Tonga facing Eels axe for Manly NRL game

[bartman]

I'm happy with next year's squad. All the rookies and youngsters will be a year older and smarter, and more importantly they will have had a year to gel.

I'm happy with this year's squad too, to tell the truth.

It's just that most of them (and as a whole) haven't been performing to their potential (or anywhere near it). Injuries aside, it has still been worrying - but I guess it can only get better some day in the future!

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

:lol:... and hopefully that's the end of it for tonight.

That's what my last girlfriend said.

 

[Gronk]

See, to me, that's short sightedness.
Yes, we're a mess regarding results in NRL. Stone motherless. Can't argue with that. On the other hand, I see that we are building a strong junior base of quality players. We are blooding youngen's like Sio and Blair and Morgan who are improving all the time with experience. We HAVE purchased players with more than 20 1st grade games. The Leagues Club is doing well.
Besides on field NRL results, we're not a mess, so I see hope for the future.
Whether that is with Kearney at the helm or not, so be it. Glass half full.

Suity

I get the glass half full attitude, and can also see that we're giving ourselves a good junior base that (hopefully) will serve us well in 3, 5, 7 year. Awsome.

What should be happening concurrently, is the recruitment of solid, experienced first graders so we can win games now.

Why is Cronulla doing well in 2012 ? Look at their recruitment for this year

Todd Carney (Roosters, 2013), Isaac De Gois (Knights, 2014), Sosaia Feki (Warriors, 2012), Andrew Fifita (Tigers, 2014), Bryce Gibbs (Tigers, 2014), Jon Green (Dragons, 2013), Jeff Robson (Eels, 2013), Ben Ross (Rabbitohs, 2013), Sam Tagataese (Titans, 2014), Mark Taufua (Knights, 2013)

Enviable to say the least. We should be compiling a similar list for 2013.

 

[SDM]

We will be much better next year, most people are underestimating the catasprophic influence of the fat slug. He is dragging down the players, the coach, the leagues club, the fans. I even blame him for that ranga cheerleader.

 

[ethan tremblay]

i for one hope kearney stays strong and drops tonga too nsw cup he deserves that bring somone up e/g mullaney

 

[natheel]

well Mullaney looks like he will be playing, according to Nathan Smiths twitter saying he is and Jake replying thank him for the congrats

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I even blame him for that ranga cheerleader.

You have absolutely no proof of this.

 

[oldmancraigy]

His inability to sign players who have more than 20 FG games under their belts suggests that unless he performs miracles in the off season with his rookies, we'll come last again.

I'm not convinced this is a big issue.

We somehow miraculously managed to sign the best halfback on the market last year; snared the best available Origin centre; and got the most promising young talent in the world to commit to us.

Of those 3 players, 2 of them are absolute veterans, and the other one could have played at whichever club he wanted.


Do we need to sign more veterans or high quality players? I cannot see how that will magically help.

Either SK simply cannot coach them, or they aren't listening to him. A very simple management principle is that bringing in younger (inexperienced) staff results in greater loyalty. They are more malleable.

Since (at this time) SK is our coach next year, I'm happy with this strategy. Am I confident that we'll do well as a result? Not in the slightest. But we're addressing one of the potential issues aren't we? (them not listening).
If the problem turns out to be the other (SK can't coach) then we could sign Lockyer Civvy and Gallen and still be losing every week.

 

[oldmancraigy]

i for one hope kearney stays strong and drops tonga too nsw cup he deserves that bring somone up e/g mullaney

I gotta be honest, if Kearney was to make a strong move it would be to keep Tonga in firsts.

He was playing his first game in weeks after injury. He didn't do anything wrong defensively did he? There was 1 pass he could've made which would have resulted in us losing by 2 instead of 8. Oh well - I'm glad to see him backing himself in that scenario since it seems like he hasn't been backing himself so far this season.

The STRONG play is not to drop Tonga. That's the myopic view of the defeatist grumblers. The STRONG play is to axe Burt. His defence has been woeful this season, he's good for letting in a try per game no matter what position he plays. And he certainly can't handle FB.

Our season is over, what's the point in keeping Burt up there? He won't be playing next season. Give Mullaney the fullback job, and Blair Morgan Tonga Sio make up the outside backs.

Whilst I MIGHT have once agreed that Burt "deserves" a send off for his service to the club, that time has passed. He had the opportunity to retire last year with fond memory, now every game he plays makes him more of a Paul Carige in my mind. Pretty soon I'll be agreeing with Schaeffer Just bring Burt back for the final couple of games, and let's be brave right now and do something positive for the club.

 

[eloquentEEL]

Guess we'll find out if anyone dropped to Wenty in a few hours

 

[eloquentEEL]

And there's the answer: Morgan playing for Wenty

 

[oldmancraigy]

And there's the answer: Morgan playing for Wenty

I don't like Morgan.

But he's been playing better footy than anyone else in the outside backs over the last 2-3 weeks. Hard to fathom why he bears the brunt of the dropping.

 

[Delboy]

I'm not convinced this is a big issue.

We somehow miraculously managed to sign the best halfback on the market last year; snared the best available Origin centre; and got the most promising young talent in the world to commit to us.

Of those 3 players, 2 of them are absolute veterans, and the other one could have played at whichever club he wanted.


Do we need to sign more veterans or high quality players? I cannot see how that will magically help.

Either SK simply cannot coach them, or they aren't listening to him. A very simple management principle is that bringing in younger (inexperienced) staff results in greater loyalty. They are more malleable.

Since (at this time) SK is our coach next year, I'm happy with this strategy. Am I confident that we'll do well as a result? Not in the slightest. But we're addressing one of the potential issues aren't we? (them not listening).
If the problem turns out to be the other (SK can't coach) then we could sign Lockyer Civvy and Gallen and still be losing every week.

At then time we had a football CEO, who everyone criticised and still worked to get these thiungs done. I would thinmk a makjor issuer os trying to run a club wiothpoiut a true football CEO, not sure Mr Bentley measures up in tyhat area. We shojuld take steps to piut one in place quickly, and dont be afraid of Raaay Hardly

 

[bartman]

And there's the answer: Morgan playing for Wenty

Wow, I didn't expect that, on form...

 

[bartman]

At then time we had a football CEO, who everyone criticised and still worked to get these thiungs done. I would thinmk a makjor issuer os trying to run a club wiothpoiut a true football CEO, not sure Mr Bentley measures up in tyhat area. We shojuld take steps to piut one in place quickly, and dont be afraid of Raaay Hardly

Maybe Chris Anderson's role could morph into that, after these initial 6 months as a coaching mentor?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I don't like Morgan.

But he's been playing better footy than anyone else in the outside backs over the last 2-3 weeks. Hard to fathom why he bears the brunt of the dropping.

Form only tells you how well a bloke has been playing. It's not a reliable guide to how well he will play in his next game.

The best indicator of that is how good the player is. We know Tonga and Blair are better players than Morgan; that's why they're still in first grade.

The mystery is why Burt is still in first grade, though I suspect it is entirely based on politics/marketing.

 

[strider]

yeah form is certainly no indicator of form - its massively overrated

 

[eloquentEEL]

An in-form Morgan is better than an out-of-form Tonga or Burt. It's true that form can change quickly but it is pretty clear from today's performance that Morgan is still in form. We'll see tomorrow whether Tonga and Burt are able to turn their form around.

 

[Tony Bongo]

yeah form is certainly no indicator of form - its massively overrated

:lol:

 

[Maroubra Eel]

yeah form is certainly no indicator of form - its massively overrated

:lol::lol: