Lost in the million reasons why we should get rid of BA Sanders leaving the club at the first chance is near top of the list.
Hes not going somewhere where he'll slot straight into an NRL halves gig .. he's going to be backup for the short term like he is here .
Having a quality young 7 developed in your system is a god send . Eventually if you're good in that area you will lose them , but for those early years of their development they provide you with good backup and in the salary cap era that's your reward for their junior development. Add to that it gives you cover for a couple of years in the ever changing rugby league landscape. Say touch wood someone cops an injury and circumstances chance .. for a couple of years developing the next NRL 7 gives you cover.
I honestly can't imagine a world where a figure like Wayne Bennett , Gus Gould , Bellamy , Trent Rob etc etc tells a young half we need you the next couple of years and they leave . There's stories about how Penrith had Jarome Luai coming through but signed Maloney to pair with Cleary and Gus sat him down and said sit it out and develop here .. he did and they both got the rewards. Melbourne is currently doing it with Pezet . Clearly , BA and those at the club don't have the same pull . The most promising 7 coming through the grades would rather develop under Ricky Stuart and to me that's another damning reason to get rid of him. He has no clout in the game , his voice means F all . It's at the point where his development history and 3 finals wins or whatever it is in 11 years is a pathetic resume and it doesn't come close to stacking up against the heavy weight coaches. If Bennett was here I bet he stays . BA has got to go .
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To me, the reason why i would not play Sanders is why put him in when the team is at rock bottom. Friday night is massive game as if they lose simialr to Dolphins match, then 14 day turnaround, BA drums beat faster. If he plays v Manly, eyes are on him as a saviour. Now many will say who cares if it breaks him as he is Canberra's issue next year, but just feel it could make things worse if he faulters under the lights.
Err, did you see him in the trial match? He was worse than Jake Arthur.
He's not ready for NRL . He needs to learn his trade , fill out and develop. Hes choosing Ricky Stuart as the better option to guide him through those years.
if the raiders had an open halves spot and he himself thought he was ready that's one thing .. hes going there to backup their halves for the next couple of years instead of doing it here.
They have a dual international as their coach who's won comps as a player and coach , origins as a coach and probably consistently done more with less as an NRL coach . We have the Batemans Bay captain coach who's got a 50% record over 11 seasons and developed about 5 rookies to consistent NRL players . Hes the least credentialed 11 season head coach of all time . Shit is really crazy it feels like we're living in a bizarre universe. I think it's probably wise from young Sanders .. Dylan Brown will be lucky to hit his potential here too.
Ricky Stuart won one premiership who with a team that Taylor Swift could of coached to a premiership what 20 years ago? His record since then has been bog average. Considering BA replaced Stuart, I'd say their records in the last 10 years would be quite similar and Ricky didn't have to deal with the mess he and the old Parramatta board created. BA has his problems and I agree his time is probably up, but Ricky Stuart hasn't produced a decent halfback in 20 years and is a grade a flog. To say Ricky is a draw card is complete bullshit. Sanders signed last year and Canberra were trying to get him released early, he probably would have played ahead of Strange if he had got that early release
Ricky can't even produce his own halfback. What does that tell ya. Canberra would have one of the best breeding grounds for young talent in the NRL, and Ricky's forever buying people that others have developed . Nuff said.
Can't agree with you at all .
BA was the most fortunate Eels coach of the era . He had the pain of 2016 which was obviously never held against him but he got to wipe the slate clean and rebuild from 2017.
Ricky Stuart inherited the roster we had which was one of the most diabolical ever assembled. He cut guys who were on deals and couldn't get a start anywhere else which contributed to the cap drama but I'm sure he would've loved to blow it all up and start rebuilding like BA did.
I think Canberra has struggled to attract high quality Australian players but they have always been amongst the top half of the comp. They gave a legit showing in the 2019 GF unlike whatever we put out that night in 2022 and now they're rebuilding with a very young core . He has them in a better position than BA does us.
Your whole Luai theory is complete crap too. If Penrith are so good what happened to Katoa? Penrith were filthy they lost him they didn't even play him in reserves. Sanders is leaving for an easier pathway to 1st grade, nothing more, nothing less. Name one high quality Australian player Parra has attracted? In one breath Ricky is the messiah, the next he can't attract Australian players? Ricky Stuart is a terrible example to compare BA if you're try to put BA down.
Katoa went straight into first grade. Completely different scenrio. If Sanders left us and the promise was the 7 jersey at Canbera - wthere he's ready or not the decision to back himself and go there is understandable.
He's going there to play behind Strange and Fogerty as opposed to Dylan Brown and Moses. He's not signing a 1 or 2 year deal here because its where he'll get the best development.. he sees that as better for his career. I'm not sure how that can be taken as a positve at all.. the reward for bringing him through Cup should be having him as backup while he develops here.
You have just contradicted your own point. Fogarty and Strange are not in the same class as Moses and Brown. They are just not. Sanders path to 1st grade is much easier in Canberra. There is nothing to see here other than that. Every club has lost players they didn't want to lose including Bellamy and Bennett. Yes BA has his obvious flaws but to draw this narrative is just crap
Mate he's not going to the Raiders to be first choice half next year . He's going because they see him as a possible option to replace Fogarty. He could've stayed here next year and done the same which is what a Hynes did at Melbourne as a recent example.
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