Rumoured and Confirmed Signings - XXV

[Rhyno]

I'd go after Soward

1.Norman
2.Radradra
3.Gordon
4.Taka
5.Robinson
6.Foran
7.Soward

 

[Bigfella]

Interesting idea and well worth some thought.

Having two grand final winning halves would be something we haven't had since the 80s wouldn't it?

 

[Dibs]

Oh f*ck me

 

[lingard]

I'd go after Soward

1.Norman
2.Radradra
3.Gordon
4.Taka
5.Robinson
6.Foran
7.Soward

Personally, I prefer:

1. Gordon
2. Radradra
3. Cuthbertson
4. Taka
5. Robinson
6. Norman
7. Foran

Norman's too valuable at five-eight - he's better there than fullback.

 

[lingard]

I prefer to just call them halves, as you well know.

Another example of how things haven't changed all that much. They've always been called halves (even though one is a halfback and one is a five-eight) - just as the centres were always called three-quarters (even though one was inside and one was outside centre).
I know you like to think that the 'modern game' is some sort of completely different entity, but it isn't. Sure the game changes, but it always has. And there is still a hell of a lot in the game (including specialist five-eights) that was there fifty years or more ago.

 

[caylo]

Another example of how things haven't changed all that much. They've always been called halves (even though one is a halfback and one is a five-eight) - just as the centres were always called three-quarters (even though one was inside and one was outside centre).
I know you like to think that the 'modern game' is some sort of completely different entity, but it isn't. Sure the game changes, but it always has. And there is still a hell of a lot in the game (including specialist five-eights) that was there fifty years or more ago.

5 years ago the game was about winning the wrestling and split halves worked, now the game has gone away from that and i think a more traditional half, 5/8 role is returning. Traditional 5/8 are in abundance but the Andrew Johns, Brett Kimmorley style halfbacks are few and far between so we get Johnson like halfbacks who are more traditional 5/8s playing halfback. The dogs performance with Reynolds and MBye shows how important Hodkinson is to their play, neither has any ability to be a halfback and the dogs struggled.

 

[lingard]

Saying the administrative and coaching staff know best isn't circular logic, it's just a fact.

And just because they know best doesn't mean they are all going to make the same decisions either. This is why a player can be released from his club and signed by another and it doesn't mean that one club has no idea while the other is run by geniuses. Both clubs face different circumstances and operate under different constraints.

There are upsides and downsides to every decision made in rugby league. If you're trying to pin me down to 'pick a side' you'll remain frustrated and continue to whinge about circular logic, because the fact is there are always both pros and cons, along with potential risks and rewards.

As for only following rugby league for a quarter of a century, the game is different enough now from how it was in 1990 that it doesn't matter what it was like before that. Someone could have only followed the game since 2005 and still know more about the modern game than you lingard.

No, that isn't circular logic. It's not any logic at all - if your default position is that, no matter what, and under any possible circumstance, the coaching staff and administration always know best. Naturally, by virtue of their positions, they should know more than the average spectator. But to think they never make mistakes and that fans cannot have or express an opinion when they appear to have made mistakes, is just plain silly.
You know about as much about football as I do and as anyone else on here. No more, no less. But when you continually pretend that most posters are dumb fans who need educating (and you're the one to do it) you lose all your credibility with most posters and they (understandably) assume you're fairly ignorant about the game of Rugby League. I know it turns you on to be the centre of attention in every thread on this internet forum (I can't even begin to understand why), but it really detracts to the point that (I think) most people don't take you seriously anymore. A shame, because I quite enjoy your more balanced and serious posts.

 

[lingard]

5 years ago the game was about winning the wrestling and split halves worked, now the game has gone away from that and i think a more traditional half, 5/8 role is returning. Traditional 5/8 are in abundance but the Andrew Johns, Brett Kimmorley style halfbacks are few and far between so we get Johnson like halfbacks who are more traditional 5/8s playing halfback. The dogs performance with Reynolds and MBye shows how important Hodkinson is to their play, neither has any ability to be a halfback and the dogs struggled.

It'll be interesting to see how we go next year with Foran and Norman - two players who, in my opinion, are both five-eights. I guess it could be said that Foran fits (or could fit) more into the mould of a half-back than Norman does.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Whether they have an unbalanced cap or not they still have/had (unsure now) tapau, farah, brooks, moses, tedesco which is a solid core and decent pack and outside backs.

I think they have a lot of good attacking players who are subpar defenders. People tend to gloss over the weaknesses of such players.

Taylor has plenty to work with, a lot more then brad arthur, and he could have got the best out of the situation but rather he has turned the club into a laughing stock. Letting farah go how they did was never going to end well, i wouldn't be surprised if tapau wanting to leave has ssomething to do with it.

Risk v benefit, all risk and no gain. Taylor again showing his amateur coaching. Thank God we signed BA instead

Taylor obviously has his personality issues, but it's foolish to call him and amateur. I'm sure he knows a lot more than Brad Arthur, and I say this as someone who was staunchly in favour of signing Arthur over Taylor. Taylor knows his stuff, and has taken two different clubs to the NRL finals to prove it.

 

[Bigfella]

The forum's resident NRL coach groupie strikes again

 

[Noise]

Taylor obviously has his personality issues, but it's foolish to call him and amateur. I'm sure he knows a lot more than Brad Arthur, and I say this as someone who was staunchly in favour of signing Arthur over Taylor. Taylor knows his stuff, and has taken two different clubs to the NRL finals to prove it.

Agreed. I wanted Taylor no where near Parra. I reckon he has an excellent footy brain. But probably does not have the required man management skills to be a long term successful coach.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Another example of how things haven't changed all that much. They've always been called halves (even though one is a halfback and one is a five-eight) - just as the centres were always called three-quarters (even though one was inside and one was outside centre).

They've always been called halves but there used to be a distinction. These days coaches are looking for the same skill set in both players, so they can operate independently on their respective edges.

I know you like to think that the 'modern game' is some sort of completely different entity, but it isn't. Sure the game changes, but it always has. And there is still a hell of a lot in the game (including specialist five-eights) that was there fifty years or more ago.

The fact is the modern game is very different to how it was even 25 years ago when I first started studying the game. If that's the case then it doesn't matter what it was like before that.

Incremental changes (e.g. the six tackle rule, full-time professionalism, the salary cap, player salaries compared to those in wider society, improved ground maintenance, changes in technology and sports science) have had massive snowballing effects on the way the game is played, changing the effectiveness of tactics and strategy over time. This has led to a demand for different types of players with different skillsets.

The game has demonstrably changed in 25 years. If it's changed in 25 then it has changed in fifty, lingard. It is logically impossible for it not to have changed in fifty years if it has changed in less time than that.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Personally, I prefer:

1. Gordon
2. Radradra
3. Cuthbertson
4. Taka
5. Robinson
6. Norman
7. Foran

Norman's too valuable at five-eight - he's better there than fullback.

And why isn't Foran 'too valuable at five-eight'? What can Norman not do that stops us from going:

6. Foran
7. Norman

For the record I agree that Foran will wear 7. But I also think they will play the exact same role on opposite sides of the field, as do most halves pairings.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

5 years ago the game was about winning the wrestling and split halves worked, now the game has gone away from that and i think a more traditional half, 5/8 role is returning. Traditional 5/8 are in abundance but the Andrew Johns, Brett Kimmorley style halfbacks are few and far between so we get Johnson like halfbacks who are more traditional 5/8s playing halfback. The dogs performance with Reynolds and MBye shows how important Hodkinson is to their play, neither has any ability to be a halfback and the dogs struggled.

Over how many games are you basing this assessment? And do you think Hasler misjudged his players' ability when he kept Mbye over Hodkinson?

 

[salvy71]

Well it hasn't looked good, which surely reflects the situation Taylor has found himself in. He's tried to move Farah on but he wouldn't have done that unless the alternative was worse - keeping Farah almost certainly means the Tigers have an unbalanced cap and a non-competitive team, and Taylor (or any other coach) would get the sack anyway. After all, "it's a results driven business".

It's easy to judge when it goes wrong but a coach at a troubled club only has two choices - do nothing or take a massive risk.

The problem is getting rid of Farah and still having to pay a big fat slab of his salary doesn't do much to fix the salary cap . In fact making him play N.S.W. cup next year if there are no takers for Farah would be even more ridiculous . He has taken a gamble alright , and it's blown up in his face .
Rumours of him going after Matt Ballin are even more ridiculous .
Taylor will be dead and buried by the middle of next year , his people management skills seem to be his biggest problem .

 

[Bigfella]

Taylor's biggest problem is that Pou is wrapping him.

We all know how that ends.

 

[oldmancraigy]

Personally, I prefer:

1. Gordon
2. Radradra
3. Cuthbertson
4. Taka
5. Robinson
6. Norman
7. Foran

Norman's too valuable at five-eight - he's better there than fullback.

Since nobody else has said it, I will:

You really prefer fatty prop Cuthbertson in the centres to Norman at fullback?

:sarcasm:

 

[Poupou Escobar]

No, that isn't circular logic. It's not any logic at all - if your default position is that, no matter what, and under any possible circumstance, the coaching staff and administration always know best. Naturally, by virtue of their positions, they should know more than the average spectator. But to think they never make mistakes and that fans cannot have or express an opinion when they appear to have made mistakes, is just plain silly.

My opinion is that twenty-twenty hindsight doesn't make anyone a genius. Even if they were death-riding the decision before the fact.

Coaches and administrators are aware of the risks they take when they make decisions. Just because one decision turns out bad doesn't mean they didn't know the chance existed (or what that chance was). Likewise just because a risk pays off doesn't mean there wasn't a high chance of failure.

To use an analogy that might be easier for you to understand, if someone says there is a 75% chance of rolling two sixes on a pair of dice they are wrong. If they then go on to roll double sixes it doesn't suddenly make them right. The chance was less than 3%, regardless of whether or not it happened.

You know about as much about football as I do and as anyone else on here. No more, no less.

Are you saying everyone has an equal knowledge of the game? What a load of egalitarian shit.

But when you continually pretend that most posters are dumb fans who need educating (and you're the one to do it) you lose all your credibility with most posters and they (understandably) assume you're fairly ignorant about the game of Rugby League.

I obviously don't care what idiots think of me or else I would pander to them. But I'm no politician - I only get frustrated with lazy thinkers because their posts are boring and wrong and there are collectively so many of them.

If there weren't the handful of informed posters that are able to contribute to intelligent discussion then I might feel like I was out of my mind. But I learned long ago that most people avoid intellectual rigour, and the ones who don't stand out easily.

I know it turns you on to be the centre of attention in every thread on this internet forum (I can't even begin to understand why), but it really detracts to the point that (I think) most people don't take you seriously anymore. A shame, because I quite enjoy your more balanced and serious posts.

Actually it annoys me that I waste so much time trying to teach people to think logically, but I can't help it. Being so generous with my time allows me to avoid feeling guilty about refusing to throw away money on lost causes.

As for who takes me seriously and when, you surely know that when I get fed up with the idiocy I deliberately come down to everyone else's level. If only one person finds it funny then I'm fine with that, because that one person is me. Though to be honest I worry that I might be an internet bully. What sort of person comes on a rugby league forum and gives the morons a hard time? If I really wanted an intellectual discussion I would find a forum on geopolitics, economics or cyber security.

But really, I love rugby league, and it makes me sad that there are no intelligent discussions of the game like there are in some other sports. Must be the game's working class roots.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It'll be interesting to see how we go next year with Foran and Norman - two players who, in my opinion, are both five-eights.

Agreed lingard, and yet the club are happy to have both of them at the club in lieu of a 'halfback'.

I guess it could be said that Foran fits (or could fit) more into the mould of a half-back than Norman does.

Is that because he's shorter? Or because he 'steers the team around the park'?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

The forum's resident NRL coach groupie strikes again

lol pithy