NRL General Discussion Thread

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What was it about Penrith's style of play that suggested Hook would be a suitable coach? Was it their ability to win games despite playing terrible footy for 60 minutes? Was it their directionless attack where they had no obvious points of attack? Was it their ability to remain a fringe top four side and never make any real progress? Or just the amount of excuses that could be made for them?

Hook had his time and while he wasn't as awful as his detractors claimed, he was clearly limited. It does seem like an obvious pick up for the Gold Coast though considering their penchant for picking up Broncos discards.

The titans goal shouldn't be to win a premiership in the next 5 years. They just need to get back to in or around the bottom of the 8. The Titans really should just be focused on becoming semi-competitive and having people walk through the gates again. Sounds perfect for hook.
 
The issue with Hook is that he doesn't implement effective team structures. He can get decent performances out of individuals from time to time, but so often his sides would be exposed in the crunch. Either they would find ways to lose, or they would give the opposition to big a start and fail to overcome it.

The Gold Coast need to go in a fresh direction, picking up another Broncos discard isn't the way forward for them.
 
The issue with Hook is that he doesn't implement effective team structures. He can get decent performances out of individuals from time to time, but so often his sides would be exposed in the crunch. Either they would find ways to lose, or they would give the opposition to big a start and fail to overcome it.

The Gold Coast need to go in a fresh direction, picking up another Broncos discard isn't the way forward for them.

I agree with @broncosgoat above. GC shouldn't be aiming for premierships yet, they should be aiming to be competitive. Give Hook two years. In that time, he will help instil belief into the players. He can get someone else to give them structures, I mean isn't that basically how Bennett has managed his whole career?

I also don't agree that Hook doesn't teach structures. I mean, the very year he got sacked, the Panthers were actually doing quite well. He also has Cleary firing and Cleary hasn't been since. He also recruited pretty well in getting Maloney in and clearing our Moylan. He wasn't helped by an overlord who wanted to do everything his own way.

Hook also basically assembled that 2015 Broncos side, he is an excellent fit for what the Titans need NOW, I'm not talking about what they need in 5 years from now.
 
He can get someone else to give them structures, I mean isn't that basically how Bennett has managed his whole career?

He had eight years to get somebody to help with team structures, I wouldn't hold my breath about that changing any time soon.

I mean, the very year he got sacked, the Panthers were actually doing quite well.

They were doing well on the ladder, but the manner they went about achieving most of their victories were far from convincing. There were plenty of occassions where they found themselves down by 14, played desperation footy and somehow picked up the two points. In a lot of big games, they were getting blown off the park because they had too many critical flaws in them.

Cleary's form under Hook was patchy.

2016: Good debut period, could show he could game manage and wasn't a speed bump like Sowie.

2017: Slow start in a struggling team, signs of second year syndrome before he played his best footy in the back end of the year.

2018: Mixed start followed by an injury and he barely got a chance to play under Hook.

We've seldom seen his 2017 form, but it's hardly an insurmountable task, especially with Penrith on a hot streak.

Hook also basically assembled that 2015 Broncos side

???

Darius Boyd - Bennett
Corey Oates - Griffin
Jack Reed - Griffin/Henjak
Justin Hodges - Bennett
Jordan Kahu - Griffin/Henjak
Anthony Milford - Griffin
Ben Hunt - Henjak/Bennett
Josh McGuire - Henjak/Bennett
Andrew McCullough - Bennett
Adam Blair - Bennett
Alex Glenn - Henjak/Bennett
Matt Gillett - Henjak
Corey Parker - Bennett

Kodi Nikorima - Bennett/Griffin
Sam Thaiday - Bennett
Joe Ofahengaue - Bennett/Griffin
Jarrod Wallace - Griffin

And that's being generous to Griffin. Wallace could barely get any game time under Hook, Oates was being made into a second row and Milford wasn't an established 5/8 in the NRL. I don't think he built as much as he didn't completely destroy both clubs.
 
He had eight years to get somebody to help with team structures, I wouldn't hold my breath about that changing any time soon.



They were doing well on the ladder, but the manner they went about achieving most of their victories were far from convincing. There were plenty of occassions where they found themselves down by 14, played desperation footy and somehow picked up the two points. In a lot of big games, they were getting blown off the park because they had too many critical flaws in them.

Cleary's form under Hook was patchy.

2016: Good debut period, could show he could game manage and wasn't a speed bump like Sowie.

2017: Slow start in a struggling team, signs of second year syndrome before he played his best footy in the back end of the year.

2018: Mixed start followed by an injury and he barely got a chance to play under Hook.

We've seldom seen his 2017 form, but it's hardly an insurmountable task, especially with Penrith on a hot streak.



???

Darius Boyd - Bennett
Corey Oates - Griffin
Jack Reed - Griffin/Henjak
Justin Hodges - Bennett
Jordan Kahu - Griffin/Henjak
Anthony Milford - Griffin
Ben Hunt - Henjak/Bennett
Josh McGuire - Henjak/Bennett
Andrew McCullough - Bennett
Adam Blair - Bennett
Alex Glenn - Henjak/Bennett
Matt Gillett - Henjak
Corey Parker - Bennett

Kodi Nikorima - Bennett/Griffin
Sam Thaiday - Bennett
Joe Ofahengaue - Bennett/Griffin
Jarrod Wallace - Griffin

And that's being generous to Griffin. Wallace could barely get any game time under Hook, Oates was being made into a second row and Milford wasn't an established 5/8 in the NRL. I don't think he built as much as he didn't completely destroy both clubs.

Hook was a lot of these Henjak credited players in the 20's though iirc?
 
Hook was a lot of these Henjak credited players in the 20's though iirc?

Hunt, McGuire, McCullough, Glenn & Gillett.

In the case of McCullough he was already a part of the senior squad and was blooded by Bennett. I'm not entirely sure on Glenn, but I'm pretty sure he was with the senior squad as well and was in Bennett's future plans. Bennett was the one who scouted him from the Burleigh Bears and wanted to take him to St. George. Gillett played a handful of games for the NYC side after some impressive form in colts. When it came time to make a choice between the two teams heading into the finals, Gillo chose Colts and Griffin told him he'd thrown his NRL career away.

So even then, his involvement wasn't that crucial all things considered.

In terms of building an NRL 'team' he wasn't as involved as you'd figure. He blooded four players and introduced two others into the NRL system. Of those players that were blooded, Reed and Kahu came to the club under Henjak's tenure, and I'm pretty sure the Broncos signed Wallace from the Gold Coast right as Henjak's time was nearly up.
 
The more i think about it, the more they dont need a coach like Hook or any of these other coaches that have been on the merry-go-round in the NRL for years. I think they need something different, something that will bring in the punters through the door. Could very well be Shane and Ben could be the perfect fit there. They could start building now with whats left of this year with a bit less pressure on them.
 
Horrible idea.

Just like the South Queensland Crushers was a horrible idea.

 
It’ll just be the same result. How many times are they gonna try and polish that turd
 
Watching Billy Moore on NRL360, man this bloke is the poster child for the danger of head knocks. Great bloke I am sure but he is an absolute halfwit.
 
Mal Meninga says Gold Coast will no longer lose their best young talents
Mal Meninga has come out swinging, with the Titans culture chief issuing a hands-off edict to the Broncos and warning the days of NRL clubs poaching the Gold Coast’s best young products are over.
As the Titans begin a new era on Sunday against Melbourne following the sacking of coach Garth Brennan, Meninga assured Gold Coast fans he will not allow the region’s rich nursery of talent to be regularly raided by NRL rivals.
In the past three years alone, the Titans have been plundered by “Big Brother” the Broncos, who have recruited four Gold Coast-reared young guns — Payne Haas, Tom Dearden, David Fifita and Xavier Coates.
A fifth player, talented Gold Coast outside back Jesse Arthars, last week inked a two-year deal with the Broncos for 2020 in another kick in the guts for a Titans club desperately trying to climb out of the NRL cellar.
David Fifita should have been playing in blue and gold. Image: AAP Image/Darren England
David Fifita should have been playing in blue and gold. Image: AAP Image/Darren England
Now, as the Gold Coast chart a comprehensive rebuild of the club starting with the impending appointment of Brennan’s successor, Meninga has had enough of the Titans talent drain.
The Titans have scrapped a previous club policy of not signing teenagers under the age of 16. Under new recruitment chief Ezra Howe, the Titans have ramped-up their grassroots retention, securing 60 of the region’s most talented players between the ages of 15 to 18 to Gold Coast scholarships.
Meninga is determined to one day help deliver the Titans’ maiden premiership and says future success will be driven by homegrown talent.
Tom Dearden was another Gold Coast talent snared by Brisbane. Image: AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Tom Dearden was another Gold Coast talent snared by Brisbane. Image: AAP Image/Dave Hunt
“Before coming to the Titans, I could never understand why so many of the best young players that our region consistently produces ended up playing at other clubs,” Meninga said.
“Why weren’t the best Gold Coast kids playing for the Titans?
“The truth of the matter is, unfortunately, the Titans often times never gave them a reason to stay.
“The Titans had a policy of not signing kids under 16 years of age. It was probably admirable in theory, but in reality it only gave the other clubs in the NRL first crack at the best talent being produced in our backyard.
“The first thing we needed to do to make sure these talented kids were kept on the Gold Coast was to improve the quality of our recruitment team, and implement the programs and systems we needed to give these kids the pathway they craved to go all the way to the NRL.
“Previously, Gold Coast kids had to go to other clubs to get these pathways. But not anymore.”
Meninga knows how much the club has lost. Image: AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Meninga knows how much the club has lost. Image: AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Meninga and Howe have presided over the creation of the Titans Elite Development System. The Titans are also identifying and securing talent from the age of 14 in a bid to prevent the type of defections seen by Haas and Fifita, who starred at leading Gold Coast school Keebra Park.
“We now have a group of 16 and 18-year-olds the equal — if not better — than any other club in the competition,” Meninga said.
“Rather than ignoring these kids until they had turned 16, by which time they had usually signed with other clubs, we are picking up the best local talent available at 14, which you can do under NRL rules for kids in your own catchment areas.
“We are bringing them into our system at an earlier stage of their development.
Xavier Coates is now a rising star for Brisbane. Image: AAP Image/Darren England
Xavier Coates is now a rising star for Brisbane. Image: AAP Image/Darren England
“The Titans will no longer miss out on the best kids being produced in the Gold Coast nursery.
“We may not keep all of them, but the only way we will now lose a kid we want to keep is because of money.
“The programs and pathways they need are now here at the Titans. These juniors and their families know this. They will be the future of our club.
“And take it from me, the talent of some of the kids that will wear our jersey in the next five years is amazing.”
Jesse Arthars will leave the club for their main rivals. Image: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Jesse Arthars will leave the club for their main rivals. Image: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Former NRL star Scott Sattler was the Titans’ inaugural football manager and recruitment chief for their foundation season in 2007.
Sattler, who helped nurture the Titans’ first wave of products including David Mead, Kevin Gordon and Jordan Rapana, said the Gold Coast needed stability to stave off the Broncos.
“When there is uncertainty in a club, everything stops progressing,” Sattler said.
“Unfortunately for the Titans, there has been uncertainty around the club for a number of years and that has opened the door for other clubs to poach their best kids.
“The vultures are coming in from the outside and picking the region apart.
“The Broncos will be playing for a premiership in two years with a nucleus of kids who were Gold Coast talents.
How the Titans could do with Payne Haas. Image: AAP Image/Darren England
How the Titans could do with Payne Haas. Image: AAP Image/Darren England
“When guys like Payne Haas, David Fifita and Tom Dearden play 50 first-grade games, the Broncos will be challenging for a title and those kids should have been wearing Titans colours.
“The Broncos have always had that aura of professionalism and that means something to a prospective player or recruit.
“Sometimes results play a big part in that. As a recruitment manager, you have to be a salesman as well, you have to sell an image and at the moment the image of the Titans is one of uncertainty and players get nervous about uncertainty.
“Money is a factor, no doubt, but the Titans have to cultivate a perception and reality that there is stability in the club and there is a bright future.
“I really hope they can turn it around … there is so much untapped potential in the Gold Coast market.”
 
His career is definitely over and his life as a free man should be interrupted by at least a decade if these very serious charges are proven in court.
And if found that she consented and then had an attack of the guilts after, what should happen to him? Was she the one who voluntarily went with them to a club after the event? Or was that a different case? Anyway, the truth will probably come out during the court case. If those men are guilty I hope they are punished severely. If innocent I don't know what we could do to make reparation.
 
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And if found that she consented and then had an attack of the guilts after, what should happen to him? Was she the one who voluntarily went with them to a club after the event? Or was that a different case? Anyway, the truth will probably come out during the court case. If those men are guilty I hope they are punished severely. If innocent I don't know what we could do to make reparation.

Haven’t we already done all of this before?
 
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