As we go 3 and 5 with a Bye / Brisbane / Melbourne / Bunnys and the Sharks coming up, all logic dictates that we could quite easily find ourselves rooted to the bottom of the League table. Our season in shambles, the volcanic pressure to replace the coach mid season will heat up like never before. Last night with only a 72% completion rate, literally a dropped ball every 3rd set. The terrible service that our dummy half provided at times, the goal kicking accuracy of under 8's, the loss of an elite half back, playing the game with 12 men for 20 minutes, a lopsided penalty count against us, a team that looks and feels fatigued. A Manly team in the top 4, full of international players with their goalkicker kicking 5 from 5 all over the place. I have just one question that really bugs me.
How with 10 minutes to go - We have outscored Manly 4 tries to 3.
Let that sink in for a moment. With 10 minutes to go we have scored more tries then them, kick our goals and in a fantasy world we are actually in front 26 -20 with 10 to go.
Im so confused by this team, every inch of me wants to blow the team up, sack the coach, bring in better players. Tear the joint down, sack the football board, sack the retention committee, sack the CEO.And that is probably valid. But the truth is with 10 minutes to go we had outscored a current top 4 team full of internationals.
So where is the truth in this team, are they that hopeless, what will it take to finish games, and ice the moments. Is it a coach change, is it a Captain change, is it a senior player returning to the team, is it an off field culture. Something has to change, but im not sure if its a wholesale change. We outscored Manly 4 tries to 3 and Im dumbfounded that that was the case, it didnt feel like that. Do they need time off over this Bye fortnight with a holiday to relax and re focus, or should they be heading out to Holsworthy Army Base and the Blue mountains with an SAS like mini preseason of hard work and team building skills for a fortnight.
Is it a major change and shakeup that we need, or will some tweaks with players minds and buy in's rectify our season. Im not sure.
I sum up our team a bit like Mika Sivo. The representative figure of our season. He scores a hattrick of tries, but a lot of us want him gone. Now that is confusing in any ones language. But thats our reality. Like the Eels team, how can we do so many things right and still get it so wrong.
Surely its between the Ears of the players ! Isnt it.
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We should go for Richardson which is possible if he hasn't signed with Souths yet.
In my opinion the side has the ability with MM there. But not the mentality.
The coach couldn't lace Bennetts boots when it comes to man management and instilling a sense of repect / fear / admiration / in his players.
Also i believe all successful sides have a no nonsense forward Alpha, who basically says follow me boys and has the highest standards expected of himself and his boys. I am thinking JFH from Penrith, older members can think Paul Harragon, Ben Kennedy, really old members can reference Arthur Beetson. We do not have this
Ability without mentality! It does your freeking head in
Regardless of their background, the board has to ask themselves how they got from the GF in 2022 to 2024 and perhaps vying for the spoon?
If they are happy to keep it steady as she goes, they need to be tipped out. Results speak for themselves.
Some very good points here, Bluey. Good to see you back.
There was a lot of fight last night from certain players & that part was impressive, albeit, not maintainable.
Hey NOS. - Cheers mate, I dont get much time these days, sort of hit and run unfortunately. Agree with what you say, the bulk of the players to me are letting themselves down with a lack of continuous effort. It begs the question, who is supposed to be holding them responsible for this lack of effort. Who holds them accountable. Is it the coach is it the leadership group, is it the individual. I'd like to think in a good team all 3 to some degree, but our team seem to be masters at avoiding accountability.
Maybe Moses is doing more of the coaching than we realise, like Reynolds at the Broncos.
Great blog, Bluey. We've had issues "between the ears", week-to-week, half-to-half, switching on-off for many years. Blowouts losses, inconsistency, lack of fundamentals, and so on.
It's just now that the regression since 2022 is so acute, we can't bear it any longer.
We could deal with it 2019-22 because we were making the finals and hoped for more.
I just wonder whether our self-sabotaging meltdowns and ill-discipline is a way of escaping or excusing ourselves from the cold hard facts: we've got a soft underbelly. The excuse: Oh, it's the dumb, stupid errors killing us. Dunno.
We need a damn good shrink or exorcist,as a starting point.
Hopefully, it's not too late to pick up Bennett (Souths will probably beat us to the punch) and hopefully he brings his trusty lieutenant Dr Phil Jauncey with him as well. They worked well together at the Broncos, Saints, Souths, and now Dolphins. I'm surprised the board has never approached Jauncey. He'd be open to helping. Or maybe I shouldn't be surprised...
If i was anywhere near the club, Id employ a head shrink as a matter of urgency. Our blokes just dont have the mental fortitude to compete for 80 minutes week after week. They just dont exhibit this at all.
They lack the skills to think for 80 minutes, under fatigued conditions, each week. They cant cope with being behind and stick to a game plan. They cant hold onto a lead. Not all players mind you but certainly it appears to me to be the bulk of them.
They have a coach for everything else, and they havnt improved in this regard for 10 years. BA in my opinion needs to think outside the box and work out what he hasnt given the players for the 10 years that hes been there. I think mental fortitude, and being held accountable are two of the things lacking.
We need that psych to join thr club this week...this next month of footy, going off our current form, is looking like its going to be up there with the most demoralising period of football this club and us, the fans, have ever endured.
😫😫😫😫
I feel like Jesse in Toy Story 2 saying she won't get back in the box ....
I don't want to return to " those awful days"
Might start making my rapture bunker early 🤔
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