I don't think the people criticising Cole are really watching the game. He has 5 games in the halves in the NRL and has played with a different halfback week to week and very often half to half. Then his edge has changed every game this year also from McLean/Garner to To'o/McLean to To'o/Jenkins. How much are you really expecting from a rookie five eighth with a complete rotating cast of makeshift and NSW Cup halfbacks running the team and a rotating cast of edge forwards, centre and wingers surrounding him? I hate to think what you're expecting from another rookie five eighth in the same circumstances. This team's problems aren't stemming from Cole. Sure he might not be throwing the team on his back and dominating the game but that's a ridiculous expectation.
The team needs to get some consistency in personnel on the edges, they need to hold the ball, figure out where the line is with the refs (it has changed quite a bit this year) and get games into a grind. That's the foundation of our entire game and what our halves play off but we haven't been in a grind all year.
1. Edwards 2. Jenkins 3. McLean 4. Tago 5. Alamoti 6. Cole 7. Cleary 8. Papali'i 9. Kenny 10. Smith 11. Garner 12. Martin 13. Yeo 14. Laurie 15. Henry 16. Leota 17. Sorro/Eisenhuth