Rumours and Stuff

[Happy MEel]

I can see us winning games once statistically we won’t be playing finals footy. Our confidence is shot and when we have nothing to lose we might scare a few teams. However, Any wins after we lose 2 or 3 more games are completely irrelevant. 2018 is unacceptable

 

[Eelogical]

It started out a good game, but both sides were so desperate that by the end it was shit awful

Still, for the most part I enjoyed the ball movement and desperation. I don't begrudge the Dogs for taking the two points. They earned it.

 

[Happy MEel]

Do you only "look good" when you're actually scoring points?

Some of you blokes are tremendous truth stretchers....

Well actually, yes. But unfortunately that hasn’t been too often. We may look competent in moments when we have tried to get into the grind but looking good is about dominating the ruck...and yes, being able to score f**king points.

 

[Happy MEel]

Serious question @Poupou Escobar do you still prescribe to the notion that there is little difference between an 0 - 4 start to a season and losing 4 games sporadically throughout the season?

 

[Noise]

Serious question @Poupou Escobar do you still prescribe to the notion that there is little difference between an 0 - 4 start to a season and losing 4 games sporadically throughout the season?

And will we still make the 8 based on the strength of our squad?

 

[Bazal]

Serious question @Poupou Escobar do you still prescribe to the notion that there is little difference between an 0 - 4 start to a season and losing 4 games sporadically throughout the season?

The biggest difference is the perception of it.

People (players and coaches included) think an 0-4 start is worse than 2-4 after 6 with the last four being losses...

 

[Poupou Escobar]

We had pretty much a full strength side at the beginning of the year and looked much the same

I think we have been much better since Gutherson came back. But in that time we have lost plenty of others.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Like we were at the start of the season. Get a clue.

See above. We've improved our effort since the Brookvale massacre but have been steadily losing players since. Gutherson's return has helped a lot though. Except last night.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

When else did we look good today? Or last week?

We were the better team today:

They were the better team.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/05/11...cial-decision-in-loss-to-canterbury-bulldogs/

 

[Avenger]

We were the better team today:


https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/05/11...cial-decision-in-loss-to-canterbury-bulldogs/

The Eels will now have to do what only one team before them has done.

Come back from a 2-8 start to the year. At least history is on the club's side because that team was the 2006 Eels.

But Smithy was smart enough to walk, first.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Serious question @Poupou Escobar do you still prescribe to the notion that there is little difference between an 0 - 4 start to a season and losing 4 games sporadically throughout the season?

I don't see the difference between losing four games in a row or losing them individually. Three of last year's top eight teams lost four in a row last year, including the grand finalists.

If you're going to lose a game there will be reasons (e.g. key injuries or lack of confidence), and often those reasons will persist for several weeks.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

The Eels will now have to do what only one team before them has done.

Come back from a 2-8 start to the year. At least history is on the club's side because that team was the 2006 Eels.

But Smithy was smart enough to walk, first.

I think if we sacked Arthur we might see some dead cat bounce, and may even be lucky enough for it to last the entire remainder of the season. But it wouldn't mean we would benefit in the long term.

 

[lucablight]

We had the same record against top eight teams as we did against the bottom eight teams.

Ok I’m going to go through the Eels 2017 record against every top 8 team during that season.

During the 2017 regular season the Eels player the first played storm once and defeated them (that was without their origin stars).
The Eels played the second placed Roosters once and were beaten comprehensively 48-10.
The two best performances of the season were against the third places Broncos and the Eels won both matches against them.
Against the fifth Sharks (who they played once) the Eels lost 20-6.
The Eels defeated the sixth place Sea Eagles 20-12 but only played them once. The Eels played the seventh placed Panthers once and defeated them 18-12. Finally the Eels played the Cowboys twice and defeated them in round 9 when they were missing a host of stars including Coote, Granville and Thurston 26-6 and were defeated 32-6 in round 14.

So from that you can see that we only played 2 top 8 teams twice during the entire season (broncos and cowboys) and one of those occasions was when the Cowboys were missing 3/4 of their spine players. We also only had to play the Storm once and that was without their origin players.

You can only play what is in front of you but that was a very favourable draw and fortunately we were able to take advantage of it to achieve a fourth place ranking.

 

[lucablight]

The Eels will now have to do what only one team before them has done.

Come back from a 2-8 start to the year. At least history is on the club's side because that team was the 2006 Eels.

But Smithy was smart enough to walk, first.

If the Warriors hadn’t been deducted 4 points for cap breaches they would have finished 8th instead of the Eels that season. We also had to win 9 in a row to do it. It’s going to be a mammoth task to make it from here.

 

[hineyrulz]

And that 06 side was the Minor Premiership winning team of 05, with the added bonus of a young bloke called Jarryd Hayne.


Yeah nah we’re done.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

And we looked good for 8 minutes today. And 6 minutes last week. Means SFA if you can't play 80.

I was responding to your post that suggested that we looked shit right from the start of the season. I'm just saying that the first 30 minutes of the season actually looked pretty good. That's quite different from picking out the 8 minutes in each games where we score.

 

[Noise]

I was responding to your post that suggested that we looked shit right from the start of the season. I'm just saying that the first 30 minutes of the season actually looked pretty good. That's quite different from picking out the 8 minutes in each games where we score.

Didn’t you just pick a period (first 30min against Penrith)where we scored too? What’s the difference?

 

[Happy MEel]

I don't see the difference between losing four games in a row or losing them individually. Three of last year's top eight teams lost four in a row last year, including the grand finalists.

If you're going to lose a game there will be reasons (e.g. key injuries or lack of confidence), and often those reasons will persist for several weeks.

That’s not what I asked. My question referred to losing the first 4 games and the loss of confidence that has resulted. Losing 4 in a row at any stage is terrible, losing the first 4 games of the season is devastating....as we have seen.

 

[Happy MEel]

The biggest difference is the perception of it.

People (players and coaches included) think an 0-4 start is worse than 2-4 after 6 with the last four being losses...

Agreed...and this perception influences confidence, which in turn can impact ongoing results

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...s/news-story/977193aeba71b864d1dcd0d8c976867c

Corey Oates will test his value as Wayne Bennett warns Brisbane will lose some stars

PETER BADEL, The Courier-Mail
May 11, 2018 7:49pm


WAYNE Bennett concedes salary-cap pressures will force some players out of the Broncos as star winger Corey Oates revealed plans to test his value on the open market.

The Broncos have 16 players off-contract this season, including Oates, who heads into Saturday’s clash against Manly in the Suncorp double-header with his future at Red Hill increasingly uncertain.

The towering winger hopes to stay at the Broncos, but with the club fighting to stave-off poaching raids for their young guns, Oates can earn more elsewhere, prompting him to explore his options.

As revealed by The Courier-Mail last Monday, South Sydney have tabled a $1.5 million deal for Brisbane back-row sensation Jaydn Su’A. Other off-contract Broncos include NRL regulars Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai Jr, Korbin Sims, Tom Opacic, Korbin Sims, Jamayne Isaako and Oates.

Last season, the Broncos lost six players — Ben Hunt, Herman Ese’ese, Tautau Moga, Adam Blair, Benji Marshall and Jai Arrow — to more lucrative offers and Bennett admits others, possibly Oates, could join the exodus.

“It’s not possible for us to keep them all,” Bennett said ahead of tonight’s Manly showdown.

“We have to make some good decisions about who we keep and who we let go.

“I’m confident we’ll keep Corey, but there’s no guarantees. We want him to stay here so we’ll try and work out a deal.

“You can’t keep them all. That’s why we’ve had to let players go over the last three or four years, that’s what the salary cap is designed for.

“We produce probably more players than any club in the game and everyone wants our players.

“It’s just the nature of the business and we either get guys to stay here ... or we let them go.”

The Oates saga is particularly complex. The former Maroons winger is in the process of severing ties with his agent, whose current management deal expires in August.

It means Oates is reluctant to sign any new contract until September, giving him time to negotiate with rival clubs. But the 23-year-old also accepts there is an element of risk in remaining a free agent at a time when the NRL finals will be approaching.

A veteran of 105 NRL games, Oates turns 24 in October and is confronting the most important contract negotiation of his career.

“I am happy with how I am going ... I will start testing myself on the open market,” he said.

“I am letting my footy do its talking and when the deals come, I will look at them.

“I am just trying to play consistent footy. I haven’t been in talks yet, but you are always happy to test yourself on the open market see what you are worth.”

Su’A is among a posse of rookies Bennett rates the best batch he has seen at Red Hill in 10 years. The super coach is determined not to lose his young guns to NRL clubs.

“The young guys are a priority for us,” he said. “I’m confident we’ll keep them.”