Ladies and Gentlemen, like all of you, I'm still too emotionally raw to dissect and analyse this season, our annus horribilis, or player performances. Yet I had to look for some positives in a small handful of players, for putting in more consistently.
A small handful
Hopgood, Hands and Cartwright. They put in. Practically, week in week out, even if they look tired and exhausted and lost some effectiveness as the team nosedived in the latter part of the season. It shows me the attitude was there.
Hopood tried hard all year, and showed some skill.
Hopefully, Cartwright stays. In 2023, he showed for the first time he can be up for the tough stuff on a more consistent basis. Running harder, tackling harder and no longer being a defensive turnstile. No longer being just a pretty face with flashy skills. I kept expecting him to fall into a heap, crash and burn, and disappear off into the sunset. But he didn't. Will he keep it up beyond this contract? Time will tell. But, he's worth the risk.
Hands, the NRL Debutant, in his first year in the top grade, tried his heart out during a challenging 2023 season for the Eels.
Moses. Other than the protracted contract dramas, which were frustrating and a far from needed distraction (and a concerning quasi-holding-the-club-to-ransom trend out Parra way) - he puts in. He has proven that. He forgo the birth of his first child to play for us. He could have easily just taken a week off from work (like almost all of us would have done). He played on despite having a fractured eye socket against the Broncos. Despite that season ending injury and during it, without painkillers, he was the only one who tried to and was fast enough to try and chase down Farnsworth. He may not have his running shoes on ever week, as he's looking to manage games, but for me, he puts in.
He isn't Cleary or an origin mainstay like DCE, and he'll always have his critics, but we're screwed without him. He looks like he cares. He gets angry. He tackles with vigor. He's where we get speed from, along with Brown (when he plays). He gets emotional, albeit in a more mature fashion that he used to.
However, it is obvious his leadership, among our other leaders, isn't enough to pull others up for whatever reasons. That's a more involved discussion.
Honorable mentions for two more: Simmo, and Russell. Despite their physical limitations, and Russell is probably the most arguable of the lot, the effort was there pretty much week to week. Despite this, I do believe we need more from our centres and wingers. More speed. More metres. More grunt. More smarts.
Deeper issues
Most others in the team have disappointed me, for a plethora of different reasons.
Our defensive decline, conceding 20 points or more over 8 consecutive games for the first time in our history, along with the worst red zone defence in the competition, underlines the dramatic freefall in our attitude and mental fortitude after the R18 bye. Despite all the assertions from Arthur and Gutherson about how much fight and togetherness the team have, we have been soft and collectively fallen apart as a singular unit. Our intensity, confidence, and cohesion shot to pieces. It really began early in the season. Perhaps before the season kicked off. When Matterson, a senior club leader, put himself before the team. The bigger issue is no-one at the club seemed to kick up much of a fuss about it, and appeared to accept it in an almost casual manner.
What do you think?
Disagree? Are there any other players you thought put in enough?
PS: Changes are needed, top to bottom, in different ways. Cultural and attitude changes. More innovative thinking. More hunger for success. And in our cattle we need changes including more selfless leadership, a few tougher nuts - mentally and emotionally to lift the team - along with more speed and footballing nous. However, all that is not an easy, quick fix. It may not be possible in the short term or 2024. And it's a deeper discussion for other blogs.
Replies
Hoe, a very honourable effort to look at the positives, I cannot argue withyour choices, I can semantically say that Simmo never stopped trying, just not sure he is good enough, but that raises other questions when effort is not so apparent.
I sort if think that Matto's decision was a mistake that even he probably has nightmares over, Dyllan hopefully falls into that category. I watched Dyllan last night closely and he tried his guts out with essentially little support.
Mate this is getting to the end of this nifhtmare season, let me compliment you on your eternal optimism but also that you never lost touch with reality in engendering that optimism.....not many people no how to do that but I must admit I sit back every week and admire your patience along with NOS in never losing your cool....... I'm to old to change from being a arrogant prick so thanks for understanding that and keeping this place going the way you have.
Thanks, Pops. Way too kind, mate.
Yep, you're night. This crappy season is almost over. Thank God.
Got to agree with you on Dylan. I thought he tried really hard and put in. He probably tried too hard to do it all. Hopefully, he'll learn something from this season (same for the team) and get his head straight moving forward. He's ultra talented and we need him. We don't get much penetration or speed from many others besides him and Moses; when they have their running shoes on.
PS: Just be you, mate. I worry less and less about labels these days.
PSS: Maybe this season might be a blessing in disguise. It shows the players, coach, and club all is not well. And maybe worse than what they expected. They seem to react better to hitting rock bottom and getting bashed around, before they get hungry, focused and intense. Changes are needed top to bottom. This Arthurian fight and effort mantra ain't enough - and maybe it's a smokescreen hiding deeper cultural issues (Imo). But, it's got to begin with the mentality. Clear intentions. Clear purpose. Genuine honesty. We'll see...
I would add Greig to my list of positive handful. Started to come of age when RCG was injured and started finally getting match time and fitness. It's a chicken and the egg there. He can't get match fitness without playing but ba wouldn't give him match time because he wasn't match fit. Got finally thrown in the deep end and started swimming.
I thought he was playing that well that I would have started RCG from the bench to allow him to work back his match fitness. I was also of the opinion that junior could have starting the bench later in the season to add some punch.
Hopefully Greig can have an injury free preseason and really put some pressure on the starting props, or become that damaging 1st rotation like the Panthers are always able to do
HOE very well put. No doubt these guys put in the effort. I would have added Gutho to the list. Yes, has made some mistakes in games, but every game he was putting in 100% and for me seeing him usually in the last 15 mins of the games trying to create something from nothing was him saying 'f*ck it, I'll try myself if you guy can't/won't'. Overall I think this season has just burnt the team out.
Yeah it was a season from hell, but we can't say there haven't been any positives at all, they have just been overshadowed by the negatives.
Yeah, Seraph, I thought about Gutho. Almost added him. But, recently, he's kinda off I feel. Less effective and had been found out on more than occasionally. Almost as if he's been running through the motions. And his leadership hasn't been able to lift the team in any way, shape or form. He's down on something. Can't pin it, yet. I'd need to study his entire season in more depth to form a more considered opinion. This blog was produced off a gut feel than any detailed analysis (so, it could be off, lol).
You forgot the ball-boys and ball-girls. Grabbing that kicking tee from all those opposition teams after so many tries and penalties conceded, with such professionalism and grace, was outstanding.
Also, the groundskeepers. The amount of time the Eels' outside backs shat themselves in defense and yet groundskeepers dutifully cleaned up the mess was unbelievable.
Nor can we forget the Yoga Master. Aside from RCG and Greig, and Gutho, all of whom were conscientious objectors, the Team Yoga Master kept our props (especially Paulo and Ofa) and kick returning wingers and centers (Sivo was a star here) quiet, calm, slow, I mean ever so slow, and decidedly peaceful and anti-aggressive.
Finally, the Club Opthalmologist, who kept working hard to get Brad Arthur to see that centres and wingers in the 6-again era should not play with a condensed line and jam in if it just so much as looks faintly likely the opposition might spread the ball. It was a valiant effort by the Club Opthalmologist, confronted by all kinds of coaching vision problems, some serious eye disorder stuff and likely terminal cataracts.
lol ..
I'd also ad the club goldfish who passed on his 5 second memory. Only explanation for players to repeatedly doing dumb stuff in front of the ref giving away penalties and six again sets. You'd think after one or two they'd pull their head in.
That's gold !!!
Lol, Daz. The Hatha Yoga Master, Dr Doodle (phD), definitely could have gone straight to the top of the pile. An unsung hero. But all that Kundalini and tea tree oil stuff didn't make any sense to me.
Good blog HOE . Change in some organisations are like trying to turn the Titanic in the Parramatta River..BA and players should not be put in the situation they are in now. Good organisations should never be happy sitting in a mindset with out looking to be better. Broncos have improved a lot this year.Tigers tried a fairly radical experiment with Sheen's and things have changed for both clubs fairly quickly. I think the board should have been made accountable quite a while ago. Ok I get it we have done okay on some respects. GF last year.Good for getting into top 4 . Consistency and addressing things like defence issues for a long time shows holes in how management has failed us. If not addressed now and a repeat year of the same next year will hurt.
We actually looked great on paper with how the players were progressing at times this year. Same players playing poorly now. ?????
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