Top 35 looks settled

[boxhead]

:lol: Ok if you really believe that, all the best to you.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Alright. Compare our roster to almost every other team in the competition, and then explain to me why we don't have room to move. Whilst that is true that having space at the start of a season is bad management, it works both ways if we are over-paying hugely for the players we have.

There's only a couple of clubs with better rosters than us. We are a mid-table side, just like most other clubs.

A couple of key injuries and any of these mid-table sides will get the spoon. Just like last year.

That's how close the competition is.

 

[boxhead]

:lol: Our roster is hardly "mid-tier", it is bottom-tier.
And no, I don't blame Kearney solely for that.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

:lol: Ok if you really believe that, all the best to you.

:lol: If you really disbelieve it then good luck to you! :lol:

:lol: lol

 

[Poupou Escobar]

:lol: Our roster is hardly "mid-tier", it is bottom-tier.
And no, I don't blame Kearney solely for that.

Any roster with Hayne, Tonga, Sandow and Mannah is good enough to compete. It comes down to weak links (i.e. how often you have to play your backups due to injury).

 

[Eels Dude]

How many games did we play last year with at least 3 of those 4 players available, and how many of those did we win statsguru?

 

[Springs]

Losses: Hindmarsh, Burt, Poore, McGuire, E.Tonga, Horo
Gains: Harrison, Lussick, a bunch of lower graders

Yes, I would call that poor management if we are anywhere near the cap limit.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

:lol: Our roster is hardly "mid-tier", it is bottom-tier.
And no, I don't blame Kearney solely for that.

Based in past results - yes. But next year is a new year and anything can happen. Just ask the dogs, warriors and roosters what the previous year results mean - they all went from the bottom to the penthouse within a year over the last three years

 

[Parra Pride]

Everyone's roster should be near the cap. It would be poor management if it wasn't.

I'd say poor management would be paying nuffies big money to spend all of your cap.

#ButWhatWouldIKnow?

 

[Springs]

The Dogs had nearly their entire team replaced. The Warriors finished lower than they did the year before and got to the GF through an awful finals system.

Now we should definitely be able to do better than last year but the fact that we did finish last, and in my opinion our roster is even worse at the moment, then I would call us bottom-tier.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

How many games did we play last year with at least 3 of those 4 players available, and how many of those did we win statsguru?

More to the point, how many games in a row did we play with them available? It takes time for new players to form combinations.

If you want an interesting stat, we won three of our last four with Hayne on the field.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Losses: Hindmarsh, Burt, Poore, McGuire, E.Tonga, Horo
Gains: Harrison, Lussick, a bunch of lower graders

Yes, I would call that poor management if we are anywhere near the cap limit.

You're ignoring the young improvers:

Sio
Blair
Morgan
Kelly
Ryan
Loko
Seage

Don't think just because a guy is inexperienced he is shit. In 2010 Will Hopoate was a lower grader. In 2011 he played Origin.

Young players have breakout seasons all the time, just not usually in their rookie season. We now have a bunch of young blokes with their rookie year behind them. Any of them could be better than the guys they've replaced this year.

 

[Eels Dude]

I'd say out of every 7 or 8 players to make their first grade debut you can only expect 2 or 3 to become regular first graders. That's not much compensation for players that have proven themselves by playing 100 first grade games.

 

[Springs]

You're ignoring the young improvers:

Sio
Blair
Morgan
Kelly
Ryan
Loko
Seage

Don't think just because a guy is inexperienced he is shit. In 2010 Will Hopoate was a lower grader. In 2011 he played Origin.

Young players have breakout seasons all the time, just not usually in their rookie season. We now have a bunch of young blokes with their rookie year behind them. Any of them could be better than the guys they've replaced this year.

So? We had them last year.

Any of them could be better. Doesn't mean they will be. Otherwise why the hell sign any other players just use the juniors because they 'could be better'. Every single other club has their own improving players as well, and usually better ones than us. If every club has juniors improving, where does that put us? Oh yeah, last, as that's where our juniors ended up last year.

So our squad finished last, our juniors improved the same amount as any other club, we lost several good players and only signed two manly bench players. I think that still leaves us in a bottom tier squad that should be nowhere near the salary cap.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Based in past results - yes. But next year is a new year and anything can happen. Just ask the dogs, warriors and roosters what the previous year results mean - they all went from the bottom to the penthouse within a year over the last three years

And in the case of the Warriors and the Roosters they went back again. Penrith too.

A bit of bad luck can make or break a season.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I'd say out of every 7 or 8 players to make their first grade debut you can only expect 2 or 3 to become regular first graders. That's not much compensation for players that have proven themselves by playing 100 first grade games.

But these guys are picked by Nolan. One of the best in the business.

They also didn't merely make their debuts; they played an entire season. There's no substitute for that kind of experience, which is one of the few benefits of having an ordinary squad - you can offer opportunity that the strong clubs can't.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

So? We had them last year.

And they were mere rookies. Next year they won't be.

Any of them could be better. Doesn't mean they will be. Otherwise why the hell sign any other players just use the juniors because they 'could be better'.

So replace 'could be better' with 'likely to be better'.

Every single other club has their own improving players as well, and usually better ones than us. If every club has juniors improving, where does that put us? Oh yeah, last, as that's where our juniors ended up last year.

It put us in a position to offer them opportunity to play first grade. They wouldn't have gotten that at their old clubs.

So our squad finished last, our juniors improved the same amount as any other club, we lost several good players and only signed two manly bench players. I think that still leaves us in a bottom tier squad that should be nowhere near the salary cap.

You're missing the point - our improving juniors will have improved more because of their exposure to first grade. Cheyse Blair at most clubs would have spent the year in NSW Cup. Matt Ryan too. Daniel Harrison would have spent next year covering for injuries if he'd stayed at Manly. Here he has an opportunity to play 20+ games in Hindy's old position.

 

[Eels Dude]

But these guys are picked by Nolan. One of the best in the business.

They also didn't merely make their debuts; they played an entire season. There's no substitute for that kind of experience, which is one of the few benefits of having an ordinary squad - you can offer opportunity that the strong clubs can't.

NSW Cup teams can offer that. And some of them still field teams of nuffies. Experience nay be a plus, but its no guarentee if those players are duds in the first place. Nolan may know some stuff, but he was sacked by Brisbane remember.

 

[Springs]

You're the one missing the point Pou. Yeah, Blair and Ryan got better. But those other clubs you speak of have players that would have forced Blair and Ryan to play reserves. And guess what? Those players improved as well and would still force Blair and Ryan to play reserve grade. So we still have positions filled by players who would be reserve graders at another club.

And we replace Hindy with a Manly reserves player. How is that a points win for us?

It doesn't matter how much they can improve, we still have the worst squad in the comp and you seem to forget other squads have just as many players who can improve as well.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

At least we've got unlimited improvement to be made.
Hopefully some of these merkins can improve enough to be of a first grade standard, but I doubt it.