Sack Adam O'Brien

[perverse]

The thing is though, that there's not a strong correlation between rotating the coaching staff a lot & success.

In the NRL stability and success tend to be closely linked. And the overall strength of the organisation is linked with success. I think it's actually good that they don't just immediately leap to "well it's all the coach's fault" and push them out the door the second things start going a bit bad. That's what the Tigers do. Titans. Eels before and (I am willing to bet) after Brad Arthur.

I don't get it, is your point that sticking with a bad coach is better than looking for a good one? That it takes 6 years to make the evaluation?

It took us 6 years, and we still didn't sack the guy. He had to sack himself! Why did he have a 12th-or-better clause in year one of his newest contract, and then carte blanche after that??? If 13th isn't good enough in 2024, why is it acceptable in 2025? The guy just got a huge payout because we can't write a contract to save ourselves. It's f**king insane, hopeless management.

Are we just going to sit around for 6 years with the next guy until he sacks himself too? How long does a coach get? It's been plainly evident this guy wasn't up to par for years and years. I'm all for stability, but I'm not for attaching ourselves to a rotting corpse and hoping it springs to life. All I can say is full credit to the guy for having the balls to do what our management couldn't.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

I don't get it, is your point that sticking with a bad coach is better than looking for a good one? That it takes 6 years to make the evaluation?

It took us 6 years, and we still didn't sack the guy. He had to sack himself! Why did he have a 12th-or-better clause in year one of his newest contract, and then carte blanche after that??? If 13th isn't good enough in 2024, why is it acceptable in 2025? The guy just got a huge payout because we can't write a contract to save ourselves. It's f**king insane, hopeless management.

Are we just going to sit around for 6 years with the next guy until he sacks himself too? How long does a coach get? It's been plainly evident this guy wasn't up to par for years and years. I'm all for stability, but I'm not for attaching ourselves to a rotting corpse and hoping it springs to life. All I can say is full credit to the guy for having the balls to do what our management couldn't.

Don’t hold back! Sheesh!

 

[Burwood]

I don't get it, is your point that sticking with a bad coach is better than looking for a good one? That it takes 6 years to make the evaluation?

It took us 6 years, and we still didn't sack the guy. He had to sack himself! Why did he have a 12th-or-better clause in year one of his newest contract, and then carte blanche after that??? If 13th isn't good enough in 2024, why is it acceptable in 2025? The guy just got a huge payout because we can't write a contract to save ourselves. It's f**king insane, hopeless management.

Are we just going to sit around for 6 years with the next guy until he sacks himself too? How long does a coach get? It's been plainly evident this guy wasn't up to par for years and years. I'm all for stability, but I'm not for attaching ourselves to a rotting corpse and hoping it springs to life. All I can say is full credit to the guy for having the balls to do what our management couldn't.

I still don’t think you’re on the right track. It’s more likely that he was pulled aside by Parr or whoever and told that his position had become untenable, but that the club were willing to show him some respect and give him the opportunity to save some face by “mutually agreeing” to part ways at season’s end.

 

[perverse]

Don’t hold back! Sheesh!

I'm just over reading excuses for the coach and the club. It's not a personal attack, I just find the ideas silly. Been reading them for 4 years and it's just monotonous. How can we be doing a good job when we keep getting such shit results? There is no "a thing is" or "but this or that". We f**ked up. Horribly. And we would have continued to do so by the sounds of things if O'Brien wasn't the man he is - so I respect him for that. It's a shame he can't coach tbh.

I still don’t think you’re on the right track. It’s more likely that he was pulled aside by Parr or whoever and told that his position had become untenable, but that the club were willing to show him some respect and give him the opportunity to save some face by “mutually agreeing” to part ways at season’s end.

Possible! I'm not sure why he would agree to that when it does nothing but cost him money at that point (I know if I'm getting the sack, I'm taking my full pound of flesh with me), but it's possible. As I said in my first post (not the one replying to the predictable excuses) - "If true, we literally waited for him to admit defeat himself rather than be proactive." I'm just reacting to the reports on the ground.

 

[perverse]

I think it’s been handled reasonably well by both parties. O’Brien has been popular with players, and gotten the club to the finals 4/6 seasons. The club have shown him respect by allowing him to fall on his sword and see out the season. I don’t think they waited for him to walk, more a case of letting him go out on his own terms. I prefer that to the alternative of sacking him and having a messy divorce playing out in the media.

And fair enough, it's nice of the guy to just hand over half his payout for no gain to himself then. If I were him I certainly would have said "here's my contract, do as you will".

 

[Knight Tales]

I reckon Holbrook gets the gig. I bet Brown is not halfback if he does.

 

[Yosh]

Just happy it's happening. Best of luck. He had that great run in 2023, no one can take that away from him. To be honest pretty good regular season record but couldn't win a finals game to save his life.

 

[slotmachine]

I’d tune in to pressers just to listen to him.

Do you suffer from insomnia?

 

[HarVeeGee]

I don't get it, is your point that sticking with a bad coach is better than looking for a good one? That it takes 6 years to make the evaluation?

It took us 6 years, and we still didn't sack the guy. He had to sack himself! Why did he have a 12th-or-better clause in year one of his newest contract, and then carte blanche after that??? If 13th isn't good enough in 2024, why is it acceptable in 2025? The guy just got a huge payout because we can't write a contract to save ourselves. It's f**king insane, hopeless management.

Are we just going to sit around for 6 years with the next guy until he sacks himself too? How long does a coach get? It's been plainly evident this guy wasn't up to par for years and years. I'm all for stability, but I'm not for attaching ourselves to a rotting corpse and hoping it springs to life. All I can say is full credit to the guy for having the balls to do what our management couldn't.

I think Adam O'Brien's overall results were on the reasonable to good side up until the end of 2024 given the stuff he's contended with over the years - injuries to his marquee player(s) every year (I crunched the numbers at the start of this year and he had all four starting spine players available for roughly 7% of possible games, and that number would have gone down more this year), Mitchell Pearce dropping a bomb on the place the way he did, some terrible blunders by recruitment/head office. Let's not pretend it's all been smooth sailing but for him gumming up the works.

And also. It's not like he's been parachuted into the Brisbane or Easts job. Yes, at those clubs you probably can simply just "demand" success. You can just sign better players. This isn't the case in Newcastle.

Since Joey retired we'd made the finals 3 times total and he did it 4 times in 5 seasons. 2023 was the club's best season in terms of W/L/D record + ELO and all those nerd stats since 2002. 21 years. I think it's fair to say he hasn't been judged in a vacuum, but on the understanding that this is, aside from getting lucky with a golden generation of players in the 90's, not a very good footy club. More like the Tigers than even a club like Cronulla or Souths in all honesty.

He's done good stuff. Attitude and resilience in defence has been better under him than any other coach since Reilly. I do think it's a more professional club that demands higher standards than the one he arrived at.

Yes, some weird issues really creeped in last year but he got a stay of execution with the late season run. Then in 2025 same issues again but way worse, so yes, we hit the final straw, things absolutely need to change. I think it's fair and he's going at roughly the right time, give or take about 4-8 weeks.

I don't know about 6 years but yes I think anyone you bring in has to get a real chance. Closer to 2 years than 1, at least.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

My ex rooster junior mate at work thinks Morris should be head coaching the Tigers -got some wraps on him.

I was thinking Kevvie was sacked prematurely and maybe Brad Arthur should be in the mix.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

That stat about the 4 starting spine players playing together 7% of the time is absolutely nuts. I’d actually be interested in seeing what percentage of the time we were playing with 3 starting spine players as opposed to 2 or even 1. I’d be willing to bet we’d be one of the worst in the comp as far as overall impact from injuries to key players over the last 5-6 years. Seems like one or two of our spine cop a season ender each year, seems kinda standard for us.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

On the way to picking up Brown, you’d have to stop off at Iongi’s managers place for a milkshake.

 

[Woody90]

I was firmly on the train that he needed to be sacked, but to say he’s been a terrible coach throughout is changing history and probably influenced by the shit show of this season.

He did a decent job getting really average rosters to the finals 4/6 years. He’s not a good enough coach to get a squad like ours flying and competing for a premiership, but a lot would have done a lot worse. At the end of the day I’m happy he’s gone regardless of whether it was his decision or the club as obviously he’s come to the end of the road and can’t improve us but I’m happy to give him credit for what he did achieve here even if I’m still happy he’s leaving.

 

[Woody90]

My ex rooster junior mate at work thinks Morris should be head coaching the Tigers -got some wraps on him.

I was thinking Kevvie was sacked prematurely and maybe Brad Arthur should be in the mix.

I’d be happy with Morris.

 

[Knight Tales]

Anasta and the 360 crowd have said Holbrook is favourite and Parr confirmed Green deal is not true. They are going to go through the process. Dean Young expected to apply and Willie Peters is possible as well. Anasta is Peters manager.

 

[Burwood]

Anasta and the 360 crowd have said Holbrook is favourite and Parr confirmed Green deal is not true. They are going to go through the process. Dean Young expected to apply and Willie Peters is possible as well. Anasta is Peters manager.

First we sign Peters, then Munster, followed by Pezet and Ilias, and finally we lock up Southwell to a lifetime to contract. Everything is coming up Milhouse.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

I was firmly on the train that he needed to be sacked, but to say he’s been a terrible coach throughout is changing history and probably influenced by the shit show of this season.

He did a decent job getting really average rosters to the finals 4/6 years. He’s not a good enough coach to get a squad like ours flying and competing for a premiership, but a lot would have done a lot worse. At the end of the day I’m happy he’s gone regardless of whether it was his decision or the club as obviously he’s come to the end of the road and can’t improve us but I’m happy to give him credit for what he did achieve here even if I’m still happy he’s leaving.

All this excitement from AOB leaving is making you delirious

 

[Apey]

We've had some shit luck with our 3 best players all being out together at the same time but our injury toll pales in comparison to say the Rabbitohs who have 3 more wins than us, and there's probably other teams to use an example.

This was after Round 23

 

[Walk On Home Boy]

Surely John Morris should be given a look.

Would be the first bloke I'd call.

 

[Walk On Home Boy]

I'm giddy with excitement that this fraud might finally be gone. I just hate the guy as a coach so much from his slack jawed drawl to his obvious lack of ability. I'd have punted him 2 years ago tbh.