Team list next Tuesday vs Rnd 10 Broncos 10th May 2024

[emjaycee]

Russell and Simmo? Seriously?

Sure, name me a team who would swap their current wingers for those two.

 

[JokerEel]

Sure, name me a team who would swap their current wingers for those two.

Dapto Canaries

 

[the phantom menace]

We didnt have it in mid-2022 and we don't have it in mid-2024.

But what about mid-2023?

 

[eels4life87]

Sure, name me a team who would swap their current wingers for those two.

Last I checked Simmo is a center not a winger. Do you even football?

 

[Legal Eel]

Last I checked Simmo is a center not a winger. Do you even football?

This is all moot.

the thing that is emblematic of our trajectory is that Olam, Xerri and Tracey (maybe more expensive) were all in the market and we said “nope, we will have the Morgan Harper surprise package please”

we actively court mediocre players - and the price difference between the first two and Harper wouldn’t have been that much!

Not hindsight, everyone has known from day dot what the Harper signing represented

 

[hineyrulz]

The only thing Harper represented was a chub in Pou’s pants.

 

[emjaycee]

This is all moot.

the thing that is emblematic of our trajectory is that Olam, Xerri and Tracey (maybe more expensive) were all in the market and we said “nope, we will have the Morgan Harper surprise package please”

we actively court mediocre players - and the price difference between the first two and Harper wouldn’t have been that much!

Not hindsight, everyone has known from day dot what the Harper signing represented

If there is/was very little price difference between say Olam and Harper, why would we have not put an offer in for him?

And why do you think we actively court mediocre players? I don't understand why you think this is the case.

 

[hineyrulz]

If there is/was very little price difference between say Olam and Harper, why would we have not put an offer in for him?

And why do you think we actively court mediocre players? I don't understand why you think this is the case.

Moneyball baybeeeeeeeeee!!!

 

[King-Gutho94]

This is all moot.

the thing that is emblematic of our trajectory is that Olam, Xerri and Tracey (maybe more expensive) were all in the market and we said “nope, we will have the Morgan Harper surprise package please”

we actively court mediocre players - and the price difference between the first two and Harper wouldn’t have been that much!

Not hindsight, everyone has known from day dot what the Harper signing represented

Only the great ones get an appreciation thread before they play a game.

 

[Legal Eel]

If there is/was very little price difference between say Olam and Harper, why would we have not put an offer in for him?

And why do you think we actively court mediocre players? I don't understand why you think this is the case.

Don't know why we didn't go after Olam or Xerri, but i know both were offered to Parra.

As for our courting mediocrity, an analysis of BA's recruitment over his tenure (even before MON and Rogers) shows we have never ever prioritised speed in the three quarters, nor flair from dummy half.

Our big signings in the backs were Waqa, Fergo and MJ. I think Waqa may have been a concession to speed, but I also think he was bought because Penrith subsidised and he was available. Fergo and MJ had speed in their prime, but each was used as a workhorse in the BA system, much as Will Penisini is used now.....our systems never gave either one a lot of space.

As for dummy half, Reed emerged just before Covid, but I feel Brad was never a big fan, as he just doesn't utilise any attacking flair out of dummy half.

Even our back up halves are always of the slow and (un)steady variety - see Jake Arthur and Asi. I get that Asi is a cheap backup, but there are plenty of cheap back ups that have pace, other teams seem to just breed them!

Maybe I am talking through the pain of another season that appears blown up and tossed away, but there is definitely a pattern which shows that BA doesn't prioritise speed or flair in his team - he actively seeks a more limited playing style as I believe he seeks to minimise errors and grind teams down.

Its why I think he has courted mediocrity and actively chooses to recruit plodders like Lussick, Asi, Davey, Harper - he chooses them because, to use an analogy, he would rather control a Camry than a Mustang.

 

[hineyrulz]

If Bea Arthur had a side with an an X Factor like the Broncos he wouldn’t know what to do with them.

 

[Legal Eel]

If Bea Arthur had a side with an an X Factor like the Broncos he wouldn’t know what to do with them.

Reece Walsh would play in the centres under BA and would take hitups and run crash lines.

 

[yy_cheng]

OK, so tell me which club would drop one of their existing 17 players for:
- Harper
- Russell
- Lussick
- Simmonson
- Kelma

Parra

 

[yy_cheng]

Don't know why we didn't go after Olam or Xerri, but i know both were offered to Parra.

As for our courting mediocrity, an analysis of BA's recruitment over his tenure (even before MON and Rogers) shows we have never ever prioritised speed in the three quarters, nor flair from dummy half.

Our big signings in the backs were Waqa, Fergo and MJ. I think Waqa may have been a concession to speed, but I also think he was bought because Penrith subsidised and he was available. Fergo and MJ had speed in their prime, but each was used as a workhorse in the BA system, much as Will Penisini is used now.....our systems never gave either one a lot of space.

As for dummy half, Reed emerged just before Covid, but I feel Brad was never a big fan, as he just doesn't utilise any attacking flair out of dummy half.

Even our back up halves are always of the slow and (un)steady variety - see Jake Arthur and Asi. I get that Asi is a cheap backup, but there are plenty of cheap back ups that have pace, other teams seem to just breed them!

Maybe I am talking through the pain of another season that appears blown up and tossed away, but there is definitely a pattern which shows that BA doesn't prioritise speed or flair in his team - he actively seeks a more limited playing style as I believe he seeks to minimise errors and grind teams down.

Its why I think he has courted mediocrity and actively chooses to recruit plodders like Lussick, Asi, Davey, Harper - he chooses them because, to use an analogy, he would rather control a Camry than a Mustang.

We did have Jai Field who was pretty quick and watching SL he's pretty good over there but he was too fast for Bea. Bea didnt know what to do with his speed and told him to chase the collission

 

[eels4life87]

This is all moot.

the thing that is emblematic of our trajectory is that Olam, Xerri and Tracey (maybe more expensive) were all in the market and we said “nope, we will have the Morgan Harper surprise package please”

we actively court mediocre players - and the price difference between the first two and Harper wouldn’t have been that much!

Not hindsight, everyone has known from day dot what the Harper signing represented

Never said that we should have signed Harper. I specifically didn’t mention him

 

[emjaycee]

Last I checked Simmo is a center not a winger. Do you even football?

A manufactured centre from a winger, thanks to Waqa falling off a cliff.
91 first grade games in his career. 63 on the wing, 19 in the centres. (4 at fullback and 5 off the bench for Raiders).

 

[Twizzle]

he's pretty slow for a winger

 

[emjaycee]

he's pretty slow for a winger

I think he is one of the fastest players in our squad.
Too bad we don't see him in open space very often.

 

[Gronk]

This is all moot.

the thing that is emblematic of our trajectory is that Olam, Xerri and Tracey (maybe more expensive) were all in the market and we said “nope, we will have the Morgan Harper surprise package please”

we actively court mediocre players - and the price difference between the first two and Harper wouldn’t have been that much!

Not hindsight, everyone has known from day dot what the Harper signing represented

We signed Morgan Harper 16/10/2023.
Arthur Miller-Stephen did his ACL 21/11/2023.
Richard Penisini did his ACL 11/01/2024.

Now common sense tells me that the first guy was signed just in case he was needed. It may well have been the case that the first guy even had to start the season, but he was only signed for the year and it was clear (to me anyway) that it was all about timing. The first opportunity to use the second and/or the third guy in NRL in various positions in conjunction with Bailey and Russell, would mean that the first guy would then become an emergency fill-in (depth) towards the mid to end of 2024.

Buy hey, what would I know ?

 

[Legal Eel]

We signed Morgan Harper 16/10/2023.
Arthur Miller-Stephen did his ACL 21/11/2023.
Richard Penisini did his ACL 11/01/2024.

Now common sense tells me that the first guy was signed just in case he was needed. It may well have been the case that the first guy even had to start the season, but he was only signed for the year and it was clear (to me anyway) that it was all about timing. The first opportunity to use the second and/or the third guy in NRL in various positions in conjunction with Bailey and Russell, would mean that the first guy would then become an emergency fill-in (depth) towards the mid to end of 2024.

Buy hey, what would I know ?

you are right - he was the best available option and we were right to spurn other options to get him.

We don't want decent players blocking our kids - better to have Harper so that if the kids are good, then nothing is lost.

The reality is that the "Harper" role in your scenario could have been played by someone who could have strengthened our squad....but that would mean the club erred and we can't admit that.