The Wayne Bennett Super thread!

[Dexter]

GRiffin had us playing some brilliant football ? WTF. He took Bennettball and dumbed it down.

 

[Morkel]

There were some games that we looked good in lady year, but generally they were against struggling teams. Like a Knights team with no confidence and had given up for the year, or Manly with half their troops out. The Cowboys were crap, but full strength and everything to play for.

 

[Cult]

There were some games that we looked good in lady year, but generally they were against struggling teams. Like a Knights team with no confidence and had given up for the year, or Manly with half their troops out. The Cowboys were crap, but full strength and everything to play for.

Or one of the eventual grand finalists.

 

[Morkel]

Or one of the eventual grand finalists.

Bulldogs pretty much Bradbury'd it to the GF, and when we pushed the Rabbitohs early in the season they were in horrible form and we arguably spurned their season.

 

[Ari Gold]

You can't diminish the achievement of beating the dogs in 2014 and at the same time talk up the legitimacy of Friday nights win.

 

[Morkel]

You can't diminish the achievement of beating the dogs in 2014 and at the same time talk up the legitimacy of Friday nights win.

Well I kind of just did.

Bulldogs wins were good and even though they were close games we were definitely the better team for each. But looking in context of their season, they weren't looking like GF contenders at either time. In fact if they'd missed the 8 I wouldn't have been shocked.

 

[Ari Gold]

Then let's look at the context of the Cowboys season. Not looking like GF contenders. In fact, based on what they've shown, if they missed the 8 I wouldn't be shocked. Lost their only two games, which were both at home, including to a very beatable Newcastle.

They are, by any measurable criteria, worse than the Dogs last year.

 

[Porthoz]

Bulldogs pretty much Bradbury'd it to the GF, and when we pushed the Rabbitohs early in the season they were in horrible form and we arguably spurned their season.

No team Bradbury'd it more than the Knights did in 2013... that was a true classic example.

Regardless, it's far to soon to draw conclusions about anything. The signs are good, but had things gone a bit more their way, and the Cowboys could have easily been 18-6 up after 20 mins, and we would probably be singing a vastly different tune!

We have 2 players this season we dearly missed last year: Milford and Kahu, but they are very dependent on the job their forwards do, and I am far from convinced our pack can dominate against most teams in the NRL.

 

[Dexter]

It's way too early to say anything WB has done will be an improvement on last year although I am firmly in the Wb camp and think this will happen.

So far we are doing exactly what I expect from a Benny coached side, trying to get the basics right and building into our season.
My hope is we don't drop points against shit sides, play well against the top sides and cause a few upsets and be somewhere around 3rd - 6th with a healthy roster come semi final time.

 

[Foordy]

For me to consider Wayne Bennetts first year even remotely successful the following needs to happen:

1. Finish higher on the ladder than Griffin did last year. Especially considering Bennett has Milford and Kahu at gis disposal, as well as no Hoffman at 5/8

2. Play consistent footy, not great footy one week, lose a game we should win the next.

I hold out great hopes that both of those things will happen. I don't expect miracles in his first year back.

 

[Foordy]

GRiffin had us playing some brilliant football ? WTF. He took Bennettball and dumbed it down.

We played some good and really exciting footy at times butnever consistently.

For example. The Knights and Bulldogs games at the back end of last season. But more importantly the win over Manly mid year.

 

[Kimlo]

Especially considering Bennett has Milford and Kahu at gis disposal, as well as no Hoffman at 5/8

Milford is a given, but Kahu was definitely available to Griffin and it was his choice to play Hoffman at 5/8. Bennett was pretty quick to grant Hoffman a release, whereas Griffin denied him a release, you can't hold those as pros when Griffin had those options.

Kahu was back by week 6 or so IIRC and barely got a fair chance by Griffin, even when both our fullbacks (Barba/Hoffman) were not giving us what we needed.

 

[lynx000]

Milford is a given, but Kahu was definitely available to Griffin and it was his choice to play Hoffman at 5/8. Bennett was pretty quick to grant Hoffman a release, whereas Griffin denied him a release, you can't hold those as pros when Griffin had those options.

Kahu was back by week 6 or so IIRC and barely got a fair chance by Griffin, even when both our fullbacks (Barba/Hoffman) were not giving us what we needed.

I am left wondering what would have become of our year last year if Kahu with the benefit of a full season had been able to avoid injury and settle into the 5/8 role.

 

[Big Pete]

Round 8 and from reports was struggling in ISC.

 

[Danoz Direct]

I seriously like what Wayne is doing with the team so far. Just hoping that our forwards continue to improve along with the rest of the team.

 

[Morkel]

Then let's look at the context of the Cowboys season. Not looking like GF contenders. In fact, based on what they've shown, if they missed the 8 I wouldn't be shocked. Lost their only two games, which were both at home, including to a very beatable Newcastle.

They are, by any measurable criteria, worse than the Dogs last year.

Yeah to be honest I forgot what I was even trying to argue. I'm not getting overexcited about the Cowboys win, but I think I was responding more to (Big Pete's?) suggestions that under Griffin we had performances that were similarly positive. I never considered the Manly game anything more than a victory over a shadow of a team. The Knights game was just a relief, after blowing it against the Eels and Sharks, we finally won a game in a way we were expected to. Nothing more. Even these games that we won well, it was still in the balance with 20, 10, 5 minutes to go, it was almost torture.

I guess someone summed it up best when for once in so long we went in to half time with the win sewn up. That is probably the difference between now and the last couple of years.

 

[Big Pete]

I take the point that there weren't that many times we scored six tries in a single half of football. As a member pointed out in Live Chat, it only happened in 2011 against a struggling Cronulla outfit. But then there's a lot of factors that play into that and for mine this performance was very similar to the few I nominated which might I add was with a weaker team.

Bennett himself said the Cowboys inflated the Broncos and wasn't getting away carried away patting himself on the back. Some of the fans are looking a little bit too eager for mine.

 

[GCBRONCO]

I take the point that there weren't that many times we scored six tries in a single half of football. As a member pointed out in Live Chat, it only happened in 2011 against a struggling Cronulla outfit. But then there's a lot of factors that play into that and for mine this performance was very similar to the few I nominated which might I add was with a weaker team.

Bennett himself said the Cowboys inflated the Broncos and wasn't getting away carried away patting himself on the back. Some of the fans are looking a little bit too eager for mine.

Promising signs from the match, but I think your right Big Pete and so is Bennett, I think we played well against a side that is capable of so much better so lets not get carried away, that doesn't mean there aren't positives to take away but we need to remain grounded as well.