Round 11 v Rabbitohs 22 May 2015

[Chipmunk]

Agreed. Souths fans could come back and say that if Joel Reddy wasn't in the team, that we would have won easily!

Mate, every club needs an ordinary ex Parra player or two. Actually, Parra could do with a few of them.

 

[The Elephant In The room]

Tell Brad Arthur he is imagining it too. In the press conference at about 1:29, He refers to the forced pass when we are attacking the line with in the last few mins. (Maus attempted offload). Then souths roll down field and we are forced to defend a few sets in a row, costing us the game.

I just re watched that "drop" four times. Not a chance in this world that he was trying to offload. Whether it was a drop or a strip is debatable.

 

[Noise]

I just re watched that "drop" four times. Not a chance in this world that he was trying to offload. Whether it was a drop or a strip is debatable.

I trust Brad Arthur's judgement and my own eyesight over yours.

 

[The Elephant In The room]

I trust Brad Arthur's judgement and my own eyesight over yours.

Have you bothered watching the replay? I doubt brad had seen one either before the presser.

There is a big difference between being in a position to attempt an off load (which The Chairman was) and actually attempting to offload (which he didn't)

 

[Kornstar]

I cometely agree with most of what you say. Couldn't stand them bringing in Hagan, thought it was stupid they got rid of DA and has no idea why they rated Kearney or Stuart. I was in favour of JT over BA however i think much like the early 90's we are going to have to be happy with a poor team playing as good as they can and getting the occasional win
I have to say that since my son has started playing and i have had the pleasure of watching him playing the game, the losses have started to hurt less. Maybe its that, i'm geting used to it or i'm just getting to old to care, who knows. Maybe thats why i'm not blowing up like many other

I think i'm getting to the stage of too old to care.....or i've just had enough of being let down.

 

[souths_pride]

We have eight players who have played 100 games:

Champion
De Gois
Fa'aoso
Mannah
Paulo
Robinson
Sandow
Watmough

Two of those are gone for the season (with one in reserve grade) and probably four of them won't be here next year. Scott and Foran will be a huge boost, in both experience and ability.

Compare this with Souths:

Clark
Goodwin
Grant
Inglis
Lowe
Luke
McQueen
Reddy
Stewart
Sutton
Tyrrell

Why do you think Maguire bought Grant and Stewart over the off season? You've got no idea do you? You probably think those senior players come cheaply.

I've got a very good idea. Let me ask you this..what made you pick 100 first grade games? I think that if you don't know your doing after 30-50 first grade games, then you shouldn't be playing at the top level. I base this on the fact that the average first grade career is something like 20 games and only 14% of players go onto play over 100 first grade games.

I don't have a problem with buying experienced players; that's not where the problem lies. However, I'd be recruiting players who will be at the club for a good 4-5 years at least. Beau Scott only has a couple of years left max at the top level and he probably won't stay fit for most of those years. Also, many of the players you mentioned there debuted for Souths and we persevered with them. We bought in one experienced head in Michael Crocker to provide guidance to those players and that was it really. Even so, when we bought him, he was around 28 from memory! The players we bought in - Inglis, Burgess etc. all were at the club for a long period of time and were not in their 30s. That is why Madge bought in the likes of Tim Grant - as a talented player who will be at the club for a long period of time; it had nothing to do with experience! As for Glenn Stewart, well that was a very controversial signing to begin with and it definitely goes against the trend that Maguire has established at the club. I feel that he was bought more his abilities and playing talents - to give us a genuine ball playing forward; again I don't think we bought him just for experience.

 

[BennyBoy]

I think i'm getting to the stage of too old to care.....or i've just had enough of being let down.

Can't fault you for that bro, getting a bit that way myself.

 

[T.S Quint]

Just be like me and expect a loss every game.
That way you rarely get let down.

 

[BennyBoy]

Tried that but then as the game unfolds they give me a ray of hope only to let me down again in the dying minutes. It's merciless.

 

[hineyrulz]

Tried that but then as the game unfolds they give me a ray of hope only to let me down again in the dying minutes. It's merciless.

Merkins get you back in every time.

 

[Eelementary]

I've got a very good idea. Let me ask you this..what made you pick 100 first grade games? I think that if you don't know your doing after 30-50 first grade games, then you shouldn't be playing at the top level. I base this on the fact that the average first grade career is something like 20 games and only 14% of players go onto play over 100 first grade games.

I don't have a problem with buying experienced players; that's not where the problem lies. However, I'd be recruiting players who will be at the club for a good 4-5 years at least. Beau Scott only has a couple of years left max at the top level and he probably won't stay fit for most of those years. Also, many of the players you mentioned there debuted for Souths and we persevered with them. We bought in one experienced head in Michael Crocker to provide guidance to those players and that was it really. Even so, when we bought him, he was around 28 from memory! The players we bought in - Inglis, Burgess etc. all were at the club for a long period of time and were not in their 30s. That is why Madge bought in the likes of Tim Grant - as a talented player who will be at the club for a long period of time; it had nothing to do with experience! As for Glenn Stewart, well that was a very controversial signing to begin with and it definitely goes against the trend that Maguire has established at the club. I feel that he was bought more his abilities and playing talents - to give us a genuine ball playing forward; again I don't think we bought him just for experience.

Initially, I wasn't a fan of Scott's signing - but he's what we need. Tough and a great defender.

 

[Noise]

Initially, I wasn't a fan of Scott's signing - but he's what we need. Tough and a great defender.

Everyone was saying the exact same thing about Watmough. He is in career worse form and lost is origin spot for the first time in years. I'm predicting the same to happen to Scott.

 

[Glenn]

Again the same simple errors at crucial times letting the side down, e must be supporting the dumbest team in the Competition here , it seems they won't/can't learn the lessons.

 

[BennyBoy]

Everyone was saying the exact same thing about Watmough. He is in career worse form and lost is origin spot for the first time in years. I'm predicting the same to happen to Scott.

Foran is a great signing but sorry I just can't get enthused about adding Scott to BA's other signings. Signing up all these over 30 players brings back too many nightmares of Arthur's last tenure at Parra under Kearney when they signed the likes of Hick, Walker, Whateria and Webb. Yeah, that worked out for us.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I've got a very good idea. Let me ask you this..what made you pick 100 first grade games? I think that if you don't know your doing after 30-50 first grade games, then you shouldn't be playing at the top level. I base this on the fact that the average first grade career is something like 20 games and only 14% of players go onto play over 100 first grade games.

I don't have a problem with buying experienced players; that's not where the problem lies. However, I'd be recruiting players who will be at the club for a good 4-5 years at least. Beau Scott only has a couple of years left max at the top level and he probably won't stay fit for most of those years. Also, many of the players you mentioned there debuted for Souths and we persevered with them. We bought in one experienced head in Michael Crocker to provide guidance to those players and that was it really. Even so, when we bought him, he was around 28 from memory! The players we bought in - Inglis, Burgess etc. all were at the club for a long period of time and were not in their 30s. That is why Madge bought in the likes of Tim Grant - as a talented player who will be at the club for a long period of time; it had nothing to do with experience! As for Glenn Stewart, well that was a very controversial signing to begin with and it definitely goes against the trend that Maguire has established at the club. I feel that he was bought more his abilities and playing talents - to give us a genuine ball playing forward; again I don't think we bought him just for experience.

So do you reckon Stewart will be at your club for 4-5 years? Do you reckon Maguire thinks so?

Souths turned their fortunes around from perennial easybeats when they signed veterans Asotasi, Crocker and co to mentor the young players they poached from elsewhere. Even now they are still signing veterans like Tuqiri and Glenn Stewart. Clubs need a good mix of youth and experience and Parra has been short on the latter ever since a bunch of old quitters retired in the last four or five years. Plus we stopped poaching elite juniors when Smith left and only started up again in 2011.

 

[BennyBoy]

Asotasi was hardly a veteran when he joined Souths in 2007, he was only 25. He's around 33 now and still running around in SL.

Experienced players with quite a few years ahead of them is one thing but has beens looking for a retirement package and body's racked with injury is another thing altogether. How did that work out for us with DA and SK old boys?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Foran is a great signing but sorry I just can't get enthused about adding Scott to BA's other signings. Signing up all these over 30 players brings back too many nightmares of Arthur's last tenure at Parra under Kearney when they signed the likes of Hick, Walker, Whateria and Webb. Yeah, that worked out for us.

Those guys were all uncontracted - a sign they weren't in high demand. Meanwhile Watmough and Scott actually broke contracts and were current Origin players. Watmough had a contract offer for an extra two years. We got him because we offered him an extra year. Likewise we've signed Scott for a year longer than he had left in Newcastle. Have we signed them both a year too long? Probably. But let's worry about that in their final year. Right now Watmough is one of the best defenders in a pack that desperately needs more good ones. Scott will help us there too. I have no doubt they are both worth the money in their initial few years. I'll worry about their final year when it happens. The odds say we'll still have stronger squad than we do now, and their presence will have contributed to that. We'll be able to cover for their salaries when the time comes.

 

[BennyBoy]

Those guys were all uncontracted - a sign they weren't in high demand. Meanwhile Watmough and Scott actually broke contracts and were current Origin players. Watmough had a contract offer for an extra two years. We got him because we offered him an extra year. Likewise we've signed Scott for a year longer than he had left in Newcastle. Have we signed them both a year too long? Probably. But let's worry about that in their final year. Right now Watmough is one of the best defenders in a pack that desperately needs more good ones. Scott will help us there too. I have no doubt they are both worth the money in their initial few years. I'll worry about their final year when it happens. The odds say we'll still have stronger squad than we do now, and their presence will have contributed to that. We'll be able to cover for their salaries when the time comes.

That's a good forward projection you've made Pou, hopefully it's more accurate than you made on Sandow's signing. His final years have now arrived and both the initial and final years haven't been pretty and his salary has cost us plenty. :lol:

 

[I'm a loser baby...]

Those guys were all uncontracted - a sign they weren't in high demand. Meanwhile Watmough and Scott actually broke contracts and were current Origin players. Watmough had a contract offer for an extra two years. We got him because we offered him an extra year. Likewise we've signed Scott for a year longer than he had left in Newcastle. Have we signed them both a year too long? Probably. But let's worry about that in their final year. Right now Watmough is one of the best defenders in a pack that desperately needs more good ones. Scott will help us there too. I have no doubt they are both worth the money in their initial few years. I'll worry about their final year when it happens. The odds say we'll still have stronger squad than we do now, and their presence will have contributed to that. We'll be able to cover for their salaries when the time comes.

I've stated before we might as well aim for boom or bust, but I didn't think you'd agree with me. With this strategy we're saying that the premiership window is this year and next. A smaller chance the year after. With Jayne gone, it's bad timing. We're not ready.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

That's a good forward projection you've made Pou, hopefully it's more accurate than you made on Sandow's signing. His final years have now arrived and both the initial and final years haven't been pretty and his salary has cost us plenty. :lol:

But unlike Watmough, Scott and Foran, Chris Sandow was unproven in first grade. He was just a young, exciting player with plenty of potential. Likewise Lussick and Hopoate.

Make sure you're comparing apples with apples. Senior recruits with 100+ NRL games aren't the same as 22 year olds with only a couple of seasons under their belts, who aren't the same as 17 year olds who have never signed a senior contract. The only place you'll get value is in the first and third categories. It's the middle category that is likely to f**k your salary cap. The reason is you know what you're getting with the proven first grader, while the unproven teenager doesn't count under your top 25 cap (unless you're f**king mad).