Sack Flanagan

[56to66]

The team is building nicely.

Some deadwood needs to go, but most of the deadwood is in the management side of the club.

We need an enforcer, a hooker and a fullback.

In that order, I believe. Price wise.

All 3 needed though.

I agree a geat hooker Ian Walsh or Ken Kearney, A Norm Proven enforcer, a fullback Reg Gasnier or Changa.
St George had the best spine of all time, 11 premiership in a row.
It's a easy Formula.
The playbook. A great prop, A great Hooker, a good lock, a great 7, 1 great centre and Fullback.

 

[since77]

At the back end of Steve Prices' tenure, the club was at it's absolute rock bottom.

Under Mary, we had a couple of "good but not great" years that gave us some hope (2015, 2018 - even 2017 showed potential given where we were in 2016). Mary was finally moved on because the club needed change after seven years, with many in the organisation getting way too comfortable and happy to take the paycheck.

Under Hook, the club went to it's rock bottom again. Was Hook the right man for the job to begin with? Clearly not, but I think he did want to implement some hard nosed change and just didn't have the respect. The club certainly needs to look at the Hook years and learn it's lessons. "We did and we didn't need these years" if that makes sense...

My thoughts now for many seasons, going all the way back to the start of the post-Bennett premiership era - the playing rosters we've had have not played to their full potential.

2017 - we should have comfortably made the top 8
2018 - we should have comfortably made the top 4
Just about most other seasons - had the coach got the team playing to it's potential the results could have been better (not world beating but better than the 11th placed or lower positions that we eventually finished).

I'm prepared to say that, if we don't make any significant signings for 2025 - Flanno will still manage to keep improving our fortunes, and that includes promoting juniors through the system. He knows more than any other coach we've had in the last 12 years that he needs to strike a balance between astute recruitment and nurturing the junior base.

But coming back to my earlier point, at best the roster in it's current state and playing to it's absolute potential is no more than a "middle of the road" team - and when I say that I mean 5th or 6th place after the regular season at it's peak performance level, which I'm sure most of us would take right now.

We need to start signing some players, urgently.

The biggest danger is that over the coming 5-7 years - we end up being like where Parramatta has been. Go on a run during a 3-5 year window making preliminary finals from outside (or just inside) the top 4, and maybe making it to a Grand Final and falling short at the back end of those years. That's not going to be enough for this fanbase - and a different kind of pressure will grow on him - not getting the job done (with possibly the chokers tag coming back).

I'd argue under Griffin was when we were at rock bottom - which is stunning because I thought we were there under the muppet McGregor.
Lots of talk everywhere about "urgently" signing players though.
Love to know who people are expecting us to sign. There's nothing out there. And as for the ones that are out there, Flanno is on record saying the players off contract are off contract for a reason - they're unwanted.

 

[Lennyb]

I agree a geat hooker Ian Walsh or Ken Kearney, A Norm Proven enforcer, a fullback Reg Gasnier or Changa.
St George had the best spine of all time, 11 premiership in a row.
It's a easy Formula.
The playbook. A great prop, A great Hooker, a good lock, a great 7, 1 great centre and Fullback.

Good chat

 

[Rod Coil]

Who can actually put their hand on heart and say this fraud of a coach has a plan to improve the team?

If people can do this, well I would love to know what the plan is?

Is the plan to extend Hunt and keep pandering to him all the while we tell Lomax to pack his bags because super coach wants him on the wing?

Is the plan to extend Sloan and hope that one day he isn't scared of catching the ball or tackling?

Is the plan to then keep signing off the scrap heap in the vain of Eisenhuth, Sele and Brown?

Or is the plan to sign club juniors who were deemed not good enough and then pay overs for them like Leilua and potentially Cook?

Is the plan to sign your son and coach him to take a dive so he goes for a HIA and we get a penalty?

This coach has absolutely no answers, nothing he has done is set to improve the club, he needs to be moved on ASAP.

Moved on for who genius?

 

[saint-stefano]

i know griffin was crap as coach and i see we have improved under flanno but 1 stat that has changed is that under griffin our defence was not to bad we lost plenty of games by very small margins we competed well to under flanno where we are good one week a rabble the next something has changed in our defence is it dean young just not up to scratch...im on the flanno wagon

 

[56to66]

i know griffin was crap as coach and i see we have improved under flanno but 1 stat that has changed is that under griffin our defence was not to bad we lost plenty of games by very small margins we competed well to under flanno where we are good one week a rabble the next something has changed in our defence is it dean young just not up to scratch...im on the flanno wagon

Yep Dean Young, I know they mean well but they can't cut as first grade coaches.

 

[Illusion]

i know griffin was crap as coach and i see we have improved under flanno but 1 stat that has changed is that under griffin our defence was not to bad we lost plenty of games by very small margins we competed well to under flanno where we are good one week a rabble the next something has changed in our defence is it dean young just not up to scratch...im on the flanno wagon

Who you talking about ? Not our next Coach ............. ?

 

[hook hook]

i know griffin was crap as coach and i see we have improved under flanno but 1 stat that has changed is that under griffin our defence was not to bad we lost plenty of games by very small margins we competed well to under flanno where we are good one week a rabble the next something has changed in our defence is it dean young just not up to scratch...im on the flanno wagon

We also didn’t win as many. I’d take a win over a narrow loss

 

[TheRev]

I think the game is faster now and games can blow out more easily if 1 team gets a roll on.

Also I think under Griffin we still had a decent forward pack.. The Back end of it anyway.. Its taken many years of neglect to end up with the roster we have now...

 

[baggygreen man]

Did Flanagan have a say in this or is it general club contract policy. If so it is bizarre. According to NC, Jack Bird will stay for '25, not because the club wanted him but that he had already been given the contact option to extend a further year. We all know Flanagan and Bird are best of buddies from their Sharks days.

 

[baggygreen man]

I aint blaming Dean Young for these second half blowouts. Our defense stats show most put in week out. There are some in this club that lack good old fashioned spirit and heart, those not 'prepared to battle it out to the final minute'. (Dean Youngs own words). And my friends that is up to the head coach to remedy, not the defense coach.

 

[Mojo]

Did Flanagan have a say in this or is it general club contract policy. If so it is bizarre. According to NC, Jack Bird will stay for '25, not because the club wanted him but that he had already been given the contact option to extend a further year. We all know Flanagan and Bird are best of buddies from their Sharks days.

I believe Bird's current contract, including his option to extend, was signed in 22 ie; long before Flano.

Bird exercised his option to extend. The club didn't exercise its option to extend the current contract.

So, as far as I am aware, we were prepared for him to go but he decided to stay - on reduced pay.

 

[baggygreen man]

I believe Bird's current contract, including his option to extend, was signed in 22 ie; long before Flano.

Fair do.

 

[since77]

I think the game is faster now and games can blow out more easily if 1 team gets a roll on.

Also I think under Griffin we still had a decent forward pack.. The Back end of it anyway.. Its taken many years of neglect to end up with the roster we have now...

On what planet did we field a decent forward pack under Griffin?
Here's how they started 2023. Worst pack in the comp by a mile.

Props Molo & Lawrie
Hooker Mbye
Second Row Sua & BMM
Lock Bird

Interchange Liddle, Musgrove, Couchman, Kerr.

The fact we avoided a wooden spoon with that dog poo astounds me.

 

[baggygreen man]

So, as far as I am aware, we were prepared for him to go but he decided to stay - on reduced pay.

Does this not sound strange to you, that basicly a player has been given the power to dictate to the BOD.

 

[Mojo]

Does this not sound strange to you, that basicly a player has been given the power to dictate to the BOD.

Yes indeed. IMO, it was a big mistake to extend his contract at the time, crazy money for a busted player who couldn't attract an offer from anywhere else, plus a player option for an extra year! ... Thankfully though, Flano seems much more realistic and pragmatic.

 

[TheRev]

On what planet did we field a decent forward pack under Griffin?
Here's how they started 2023. Worst pack in the comp by a mile.

Props Molo & Lawrie
Hooker Mbye
Second Row Sua & BMM
Lock Bird

Interchange Liddle, Musgrove, Couchman, Kerr.

The fact we avoided a wooden spoon with that dog poo astounds me.

Doh you have made me have to look stuff up... that 2020-2021 period was when we had our origin pack... Griffin started officially in 2021, JDB returns, Vaughan, Sims x2, McInnes, a less old McCullough, plus Fui, Ford, Lawrie, Merrin, Kerr..

We lost Frizzell end of 2020.. and we lost Vaughan late 2021 season for the bbq... Merrin left in April 2021... but otherwise our pack was to be feared at that time before it was allowed to erode year on year... culminating in the lowest point in our clubs history.. when Griffin was extended into 2023.. a dead man walking and another year where we couldnt recruit.. but Tiges and Dogs sure were.

 

[justadragon]

Does this not sound strange to you, that basicly a player has been given the power to dictate to the BOD.

I dont think it is dictating RVH, its simply what was agreed to in the contract when it was signed. We are not a powerful club with professional ruthless administrators, we virtually have to do these things to get anyone, much like the Tigers and their issues.

 

[Lennyb]

Does this not sound strange to you, that basicly a player has been given the power to dictate to the BOD.

Strange in a good way.

 

[Inisai Toga]

Doh you have made me have to look stuff up... that 2020-2021 period was when we had our origin pack... Griffin started officially in 2021, JDB returns, Vaughan, Sims x2, McInnes, a less old McCullough, plus Fui, Ford, Lawrie, Merrin, Kerr..

We lost Frizzell end of 2020.. and we lost Vaughan late 2021 season for the bbq... Merrin left in April 2021... but otherwise our pack was to be feared at that time before it was allowed to erode year on year... culminating in the lowest point in our clubs history.. when Griffin was extended into 2023.. a dead man walking and another year where we couldnt recruit.. but Tiges and Dogs sure were.

I don’t know about feared Rev when Griffin had them. I remember thinking we’d lost the sting in the pack when McGregor was in charge, when the Roosters belt us in the second round when he was coach. We’d lost that fear factor I thought around then.