Rumoured Targets 3

[Burwood]

Anyone who entertains the concept of the head coach having nothing to do with recruitment, please come and see me for a great deal on a very impressive bridge.

Did anyone say that?

 

[perverse]

Did anyone say that?

Not yet, but you were trying to defer responsibility from the coach for the squad, and it's a common talking point. It's his 4th year, at any club a 4th year coach would be considered to be coaching "his squad" by now.

 

[Burwood]

Not yet, but you were trying to defer responsibility from the coach for the squad, and it's a common talking point. It's his 4th year, at any club a 4th year coach would be considered to be coaching "his squad" by now.

No, I was deferring sole responsibility for the squad from the coach. I seem to remember Parr being brought into the club for that very reason, and everyone’s biggest gripe at the moment of having Crossland as our backup hooker happened very much on Parr’s watch.

But I can see how me saying that the squad “doesn’t sit squarely on the shoulders of the head coach” can be confused with me saying that he has nothing to do with recruitment at all.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Anyone who entertains the concept of the head coach having nothing to do with recruitment, please come and see me for a great deal on a very impressive bridge.

Yep. If anyone (O’Brien especially) is playing that card, the club should be folded, disbanded and erased from consciousness.

 

[aqua_duck]

No, I was deferring sole responsibility for the squad from the coach. I seem to remember Parr being brought into the club for that very reason, and everyone’s biggest gripe at the moment of having Crossland as our backup hooker happened very much on Parr’s watch.

But I can see how me saying that the squad “doesn’t sit squarely on the shoulders of the head coach” can be confused with me saying that he has nothing to do with recruitment at all.

If the head coach is satisfied with a player at a certain position why would the GM undermine him and go sign a replacement?

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Hypothetically if the club sacked AOB and hired Madge I’m not sure how I’d feel about it. Madge’s legacy in the NRL is a single premiership that he won at Souths almost a decade ago with a squad that was ready to win a comp at a club with far superior resources to us.

Then he goes to the Tigers whose situation isn’t too dissimilar to ours and unfortunately whatever he was trying to do off the field didn’t translate to anything good on the field. They were pretty poor throughout most of his tenure there.

I’ve got no doubt that his hard nosed attitude is something that this club desperately needs but does he actually have the right coaching philosophy in place and has he learned from his mistakes at the Tigers?

I feel like it could go either way with Madge.

 

[Yosh]

Hypothetically if the club sacked AOB and hired Madge I’m not sure how I’d feel about it. Madge’s legacy in the NRL is a single premiership that he won at Souths almost a decade ago with a squad that was ready to win a comp at a club with far superior resources to us.

Then he goes to the Tigers whose situation isn’t too dissimilar to ours and unfortunately whatever he was trying to do off the field didn’t translate to anything good on the field. They were pretty poor throughout most of his tenure there.

I’ve got no doubt that his hard nosed attitude is something that this club desperately needs but does he actually have the right coaching philosophy in place and has he learned from his mistakes at the Tigers?

I feel like it could go either way with Madge.

To be honest I'd be happy as long as it isn't AOB...

 

[Burwood]

If the head coach is satisfied with a player at a certain position why would the GM undermine him and go sign a replacement?

Isn't that Parr's role- to oversee and manage the roster? He's not here to hold a clipboard and be a lackey. I doubt it was O'Brien on the phones organising a player swap between Randell and Marzhew. And if it was O'Brien calling the shots completely on his own, then Parr should be sacked for being useless.

 

[aqua_duck]

Isn't that Parr's role- to oversee and manage the roster? He's not here to hold a clipboard and be a lackey. I doubt it was O'Brien on the phones organising a player swap between Randell and Marzhew. And if it was O'Brien calling the shots completely on his own, then Parr should be sacked for being useless.

so you're saying he should be undermining the coach and getting rid of players the coach wants and signing players the coach doesn't want?
To me his role is working with the coach in shaping the roster, handling negotiations, staffing, overseeing pathways and other back of house things. The GM should be working in consultation with the head coach not working against him especially if the coach is adamant about something. At the end of the day whoever the responsibility lies with the roster construction isn't where it needs to be at present

 

[Burwood]

so you're saying he should be undermining the coach and getting rid of players the coach wants and signing players the coach doesn't want?
To me his role is working with the coach in shaping the roster, handling negotiations, staffing, overseeing pathways and other back of house things. The GM should be working in consultation with the head coach not working against him especially if the coach is adamant about something. At the end of the day whoever the responsibility lies with the roster construction isn't where it needs to be at present

I’ll say what I have said twice before for a third time- responsibility for the makeup of the squad doesn’t sit squarely on the shoulders of the coach.

I’m not saying O‘Brien has no responsibility. I’m not saying Parr has full responsibility. I’m saying that it is a shared responsibility between several people in the club. I don’t see how that’s a controversial statement

 

[aqua_duck]

I’ll say what I have said twice before for a third time- responsibility for the makeup of the squad doesn’t sit squarely on the shoulders of the coach.

I’m not saying O‘Brien has no responsibility. I’m not saying Parr has full responsibility. I’m saying that it is a shared responsibility between several people in the club. I don’t see how that’s a controversial statement

I agree with you but on the same token as it is a shared responsibility if AOB is adamant he has a starting quality hooker in Crossland Parr isn’t likely to go and undermine him when ultimately it’s going to be AOB who picks the team each week

 

[Knight Tales]

There is no onus on O’Brien to reveal his level of input into player signatures but it is probably more a case of he trust his scouts and then decides if they are who he wants.

 

[Jono078]

not interesting in getting into Parr vs AOB but I will say we have to consider that sometimes we don’t really have many options, being the club that we are.

Still think we can and should be doing way better, depending who that sits on. I’m more inclined to give Parr the benefit of the doubt noting he hasn’t been here as long and came in at a super awkward time.

4 years in and AOB’s excuses are getting old.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

I believe the rep of OBrien before he came here was one of being "hard nosed". Not sure Madge coming in with the same attitude/philosophy is going to make a difference

 

[Jono078]

I believe the rep of OBrien before he came here was one of being "hard nosed". Not sure Madge coming in with the same attitude/philosophy is going to make a difference

Not that I’m pushing for Madge, but I think AOB came here as a rookie and started to bend his standards. Madge has the experience I think to stick to his guns and not bend.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Yeah but that didn't go so well at the Tigers though

The best coaches who have the best results recognise that you need to have high standards sure but you also need to know that you have a team of individuals with differing motivations and differing personalities and to know when, how and what to do to push them along.

Cookie cuttering an approach just doesn't, well ,cut it really.

 

[Yosh]

Guys guys guys... Madge has only won a single premiership as head coach while AOB has 4 grand final appearances as an assistant. It's game over obviously. Clearly 4 is a ton better than just the one!!!

AOB for life!!

 

[Jono078]

Yeah but that didn't go so well at the Tigers though

The best coaches who have the best results recognise that you need to have high standards sure but you also need to know that you have a team of individuals with differing motivations and differing personalities and to know when, how and what to do to push them along.

Cookie cuttering an approach just doesn't, well ,cut it really.

Absolutely, but I think the consensus here is we need a tough bastard with tough love who won’t bend and break. It might not work and I’m not saying that is the approach 24/7, but I think we all yearn for a Brian Smith like approach again.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Smith lost the playing group in the end with his mind f**kery

No thanks

 

[Jono078]

Smith lost the playing group in the end with his mind f**kery

No thanks

That's all you take from his tenure? Not how I saw it either. Once the Roosters swooped in then his position here was untenable.