The Rumours Thread

[gamkheir]

Truly if Ben Hunt can't see the train wreck that is Griffin, then he may as well pack his bag and board the same flight out...today was simply woeful AGAIN

 

[dragon thomo]

Spot on.
Absolute
Train Wreck.

 

[thebigredv]

Truly if Ben Hunt can't see the train wreck that is Griffin, then he may as well pack his bag and board the same flight out...today was simply woeful AGAIN

Aside from the fact that they are mates and from the same town, the only reason Hunt is defending Hook is so that he can have an excuse to get to a new club where he might play in a decent team and have a shot at a trophy.

100% that's what he is thinking and I can't blame him. He wouldn't be our first captain to abandon ship in recent years. Some of his team mates are A-grade hacks. Aside from Hunt and Dufty in recent years, we have no one that can single-handedly decide a match when they are on.

I'd hope the next coach can come in and form a successful team around Hunt but if he goes, he goes.

 

[Slippery Morris]

That last play against Canberra summed up both the Captain and the coach. They played to the coaches instructions with a hit up by a forward when the game was on the line executed well by the guy that honestly thought that would work. I think Hunt will be suprised how much better the side will be when that happens and he has no Mary or Hook coaching the red v as both in his time have been poor. It will certainly make his life easier with better selections and better movement to help provide more options.

 

[Parko1310]

That last play against Canberra summed up both the Captain and the coach. They played to the coaches instructions with a hip up by a forward when the game was on the line executed well by the guy that honestly thought that would work. I think Hunt will be suprised how much better the side will be when that happens and he has no Mary or Hook coaching the red v as both in his time have been poor. It will certainly make his life easier with better selections and better movement to help provide more options.

Whilst its true the game plans are shocking, along with the bench rotation, I don't think we have the cattle in the first place. The Parramatta attack last season was pretty good, we have their attacking coach from last season, yet the attack looks the same as it did before. A lot of the blame needs to lie with these players too, they're not good enough.

 

[Slippery Morris]

I think we will see once we get a new coach if the cattle is good enough. I still feel they are except for the middle forwards.

 

[since77]

Whilst its true the game plans are shocking, along with the bench rotation, I don't think we have the cattle in the first place. The Parramatta attack last season was pretty good, we have their attacking coach from last season, yet the attack looks the same as it did before. A lot of the blame needs to lie with these players too, they're not good enough.

The one glaring weakness our roster has is in the forwards. The backs (assuming the correct players are selected) are serviceable and a good coach would get a lot more out of them.
The coach is the most significant issue of all - that’s where 99% of the blame lies bearing in mind this is the “cattle” he assembled and currently mismanages.

 

[possm]

The BOD is the main problem. Hook should never have been extended mainly because he never achieved mush with te team.

The way to fix things is to:

Revamp the Board and the wy membership of the BOD is made.
Give the football GM the budget and authority to run the football side of things.
Understand that we need at least two marquee forwards and two marquee backs.
Spend big now in order to spend less in seasons to come.

 

[Parko1310]

The one glaring weakness our roster has is in the forwards. The backs (assuming the correct players are selected) are serviceable and a good coach would get a lot more out of them.
The coach is the most significant issue of all - that’s where 99% of the blame lies bearing in mind this is the “cattle” he assembled and currently mismanages.

It's a pretty common misconception that this is the cattle hook assembled. It's taken this long to get our salary cap back in shape and this is not "Hook's squad". That's not to say his game plans, etc. have been any good with what he does have

 

[offiah]

Who’s fault is it for running out with Mbye instead of Liddle and losing an interchange? Surely that has to be Hooks fault. It’s so amateur all you can do is laugh

 

[Illusion]

Who’s fault is it for running out with Mbye instead of Liddle and losing an interchange? Surely that has to be Hooks fault. It’s so amateur all you can do is laugh

Mate it's all excuses now , because they are all out of ideas

 

[thebigredv]

Who’s fault is it for running out with Mbye instead of Liddle and losing an interchange? Surely that has to be Hooks fault. It’s so amateur all you can do is laugh

Nothing a can of coke won't fix.

 

[Coffs dragon]

Nothing a can of coke won't fix.

He needs more than a can! A line of Coke might get him to light up & spark.

 

[Slippery Morris]

The coach is absolutely to blame and it is his squad come season 3. Mbye and Mogo 2 of his signings were on the field. Macca was terrible last year another Hook favourite. He loves his slow players. He has got rid of a few and went for the cheapies and left Saints in a mess. Lomax is copping it deluxe and he has been switched from the side he was on last year which was doing well. Suli is just a battering ram on that side. How many tries did the Lomax/Rava combo create. It was working fine. Why change it. Yet Lomax is getting smashed. His kicking is not great but he can kick. I think it is more a confidence thing. Soward is at the club, surely he can help out Lomax.

 

[slippery5]

Who’s fault is it for running out with Mbye instead of Liddle and losing an interchange? Surely that has to be Hooks fault. It’s so amateur all you can do is laugh

Yes, to keep that a secrete must have really confused the opposition game plan!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[offiah]

Haha I can just picture the scheming during the week.

Hook: I’ve got it lads. We’ll lose an interchange but we’re going to do the old switcheroo this week. We’ll sneaky start with Mbye… they’ll have no idea what hit them.

 

[since77]

It's a pretty common misconception that this is the cattle hook assembled. It's taken this long to get our salary cap back in shape and this is not "Hook's squad". That's not to say his game plans, etc. have been any good with what he does have

Dude, he’s in his third miserable year here. This is indeed the roster he’s assembled.

 

[redV06]

The team list is Harran’s job.

 

[randomdragon]

The team list is Harran’s job.

Well it’s a combined effort between haran, hook and recruitment manager. Haran is meant to have the dragons best interests at heart when a coach like hook for example would let Sullivan go because he’s not in his immediate plans.

 

[TheRev]

The coach is absolutely to blame and it is his squad come season 3. Mbye and Mogo 2 of his signings were on the field. Macca was terrible last year another Hook favourite. He loves his slow players. He has got rid of a few and went for the cheapies and left Saints in a mess. Lomax is copping it deluxe and he has been switched from the side he was on last year which was doing well. Suli is just a battering ram on that side. How many tries did the Lomax/Rava combo create. It was working fine. Why change it. Yet Lomax is getting smashed. His kicking is not great but he can kick. I think it is more a confidence thing. Soward is at the club, surely he can help out Lomax.

100% supposedly the club had to intervene to prevent Norman being offered a new contract also (wouldnt surprise me if it was the same story with AM retiring).. I dont blame hook for this, he's the guy in the hotseat, he has to do what in his heart he believes is best.. but every year it shows that he just doesn't see speed or skill as more than just a bonus.. slow dire defensive 5 kicks and a bomb isn't valid at this level of competition, we could finish with 100% completion, but it won't be enough against any switched on Top 8 side.

And agree on Lomax, he took for one for the team, but he is our only agile wing/ctr (the rest are tanks doing hitups), he rarely sees good ball, he rarely gets a chance to compete on bombs, nor is his footwork particularly effective on the left.. just a waste.. and as much as his goalkicking frustrates me, the other options are part-timers in Sullivan or Lobb with the same or worse percentages, its not that they arent capable of slotting one from wide.. but its not the miracle fans seem to be expecting.. Lomax is more chance than they are of slotting a kick.. and more chance of fixing the problem with his technique. We still need to be training a backup mind you.. and we can re-assess down the track.

I'm not even sure what we do with Suli, I love his runs (esp last week), but he is killing the wingers outside him.. but its not like we have a replacement, Max deserves a chance soon, but hes still slow.. the rest of the young gun centres we gave away to rival clubs, and it'll be a few years for the next one to come through.