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"Whether there is a definitive answer or not, it'll have nothing to do with us signing Pezet. He was only available for 2026. He had already signed with the Broncos long term from 2027."
"I have been highly critical of the decision and have copped a little blow back for it, let's see in 12 months time with the eels heading into the 2027 season if they don't have a definitive answer on who will be our long term 6 if the people…"
"I highly doubt the eels will take him back but they won't let him play for another nrl team for the next 3 years, he is going to have to find a home in rugby, he has made his bed so must now sleep in it.
To be honest I hope he fails miserably, it…"
To be honest I hope he fails miserably, it…"
"Gone for good Lomax isn't coming back he's made his bed now.
He'll be a union player for at least the next 2-3 seasons."
He'll be a union player for at least the next 2-3 seasons."
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A possible answer: BA’s defensive and attacking systems are no longer effective. In 2017 we were known as a pack of wild dogs defensively but my suspicion is if they reffed last year like they are reffing this year then in 2017 we would have been pinged for offside repeatedly. So our defense still has not adjusted and we struggle to sustain positive field position. Now add into that our overly conservative attacking structures. How many times on 4th tackle in the opposition red zone do we take a one-out forward settler? Way too often. We rarely drop players back under to run diagonally toward the posts, and we seem not to have enough support runners, so teams are just sliding over on us. We also keep trying mid field bombs rather than kick for the corners.
Translation: all the effort, discipline and execution in the world won’t help if our playing system on either side of the ball has failed to adjust to how other teams adjusted to our system or to how refereeing has changed
1. Loss of Semi was much bigger than people first thought. He started our sets like an extra forward. He scored a try per game and set up another per game, on average. Add (for arguments say), 12 points to each game this year, and we win probably 4 or 5 more games at least = we would be on 12 or 14 points now.
2. our pack has aged another year: Scott, Mannah.
3. our new recruits to replace Semi have added nil: Hayne and Kane Evans.
4. our lack of a top shelf hooker is hurting us. Fast ball, fast line speed in defence, etc. is lacking.
5. Arthur has done good things at the club: he held them together in 2016, he brought Gutho, Moses and Brown to the club. But I feel his recruitment this off-season was terrible. As above, the squad lost one of the leading tryscorers, replaced by no one! The pack is getting pushed around the park, despite having a lot of guts and punching above its weight. We needed to recruit well to not go backwards. We did not!
6. Finally, Arthur has not really improved any players. Moroa has not really come along, Brown has stagnated, halves are clueless in the red zone.
Until the above issues are resolved, we are in a deep hole!
I don’t hate Arthur, and appreciate what he did considering he inherited the worst roster in recent history from Stuart and Kearney. We had a fair amount of success in 2016 and 2017 which Arthur is due credit for. But the players aren’t responding and the team look tired and devoid of ideas. They aren’t responding to Arthur. I just want Parra to get the next Anthony Siebold.
Well said Master! There is understandably a lot of anger being vented in Arthur's direction, but I think we do well to acknowledge he has done some very good things in his time - but perhaps it is time for a change now. That happens - even to good coaches.
I agree with both of you, but I really wish we'd learn from history! Since Smith we've had Taylor, Hagan, Anderson, Kearney, Stuart and BA. Each lasting a few years.
And what have we got to show for it? Nothing. The same issues over and over. New team, new coach, new CEO, new board - same old issues.
Why would replacing BA work when it hasn't worked for the past several decades?
Kearney was the worst coach ever according to us Eels fans. His team is currently running Top 4 or there abouts. Why is that?
BA is an easy person to blame, but why would changing our coach make any difference if it hasn't in the past?
Causes:
1. Failure to replace Semi with any threat from the wing/back - Hayne was never going to be it with his attitude/decline, French was never going to be it with his stature
2. Failure to recruit a top line/third hooker replacement, after De Gois' retirement
3. Failure to improve our front row/middle foward stocks - bringing in Evans didn't counteract the (predicable) decline and lack of improvement/consistency in Mannah, Scott, Matagi, Vave, Terepo... replaced FPritchard with TWilliams (same same), and only Alvaro and Brown would qualify as top 17 middle forwards at other clubs (weak middle to sets/defence)
4. Failure to have an effective back up plan in the halves to cover Norman or Moses for failure/injury (weak spine/creativity/end to sets)
1 = weak start to sets, 2 = weak ruck speed/stability, 3 = weak centra; platform/defence, 4 = weak spine/creativity/end to sets. Add them all together, and we get flogged across the park, which puts pressure on morale, which impacts commitment especially when teh results aren't coming.
The only elements of our squad that weren't already going backwards in the off-season were our centres/edge forwards - but even that's gone downhill with a formerly strong MJennings now in decline, Takarangi out of position to accommodate Hayne, Gutherson injured and now covering out of position, Moeroa hasn't improved, Ma'u is in decline, and Edwards went troppo!
Something has also changed in attitude over the off-season, and BA can no longer get the best out of the current mix in the squad.
Answers:
1. If BA has "lost" the dressing room, there's not many players there worth "keeping" anyway. I'd keep Gutherson, Alvaro and Brown for the future - not too fussed if/when any of the others leave.
2. Board needs to decide whether they let BA finish his contract while contacting a squad cleanout, or whether they cleanout BA early and see if someone else can get anything better out of the current lot.
3. The best option to me would be to hire a head of football (above the coach), let BA see out his contract but the head of football make the player recruitment/retention decisions. That way there will be some continuity in the place if we chance coaches, the existing players can be kept contractually accountable for their poor play (or any off field shenanigans), ithe certainty might attract some players who would be put off by uncertainty given our current win-loss record, and we can hope for some improvement (rather than more decline) in 2019.
Players:
I think we need Norman to move on, and buy in a strong halves partner for Moses. I'd get Mannah and Michael Jennings pensioned off to the UK, and I'm yet to be convinced about Evans, so I'd be aiming for a centre and two front row replacements.
Of the off-contract players, I would offer Gower and GJennings one more year, but plan to release/replace Scott, Hayne, Auva'a, King, Prichard, Williams, and only re-sign Vave/Matagi/Terepo if we can't replace them with something better. So that means we need to shop for some hookers and wingers big time.
It's going to take time, which is why we need a head of football (rather than a coach with nust next year to run on his contract) to oversee it.
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