The Anthony Milford Saga - Episode 2

[Pete Cash]

And this is where Stuart being so hated counts against him. If we were being coached by Joe Blogs in his first year people would be more like "well Furner left the club in a terrible situation there needs to be a period of rebuilding blah blah" but because people WANT Start to fail its different entirely. He might as pointed out keep playing the plodders so we can finish 13th or something and he can go HA HA we didn't come last but that is pointless.

 

[The Elephant In The room]

I know it's great to point and laugh at the team that wins the wooden spoon and all that, but what is the difference between running 16th and 15th, or 13th or even 10th?

It's a top 8 in a 16 team league, you're either playing finals footy or your not remotely f**king good enough to qualify as a professional football team. 50% play finals footy and you're not one of them, you flat out stink.

If my choices are running 15-10th with a spine of Milford, Campese, McCrone and Buttriss, or running 16th and knowing what we have in Ahearn, Wighton, Cornish and Cronin, i'll take the later EVERY f**king day of the week over the former

The former does nothing to help us long term.

I can see your point, but the team running 10th usually still has a chance of finals footy in round 24 (for example), and no team is really guaranteed to be out of finals contention until about round 18. The 2009 Eels showed that you can come from a long way back if a freak player hits form, and Milford has the potential to be that freak.

The other thing that you're missing is the impact coming last (or near last) has on players (current and potential recruits). A team running 10th might be seen as a better club to be at than a team languishing at the bottom of the table, where "paying overs" becomes the norm. I should know, I follow the Eels.

I wouldn't be giving up the season just yet.

 

[blaza88z]

This an intelligent, rational, objective and coherent post. It has no place here.

I agree 110%.

If we were 15th and no hope of making the finals halfway through the year I'd be all for dropping Burgess and anyone else leaving us and instead playing blokes who are part of the long term picture.

no one would know more about being in that situation than yourself

 

[Kiwi]

And 2 blokes that can't tackle worth a shit.

Tonie Carroll retired a long time ago aswell.

As I said my money is on Barba at fullback, where he is currently ranked 5th best for try saving tackles. Yes he has missed 14 tackles, but no worse than Slaters 18, about the same as Tomkins, Mead, Hayne, Moylan, Dugan, Minicheillo, and Milford who have all missed 10 - 14 tackles so far at fullback. Not bad company to be in really.

 

[papabear]

imo the only person wanting us to keep milf in first is the broncos

he should be playing 20s or mounties.

 

[God-King Dean]

I know it's great to point and laugh at the team that wins the wooden spoon and all that......

Exactly....

 

[edabomb]

I am surprised at how it seems to be seen as gospel these days that by playing 'x' amount of first grade games a player will be better off.

At Canberra we don't have any youngsters on the verge of pushing Milford out of fullback - yet the overwhelming suggestion is we should chuck a youngster out the back so he can 'develop'. How about leaving Milford where he is and developing a youngster in their own time - a player isn't going to be any better in a years time for getting spanked playing in a below average side for an extra 10-15 games.

 

[nick87]

It's gospel because it's the case in 99% of the the time that young players improve with experience.

We would be best served offering our FG experience to someone who is playing a part in our future.

 

[maple_69]

I think the best example of a horribly underperforming club doing a complete rebuild in recent times is Penrith. Sure you can grab a new coach, axe most of the playing squad and rebuild, but when you have a flawed culture and back office situation it isn't going to solve any problems long term.
Penrith took the spoon in the first year of the rebuild. They got a quality coach and have focussed on changing the culture at the club and fixing up the junior system. No mass cullings. The players who were right for Penriths culture were kept even if they were plotters and the superstars who weren't were shown the door. Penrith has a long way to go but now they have gotten to the point where they have a competitive roster and for the first time an excellent culture. They work hard for each other and play as a team. They have also got their juniors to a position where they have made the grand finals at 16, 18 and 20s in the last year, as well as NSW Cup. Those players will come into a high performing team and understand their place and what they need to do to succeed.
Canberra should do similar. They have relied on juniors mostly because they have great juniors, but they haven't been much use on the drink and at other clubs. They need to worry about fixing the poisenous culture that's stifled the club for most of the NRL era before they move forward. Throwing Cornish in as saviour doesn't fix anything that's inherently wrong with the club.

 

[edabomb]

It's gospel because it's the case in 99% of the the time that young players improve with experience.

We would be best served offering our FG experience to someone who is playing a part in our future.

Are you part of the Raiders coaching staff? That would explain a lot.

Unfortunately most of our players are as inconsistent and under performing as ever despite their FG experience.

 

[nick87]

If i were anywhere near our coaching staff you'd never see the names "Shillington", "White", "Campese", "McCrone" or "Topou" ever again.

 

[insert.pause]

Going after tedesco, hypocrites.

 

[Timbo]

...explain how?

 

[ek999]

Going after tedesco, hypocrites.

He is off contract so they are free to go after him

 

[Walt Flanigan]

Going after tedesco, hypocrites.

and fail

 

[nick87]

Going after tedesco, hypocrites.

You... uhh... you don't know what hypocrite means, do you?

 

[Charlie124]

 

[Snappy]

Lol like Tedesco would want to go to that rabble of a club

 

[insert.pause]

...explain how?

Furner got on his high horse about the Broncos "poaching all their best kids" and now he is attempting to do the same to the tigers. In the unlikely event they signed him will he be petitioning alongside grant mayer for compensation for developing him?

 

[Timbo]

Are we actively trying to get him to breach his contract or playing mind games with his family?

Or are we just offering an off-contract player more money than he's on now?