VOTE Kev’s midseason mark

[Renegade]

I would upgrade my 2 to a 4. We still suck, but you can see the effort is there and things are slowly turning. With Reynolds and Staggs next year + the youngsters getting another year of experience, I think we'll be fringe 8 contenders. From there, Kev needs to start proving he's the right coach moving forward, getting out of the basement is the bare minimum.

 

[Scorchie]

Just think… had we beat the Dragons, Tigers, Roosters and the Cowboys we’d basically be in the finals

 

[mitch222]

Since finally appointing a competent CEO and football manager, with his sole focus on now just coaching the team and nothing else (I think he was taking to much on before the appointments purely because he had zero support from management), the results are in the pudding. The team is starting to gel extremely well and had luck fallen our way a few times this season, we could easily be pushing for a top 8 spot. The new players we have arriving next year will do wonders for this team in regards to leadership and direction which has been our downfall this year and last year as well. Kevs got us back on the right path and I am very keen to see what happens next season. We are currently like 2.5 mill under the cap with the team we are putting out every week currently so the fact that we are more than competitive speaks wonders for where the side is currently trending too.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

It's interesting these improved 80 minute efforts over consistent weeks have started once we got rid of TPJ and Lodge.

Is it a coincidence and/or just sent a message to the rest of the team? Or are they really that bad for culture?

 

[mrslong]

I'll upgrade him from a 2 to 4 also.

I still think he makes some weird team choices, like bringing back Coates, always leaving Bullemore out, persisting with Croft when Kelly was available, Milford and Arthars on the bench, etc, etc. Maybe there's stuff in the background we can't see I get that, but it still upsets me so I'm still not sold on him as a coach.

I do think he's the perfect guy to get the pride back in the club though. He was my favourite all time Bronco and it wasn't until about 2011 that I finally switched to Locky being the goat.

 

[Sproj]

He's the man we need for now, clearly. I am also hoping those things he struggles at like bench management and weird selections will improve over time but he has certainly earned the right to next year and hopefully he earns an extension. The torner has clearly been curned.

 

[Jedhead]

People say he's not picking Bull enough. I say he's doing a great job of easing Bull in to first grade. The same as Riki and Hetherington. His coaching staff have seen both of them are ready for NRL but they lack the stamina. So he's now leaving them out there for longer than necessary to allow them to get used to making tackles, and decisions while extremely fatigued. The season is a right off so why not. Goofy was only brought back because of injuries and the fact he'd be able to jump competitively with Tupou and therefore keep the team competitive. If a few of the balls Teddy and Walker threw to that wing had actually found their mark he would have been in the shit though.

It was fairly obvious that Cobbo was instructed that if he just makes his tackles he's done enough for the team. Well done to the kid too. he did the job the coach asked of him.

Someone said we should stick Isaako in at 6 if Kelly is unable to back up. I think that might be worth a shot, but I'd be more inclined to stick Kobe in there and let TC cover for him. Either way we're struggling to field an even average set of halves against the Warriors.

 

[Accept]

I think I gave him a 6 when this poll came out as he has done his best with the absolute shit show that he inherited.

I said at the start of the year that a pass mark for Kevie would contain 7-8 victories. That's not going to happen so I would probably drop him to a 4.

Yes, the side has improved as of late (especially defensively) but they still have only won 2 of their last 5, all home games where they haven't had to endure the hassle of traveling and playing in cooler conditions.

But Kevie is trying to build a team from scratch here and has made some handy acquisitions and a few controversial departures with assumingly more to come. They will be better next year but they won't exactly be world beaters. It will take years for them to become automatic premiership contenders again.

The jury is still out on Kevie. I love the guy and desperately want him to succeed but I'm not sure if he will. I guess we'll know more a year from now.

 

[Alec]

Still a 2 from me.
Last season was a 0.5 (or a 1 if you round up). This season is better, but the Broncos are still 15th. His selections still feel inconsistent a lot of the time too.

 

[BroncsFan]

I gave him a 5 and would leave it at that. I had very little optimism coming into the season and had even less when Lodge and TPJ were sent packing.

The squad he inherited was worse than last year and it's even worse now with Lodge and TPJ gone.

And even though NSWRL are putting it out there that Kevvie "finally has his squad", I just cannot see how Kevvie has anywhere near the squad that he wants.

There is no coach in the world whose "preferred" squad comprises 2 of his best forwards/ players being let go halfway through the year and having 10-20% of his salary cap paying players to play for a different team.

I think Kevvie has said to Ikin and DD do what you have to do to get the cap in order and I will wear the repercussions... I think that alone warrants a 12 month extension for Kevvie. Because next year we will still be operating whilst paying off shit contracts for players to play elsewhere.

Kevvie cant be held accountable for results under those conditions, the best that you can ask is for him to keep the playing group from imploding attitude wise.

The other thing that I think should see Kevvie get an extension is that Ikin has a fair amount of control on recruitment decisions, which can allow the R&R to setup a bit of a long term plan for the squad moving forward ie. level of investment across positions and marquee signings to go after

I think the coach generally holds a lot of power in the R&R side of things, because ultimately he is the one copping the heat when results aren't going well... but if we get rid of Kevvie next year, the next coach may not be so amicable with an R&R team trying to do certain things with the roster, because they will want results now. Kevvie may have outlined his plan to Ikin and has been happy to take a backseat whilst Ikin takes a machete to the roster, but that wont be tolerated by every coach, and you cant run a football team with the coach and football director butting heads all the time.

I think getting rid of Kevvie now could also impact on the playing group which he has got playing for each other... that is no small feat when you've only got 5 wins across the year... on the back of 3 wins the previous year.

For me Ikin and co should be looking to improve the assistant coaching around Kevvie, let him be the father figure over the top whilst exposing the playing group to the more nuanced tactical side of the game via the assistants... and if we dont start seeing improvements by the end of 2023 then you start thinking about whether the group is still playing for Kevvie or if a different coach could get more out of the squad.... and I think that is the primary question. Could a different coach get more out of the squad??

To me I don't think they could, because the talent across the squad is bottom level. Any wins we have this year are purely from emotional investment that the coach has created... as the talent improves you ask the question again on whether a different coach could get more

 

[Sproj]

I gave him a 5 and would leave it at that. I had very little optimism coming into the season and had even less when Lodge and TPJ were sent packing.

The squad he inherited was worse than last year and it's even worse now with Lodge and TPJ gone.

And even though NSWRL are putting it out there that Kevvie "finally has his squad", I just cannot see how Kevvie has anywhere near the squad that he wants.

There is no coach in the world whose "preferred" squad comprises 2 of his best forwards/ players being let go halfway through the year and having 10-20% of his salary cap paying players to play for a different team.

I think Kevvie has said to Ikin and DD do what you have to do to get the cap in order and I will wear the repercussions... I think that alone warrants a 12 month extension for Kevvie. Because next year we will still be operating whilst paying off shit contracts for players to play elsewhere.

Kevvie cant be held accountable for results under those conditions, the best that you can ask is for him to keep the playing group from imploding attitude wise.

The other thing that I think should see Kevvie get an extension is that Ikin has a fair amount of control on recruitment decisions, which can allow the R&R to setup a bit of a long term plan for the squad moving forward ie. level of investment across positions and marquee signings to go after

I think the coach generally holds a lot of power in the R&R side of things, because ultimately he is the one copping the heat when results aren't going well... but if we get rid of Kevvie next year, the next coach may not be so amicable with an R&R team trying to do certain things with the roster, because they will want results now. Kevvie may have outlined his plan to Ikin and has been happy to take a backseat whilst Ikin takes a machete to the roster, but that wont be tolerated by every coach, and you cant run a football team with the coach and football director butting heads all the time.

I think getting rid of Kevvie now could also impact on the playing group which he has got playing for each other... that is no small feat when you've only got 5 wins across the year... on the back of 3 wins the previous year.

For me Ikin and co should be looking to improve the assistant coaching around Kevvie, let him be the father figure over the top whilst exposing the playing group to the more nuanced tactical side of the game via the assistants... and if we dont start seeing improvements by the end of 2023 then you start thinking about whether the group is still playing for Kevvie or if a different coach could get more out of the squad.... and I think that is the primary question. Could a different coach get more out of the squad??

To me I don't think they could, because the talent across the squad is bottom level. Any wins we have this year are purely from emotional investment that the coach has created... as the talent improves you ask the question again on whether a different coach could get more

How do you always post so beautifully? It is like watching the Statue of David being sculpted in front of my very eyes.

 

[BroncsFan]

How do you always post so beautifully? It is like watching the Statue of David being sculpted in front of my very eyes.

I mean I typically follow the tried and true formula of:
"blah, blah, blah... [insert shit/****/bastard as needed].... blah, blah, blah"

 

[lynx000]

I gave him a two and I am now revised to a four.

The blowout losses (other than the Tigers) have stopped, we are competing for a lot longer in games and our defence has improved markedly.

If we win another game I will have him up to 4.5 and if we win 2, I will be a 5 by the end of the season.

 

[Alec]

I gave him a two and I am now revised to a four.

The blowout losses (other than the Tigers) have stopped, we are competing for a lot longer in games and our defence has improved markedly.

If we win another game I will have him up to 4.5 and if we win 2, I will be a 5 by the end of the season.

Maybe I view numbers differently to others, but I thought 5 is a pass, and a pass should be making the top 8 (50% of the the sides).

 

[Organix]

Honestly, I am not marking based on results, I'm grading him based on the changes he is bringing and my perception of the team attitude. I honestly don't think Walters ever had any beliefs about being a top 8 upon his arrival, and I don't think he realised just how broken these guys are. I think he's using this year to assess the team individually and identify leadership and flaws.

Were it me, I would be wary of the factions within the playing group. For example, Glenn is very well respected, but I think he's starting to be seen by many as not providing when compared to Riki or Robati. You bring them in slowly (because you can't just oust the captain and a senior guy) and show the whole team that there is an issue (and you can't do that just because he is injured, that would look slack). Simultaneously, you show the team that a big paycheck does not me a guaranteed spot (Milf). You use this year to see who wants it and who has anything to offer. Obviously poaching happens, but **** that, let anyone who wants to go, go. Otherwise, buy in and work for it. If I were Kevvie behind the scenes I would be talking to each player individually and building a relationship this year. Getting them to buy in, getting them all to follow me and weeding out these cliques. I think that is happening, but it isn't an easy job. You bring in your own selected leader (Reynolds) and you tap the old guys on the shoulder.

Mead was doing well, but why not just use this time to see if Cobbo is going to be able to replace Coates. You can't not include an Origin rep, but you can give them rope to hang themselves.

I dunno, maybe I'm just hopeful, but honestly, there is a core building and weeding happening. It just takes time.

I stand by my 6. Kevvie was making cultural changes and they have been paying dividends. The last few weeks we would have absolutely collapsed under the stress, but we were competitive until the end with some lapses. We're not dropping our heads and feeling like it's futile (even though I personally think it is under the current reffing/rules/inconsistency).

 

[lynx000]

Maybe I view numbers differently to others, but I thought 5 is a pass, and a pass should be making the top 8 (50% of the the sides).

I would usually agree with you, but you have to take into account he was coming in off the lowest base in the club's history, with apparent divisions everywhere, a young squad down on confidence and belief and finally, he has had to try and coach in the midst of substantial turnover of the roster.

Hence, I personally have set a lower bar than I would otherwise usually set.

 

[BroncsFan]

Maybe I view numbers differently to others, but I thought 5 is a pass, and a pass should be making the top 8 (50% of the the sides).

I considered it to be how Kevvie was faring against my own expectations for the season.

Ie. 5 meeting expectations,
>5 exceeding expectations,
<5 below expectations


Given I didn't expect much to begin with I probably could've gone slightly higher than 5, but I think the voting was right around the time of origin when some things were going against us (in regards to blow out scorelines) and some team selections were perplexing (picking Khunt, etc.).

In hindsight I think some of those selections were about giving players a run before the mid season reset that took place... and since then the team has been playing with better commitment

 

[pagey]

Maybe I view numbers differently to others, but I thought 5 is a pass, and a pass should be making the top 8 (50% of the the sides).

No way was this team making the 8 that is just unrealistic, maybe if we had some big signings but our salary cap is/was a mess. I think a pass mark is getting some momentum going into next year and not getting the spoon again.
So realistically a win or two with no blow outs would go along way , but in saying that suspensions and injuries aren't being kind.