The Wayne Bennett Super thread!

[Porthoz]

so you dont actually have any response to me, just childish insults. fantastic. grown ups shake hands when theres a need/reason to. you apologizing in one line while attacking again with the next isnt worth shaking hands over.

lets keep the thread on topic - if you want to keep making this personal then PM me.

so honest question to those who feel bellamy hasnt proven himself - what will your opinion be if melbourne go back to back this year? as you all agree, it is MUCH harder to go back to back these days than it ever was before, thats why noones done it for 15 years, so if melbourne do it will you just write it off as "he couldnt do it without the big 3" or will you give him some credit?

You had the last say as usual. Now leave it be, or this thread gets locked!

 

[Coxy]

so honest question to those who feel bellamy hasnt proven himself - what will your opinion be if melbourne go back to back this year? as you all agree, it is MUCH harder to go back to back these days than it ever was before, thats why noones done it for 15 years, so if melbourne do it will you just write it off as "he couldnt do it without the big 3" or will you give him some credit?

It'll be another tick in his credentials as the best coach of the past decade which I think he currently has over Hasler by a whisker.

Hasler has done well with 2 clubs now, and with less settled line ups than Bellamy, but there's no denying Bellamy's success year upon year has been stronger.

 

[Kimlo]

If he wins this year I'll still give him no credit.
**** the storm and Bellamy.

 

[OXY-351]

what will your opinion be if melbourne go back to back this year?

That would mean he's only won 2 premierships in the past 7 years, so I'd say he's nowhere near being the best coach in the game.

 

[OXY-351]

Yes he did. I saw them with my own eyes, I watched those races and he won.

True, plus you can't say for certain he wouldn't have won without cheating anyway

 

[Kimlo]

Exactly, there's no way to know for sure so we must give Armstrong credit.

 

[Ari Gold]

so you dont actually have any response to me, just childish insults. fantastic. grown ups shake hands when theres a need/reason to. you apologizing in one line while attacking again with the next isnt worth shaking hands over.

lets keep the thread on topic - if you want to keep making this personal then PM me.

so honest question to those who feel bellamy hasnt proven himself - what will your opinion be if melbourne go back to back this year? as you all agree, it is MUCH harder to go back to back these days than it ever was before, thats why noones done it for 15 years, so if melbourne do it will you just write it off as "he couldnt do it without the big 3" or will you give him some credit?

Even with the big 3, he deserves credit. There's a lot of coaches who wouldn't have achieved what Bellamy has with those big 3. In fact, Griffin would probably find a way to win the spoon with those players so Bellamy already deserves a lot of credit. However, to use a cricketing analogy (as it appears to be all the rage here), a coach like Hasler has runs on the board on green pitches and spinning pitches as well as flat tracks. Bellamy has a lot more runs and has a Bradmanesque like average, but all of his runs have been made on very good batting pitches.

 

[broncos4life]

Even with the big 3, he deserves credit. There's a lot of coaches who wouldn't have achieved what Bellamy has with those big 3. In fact, Griffin would probably find a way to win the spoon with those players so Bellamy already deserves a lot of credit. However, to use a cricketing analogy (as it appears to be all the rage here), a coach like Hasler has runs on the board on green pitches and spinning pitches as well as flat tracks. Bellamy has a lot more runs and has a Bradmanesque like average, but all of his runs have been made on very good batting pitches.

Perfect analogy, I really like the way you put that

 

[Big Pete]

There's also a lot of coaches who's clubs didn't cheat the salary cap to cultivate a successful team culture.

 

[Ari Gold]

There's also a lot of coaches who's clubs didn't cheat the salary cap to cultivate a successful team culture.

I know people like to bring this up a lot, and to an extent it is fair, but to an extent, it also isn't. The quality of our 1998 and 2000 squads compared to the others in those years was just ridiculous. From memory, it had something to do with exemptions or concessions of Super League contracts. Legal? Absolutely! But the benefit we enjoyed from it is no different than the benefit Bellamy enjoyed, in the sense that we had superior squads and were able to cultivate a winning culture.

 

[Big Pete]

Except every club got to enjoy the exact same benefit.

Storm had an advantage no other club had.

It's a dead horse for sure but it's always going to be relevant because these players were developed around an illegal side.

 

[Kaz]

IMO Armstrong still did win them. He cheated, but he won. I don't believe in stripping things like premierships/championships from the record books, but that's another topic.

That means Ben Johnson should still have has gold medal from the 100 metre final in 1988.

He won it, I saw it with my own two eyes.

Yet they stripped him of it & gave it to an other cheat Carl Lewis.

 

[Kimlo]

Yes but we still did it legally. For example, I have no doubt Smith was all but signed for the Titans but Melbourne gave him a way bigger offer to stay and now him and the other two are basically going to retire in Melbourne.

 

[Kaz]

I know people like to bring this up a lot, and to an extent it is fair, but to an extent, it also isn't. The quality of our 1998 and 2000 squads compared to the others in those years was just ridiculous. From memory, it had something to do with exemptions or concessions of Super League contracts. Legal? Absolutely! But the benefit we enjoyed from it is no different than the benefit Bellamy enjoyed, in the sense that we had superior squads and were able to cultivate a winning culture.

Oh please, our exemtions/concessions were LEGAL, we didn't fake contracts & hide the evidence from the NRL etc to keep players.

We played by the rules at the time, the Storm didn't.

 

[Ari Gold]

Oh please, our exemtions/concessions were LEGAL, we didn't fake contracts & hide the evidence from the NRL etc to keep players.

We played by the rules at the time, the Storm didn't.

But we aren't talking about the legitimacy of the team's wins, but the achievement in being able to coach said side to victory.

 

[Kaz]

But we aren't talking about the legitimacy of the team's wins, but the achievement in being able to coach said side to victory.

I think any of us could coach the Storm side to victory & we wouldn't have to be there.

2000 was a 'rebuilding' year for the Broncos.

IMO: The 2006 premiership was our best, as we beat a team of cheats.

 

[Coxy]

Except every club got to enjoy the exact same benefit.

Storm had an advantage no other club had.

It's a dead horse for sure but it's always going to be relevant because these players were developed around an illegal side.

Well yes and no. While every club in 1998 had the advantage of super league contracts being exempt, the Broncos still had the advantage that they were the Broncos, and they were News Limited's flagship. We could've paid players $1 million a year and the money would be there. Other clubs couldn't afford that, and didn't have the same backing.

In saying all that, it's not like the Broncos squad was an all star squad bought in those conditions. The vast majority were still guys that had come through the juniors, with the only imported players really being Tallis and Darren Smith.

 

[Big Pete]

That's like saying everybody else is cheating the cap because Cronulla can't afford to spend the maximum amount on their salary cap.

Everybody had the option to spend the amount Brisbane did, they just weren't in a position to do so.

It's a long bow to be sure.