MELTDOWN Wayne Bennett - Moves to Souths

[Huge]

Honestly, we are struggling at the bottom of the eight and have been comprehensively beaten in consecutive weeks by two teams fighting for the wooden spoon. No matter what sort of spin, I can’t see anything changing next year while the current training methods are again applied.

Ha ha ha ha ha, agenda much ?

We are struggling at the bottom of the eight while Melbourne fly high at the top of the eight ! Yes, that's not right is it though because if we were struggling we wouldn't just be two games away from equal first nor would the points we scored be so very similar to the high flying Melbourne. Our only struggle is for consistency not a struggle for direction or a coach who doesn't know what to do. We are primarily inconsistent due to the immaturity of our side but that will change without new coaching or training methods. That doesn't mean we shouldn't always look to improve rather it means we already have the correct tools and consistency will come with experience and greater maturity across the team.

 

[Aldo]

Geez I love the call-outs of "agenda" on these forums haha. Seems like it's the default, go-to response/sledge when someone doesn't agree with you.

 

[Huge]

Geez I love the call-outs of "agenda" on these forums haha. Seems like it's the default, go-to response/sledge when someone doesn't agree with you.

Well you'll always get called out when making ridiculous statements like 'we are struggling at the bottom of the eight' while simultaneously being only two wins off first place. By that logic Melbourne's struggling to avoid running eighth as they're only two wins clear.

 

[007]

Ha ha ha ha ha, agenda much ?

We are struggling at the bottom of the eight while Melbourne fly high at the top of the eight ! Yes, that's not right is it though because if we were struggling we wouldn't just be two games away from equal first nor would the points we scored be so very similar to the high flying Melbourne. Our only struggle is for consistency not a struggle for direction or a coach who doesn't know what to do. We are primarily inconsistent due to the immaturity of our side but that will change without new coaching or training methods. That doesn't mean we shouldn't always look to improve rather it means we already have the correct tools and consistency will come with experience and greater maturity across the team.

I agree and disagree with you. It could be possible a fresh coach or coaching assistants methods could change things. Irrelevant the squad is young, but not incapable of producing consistency. The inconsistency comes from discipline and attitude mainly. The close games i can accept as game management/pressure is a maturity learning thing.

 

[Super Freak]

He is doing better than 8 other coaches. We are 2 games of equal 1st spot !! How the **** some people come up with this bullshit is beyond me , oh and thats not playing consistent footy and some decent injuries too.

I don’t care that he is doing better than 8 other coaches.

The fact that we are struggling to stay in the 8 given our roster is unacceptable. The injuries is a bullshit excuse, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to win many of the games we lost and we didn’t lose them because of injuries.

We may be a couple of wins off equal first but we are so far behind those teams it’s unbelievable.

If you and everyone else want to accept medicority then you go right ahead. Some people can see this side is capable of doing so much more and Bennett is failing to achieve that.

 

[Huge]

I agree and disagree with you. It could be possible a fresh coach or coaching assistants methods could change things. Irrelevant the squad is young, but not incapable of producing consistency. The inconsistency comes from discipline and attitude mainly. The close games i can accept as game management/pressure is a maturity learning thing.

That is why I wrote that the inconsistency is primarily due to immaturity.

 

[007]

That is why I wrote that the inconsistency is primarily due to immaturity.

Primarily suggest majority, which of course in context means it is opposing to what i suggested as the main reason. I do not understand the reason for your quoted post as you are simply highlighting that we disagree, which i had already said in my first line.

 

[winslow_wong]

It's a young squad but most of the penalties come from the older guys which then adds more pressure on the young guys who then panic. Next minute it's 18 unanswered points.

 

[Huge]

Primarily suggest majority, which of course in context means it is opposing to what i suggested as the main reason. I do not understand the reason for your quoted post as you are simply highlighting that we disagree, which i had already said in my first line.

Ok, you suggest that discipline and attitude are the reasons for the consistency issues but how are they not the derivatives of the youthful squad ? In no way is my view opposing yours rather your view is the result of drilling into my claim that it is the youthfulness of the squad. We actually agree I believe and I think you are just using different words to express the same sentiment. Discipline and attitude are a more detailed description of the reason why we have a consistency issue while I think my description is of the whole issue. No matter, if we are really in disagreement then we shall have to agree to disagree.

 

[Battler]

Honestly, we are struggling at the bottom of the eight and have been comprehensively beaten in consecutive weeks by two teams fighting for the wooden spoon. No matter what sort of spin, I can’t see anything changing next year while the current training methods are again applied.

We have lost to, off the top of my head, the: Knights, Titans, Dogs, Cows, Manly. If you add some experience into our squad (oh I don't know, Gillett and Bird perhaps?) then we're probably a lesser chance of clocking off against shit house opposition like we have been. Without injuries to crucial, experienced players we could have won 3/5 of those games (conservatively, could and should have won them all) and be outright first, and that's without a HB and a young forward pack.

EDIT: We're in a better position going forward than most clubs in the 8. The Storm are rooted possibly next year or definitely the year after, depending on if Smith can carry the team by himself without Slater at 36 years of age. The Drags look shit and they outright attempted to buy a comp.

 

[pagey]

I don’t care that he is doing better than 8 other coaches.

The fact that we are struggling to stay in the 8 given our roster is unacceptable. The injuries is a bullshit excuse, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to win many of the games we lost and we didn’t lose them because of injuries.

We may be a couple of wins off equal first but we are so far behind those teams it’s unbelievable.

If you and everyone else want to accept medicority then you go right ahead. Some people can see this side is capable of doing so much more and Bennett is failing to achieve that.

We just put a decent score on one, smashed another and went toe to toe and won with another. Seriously mediocrity , no way would this side be any better under someone else.

 

[Gaz]

Well you'll always get called out when making ridiculous statements like 'we are struggling at the bottom of the eight'

You call my statement ridiculous because you don’t agree.
I call being at the bottom of the eight and being beaten by two, not one, two of the teams on the bottom of the 16 in consecutive weeks struggling. What’s so ridiculous about that not to mention being absolutely flogged by the Warriors not long before that. I am not anti Bennett, nobody cheered longer or louder than I did when he decided to come back. I am pro Broncos and don’t like the way he is handling them at the minute.

 

[Jason Simmons]

I don’t care that he is doing better than 8 other coaches.

The fact that we are struggling to stay in the 8 given our roster is unacceptable. The injuries is a bullshit excuse, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to win many of the games we lost and we didn’t lose them because of injuries.

We may be a couple of wins off equal first but we are so far behind those teams it’s unbelievable.

If you and everyone else want to accept medicority then you go right ahead. Some people can see this side is capable of doing so much more and Bennett is failing to achieve that.

How are we "struggling" to stay in the 8? Last time I checked we were 7th and 4 points and a bunch of F/A clear of the only team that can even mathematically make the 8 instead of us or the Warriors...

We have also been in the top 8 consistently since round 13.

That doesn't scream 'struggling' to me, but I agree we could (and arguably should) be higher on the table.

 

[Astro]

Ok, lets take a look at our discipline and consistency by the numbers by comparing them to the benchmark, according to most, Melbourne.

We have conceeded 1 less penalty (176) than the Storm (177) but the storm have been awarded 200 penalties and that is a staggering 40 more than us sitting on 160 awarded penalties.

Errors, we have made the least amount of errors in the league at 204 compared to melbourne who have made the 3rd most errors with 241.

Do you think if we had been 39 penalties awarded better off we might have won 1-2 more game and be sitting right up there with competition favourites?

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Ok, lets take a look at our discipline and consistency by the numbers by comparing them to the benchmark, according to most, Melbourne.

We have conceeded 1 less penalty (176) than the Storm (177) but the storm have been awarded 200 penalties and that is a staggering 40 more than us sitting on 160 awarded penalties.

Errors, we have made the least amount of errors in the league at 204 compared to melbourne who have made the 3rd most errors with 241.

Do you think if we had been 39 penalties awarded better off we might have won 1-2 more game and be sitting right up there with competition favourites?

Melbourne can do no wrong in the NRL's eyes. Can't look weak in big bad AFL's backyard

 

[Huge]

You call my statement ridiculous because you don’t agree.
I call being at the bottom of the eight and being beaten by two, not one, two of the teams on the bottom of the 16 in consecutive weeks struggling. What’s so ridiculous about that not to mention being absolutely flogged by the Warriors not long before that. I am not anti Bennett, nobody cheered longer or louder than I did when he decided to come back. I am pro Broncos and don’t like the way he is handling them at the minute.

Not because I don't agree with it but on it's merit alone. Surely you can see that a fractional improvement would see us with two more games on the win sheet and equal co-leaders as a result. Yes, it is awful to lose to bottom teams but even Melbourne and the Roosters have been by lowly teams like West tigers who beat both and Manly, cellar dweller Manly has beaten Melbourne.

I do object to the struggling label although it could be fairly said we are when discussing consistency but we aren't struggling to maintain our position, we are doing that well. Anyway, you're entitled to your view and if you wish to describe our position that way, go for it.

 

[Jason Simmons]

Not because I don't agree with it but on it's merit alone. Surely you can see that a fractional improvement would see us with two more games on the win sheet and equal co-leaders as a result. Yes, it is awful to lose to bottom teams but even Melbourne and the Roosters have been by lowly teams like West tigers who beat both and Manly, cellar dweller Manly has beaten Melbourne.

I do object to the struggling label although it could be fairly said we are when discussing consistency but we aren't struggling to maintain our position, we are doing that well. Anyway, you're entitled to your view and if you wish to describe our position that way, go for it.

As my final comment on the ‘struggling for consistency’ debate, having just going through the nrl.com ladder, for the last ten rounds we have either been 7th or 8th.

We are currently 7th depending on the outcome of the Warriors game, with little chance we progress (given the ‘easy’ draw the Sharks and Dragons have) much higher unless we win both our final games and Panthers lose one or both of their final games, in which case we could snatch 6th (our F/A counts against us getting much higher)...

In that scenario we will have gone the final 12 rounds and been as low as 8 and as high as 6. If not, we’ll finish 7th or 8th. The same spot we will have spent more than half the season in.

Seems pretty consistent to me...

 

[CaptainHook]

Awesome thread. So many great points being made on both sides of the discussion. Keep it coming, guys!

I honestly don't know who to believe or what to believe.

So Wayne Bennett has the second best winning percentage since 2014 and it's just above 50%.

Wow. Do you need any further proof that the NRL is one of the most punishing sporting competitions in the world?

The second best guy, in what is supposedly a "results-driven" business is barely breaking even.

What is the barometer for success? If success means "premiership" then you'd have 15 out of 16 guys looking for a job every year.

Should Brisbane be higher up the ladder? Yeah. I'd agree with that. Makes sense given the squad we've got.

Consider this though... Craig Bellamy is often filthy with his team despite the fact they won the match and despite the fact they're on top of the ladder!

Personally I want Bennett to stay. Yes, I'm not completely blind to his flaws and I think we could be doing better.

I think Wayne knows this too and that's what makes him a great coach.

I'm just starting to see the stupidity (and futility) of trying to build a foundation of success on quicksand.

Consider this: Penrith sacked Griffin after the debacle in Brisbane where the Broncos ran up 50 points.

Wait! What? I'm sorry but I thought Brisbane weren't going that well?!?

If we played Penrith tomorrow they'd probably beat us! If we played the Cowboys again right now, this second, we'd probably smash them!

Both sides of this discussion are just full of self defeating arguments, imo.