Re: Sack Griffin
You can't defend a stat that says we are 15th on the form ladder over a 20 game period. Maybe if we were 8th-10th you could say with a fairer draw we'd be top 4, but if we are 15th what's a fairer draw going to do? Put us in 11th or 12th -- still not good enough.
That is a skewed truth, the stats are absolutely damning,but if we look at the actual games and opposition, the truth is we didn't do as bad as it looks:
[TABLE="class: grid, width: 770"]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]
Team
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
H/A[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
W/L[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
Result[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
Comment[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Warriors[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Win[/TD]
[TD]10-8[/TD]
[TD]Good tough win[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Titans[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]14-10[/TD]
[TD]Should've done better
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Eels[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]22-42[/TD]
[TD]Horrible[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Raiders[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]28-12[/TD]
[TD]Could've done better, but no shame in losing this one agains an in form Raiders[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bulldogs[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]22-14[/TD]
[TD]Played well, but lost to the finalists[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Storm[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]18-19[/TD]
[TD]As above, to the future premiers[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Manly[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]16-6[/TD]
[TD]No shame in that[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Panthers[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Win[/TD]
[TD]19-12[/TD]
[TD]Mandatory crappy win[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cowboys[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]33-16[/TD]
[TD]Cowboys were putting most teams to the sword[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Manly[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]14-22[/TD]
[TD]Bad capitulation in the second half, but good signs in the first[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dragons[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Win[/TD]
[TD]6-22[/TD]
[TD]Very good tough win[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Roosters[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]8-0[/TD]
[TD]Loss to a top team with the best defence, no shame in that in hindsight[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Storm[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]26-32[/TD]
[TD]Unlucky to loose that one, refs screwed us too[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Titans[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Win[/TD]
[TD]12-32[/TD]
[TD]Very good win against a top 4 team[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cowboys[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Win[/TD]
[TD]12-10[/TD]
[TD]Tough win against a Cowboys who played one of their better games of the season[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tigers[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Win[/TD]
[TD]10-20[/TD]
[TD]Scrappy win, disappointing performance[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Souths[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]12-26[/TD]
[TD]We were better than the scoreline tells, but got put to the sword during 10 fatidic minutes by what is currently the best team in the comp.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Eels[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]18-19[/TD]
[TD]Bad loss, no excuses, we were shit![/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Titans[/TD]
[TD]Home[/TD]
[TD]Win[/TD]
[TD]32-6[/TD]
[TD]Excellent win against a Titans team that sefl destructed[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bulldogs[/TD]
[TD]Away[/TD]
[TD]Loss[/TD]
[TD]24-14[/TD]
[TD]We lost it in the forwards battle and were screwed by the refs.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
As the Broncos, we must expect and demand better, but we also need to be realistic!
We can all throw the toys out of the cot, yet I'd like to see people actually come up with ideas on how to change the current course?
- Should we do what Penrith is doing and throw the chequebook at contracted players, regardless of whether he is still signed long term to his club?
- Should we sack Griffin because he can't seem to make this player's group perform at an acceptable level, in which case the next question is... Who do we hire?
I don't blame the recruitment, simply because I don't think much could realistically have been done by the club.
The worthwhile players that came to the market, were either absolute fuckheads (Dugan), demanded too much coin for what they're worth on the field (Soward, Widdop), or simply weren't willing to move out of their current club (Thurston, Cronk, DCE).
I have no issue with Prince's recruitment either, and really don't buy the "he wasn't going to Qcup no matter what". Fact is he outplayed and out-trained both Hunt and Norman, with the latter throwing a tantrum and running to Parra for a guaranteed 5/8 spot he doesn't deserve!
In all honesty, I have had more faith in Hook that I have now, and I am cutting him some slack and giving him a discount for having had to deal with the worst injury run in the club's history.
We can all say Wallace, Prince, Macca, Norman, etc... need to go, but who do we replace them with?
Maybe those players are too comfortable with the knowledge they won't be demoted by lack of better, in which case, do we give up on the current season, and start building towards the future now with insisting with Hunt (with whom?), moving Kahu to fullback, and start to give some of our big boys in the U20's (Timu, Oates, etc...) a taste of the NRL?
Sorry for the long read, but it's just too easy to just relentlessly bag the club and everything that moves with a Broncos jersey. I'd like to see a debate where people can give their opinion on how we can move into the future and become again the force we should be.