Sack Griffin/New Coach Discussion

[Kimlo]

does it? how?

defending well in the centres doesnt make you a good centre. if all it took was for you to defend well in a position and you were then considered good at that position, well wallace would be the best halfback going around.

Not missing a tackle in the entire final series, pretty impressive feat for a makeshift centre. He's a premiership winning centre, that's not to say he's any good at that position anymore ( I agree 2nd row only) but he did a very good job for us in 2006.

 

[Anonymous person]

Not missing a tackle in the entire final series, pretty impressive feat for a makeshift centre. He's a premiership winning centre, that's not to say he's any good at that position anymore ( I agree 2nd row only) but he did a very good job for us in 2006.

when basically the only thing youre good at is defending, its not really a surprise that he did well defending in the centres. much easier to not miss a tackle out there when youre making 15 tackles a game opposed to the 40 when defending in the middle.

hes not a premiership winning centre. hes a premiership winning player. just because he played centre for a few games it doesnt make him a centre. a centre is one of your main attacking positions, and he is absolutely terrible at attacking.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Technically he is a premiership winning centre.

 

[Kimlo]

when basically the only thing youre good at is defending, its not really a surprise that he did well defending in the centres. much easier to not miss a tackle out there when youre making 15 tackles a game opposed to the 40 when defending in the middle.

hes not a premiership winning centre. hes a premiership winning player. just because he played centre for a few games it doesnt make him a centre. a centre is one of your main attacking positions, and he is absolutely terrible at attacking.

He played the entire final series, including the grand final, playing at centre so he definitely qualifies as a premiership quality centre. I don't think he's cut out for centre anymore but lets just say I'd rather him than Gillett in that position if we really have no other options for centre with all these injuries.

 

[Anonymous person]

no, technically hes a premiership winning player who played centre in a grand final. hes a second rower, not a centre. you dont call thurston a premiership winning bench player. hes a premiership winning player who played on the bench in a grand final.

anyway this is neither here nor there. lets get back on topic.

2014 is obviously crunch year for griffin. he will be gone if we dont put up a good premiership challenge, especially if we get barba or DCE.

 

[FaithinHook]

Yeah I can't agree more with this. I'm by no means a massive hook fan but he certainly hasn't had the greatest roster. If we get one or both of them and If there is no improvement then he definitely needs to go, but I want to see what he can do with the potential side next year before throwing him on the scrap heap

Bronny4Life, I'm really lovin your positive and optimistic attitude at the moment pal. It's amazing what a little tidbit of good news can do to change the mood of football fanatics such as those here on BHQ.

Like you Bronny, I think once Anthony gets his complete new-look arsenal behind him in 2014, there are going to be a substantial number of very pleasantly surprised people on this forum. Hook has shown he has superb man-management skills - his players (from the 2007 Qld Residents side up to the 2013 Bronny lads) just love the guy. With a new and improved playing roster next season, just watch him shine in the coaches' box.

Anyways, keep up the postive thinking fella and let's keep our fingers crossed. Ciao for now.

 

[Culhwch]

I don't think Griffin has it in him to be anything but a sub-par NRL coach, and I can't see him turning it around next year. I'd rather he was gone altogether than waste another season with him at the helm. What I admit we might see is a better playing roster that wins more games than it loses in spite of the coach, or because some other, superior, coaching pieces have been brought in beneath Griffin. But, let's face it, he has had far from a poor roster for the last two years. In that time he has been incapable of devising a game plan to suit the cattle he has had at his disposal. His team (HIS team, the buck absolutely stops with him) has been deficient in so many aspects of the game, right down to the very fundamentals, and has shown little to no improvement in those areas.

Yes, we finally won a game. Yes, we may sign a couple of talents. But that hasn't changed my mind - Griffin is not the way forward. He can go and man-manage the local McDonald's, as far as I'm concerned.

I might have to change my username to ZeroFaithinHook.

 

[Renegade]

Let's talk hypotheticals.

At the moment, there is plenty of conjecture whether Milford and Barba are coming in for season 2014, season 2015 or potentially not at all (depending on girl). We have seemingly given Griffin a free pass on this season based on the fact he hasn't had the cattle (which I disagree with purely because it's his cattle, he's been in charge since 2011) to compete this season and that the anticipated arrivals of Barba and Milford will provide him with the spark to fire the squad up the table.

What happens if we fail to secure these guys for 2014, and we are stuck with largely the same squad? Does Griffin get another pass for 2014 because, well, he still hasn't got the cattle but in 2015 he will, so that's when he will be judged? I'm not trying to stir up hysteria as I'm genuinely curious, but how far does this free pass extend? If he was to have a similar squad in 2014 and achieve similar results, does he get the axe? Or do we repeat the same mantra as we have done for this year and how we've transpired?

 

[noisetheory]

things change. just because they've said that right now he has the full backing (and i believe that right now, he does) if we suddenly go back to some woeful performances for the rest of the season the axe will come out.

at the moment enough is happening to suggest things will stay fairly positive for us/him but i do feel like some of the changes made to the side as of last week were orders from above.

 

[Huge]

Milfords unlikely to be here for 2014 according to the press reports. Although a bit homesick the Christmas break which will probably be a bit longer this year for him ( the club probably will tell him to have bit longer at home ) will likely be enough for him to finish 2014 in Canberra. Barbas missus will decide his fate and she's likely to head home to Brisbane , he'll just want to be wherever the kids are.

 

[Porthoz]

I hope not. The last thing you want is a coach who lets his selection and game plan be determined by management.

However, if the message was "loyalty only goes so far, you need to show us that you can make the tough choices to benefit the team"... I'm good with it.

 

[Culhwch]

Even if we do get Milford and Barba, how much of an improvement do they make next year anyway? Griffin had his success when he had a superstar in the squad in Lockyer. But Locky was at the tail end of his career, a canny and respected veteran. Milford and Barba are just kids - albeit kids with enormous potential, but will Griffin be capable of installing a system around then to make best use of their talents? Milford will likely be paired with Hunt, who has only limited experience and is still working on his own confidence. Thaiday as captain is not what you'd necessarily call a steadying influence.

I just can't see us improving and finding any kind of consistency under Griffin. Of course the argument that there's no one better has some validity, but at the moment I think I'd rather an unproven replacement to twelve more months of Griffin.

 

[noisetheory]

I hope not. The last thing you want is a coach who lets his selection and game plan be determined by management.

oh absolutely. would make me feel more confident in griffin if he made the team changes on his own accord.

 

[Morkel]

does it? how?

defending well in the centres doesnt make you a good centre. if all it took was for you to defend well in a position and you were then considered good at that position, well wallace would be the best halfback going around.

IIRC, he defended at hooker (in the middle) while Berrigan defended at right centre (to mark Inglis). They switched around so Berrigan could play his running hooker game & Stagg attacked in the centres.

 

[Alec]

IIRC, he defended at hooker (in the middle) while Berrigan defended at right centre (to mark Inglis). They switched around so Berrigan could play his running hooker game & Stagg attacked in the centres.

Correct, except it was left centre.

 

[Anonymous person]

Stagg attacked in the centres.

you have to use that term very loosely though.

 

[Porthoz]

The only reasons I'm still sitting on the fence are:

- We have had 2/3's of our backline in the infirmary most of this season. It says something when we are forced to play Maranta and backrowers in the centre/wing positions on a regular basis.

- Despite everything, the players still seem to believe in Griffin and play for him. We have been close in most games we lost, and we have competed well with the top teams, even in the game we lost in Melbourne.

Having said that, we need to be able to maintain the intensity for the whole game, and not have fade out periods where the opposition slices through us and scores multiple tries. We also need to be ruthless and put teams to the sword, not get back into our shell once we're more than a try ahead. Fatigue may play a role, but it's more a mentality thing imo. The players need to enter the arena with a gladiator mentality; not only to win, but to hurt and slaughter the opponent without fear!

A Gladiator does not fear death. He embraces it. Caresses it. ***** it. Each time he enters the arena, he slips his **** in the mouth of the beast, and endeavours to thrust home before the jaws snap shut.

 

[Renegade]

oh absolutely. would make me feel more confident in griffin if he made the team changes on his own accord.

mmm personally I don't know how I'd feel, I mean it would be absolutely of concern if management started picking the side by proxy, but on the same accord if it took Griffin the best part of 20 weeks to figure out Norman/Wallace wasn't working, when it was a significant part of our late season fade last year, well... I'm not even sure if reactionary is the best way of describing it.

It would be like concussion cognizance.