The Rumours Thread

[Crush]

Well we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

I'm convinced that the devastating effect Bennett's announcement had on team morale was the primary if not sole cause of the tragic collapse of 2011.

Origin was the excuse used at the time from memory.

After he announced he was leaving, they won about 10 games in a row. And didn’t look like losing. Then after Origin they started falling apart. Was the shock and devastation of Bennetts announcement a delayed reaction?
Origin cooked us, in particular Soward, he lost all confidence and was never the same.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Mary flogged his best players to the point of exhaustion.

Mary is still a flog

 

[Crush]

You know it’s deep in the off-season when the topic of conversation is why we fell apart in 2011
lol

 

[Inisai Toga]

After he announced he was leaving, they won about 10 games in a row. And didn’t look like losing. Then after Origin they started falling apart. Was the shock and devastation of Bennetts announcement a delayed reaction?
Origin cooked us, in particular Soward, he lost all confidence and was never the same.

100%; bookies would not take a bet on us they thought we were odds on- seven Origin players selected stuffed us.

 

[RedVee]

100%; bookies would taken a bet on us they thought we were odds on- seven Origin players- stuffed us.

A betting agency paid out on all the bets on Saints when we were on the way to 10/11. Then the crash of course.

 

[TheRev]

I am not ruling anyone in or out yet... Mat Feagai I think has been playing injured for a long time.. and with a better defensive structure and flanno in his ear.. maybe he goes ok.. and we might need him too...

SFinau and Tamali for all their exciting aspects have some very worrying defensive attributes at cup level.. im excited to see them play... but there is no guarantee they are ready to step up... a couple of bad defensive reads and fans will go cold on them pretty quickly. Perhaps its through injury that they play.

imo just keep your mind open for a new season.. Flanno will have to assess and make a lot of calls in the off-season... he will do the best with what he has.. possibly he wont get it spot on for Round 1 mind you.

 

[Mojo]

How do you delete a post?

 

[BLM01]

Nope. Easy draw in the first half of season. Then they performed as expected from there on. You seem to forget that during the Mary years the team quite often got off to ok starts early in the year then always crumbled as the season went on.
I was cheering them on too during that semi finals series. It was still a fluke that they overachieved that year.
And if you have great memories of those 3 Adam Reynolds field goals then you’re far more easily pleased than me. I’m still depressed about it.

Yes limped into 7th spot after being 1st still in R13. Biggest capitulation from a team leading a comp halfway through the year.
Highlight of the year winning the unwinnable game as the media put it smashing Bennett''s Broncos in Brisbane in the 1st semi.
Lowlight the way we lost the week after starting with AhMau getting the ball stolen and then Kurt Mann dying with the ball when Hunt created an overlap going for the miracle play.
You just knew we would find a way to lose it......arrgghh Reynolds

 

[blacksafake]

Yes limped into 7th spot after being 1st still in R13. Biggest capitulation from a team leading a comp halfway through the year.
Highlight of the year winning the unwinnable game as the media put it smashing Bennett''s Broncos in Brisbane in the 1st semi.
Lowlight the way we lost the week after starting with AhMau getting the ball stolen and then Kurt Mann dying with the ball when Hunt created an overlap going for the miracle play.
You just knew we would find a way to lose it......arrgghh Reynolds

Yep, Two massive plays the AhMau & Mann ones.
Plenty bag Hunt for running the ball then but if Mann hadn’t have shit himself & passed the ball they score.

 

[Dragon David]

Yep, Two massive plays the AhMau & Mann ones.
Plenty bag Hunt for running the ball then but if Mann hadn’t have shit himself & passed the ball they score.

It was panic stations in the end. Not smart footy.

 

[BLM01]

Yep, Two massive plays the AhMau & Mann ones.
Plenty bag Hunt for running the ball then but if Mann hadn’t have shit himself & passed the ball they score.

Or at the very least we give the ball back to them on their try line with 30 secs to go max

 

[blacksafake]

It was panic stations in the end. Not smart footy.

Mann should have passed

 

[Dragon David]

Mann should have passed

Or even kicked the guts out of the ball and defended down at the Bunnies goal line. To me Mann wasn't a thinker!!

 

[baggygreen man]

with a better defensive structure and flanno in his ear.. maybe he goes ok.. and we might need him too...
SFinau and Tamali for all their exciting aspects have some very worrying defensive attributes at cup level..

I doubt Flanno or Deano can do anything defensively with Fegai as he has been crap, in attack too, for two years, the guy is incapable of staying on his wing. Imho they sure can do something re defensive structure with the younger Finau and Tamale to compliment their offensive skills.

 

[BlackDuckSaint]

Mann should have passed

I don't think Hunt should have given the ball to Mann. Should have gone out the back to Jai Field who was sweeping and had a 3 on 1

 

[TheRev]

I doubt Flanno or Deano can do anything defensively with Fegai as he has been crap, in attack too, for two years, the guy is incapable of staying on his wing. Imho they sure can do something re defensive structure with the younger Finau and Tamale to compliment their offensive skills.

Its true... but his inside men were frequently out of position also.. it wasnt just him... and Mat Feagai didnt get tapped like his brother (who imo is much slower).. there must be something in that...

SFinau was frequently caught in-field himself.. usually going for intercepts which a competent NRL halfback will completely take advantage of.. he has a lot to learn, and he's yet to finish a game of first grade.

I guess what im trying to say... is that imo there is no need to trash anyone here on the forum (based on last season).. it's a clean slate for the whole squad imo.. we can start our insightful fan assessments come trials + round 1!

 

[be55]

Mann did everything right. His job, as the lead runner, was to run at Gagai and Reynolds and keep them interested. Hunt should have passed to Field, who was out the back, and all of a sudden you've got a three on one. It's a standard attacking structure that teams run every week. You'd think that in trying to strip the edge, getting the ball to Field would be what he'd be looking to do. But Hunt chose to hit the lead runner. Hunt took the wrong option when the pressure was on. But should we really be surprised? I've never seen a halfback throw so many hospital passes to edge runners with no room to move as he does.

Truth be told, he probably should have kicked because turning the ball over where we did was the absolute worst possible option and would likely cost us the game, and it did. It's just another example of when the pressure is on his brain turns to jelly.

A truly visionless play by an absolute imposter of a halfback...

 

[Dragon David]

Mann did everything right. His job, as the lead runner, was to run at Gagai and Reynolds and keep them interested. Hunt should have passed to Field, who was out the back, and all of a sudden you've got a three on one. It's a standard attacking structure that teams run every week. You'd think that in trying to strip the edge, getting the ball to Field would be what he'd be looking to do. But Hunt chose to hit the lead runner. Hunt took the wrong option when the pressure was on. But should we really be surprised? I've never seen a halfback throw so many hospital passes to edge runners with no room to move as he does.

Truth be told, he probably should have kicked because turning the ball over where we did was the absolute worst possible option and would likely cost us the game, and it did. It's just another example of when the pressure is on his brain turns to jelly.

A truly visionless play by an absolute imposter of a halfback...

That clip certainly tells the story. Even Gus was critical. Bad option by Hunt....Bad!

 

[Dragons4me]

"I've never seen a halfback throw so many hospital passes to edge runners with no room to move as he does."

You've nailed it be55.
This about Hunt. Absolutely does my head in and my biggest concern for '24.

 

[RedVee]

I don't think Hunt should have given the ball to Mann. Should have gone out the back to Jai Field who was sweeping and had a 3 on 1

Yep, behind Mann an out pass to Field and he would have scorched them