The Myth of Millward

[Slippery Morris]

Millward has got us the best backrow it is a shame the NRL brought in a rule for Saints not to capitalise in 2019 plus injury. How was Millward to know. If JDB, Tariq and Frizzell were on the field at the same time, Saints would kill it. He extended Widdop, McInness and brought in Vaughn. Hunt is good just a bad period with his halves partners missing.

Millward has been better than others in the past in terms of retention. I think Lomax will get better.

I would not blame Millward at all, he has provided Mary the goods, Mary just has no idea how to use it. Not his fault.

It is sad because if Demitriou had this side they would kill it. And the 2 years he had with Bennett he would be even better than when he left. He is the best available out there at the moment by a mile.

 

[Dragonslayer]

The real sad indictment for our club is that once upon a time, players would fall over themselves to play for the big Red V, recruitement wasn't an issue.
Even under Bennett, who brought in several, lets say non-superstars and coached them to be so.
Under McGregor, our playing structure and propensity to keep playing the same players wether in form or injured, is eroding what was once a honour and a fight to wear the famous colours.
So really Millward has a massive task just to sign or re-sign anybody, in fact wd are lucky to have the players we do, nether the less attracting quality players to us. No wonder ws tend to pay overs for players.
This wont change until we have a change up front.

 

[giboz71]

Millward isn’t the problem.

It has and always will be Mary and his merry men (Young, Hornby, Head etc).

We don’t have the best roster in the world but it’s far from the worst. Hunt, Norman and Widdop are world class halves and we have a rep quality forward pack when all are available. That alone is plenty to work with.

And add the likes of a pretty impressive junior brigade in Dufty, Field, Lawrie, Lomax, Robson and co who whilst lacking polish have all the tools. They just haven’t been developed.

It’s actually the strength of the roster that has kept Mary with a 50% winning record and 2 finals appearances, and has masked his glaring weaknesses.

We have had several issues this year such as injury and off field distraction and as per normal, the coach is unable to adjust. This is when a poor coach is exposed.

 

[Knuckle-dragger]

[A]nother Illawarra old boy.

What does this have to do with the price of fish?

 

[muzby]

What does this have to do with the price of fish?

The Wollongong fish co-op supplies the Sydney Fish Market with oysters, prawns and saddle tail snapper.

The influx of money from the football club to the region helps keep the co-op afloat (it was looking like closing before the Steelers started up)

If the co-op did close, the Sydney Fish market would lose around 35% of its oysters, 15% of prawns and 47% of snapper supplies..

Given demand would still be there, you would see prices for the remaining stocks from other fisheries go increase dramatically on the market floor..


So, the short answer to your question is: quite a lot.

 

[j0nesy]

Millward is one of the few doing a good job. He has built what looks like a strong roster on paper. The coach himself has said that he finally has the team that he wants. What more can Millward do other than supply the coach with the team he wants?

 

[Frank Facer]

Millward is one of the few doing a good job. He has built what looks like a strong roster on paper. The coach himself has said that he finally has the team that he wants. What more can Millward do other than supply the coach with the team he wants?

I agree Jonesy. We do lack quality in the centres, wing and fullback. I am confident that Lomax will be the only long term player that we have playing those positions right now, but Mary is obviously a big fan of Aitken and Lafai.

Mary didn't give Robson a run and then there were reports that he has signed with Nth Qld, so again one can't blame Millward for players leaving if Mary won't give them a run.

 

[RufusRex]

Millward is one of the few doing a good job. He has built what looks like a strong roster on paper. The coach himself has said that he finally has the team that he wants. What more can Millward do other than supply the coach with the team he wants?

when we go to market - do we delibrately look for slow and uncreative?

our "good roster on paper" features

1. Small props
2. one dimensional hooker
3. skill less back rowers that couldnt put any player into a hole
4. dumb centres
5. slow wingers
6. fullbacks afraid of the ball

but yes- it is a strong roster on paper ... BULLSHIT.

There are massive issues especially in the speed/skill levels of our players ...

Millward is failing .. Mary is failing more though.
A coach like Mary does make Millwards job just that little bit harder though.

 

[Wittenberg]

Yeah sure, so a way for Millward to gain credibility is to offer one of the top 4 hookers in the competition and current captain who bleeds for our club to another club that he doesn't want to go to, just to keep an exciting yet unproven kid who wants to leave?

You're off your chops

I think the main point is that we could have been playing both players and had a chance of keeping an unproven kid who the Cowboys are prepared to sign for four years even though they have a good hooker in Glanville. Giving a young player a four year contract would seem to indicate that they think the current NSW’s Under 20 Origin hooker is worth every cent. Only Melbourne and us stick to the 80 minute hooker mentality. Oh well I’m sure he won’t be that good and I would not want to see McInnes go at all....BUT a club must focus on the present and the future. Robson will be playing first grade regularly for the Cows next year and we will regret it.

 

[RufusRex]

What does this have to do with the price of fish?

Everything .. The club would rather employ talentless illawarra old boys instead of properly recruiting the best people for the role.

 

[possm]

Millward has got us the best backrow it is a shame the NRL brought in a rule for Saints not to capitalise in 2019 plus injury. How was Millward to know. If JDB, Tariq and Frizzell were on the field at the same time, Saints would kill it. He extended Widdop, McInness and brought in Vaughn. Hunt is good just a bad period with his halves partners missing.

Millward has been better than others in the past in terms of retention. I think Lomax will get better.

I would not blame Millward at all, he has provided Mary the goods, Mary just has no idea how to use it. Not his fault.

It is sad because if Demitriou had this side they would kill it. And the 2 years he had with Bennett he would be even better than when he left. He is the best available out there at the moment by a mile.

Ian Millward got the job purely because his father is Bob Millward - Illawarra old boy boss'.

For 2019, outside backs such as Ferguson, the Morris Brothers, Oates, R Jennings and many others of quality, were up for grabs. Millward went for Rava, Pearson, Maranta and Runciman. Millward described these signings as very good signings while at the same time letting Macdonald and Herbert go and telling Garrick and Johns they were not needed.

The latest rumour of Robson being signed by NQ is the mother of all stuff ups. I consider him to be a solid rival to McInnes. I'd say one day soon Robson would have been our first choice and long term hooker.

SGI is in a real MESS, a Millward MESS!

 

[giboz71]

when we go to market - do we delibrately look for slow and uncreative?

our "good roster on paper" features

1. Small props
2. one dimensional hooker
3. skill less back rowers that couldnt put any player into a hole
4. dumb centres
5. slow wingers
6. fullbacks afraid of the ball

but yes- it is a strong roster on paper ... BULLSHIT.

There are massive issues especially in the speed/skill levels of our players ...

Millward is failing .. Mary is failing more though.
A coach like Mary does make Millwards job just that little bit harder though.

I don't buy that for a second.

Cows won a comp in 2015 (and almost again in 2017 - without JT) having a back 5 of Coote, Feldt, Winterstein, Linnett and O'Neill. Hardly an express backline.

Frizz and Sims are superior to Cooper and Hess/Lowe. Paul Vaughan is one of the best props in the game.

Yes, our roster has holes, but given we aren't the Storm, Roosters or Broncos with unlimited TPA's, our roster is actually pretty good considering.

A half decent coach can surely have us in the 8 every year. A good coach could likely take us top 4.

But alas we have clowns in Mary, Hornby and Young running the show,

 

[possm]

I don't buy that for a second.

Cows won a comp in 2015 (and almost again in 2017 - without JT) having a back 5 of Coote, Feldt, Winterstein, Linnett and O'Neill. Hardly an express backline.

Frizz and Sims are superior to Cooper and Hess/Lowe. Paul Vaughan is one of the best props in the game.

Yes, our roster has holes, but given we aren't the Storm, Roosters or Broncos with unlimited TPA's, our roster is actually pretty good considering.

A half decent coach can surely have us in the 8 every year. A good coach could likely take us top 4.

But alas we have clowns in Mary, Hornby and Young running the show,

You are right however, Millward is also and equally the problem. In Millward I see a man who likes to take the easy signings and who does not fight hard to keep our best. He should have a good working relationship with all player managers and should have arranged the type of TPA system that the leading clubs have done. I would not give this chap the time of day.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Questions for all:

Who is currently leading the comp?

Who is their coach?

Who are their current back 5?

Our myth is not Millward, it is McGregor plain and simple. It wouldn't matter if he signed Mitchell or Oates or even Cronk, we would still play the same game plan week in, week out, 5 hit ups through the forwards then kick when in our defensive 50, then a series of predictable block plays in attacking 50. Our plays in attack always end with either the fullback (it was the same play when Dugan was here), T. Sims in the hope he barges over, or a kick into the legs of the defense, we have zero variation. Count how many times our plays died last week with either Sims or Lomax. So again, it wouldnt matter who Millward signed, we would still play the same way. I can imagine Oates standing on a wing catching a cold.
Good coaches can turn good players into stars because they coach and support them. Our coachvstill coaches coal league level.

 

[Smurf]

Questions for all:

Who is currently leading the comp?

Who is their coach?

Who are their current back 5?

Our myth is not Millward, it is McGregor plain and simple. It wouldn't matter if he signed Mitchell or Oates or even Cronk, we would still play the same game plan week in, week out, 5 hit ups through the forwards then kick when in our defensive 50, then a series of predictable block plays in attacking 50. Our plays in attack always end with either the fullback (it was the same play when Dugan was here), T. Sims in the hope he barges over, or a kick into the legs of the defense, we have zero variation. Count how many times our plays died last week with either Sims or Lomax. So again, it wouldnt matter who Millward signed, we would still play the same way. I can imagine Oates standing on a wing catching a cold.
Good coaches can turn good players into stars because they coach and support them. Our coachvstill coaches coal league level.

Well said

 

[Walpole]

Questions for all:

Who is currently leading the comp?

Who is their coach?

Who are their current back 5?

Our myth is not Millward, it is McGregor plain and simple. It wouldn't matter if he signed Mitchell or Oates or even Cronk, we would still play the same game plan week in, week out, 5 hit ups through the forwards then kick when in our defensive 50, then a series of predictable block plays in attacking 50. Our plays in attack always end with either the fullback (it was the same play when Dugan was here), T. Sims in the hope he barges over, or a kick into the legs of the defense, we have zero variation. Count how many times our plays died last week with either Sims or Lomax. So again, it wouldnt matter who Millward signed, we would still play the same way. I can imagine Oates standing on a wing catching a cold.
Good coaches can turn good players into stars because they coach and support them. Our coachvstill coaches coal league level.

Some excellent points here. The Souths back 5 on the weekend was Allan-Hiroti-Lowe-Gagai-Graham, hardly a lineup to strike fear into the opposition but they still put 30 on the Tigers (who are going better than us), and after they lost their halfback before halftime. Coaching, game plans, bench management - they're all things the coach has responsibility for. Millward could get Mary the Australian team and we'd still be flat out winning 50% at the moment.

 

[Warabrook saint]

I think the main point is that we could have been playing both players and had a chance of keeping an unproven kid who the Cowboys are prepared to sign for four years even though they have a good hooker in Glanville. Giving a young player a four year contract would seem to indicate that they think the current NSW’s Under 20 Origin hooker is worth every cent. Only Melbourne and us stick to the 80 minute hooker mentality. Oh well I’m sure he won’t be that good and I would not want to see McInnes go at all....BUT a club must focus on the present and the future. Robson will be playing first grade regularly for the Cows next year and we will regret it.

Our fools have no idea how to regret, only the fans suffer

 

[Mickthedragon]

This is the team that Mary wanted, remember?
The idiot has built a squad with some of the worst backs in the comp.
They are all too slow, have shocking hands, can't pass and don't have any size. All the things centres and wingers need most. Millward and Mary should be marched out of the place asap.
They're frauds!

 

[blacksafake]

I've been saying for years that we are one of the poorest sides in the comp as far as skill goes.
At times they remind me of my days of coaching kids with their lack of catching & passing in one motion & other general skills.Our boring sweep play out the back since Wayne left has been clunky,cumbersome & so predictable.I've lost count of the number of times a player has been shoved over the sideline because we are so poor at it.

 

[Warabrook saint]

What professional club would sign a three time ameture champion coach as a first grade coach