Sack Adam O'Brien

[slotmachine]

Because you can't play up-tempo when you are gassed, and we are gassed from about 20 minutes in because we have a terrible kicking game and we make too many mistakes.

If there was one quality to look for in a half for our side if we're going to play this way, it's someone who can boot the piss out of the ball. Fogarty did such a good job at that when the Raiders beat us in round 1, constantly getting them out of trouble.

 

[Walk On Home Boy]

We've had some average coaches but AOB is the worst for mine. The guy employs outdated tactics that contradict the capabilities of the roster. He makes weak excuses. He is uninspiring to hear talk. Sounds like a slack-jawed yokel. I was fuming when the club re-signed the guy.

Brian Smith would have loved this roster. In fact, most of out past coaches would have. AOB has had more talent than most coaches at the Knights. He's an complete impostor.

 

[Loose Cannon]

O’Brien would shorten Burton’s kicking game by 20 metres in 2 dimensions.

 

[aqua_duck]

Toohey saying that the conservative game plan has been “tailored” for the playing squad. WTF? We have arguably the best attacking player in the game on our roster, and the same roster were 1st in the league for tries scored last year and the “tailored” game plan is this conservative crap?

I think that’s a nice way of saying that he’s unable to get the squad up to task so he’s chosen to dumb it down as much as possible

 

[aqua_duck]

Toohey saying that the conservative game plan has been “tailored” for the playing squad. WTF? We have arguably the best attacking player in the game on our roster, and the same roster were 1st in the league for tries scored last year and the “tailored” game plan is this conservative crap?

For what it’s worth we’ve gone from 1st in tries scored last year to 17th this year

 

[Woody90]

For what it’s worth we’ve gone from 1st in tries scored last year to 17th this year

Yep, which is why it’s definitely at least in part tactics related. Obviously we’ve had some injuries, roster changes and halfback has broken down which have all contributed, but not enough to take us from first to last in one season. The opposition know we won’t try anything.

 

[Woody90]

I wonder if the players (particularly the non-Ponga ones) feel insulted when AOB makes constant remarks publicly that they need to play ugly without KP, like they’re not good enough to try anything else. He needs to go back and watch some of our games at the start of last season without him, we were playing some excellent expansive footy.

At the moment I think we all know that his job isn’t under any real pressure - that could definitely change though if the players, and in particular KP start to become disgruntled. Must be really rough for KP, Gags and Best to go off to SOO camp then come back to an environment where nobody is allowed to try anything.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

The thing is we have a roster that can do some real damage. KPP is criminally under-utilised, our centres get next to no early ball and our whole forward pack is presumably instructed not to offload or pass the ball which is just infuriating. I actually hope we finish 17th in tries scored so it’s something that MUST be addressed in the post season review.

 

[aqua_duck]

The thing is we have a roster that can do some real damage. KPP is criminally under-utilised, our centres get next to no early ball and our whole forward pack is presumably instructed not to offload or pass the ball which is just infuriating. I actually hope we finish 17th in tries scored so it’s something that MUST be addressed in the post season review.

Yep, we’re ranked 16th in offloads and just to expand on KPP, it’s not just him, Frizz is also not seeing as much ball, he’s averaged over 100m per game over the past 5 years, this year he’s averaging less than 90m.
I think the grinding, conservative approach is part of AOB’s DNA, let’s not pretend we’ve ever really been a scintillating attacking team under his tenure prior to last year. I think it’s been one of his goals from the start to instil that mentality into the side and last year’s change of approach was necessitated by the fact he was probably one loss away from unemployment but now with new contract in tow he’s gone back to his underlying philosophy.
For me what’s even more frustrating as a fan is I genuinely have no idea how AOB plans to change our fortunes, at least with other struggling teams there seems to be a clear push for youth and recruitment, for us that can’t be said, the only player we’ve signed for next year is a reserve grade centre, we’ve not debuted anyone this year, the majority of our team are in their mid-late 20s so you’re not really banking on any exponential improvement either.
It’s a sad state of affairs when the only thing you can hope for is that the new recruitment manager guts the place