Rumours and Stuff

[Avenger]

Cleary at Penrith proves it doesn't really matter who the coach is. They've sacked him before and then brought him back when they needed to re-sign his son. He has only beaten Arthur four times in 12 attempts. Is he really capable of winning a premiership? Before this year all these dopes would've said no way.

And if they lose is it Cleary's fault? They are $2.15 underdogs. Might it just be bad luck that they were up against a better team?

There is always an element of luck required to win a comp however I think when we end up sacking BA he will not rise again like Lazarus or Cleary for that matter.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Well Cleary has gotten to two grand finals, so his resume is better than Arthur's. But as I said, Arthur has the wood on him. How much comes down to coaching and how much to luck? It doesn't just take luck to win a competition. It takes luck to win any given game. As Cleary's record against Arthur shows, even 12 games is a small sample. Arthur has coached half that in the finals and half of those six were against the Melbourne Storm. Unlucky.

 

[Happy MEel]

We started every second half with our three best middle forwards on the bench. That's how you get them enough rest for their second stint. If you put them back on too soon they could run out of puff late in the game when you're out of interchanges.

Well then perhaps their stints on the sideline needed to be staggered.

 

[IFR33K]

Great post and we need stop talking about how Roosters or Storm have gone out in straight sets etc in recent years. They have won comps. We haven't. When they haven't they have acted quickly to rectify what went wrong.
Look at Storm with Croft and Flanagan with the Roosters. Not good enough and see ya.
If we had won a comp in recent times and we were regularly finishing in the top 4 i would cop that...this club needs a premiership...near enough is not good enough..

Part of the issues with us moving forward (imo) is BA has his favorites and seems content when players continually have average games. He’s either slow to react or can’t address issues. Maybe better support around him may help, who knows.

 

[hineyrulz]

Which is why the toughest call of them all should be made when BA’s tenure expires. We need to get the right coach who has won a comp. We are too big to experiment with another rookie.

Only two second hand coaches have won a comp the last 20 years. Bennett and Sheens and their records speak for themselves. The rest have all been first time coaches at that club. Cleary is the only one who could break that trend and he had made a GF with the warriors. So unless we snag a Robinson or Bellamy a recycled coach is hardly the way to go. We just have to identify to next great up and coming coach, easier said than done.

 

[emjaycee]

Part of the issues with us moving forward (imo) is BA has his favorites and seems content when players continually have average games. He’s either slow to react or can’t address issues. Maybe better support around him may help, who knows.

Or a stronger roster of players 18-30.

 

[Avenger]

Only two second hand coaches have won a comp the last 20 years. Bennett and Sheens and their records speak for themselves. The rest have all been first time coaches at that club. Cleary is the only one who could break that trend and he had made a GF with the warriors. So unless we snag a Robinson or Bellamy a recycled coach is hardly the way to go. We just have to identify to next great up and coming coach, easier said than done.

I’ll be interested to see what Holbrook does next year with the Titans. He was in our system and didn’t even get to be an assistant.

 

[Gazzamatta]

I’ll be interested to see what Holbrook does next year with the Titans. He was in our system and didn’t even get to be an assistant.

He coached our U20s and was pinched by The Chooks as an assistant.
Yep. He's a goodun. Thought he had a bright future when he was in control of our 20s. They played different to the style the club was generally playing. More entertaining. He killed it in the UK. Boat missed there but there are always opportunities. You just need to be committed to looking or keeping an open mind.
I still wonder what happened to Mick Potter. Its good to hear Ryan Carr might have increased responsibilities season next.

 

[hindy111]

I still think Robert Kennings would be a handy pick up.

But our best way forward is use this 11 free spots to target some of the best juniors coming through across all clubs.

 

[84 Baby]

I still think Robert Kennings would be a handy pick up.

But our best way forward is use this 11 free spots to target some of the best juniors coming through across all clubs.

No it wouldn’t be. Well... it depends what the goal is. But if we want to go better next year, we need players that will improve the squad. Untested rookies won’t, at least 11 of them won’t. A few in the squad is good.

 

[hindy111]

No it wouldn’t be. Well... it depends what the goal is. But if we want to go better next year, we need players that will improve the squad. Untested rookies won’t, at least 11 of them won’t. A few in the squad is good.

2022/2023 would be fine

 

[Obscene Assassin]

No it wouldn’t be. Well... it depends what the goal is. But if we want to go better next year, we need players that will improve the squad. Untested rookies won’t, at least 11 of them won’t. A few in the squad is good.

We're already going to have 2 non-capped rookies in Hughes and Hollis in the top 30 next year and Dunster with only 1 game next to his name. Reed has only just cracked 50 games and Dyl another season off it. Oregon is largely untested and will be expected to increase his minutes, and you may have to add Marata to that too. We have youthful players, we don't need many if any more. We should leave 2 spots open for pathway players to come through, but to suggest we need 11 of them is ludicrous.

We should be targeting unwanted players at other clubs, you can get them a bit cheaper and they've got a bit of experience.

 

[TheRam]

Everyone is entitled to be ticked off if the club doesn’t win the big prize, but have a look at what has been achieved in a relatively short few years. After the debacle of the old board and their cohorts, it took so many meetings and votes to finally get change given the people who are now festering in the background opposing change even down to postal ballots.

It’s fair to say after 2018 the coach saw the deficiencies and went out and got the players to start the improvement, signing Fergo, Junior, Lane and Sivo to get some size into the team. A good finish then we managed to get Waqa and RCG which pushed us Into the top4 after finishing last in 2018. That’s a rapid improvement and one that should be acknowledged not complain3d about. Yes , there should be a further push now to get the holy grail, but fmd no one is satisfied per se, it we need to understand it’s a process which is ongoing.

Support the club otherwise we end up like the Tigers or Bulldogs as before, how is that for a thought.

I think you and a few others are missing the point of why there are so many frustrated with our team and their performances.

It isn't that we only came 3rd and that we should have gone on with it or all the things you have stated above, which are all great and commendable.

It's about the way we played in the second half of the season. We where essentially the worst attacking team in the comp and by the end of the season we had also become a basket case in defense.

If we had started the comp slowly and built up into a powerful and well drilled winning team by the end of it, everyone here would be stoked and singing the praises of the team and coach, even if we didn't win the GF and our collective feeling would be with a few minor changes and a bit of luck we could go all the way. But instead, we regressed to playing like a team that should have been in the bottom four and that there are quite a few pieces still missing. Like 2 or 3 quality players which are not easy to come by since our junior development of players is still shithouse and a coaching staff clean out that if not done right means we lose even more future seasons.

So to me and many others the predicament we are in primarily stems from our coaching staffs lack of ability to bring the best out of our current roster and at the right time. We have a quality roster that when playing well can nail any team to the wall and yet they were playing like strangers for most of the second half of the season.

That comes down to how the team is prepared. The coach has to wear the blame for that. He keeps making these errors that the best coaches don't seem to. How much longer are we meant to allow this guy to keep learn how to be a top NRL coach?

And now we hear that he isn't happy with the HoF. Oh poor bugger. I'll tell you what, why doesn't he pull his head in, put a smile on his face and take the help that the people around him are trying to give him. Because there are tens of thousands who support this club that are definitely not happy with him.

 

[Gronk]

I think you and a few others are missing the point of why there are so many frustrated with our team and their performances.

It isn't that we only came 3rd and that we should have gone on with it or all the things you have stated above, which are all great and commendable.

It's about the way we played in the second half of the season. We where essentially the worst attacking team in the comp and by the end of the season we had also become a basket case in defense.

If we had started the comp slowly and built up into a powerful and well drilled winning team by the end of it, everyone here would be stoked and singing the praises of the team and coach, even if we didn't win the GF and our collective feeling would be with a few minor changes and a bit of luck we could go all the way. But instead, we regressed to playing like a team that should have been in the bottom four and that there are quite a few pieces still missing. Like 2 or 3 quality players which are not easy to come by since our junior development of players is still shithouse and a coaching staff clean out that if not done right means we lose even more future seasons.

So to me and many others the predicament we are in primarily stems from our coaching staffs lack of ability to bring the best out of our current roster and at the right time. We have a quality roster that when playing well can nail any team to the wall and yet they were playing like strangers for most of the second half of the season.

That comes down to how the team is prepared. The coach has to wear the blame for that. He keeps making these errors that the best coaches don't seem to. How much longer are we meant to allow this guy to keep learn how to be a top NRL coach?

And now we hear that he isn't happy with the HoF. Oh poor bugger. I'll tell you what, why doesn't he pull his head in, put a smile on his face and take the help that the people around him are trying to give him. Because there are tens of thousands who support this club that are definitely not happy with him.

You promote yourself as an astute judge however you have completely overlooked the injuries to our spine for our funk in the back half of the season.

 

[84 Baby]

We're already going to have 2 non-capped rookies in Hughes and Hollis in the top 30 next year and Dunster with only 1 game next to his name. Reed has only just cracked 50 games and Dyl another season off it. Oregon is largely untested and will be expected to increase his minutes, and you may have to add Marata to that too. We have youthful players, we don't need many if any more. We should leave 2 spots open for pathway players to come through, but to suggest we need 11 of them is ludicrous.

We should be targeting unwanted players at other clubs, you can get them a bit cheaper and they've got a bit of experience.

My targets would be, in order:
Bench hooker (not just a backup)
Starting centre (although obviously we need to factor in Jenko and whether we may be suddenly flush with a bit more cap)
Bench prop
Backup middle (or possibly a starting 2nd rower and Lane moves to bench)
Couple of reserve utility forwards
Couple of reserve utility backs
Maybe then a couple of prospects

 

[TheRam]

My evidence is his performance on the field. Where the f**k do you think I get my opinions from? hindyeleven's mate Mik?
I reckon Gutherson can do most of his good stuff in the halves while also allowing Drown to play centre and making space to bring in a fullback. It's an option, nothing more. We could also find a decent centre to replace Mennings. Either way works IMO. I'm just pointing out why moving Gutherson from fullback, if it happens, doesn't mean Brad Arthur's is stupider than deadshits like yourself.

I kind of think your opinions may actually improve if you sought Mik's advise. They couldn't be any sillier.

Your dumber then a box of spanners option has the potential to piss off two of our spine players ffs. For what? Gutherson was one of the top 3 fullbacks this year. So unless you are recruiting one of the other two you are weakening that position and probably pissing him right off in the process.

Then there is young Dillon. I'm sure he will take kindly to being told you aren't a play maker anymore champ, we think you are better suited to the centres. Hahahahaha...

Not even Arthur's as stupid as a deadshit boofhead opinion like that.

 

[84 Baby]

If we had started the comp slowly and built up into a powerful and well drilled winning team by the end of it, everyone here would be stoked and singing the praises of the team and coach, even if we didn't win the GF and our collective feeling would be with a few minor changes and a bit of luck we could go all the way.

I call bullshit. If we had reversed the halves of our season, firstly the “realists” would’ve been whinging for BAs head by midseason then most of them would’ve disregarded the improved second half and still be whining about it.
Secondly, when we went out of finals in second week, even the realists who were feeling a few minor changes and luck would see us go on would just go back to whinging.

 

[84 Baby]

I kind of think your opinions may actually improve if you sought Mik's advise. They couldn't be any sillier.

Your dumber then a box of spanners option has the potential to piss off two of our spine players ffs. For what? Gutherson was one of the top 3 fullbacks this year. So unless you are recruiting one of the other two you are weakening that position and probably pissing him right off in the process.

Then there is young Dillon. I'm sure he will take kindly to being told you aren't a play maker anymore champ, we think you are better suited to the centres. Hahahahaha...

Not even Arthur's as stupid as a deadshit boofhead opinion like that.

Hate to give him credit but Stuart proved it’s a feasible option with Wighton.

 

[TheRam]

Cleary at Penrith proves it doesn't really matter who the coach is. They've sacked him before and then brought him back when they needed to re-sign his son. He has only beaten Arthur four times in 12 attempts. Is he really capable of winning a premiership? Before this year all these dopes would've said no way.

And if they lose is it Cleary's fault? They are $2.15 underdogs. Might it just be bad luck that they were up against a better team?

Whoever doesn't rate Cleary is as dopey as you. The guy is in the top 3-4 coaches of the game and when Bennett and Bellamy go will be in the top 2.

I have always rated him. He has just been very unlucky that he has always had to start with weak rostered teams. He has finally gone to a team that has a quality roster in his second coming at the Panthers and hey presto, GF appearance in his 2nd year.

Not to shabby.

 

[TheRam]

Well Cleary has gotten to two grand finals, so his resume is better than Arthur's. But as I said, Arthur has the wood on him. How much comes down to coaching and how much to luck? It doesn't just take luck to win a competition. It takes luck to win any given game. As Cleary's record against Arthur shows, even 12 games is a small sample. Arthur has coached half that in the finals and half of those six were against the Melbourne Storm. Unlucky.

You are a dopey fool if you think that winning any game comes down to luck.

I tell you what, if that's the case, why don't we all save us a heap of money and effort and not recruit the best possible staff, coaches or players and not bother training as hard or hard or the long hours of planning and video sessions and just wing it on the day of every game? We'll kill it mate. The comp won't know what hit them.

We'll call it the PouNastics theory.