I like our recruitment and this is a big reason why. It's hard to get marquee players. I think our best marquee signing was probably Lote Tuiqiri. We really haven't had much luck with signing marquee players. Some of our marquee signings have been our worse signings. Maybe they were good at some point and we paid for their peak ability and they didn't deliver.
I don't see any really poor recruitment or retention decisions now.
I agree, it’s a been a measured approach.
Perhaps another measuring stick is whether or not the players we let go have moved forward since and in the Madge/Hartigan era we haven’t seen too much of that.
Blah blah..Cleary first year 9th ..Madge after 2 years 11th ..wtf is he doing.And unlike Cleary no clue how to unlock Brooks.And then re signing Brookes and then AD on a yet unfulfilled promise for god knows how much north of a $mil ...Blame it on the cap/cattle yea right. Those were key moments that a switched on coach would have handled better. Madge did exactly what Cleary did he panicked overspent and hoped like hell.
Recruitment is fine but selection is as important. Madge has no finesse there. It’s again hit and hope. Then keep hoping.
Why did it take so long to bring Momo on to become a try scoring sensation. Why hasn’t Nofo at least been tried at fullback such a key position. Why did it take so long to move AD to and from fullback. We had centres/wings waiting in the wings. Why did it take so long to bring on Talau as a winger. And then with Kepaoa waited until it was too late. Why has Mbye been kept in the picture like he’s JT without trying other options. Why wasn’t Brooks DROPPED and Benji and AD tried in the halves. Why did BJ fall off a cliff as soon as he arrived.
Regardless of how you’s think “dropping” players and working fkn hard at Xmas qualifies Madge as the saviour, the big problem he has apart from his lack of selection finesse is his lack of communication skills. Without that there’s not a lot of hope.
More selection / communication finesse and less tough guy would have made a difference to the bigger picture and imo got us in the 8 - we were 3 wins short.
Madge reminds me of Easter. Nail him to a cross and bury him. He’ll still get an extension.
It’s easy to criticise after the event and then speculate as to alternate histories.
The difficulty is that nothing you’ve courageously submitted has any basis in demonstrable fact.
For example, no one could say that if he gave the players more counselling and cuddles, the results would have been better. They could well have been worse. The point is that it is unknown.
Im not keen on going around in circles, but Ive made no secret of my support for Brooks whom in the main has held his own in some troubled sides.
As for where we arrived at seasons end, that has to be contemplated within the available talent. Now these guys earn big money in comparison to us and if Madge wants to make them earn it, that’s ok.
In any side, you are going to get pro-coach and anti coach forces. It came to a head last year with the rabble of the players liberation army. So far as I am aware, mostly populated by players out of form. Players like Allo and Nofo ripped into them.
At any rate, the rebellion was crushed and the core perpetual trouble makers have been moved on or given notice. The club said as much.
Any casual examination of the 2021 squad so far would appreciate its quite a different make up from the last few years. Not perfect, but significantly better for the season ahead and the future.....the future.
Madge got his extension and he’s not going anywhere. He doesn’t technically hit ground zero until packer leaves.
Ivan Cleary broke his promise and behaved dishonourably. Texting the players good bye was disrespectful to them personally. He could easily have had a gathering and exited professionally.
At any given time, you want Madge next to you in the trench and not Ivan.
Madge is well aware that his drive, ambition and work ethic challenges players. He admits mistakes, he cares, he leads. Using your history argument, he’s done it before....
