What concerns me most

[Chipmunk]

Totally agree and I like the fact Reddy as a ex fullback is good with the high ball. Lately our biggesdt problem is our wingers have not been able to catch the high bombs, reddy dwould not have this problem. I woulod give Loko the centre spot if he has a good offseason. But Wright is definitely improving after each game, and from my early opinion of him being crap is changing by the week.

We seem to have plenty of talk on our outside backs...they will hold their own with most teams in the comp, we dont really need to worry too much about that.

We have some decent forwards that can do the job, the key I think they need to all learn is playing the ball faster and slowing the opposition play the balls down, but they could potentially be the best pack in the NRL...

BUT

until this Club signs a decent organising halfback, then I dont care if Ando, JT, Kearney, Wayne Bennett or Gus Gould is coaching us and we have the State of Origin forward pack....we will continue to be mid table finishers at best!

 

[Gaffman]

At the risk of being pelted with rocks... has anyone else wondered how the Great Hayne Plane himself would go if thrust back into the no.6?

I KNOW, I KNOW... its blasphemy. But they want a relatively experienced, creative half to play alongside Mortimer... and i sometimes scratch my head and wonder...

You're right, i'll go sit in the corner for 5 minutes.

 

[foreel]

TBH if Tahu hung up his boots now it would not cause me much grief.

(ducks for cover)

Its about time someone said it. I don't like bagging players, but if you're on the amount of money Tahu's on, then you need to be held accountable. In 14 matches he's averaged 10 runs for 76 metres, he's scored 4 try's, made 23 errors and conceded 10 penalties. Hardly the stats of a 350k a year superstar centre, I'd go as far as to say he's the worst centre in the comp on current form. Of course stats don't tell the whole story, they won't tell of his misreads in defence, or that dropped ball from 5 metres out with the line wide open (I can't remember who that was against), or the brain explosion against Newcastle which probably contributed to us losing that game, or the way he's always tripping over his own feet on the rare occasion that he does make a break. He is seriously stifling our attack and poor old Burty hardly gets the ball. I know Ando won't drop him, Ozzy would never allow it, but please, at least put
him on the wing to replace Inu.
That would allow us to drop Inu back to Wenty, so that he can play his relaxed, carefree style of footy in a park, where it belongs.

 

[strider]

our team has been a roller coaster for over a decade - I don't know where any fingers could be pointed regarding player development

I think maybe we over achieved last year ..... maybe we expected too much to stay at the same level we had at the back end of 2009???

 

[Bigfella]

Thanks to Avenger for trying to start an objective thread which won't be based on pathetic politics. Obviously some won't be able to resist ...

IMO his massive achievement is with the pack. For ten years our yardage game has been substandard. Fui had been our only decent prop since 2005. We had always lacked the fou props you need although we've always had strike backrowers.

Ando inherited a pack that was mentally and physically soft and has completely overhauled the culture in that regard. The forwards have rarely been dominated, and have definitely had us in posiion to win games we didn't.

Massive tick here, and for mine the reason he should keep his job.

The other massive tick is hayne. Handled him in His usual abrasive manner, but has pushed him to amazing feats. Another huge tick.

My concerns are that without grothe we don't have anyone bringing the ball back strongly. It doesn't seem to be a feature of the game we regard highly enough. He doesn't seem to rate Eric,
or what he brings to the team. We use our first three tackles on kick returns for about 3 metres and it puts us under enormous pressure.

I am also concerned about dummy half. It was clear last year that kk wa the better hooker. Mk is
not a class 9 and that has a huge impact on the rest of the attack. We don't seem to care about this. Mitchell could be the key here.

Halves are the teams biggest issue but how do you sack a coach when he's never been given a class half? Payin your fourth best prop an an error riddled lazy centre amounts that would buy a top class 6 and 7 have been the real problem. They are inherited issues and ando shouldn't pay too harsh a price.

Finally the biggest mistake he has made has been his handling of Mateo. You don't use a laptop computer to hammer in a nail. Its a blight on his coaching and the biggest error he has made.

On balance, he should definitely stay and be given at least one top class half and an experienced talented 9 to help bring on Mitchell.

 

[eel01s]

Good thread Avenger. I agree with a lot of what Bigfella wrote above.

Our pack has been good this year - very good. I think we have good depth. However, we desperately need a class No. 7 to lead the side around. If we had such a player (not a slight on Robson by the way) we would be in the top 4 now, I have no doubt.

What concerns me is just how much influence the dramas in the boardroom have unsettled the coach and players?

 

[forward pass]

I don't think Tahu has been as bad as everyone makes out tbh. He is no worse a player than before he went to Rugby. I don't think he is seeing anywhere near enough good ball. We just don't have the halves to do that.

So he has become a battering ram which is a real shame. No one on here can deny that everytime he has got the ball in space, he has created something every time.

I would still have him over many other centres in the game.

 

[strider]

yeah i thought tahu looked quite dangerous against the dogs

 

[Captain BF]

yeah i thought tahu looked quite dangerous against the dogs

I thought Tahu looked dangerous in the Knights game also... dangerous to the health of the Knights players more than anything else though unfortunately...

 

[Gronk]

I thought Tahu looked dangerous in the Knights game also... dangerous to the health of the Knights players more than anything else though unfortunately...

Facts are that we have struggled all year to score points. The experienced players must put their hands up and own it.