SMH:Finch asks for time to develop at Eels

[btaag]

:crazy: sorry, not trying to give you a heart attack.

I remember with Hagen he liked to use Rudder as the 6 until he lost him. In saying that, he used Gidley and Johns, and Gidley and Mullin as the halves last year, so I can see him persisting with Finch and Smith. Seeing he has the past relationship with Finch, he might drop Smith instead, using Green or another 7 instead.

I would like to see mateo and Green get a run in the halves - Mateo as the 13, Green as the 6.

Sure they will over the season.

 

[StEely Matt]

seriously though, we always started slow under smithy. Or thats how it felt anyway.

seemed as if we were always playing catch up. Crap results and mediocre performances were deemed acceptable because it was part of some master plan. A master plan that won us how many grand finals again?

wouldnt it be great, if for a change, we played some good footy at the front end of the season and got some points on the board early? We've certainly got the man power to do it, I'd love us to stamp some authority on this premiership early and not just wait until we have to.

What about 2001?? We charged on through straight from Round 1!

Spose 1 out of 10 seasons is still bad :sarcasm:

 

[The Colonel]

What about 2001?? We charged on through straight from Round 1!

Not exactly - our record in the first 10 rounds was WLWLWLWDWD in the first ten rounds. It was highly frustrating.

 

[Pazza]

hagan encourages free flowing footy, wagon wont be 6

 

[btaag]

2001 started off amazing with us flogging Penrith in fine style, and I agree with the Colonel- the next 5-8 rounds were so frustrating. The Cronulla and Canberra games spring to mind as the most irritating.

We rarely started strongly under Smith.

As for Hagen and his selections, who knows??????? maybe the Knights fans could shed some light.

 

[Eelementary]

Actually, technically 49/100 is a pass mark these days. At Uni (well, at Macquarie anyway), we call it a Conceded Pass.

 

[caylo]

Actually, technically 49/100 is a pass mark these days. At Uni (well, at Macquarie anyway), we call it a Conceded Pass.

Well to be honest 46/100 is a conceded pass, while it has to be granted, i.e if you get 49/100 you don't nessesarly get a cp, a board look at you attendence etc and make then make a judgment. But crappy sydney uni science subject don't give you cp anymore, they stopped last year. Lucky i got 52 in organic chem. lol

 

[Ron Jeremy]

40/100 is also a pass acxcording to many subject at Monash.....like the one i'm doing tomorrow, damn i hate marketing.

 

[Stagger eel]

incredibly enough 45-50% wins can still qualify for the 8

 

[The Colonel]

As for Hagen and his selections, who knows??????? maybe the Knights fans could shed some light.

They'll just laugh and tell you that Lowrie will be the 5/8 and how much different life is with Smith at the helm because talented juniors are being selected.

 

[caylo]

just let them know, that that the only time jnr are playing is when trial come around, and if joey or mullen is out expect Simpson to have a better shot at 5-8 then a jnr.

 

[Parraletic]

Jason Taylor didn't need much time to settle in for 2001 & look at the year he had at half-back.

 

[^b0ss^]

Hey guy i dont think it really matters if its 2 wins or 4..or even 5 out of the first 10.I think what counts is going to be the score line.

If we lose a few and there close games i dont think its alot to worry about if we are getting flogged in those games then its a prob...

what ya think?

 

[Maroubra Eel]

Good first post boss. I would agree with this.

 

[The Colonel]

Jason Taylor didn't need much time to settle in for 2001 & look at the year he had at half-back.

The fact he hadn't really missed a game since 1994 and played a lot of his football at Norths with Buettner at 5/8 may have helped somewhat...... ;-)

 

[strider]

The fact he hadn't really missed a game since 1994 and played a lot of his football at Norths with Buettner at 5/8 may have helped somewhat...... ;-)

but didn't he basically get sacked and have a period where he didn't play (or didn't play first grade or something)

but yeah i think we need to give our guys some time to gel this season

 

[btaag]

Yeah, Taylor was dumped to reserve grade for the latter half of 2000 as Orford took over. He then wrote the infamous letter to Brian Smith and was signed. I dont ever recall JT taking heaps of time to settle, he was always solid. The partnership with Buettner would definitely have helped (they both played their best football together from 1996-1998).

As has been said by others on this site (and in the back of all of our minds) - lets just hope and pray that Finch/Smith is nothing like Dykes and McFadden.........

 

[The Colonel]

but didn't he basically get sacked and have a period where he didn't play (or didn't play first grade or something)

but yeah i think we need to give our guys some time to gel this season

Still it wasn't like he was starting a new combination from scratch.

 

[Bigfella]

Jason Taylor didn't need much time to settle in for 2001 & look at the year he had at half-back

Gee I can't help feeling that jason Taylor's 2001 season is getting better every year since it actually happened.

That year most of our attack was started by our dummy half rotation; we had the two best attacking hookers in the comp. The 10 metre rule and unlimited interchange suited our mobile forwards who ran rampage, and our outside backs also performed strongly.

I don;t think there has been a premiership year when the halves had less impact on a team's performance.

Buettner and Taylor did well to underplay things and implement the game plan; but if he hadn't retired I doubt we or anyone else would have re-signed him.

 

[parra pete]

Jason Taylor had a shocker in the Grand Final..The Knights had Kennedy running at him, and Simpson out wide at Lyon (or the other way around).
I think if Brian Smith had his time over he would have started with PJ Marsh in the 7 and had Taylor come on later when play had settled down. P J was the Eels best player in that final series, that is, in my opinion.
Gibbo used Stumpy Stevens to feed the scrums in the early part of the 1981 Grand Final..to protect Sterlo from Tommy...