Rumours and Stuff

[Poupou Escobar]

Parra won't win a comp under BA but. Save your money. He is a solid coach. Can snag top 4. Not a premiership winning coach tho.

That's what they said about Cleary. Fifteen years and won f**k all.

 

[yy_cheng]

Parra won't win a comp under BA but. Save your money. He is a solid coach. Can snag top 4. Not a premiership winning coach tho.

On NRL260, they said Parra are in their Prime right now for Bennett to come in and jig a premiership. In a few years time, this squad will be too old.

 

[TheCrowe]

I agree.

We wouldnt be on as much as Lomax, he will ruck it out, be safe, good under the high ball and finish off the backline.

He's older and so in a couple of years, a juniour steps up, he will not be blocking him

Plus the money Lomax will cost would cover maybe 3 juniors or more.

 

[hindy111]

That's what they said about Cleary. Fifteen years and won f**k all.

Did he ever fail but? Like ever have a side everyone expected to make the top 8 and they didn't?
We've twice under BA done that. 2018 (spoon) and 2023. Being top 4 the years previous.. 2014 squad was a borderline top 8 squad and had the Dally M winner.

 

[hindy111]

On NRL260, they said Parra are in their Prime right now for Bennett to come in and jig a premiership. In a few years time, this squad will be too old.

Agree. 2025 I reckon bottom 5. Nearly all Forwards be 30+

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Did he ever fail but? Like ever have a side everyone expected to make the top 8 and they didn't?

Yep, in 2015. Why do you think he got the arse from Penrith?

We've twice under BA done that. 2018 (spoon) and 2023. Being top 4 the years previous.. 2014 squad was a borderline top 8 squad and had the Dally M winner.

2017 we overachieved, being mid-table for attack and defence. The fact we finished top four just means we won more close games than we lost. Luck. 2022 we also didn't have the best team. A couple of injuries to key players in 2023 and we fell apart. That's not the coach's fault. It's happened to all of them.

 

[hindy111]

Yep, in 2015. Why do you think he got the arse from Penrith?

.

He was tired and needed a rest ffs. Just ask Gould.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Agree. 2025 I reckon bottom 5. Nearly all Forwards be 30+

Cronulla won a premiership with five forwards over the age of 30. They just need the right 'nutrition'.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Did he ever fail but? Like ever have a side everyone expected to make the top 8 and they didn't?
We've twice under BA done that. 2018 (spoon) and 2023. Being top 4 the years previous.. 2014 squad was a borderline top 8 squad and had the Dally M winner.

Seriously? How would you assess his 2012-2015 time at Penrith? 45% win rate. 2014 made the preliminary final. 2015 avoided the wooden spoon with a final round victory. That sounds like the sort of run that BA would cop shit for.

 

[hindy111]

Seriously? How would you assess his 2012-2015 time at Penrith? 45% win rate. 2014 made the preliminary final. 2015 avoided the wooden spoon with a final round victory. That sounds like the sort of run that BA would cop shit for.

Would you trade BA for Ivan?

 

[hindy111]

A better bargaining chip for Lomax might be Sanders. Remember he hasn't signed for Canberra yet. B.Hunt isn't young anymore. This is who I'd be putting infront of them as an option. They are building for the future and B.Hunt won't be part of that.

 

[emjaycee]

Seriously? How would you assess his 2012-2015 time at Penrith? 45% win rate. 2014 made the preliminary final. 2015 avoided the wooden spoon with a final round victory. That sounds like the sort of run that BA would cop shit for.

*does

 

[The Colonel]

A better bargaining chip for Lomax might be Sanders. Remember he hasn't signed for Canberra yet. B.Hunt isn't young anymore. This is who I'd be putting infront of them as an option. They are building for the future and B.Hunt won't be part of that.

If only they hadn't recently signed a new halfback related to the coach.....

 

[TheCrowe]

“But one of the things Shane Flanagan did when he first got to St George Illawarra was sit down with Zac Lomax, go through all his stats and said there’s 17 teams and of the 34 centres in the competition you ranked about 22nd or 23rd.

“So that’s in real figures, that’s not about what I think of you, that’s not about Origin coaches saying you’re going to be a star. In real numbers, performance on the field, his numbers sat him about 22nd or 23rd of all the centres in the competition.

“So I’d be careful if I was Lomax trying to throw your weight around a little bit on $800,000 a year saying ‘I’m not happy playing on the wing’. Because he wasn’t earning his $800,000 playing in the centres.

Anthony Griffin shifted him sides, he wasn’t happy with that and ended up in reserve grade and when he got dropped he didn’t handle that very well.

FOX

 

[Pazza]

Seems like more trouble than his worth

 

[hindy111]

If only they hadn't recently signed a new halfback related to the coach.....

He would be on peanuts signed as a back up. And only in first grade cause of Amome.
Hunts 34 soon and will retire in a year or so

 

[GrayGirrafe1140]

“But one of the things Shane Flanagan did when he first got to St George Illawarra was sit down with Zac Lomax, go through all his stats and said there’s 17 teams and of the 34 centres in the competition you ranked about 22nd or 23rd.

“So that’s in real figures, that’s not about what I think of you, that’s not about Origin coaches saying you’re going to be a star. In real numbers, performance on the field, his numbers sat him about 22nd or 23rd of all the centres in the competition.

“So I’d be careful if I was Lomax trying to throw your weight around a little bit on $800,000 a year saying ‘I’m not happy playing on the wing’. Because he wasn’t earning his $800,000 playing in the centres.

Anthony Griffin shifted him sides, he wasn’t happy with that and ended up in reserve grade and when he got dropped he didn’t handle that very well.

FOX

Pretty hard to be a top tier centre when you’re playing in an average team. Yeah Lomax could’ve played better but how is he meant to become an elite centre with only 1 good player (Hunt) in his team around him. They should’ve played him fullback and gotten more from him. If he does come to us whichever side he plays on he will have a quality backrower inside him and a great half and fullback to create space for him. My bet is Will would go to the left as he played ressies in 2021 on the left

 

[oldmancraigy]

Last year, it was Lane and RCG.

SO offa/greig comes on for RCG and maybe Kelma or Matto for Lane

And we made the 8... or?

So the point is that having Matto as depth didn't offset 2 big guns in the pack being out!
I'm not saying a gun outside back would have made a difference either. But it would make a lot more difference if everyone was fit!

 

[TheCrowe]

Pretty hard to be a top tier centre when you’re playing in an average team. Yeah Lomax could’ve played better but how is he meant to become an elite centre with only 1 good player (Hunt) in his team around him. They should’ve played him fullback and gotten more from him. If he does come to us whichever side he plays on he will have a quality backrower inside him and a great half and fullback to create space for him. My bet is Will would go to the left as he played ressies in 2021 on the left

He was outcompeted by Sloane for the fullback position.
Maybe Flanno (and Hook) just don't like him, maybe he is not as good as he thinks he is.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Would you trade BA for Ivan?

Of course not, but absolutely irrelevant to the post I was responding to. You questioned whether Cleary had failed during his earlier career, and cited poor performance when you're expected to do well as an indicator of failure. I'm just saying that his record in his first stint at Penrith looks like a failure according to those criteria. Sometimes there's only so much the coach can do.