Well you never know until you give them a shot.
I'm not bagging the appointment of A.Johns, I'm just saying that something just isn't right in our coaching structures and the evidence is there for all to see for a while now but it was temporarily disguised due to our at times stellar first 10 rounds of this season.
But since then we have gone back to our bad habits that have been plaguing us for many seasons no matter who has been in the squad. Yes our defense has improved somewhat due to a dogged focus on it by the coach and players, but it is hardly a ruthless and brick wall type of defense and often gets exposed when playing a team that is on their game in attack.
Add to that when we tried focusing on our attack just for a week, our defense totally collapsed. Wow, what the "F" is that all about? How the hell do players that are drilled in defensive patterns day in, day out for months on end just forget what should be mussel memory and instinctive by this stage when they don't focus on it for a week?
Talk about not being able to chew and walk at the same time. These guys are way to good to be this bad. Something is way off and I can only suggest it is the coaching. Something is a miss. We need an overhaul immediately. Hell I and many others here can see what a lot of our problems are and we have written about them too many times to mention. If the coach is for real and thinks that everything is basically ok and it is only a minor fix, then I say he is delusional. For starters if it were, he would have fixed it already.
If it doesn't happen in this off season, then I fear that next season we will be lucky to make the 8 let alone reach for the title. There are some really good assistants out there. The management need to do their homework and find out who are the best at what and hire accordingly. We as supporters can make suggestions by throwing up names that we hear here and there but it is the managements job and they have the contacts to vet and source the best.
I would suggest they work hard at getting the best man possible to work on our attacking structures. Someone that works well with halves, back rowers and centres in particular. I still can't get over and shake my head at how terrible and I mean
TERRIBLE our back rowers are at anticipating and running lines with our play makers. They have no set calls out there. They should have at least a dozen of them. Mosses just runs around living in hope that he will find a hole or a runner who is actually in a position to run effectively, but rarely ever does. The defense just holds off and waits. We never challenge them and force them to make a decision. Why? I mean why? This should have been addressed months ago, when it was obvious what was happening or more correctly not happening.
Watching players like Waqa, Lane and Matterson in particular look lost and confused out there and just turning into battering rams is very upsetting from a Parra fan point of view. These 3 have so much to offer in attack and they are not getting the chance to show their true potential which I am sure would be very frustrating and just wearing them out over the long haul of the season. No wonder their games are beginning to suffer. This need to be fix quickly before it becomes a chronic problem with no solution.
So we need to pay what it takes and set up a football department that is the envy of the NRL. Be the Roosters in other words. It isn't anywhere near as hard as trying to sign the best players. We have the money and the club is now seen as stable and run by a very professional and savvy group of operators. We are one of the top 3 NRL clubs in the State if not the country. We have the best Stadium in the State to play in and watch footy from. We have a metropolis that is growing in business clout and opportunities and will only get bigger and better with more improved infrastructure and real estate projects. We are a very desirable destination now on many fronts.
So we have built it so now we must make sure that they come.
