You should be a politician with the answers you give. Some people on here state that Price should drop players that do not perform or carry out the game plan including yourself. Yes OT there is a game plan, always have been even if you say there isn't
I do not remember in any of your posts that you have recommended any alternative selections that Price should make & I was just interested as properly other poster's are, to ascertain what team you consider should be selected.
If you are happy with the the team Price selects, I am at a loss to understand where you are coming from.
Surely you don't believe the club would allow an appointed coach to run the team without a game plan.
Maybe the players need to adhere to the plan, they might start winning a few games.
I am not happy with our halves & have previously put forward my suggestions
Maybe you could come clean & tell us what you consider the team should be.
We are all waiting, but I bet it never comes.
Hello Karuah - I think the problems lie squarely with Steve Price, or moreso those who employed him.
The discipline needed to carry out the game-plan is gone in every aspect of their game. This is assuming there is a game-plan and/or it's a good one. I have my doubts here too.
Throughout his short tenure, rather than taking to team building, seems to me Steve Price has taken a short term approach, trying to win the next game week in week out. In doing so he has stuck to the same formula with little success except against weak opposition on the day. And repeatedly he claims after each loss, "we are a better team then that; we'll get it right for next week" ...just waiting for something to 'click'. This is no longer so. As has been pointed out - this IS our style of footy nowadays.
The short term approach by Steve Price may not be all his fault, reacting in a way most would, to a short term contract, hoping to get another one based mostly on wins. (lucky for him he jagged 3 in a row).
But the time to experiment was way back when he first got the gig - we were already losing more games then winning, and expectations were low as (post Bennet) the incumbent coach was 'on a hiding to nothing', or so was the concensus.
Instead Steve Price is now paying the price for his lack of vision, creativity and ideas, and in the absence of marquee signings, not giving young talent a go earlier - instead rigidly sticking to the same players. His assessment of games was unrealistic at best, and at worst he was effectively lying to himself and the team. That was his "fake it 'till you make it" talk thawing out in the sun. It's gone completely off now.
My real disgust however is he frequently applauded mediocre performances through the course of most of last year. Instead of consequences for player's poor performances, (calling a spade a spade will do) time and time again the team was left feeling that all was ok because they 'had a dig' and so the coach was proud. As a consequence the standards of play shown on the field have continued on a downward slide. Having a dig is a given in every game ...like putting on boots and a red and white jersey when taking the field.
And when he did make changes, they were sometimes bizarre, eg. leaving one side of the backline distinctly weak in defence, and continue to be so today e.g. Nightingale in some quasi 5-8 / centre role over the weekend. Our best player throughout all of these difficult times was so out of sorts with it.. How is that one explained?
I do not buy the "we don't have the cattle" line. It's a coach's job first up to instruct players and instill discipline, motivate and mentally prepare them as the means to develop them and bring out their best - with whom he has got! Geoff Toovey is a great example of that, and now too Ivan Cleary. On paper, his team is far less than ours is.
Steve Price is now struggling with his own earned reputation.
Sadly, he does not come across as a strong character let alone a strong leader, and he certainly is unable to mentally prepare players and command respect. If he had the footy brains and strategy then that may compensate, but really, I don't think he has that either. He is a top bloke for sure, resilient and unquestionably he tries his best.
Mentally however, our team is very soft. No team fears us at all anymore - not even playing in our heartland. They frequently admit that the opposition takes to the field with more intent then they do, worse still, as soon as something goes against them, bad ref's calls, injury, bad luck etc. Dragon's discipline falls in a heap with drop ball, forward passes from dummy half, penalties, defensive lapses, kicks out on the full - the list goes on. And there is no leadership or control taken by any player on the field - Ben Creagh tries hard, great player, big héart, top bloke. But he's also a softie.
Where do you think they all get it from?
Please don't accuse me of being negative. I think this is realistic. Welcome the Pro-Price people to point out where he has added value to the team, or where, through his influence, hope lies.
Let us hope option one prevails.
