyone was saying we had enough middles.

 

[Rocket man]

I think from the presser Hawkins will be featuring this week...we are doomed either way....

Ryles has said Hawkins is a coach in waiting.
Maybe he will at least be able to organise better than yesterday's performance.

 

[Delboy]

Leo Thompson has gone to the Dogs for next year. Did we even show interest?

Obviously those geniuses that advise and consult with our HOF believed our recruitment and identification has been good, how the heck they think that hasn’t seen who we signed in the past 3/4 years.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I agree with that, but if he can't turn things around and recruit some result influencers for 2026, then he won't be here long enough to see what's he is trying to do.

He is a rookie coach. He isn’t part of the list management group, and I doubt we’ll f**k him off early just because the recruitment merkins can’t buy the players we need.