22/23 Off season - what must be done?

[Nashy]

What if he came with a redemption coach as well? That's a harder sell, right?

Cash back or 2 for 1?

 

[Mister Wright]

We obviously need to move heaven and earth to find a hooker. Where and who, I don’t know, but it is priority #1.

 

[McHunt]

Cash back or 2 for 1?

What about a swap: Billy + Kevvie for Benny + Hook? That's a bit juicier.

 

[Nashy]

What about a swap: Billy + Kevvie for Benny + Hook? That's a bit juicier.

I know the last two weeks have been rough, but drinking this early isn't healthy.

 

[Renegade]

What about a swap: Billy + Kevvie for Benny + Hook? That's a bit juicier.

pass. Hook isn't the answer even if he comes with a Hooker (which still isn't feasible as Hunt has said he doesn't want to be a hooker)

 

[nopatience101]

Billy has gone the same way turpin did, started off strong and then faded into incompetence.

I think gamble would go the same way given the opportunity.

Qcup is their ceiling.

 

[Fozz]

pass. Hook isn't the answer even if he comes with a Hooker (which still isn't feasible as Hunt has said he doesn't want to be a hooker)

I dunno, given how dumb how our players are it seems the simple game plans that Gould sacked him for might actually work up here.

 

[Big Del]

The whole Cobbo story makes me worried. The kid is our future and apparently couldn't get up for a must win game this week. No doubt there is more to this but gee, we need our best 17 every week and its worrying that he couldn't get up for last nights game. I couldn't imagine Suaalii doing similar to the Roosters..

Well Sualli hasn`t been KO`d like Selwyn as yet ...
He got depression after the head knock . Then got knocked stupid again in his come back match . Brain injuries are not to be trivialised .

Also Reynolds got a knee to the face while on the ground .
Wasn`t his fault he had concussion .

 

[winslow_wong]

Yeah 250 games you`d think he could take a decent knee to the face ?

my point is he can’t be expected to carry the team. If he does go down with an injury we are screwed because no one else can step up.

 

[porouian]

We need a 9, urgently. So fucking urgently.

We obviously need to move heaven and earth to find a hooker. Where and who, I don’t know, but it is priority #1.

It's been so long, and at the ripe old age of 42 my only hope is that we can sort it at some point before I pop my clogs lol. Someone mentioned in the live chat last night, he is who he is but the speed at which Mahoney had the Eels rolling at certain points last night was outstanding, I can only dream of us having anything even approaching that.

 

[Kaz]

What about a swap: Billy + Kevvie for Benny + Hook? That's a bit juicier.

Perma Ban.

 

[McHunt]

Well Sualli hasn`t been KO`d like Selwyn as yet ...
He got depression after the head knock . Then got knocked stupid again in his come back match . Brain injuries are not to be trivialised .

Also Reynolds got a knee to the face while on the ground .
Wasn`t his fault he had concussion .

Kobe blurted that Selwyn had some "off field" issues. Best to leave it be, I reckon. I stand by my opinion that Selwyn wasn't ready for Origin and that he's not as far advanced into being NRL ready as most assume based on his obvious talent, but there's no way he shirks responsibility. We've seen him happily bite off more than he can chew. There's more to this picture than we can see.

 

[Mister Wright]

It's been so long, and at the ripe old age of 42 my only hope is that we can sort it at some point before I pop my clogs lol. Someone mentioned in the live chat last night, he is who he is but the speed at which Mahoney had the Eels rolling at certain points last night was outstanding, I can only dream of us having anything even approaching that.

Mahoney is good, I rate him highly, but there were at least 4 forward passes that weren’t called last night.

 

[Painin the Haas]

A player who to be has been a tad disappointing this year is Kobe Hetherington. I’m not saying he had a bad year or am writing off by any means just thought he would have really taken off and be more dominant this year

 

[Culhwch]

I've been saying for a while if there was an opportunity to offload Staggs we should consider it, even if we need to pay some freight. Unfortunately I feel like this might be one of those situations where if he stays he's not going to improve, but if he leaves he might find form again and make us look a little stupid. But I think we have good enough stocks in the centres outside of him we can afford to cut ties and focus on trying to retain Herbie beyond next year and then bringing Cobbo or Mariner on in the vacant centre spot.

I'm absolutely for ditching Haas. Let him be someone else's far too expensive problem. He'll probably be another one who will flash immediately elsewhere and make it look like a poor decision from us, but it will be for the best long-term.

We need better coaching week-in and week-out, no doubt about it. Defense has fallen off a cliff, and even before that it was built on effort and not structure. It's been said a thousand times here, but we need more line speed. It's frustrating to watch.

You could see better structures in attack throughout the year, and if we can put the same team together on the park and not limited by injuries, I think that will build and improve next season. Whether that's coaching or Reynolds, I don't know, but if it's the latter make sure we have Adam lined up to move into the coaching staff after he calls it a day on the field.

Team selections and bench use need to be examined in depth and improved, and maybe that's through looking at support staff. I think Kevvie's earned another year, however this season ends, but I also think he needs support in the areas he falls down, and it seems he doesn't have that at the moment. If those problems persist through next year, that's a problem and he should rightly have his position questioned.

Ben Hunt is so very unlikely, but by god I want it to happen. Give St George Haas and Staggs, pay them a transfer fee, and get him here next year. I'd bring him in at six (and seven as needed if Reynolds misses more time again) if he doesn't want to play hooker, and let Mam play utility or in QCup to develop. Hooker will still be a problem, but I can live with some combination of Paix and Walters/some journeyman or QCup hooker if we can find a decent one, and with no threat of Turpin being snuck into the team.

 

[HarryAllan7]

FOCUS 1: Line speed in defence

- No personnel changes required
- All attitude, commitment and effort
- Fundamental baseline of being eligible to play first grade... if you do not move up quickly in the defensive line for 80 minutes you are sent to QCup until you are capable / willing ... Applies to every player on the park. No excuses.

FOCUS 2: Second rowers supporting halves in defensive line

- The most basic and fundamental job of our second rowers should be to support their halves in defence
- Every second rower who wants first grade game time has to prove that they can sit in the pocket of the half on their side of the field and prevent 1-on-1 situations... That's their singular most important KPI and first priority at all times
- Running metres and attacking contributions null and void if you allow a half to be singled out (especially close to the line)
- Have a stats person watching the games recording '1 on 1s allowed' as a stat to judge second rowers

FOCUS 3: Wrapping up the ball in the tackle

- Develop a 3 man system... First man is tasked with initiating contact in whichever way possible to prevent a line break... Second man in automatically goes to lock up the ball... third man in can take legs only if ball is secure. Extremely simple but effective
- Non adherence to your responsibility as a tackler should be counted as an 'ineffective tackle' and counted against the player in question
- Have a stats person watching the games recording 'offloads allowed' as a stat to judge players

FOCUS 4: Quick PTB Speed

- Have a stats person watching the games recording 'slow PTBs' as a stat to judge players, measure individual PTB speeds and use it as a key metric for first grade selection
- Barring injury or playing for penalty, every PTB should be as quick as possible at all stages of the game
- Players should be encouraged to look for quick PTB opportunities FIRST, and opportunity to make metres SECOND... A short run with lightning quick PTB is better for the team than a long slow run with a slow PTB
- Players should be trained to run into contact as low as possible, with weight leaning forward... Increased chance of finding your front quickly or drawing an accidental penalty for high shot
- When called by a playmaker, a player should execute a 'pre-emptive' PTB (Melbourne and Penrith do this all the time)... they don't wait for 'held' to be called before playing the ball.. they initiate contact and then almost immediately play the ball without waiting for the call... usually it coincides with the ball being played right as the ref calls 'held' and it NEVER gets called back. It can't be done all the time, but it should be practiced for us in opportune moments.

FOCUS 5: Attacking shapes from dummy half

- The only focus area which may require additional player resources.
- Focus on moving the ball laterally (directly from the ground) post PTB - without picking it up, taking a few slow steps before passing it on, while picking effective moments to run (on the back of a fast PTB or line break)
- Focus on always making sure the ball is in the playmaker's hands when they want it

Roster Changes (Release or demote):
- Haas (Release)
- Staggs
- Riki

Roster Changes (Sign):
+ Experienced Front Rower
+ ANY Available Hooker

Coaching Changes:
+ Any experienced QLD assistant coaches to oversee strategy and attack (Hannay, Hagan, Henry) with a view to taking over the top job

 

[Mr Fourex]

I think the elephant in the room is admitting that our spine players are fucked......and have been for a long, long time.

Milford - couldn't do it on his own. He's not Darren Lockyer.

ARey - can't do it on his own. He's not Darren Lockyer.

Mam....might get there. Might.

Walsh.....here's hoping we can finally get a little creativity from our fullback.

Still no dummy half

Thats how 2023 is shaping up.

We gotta find the next superstar 9.......the remaining spine players aren't capable IMO of pulling it off themselves. We need that creative spark and organisation from the play the ball for the whole thing to click.

 

[Mr Fourex]

FOCUS 1: Line speed in defence