I think the bashing BA and his selections are a little over the top. I too am angry, frustrated etc, but if you look at the squad I don't think there is really any better selections to be made, let me explain.......
Pauli - was injured, went to wenty, played good enough to get a call up. BA then selected him in 1st grade because he deserved it. He then played about 25seconds give or take some, got injured so he got dropped to recover again.
Moeroa - This young man is exceptionally talented, but as we know he was injured early in the season, people on here were screaming(as best you can through a keyboard) that he is carrying his arm and should not be selected and that he needs rest and recover. What did BA do? dropped him to be rested, then played for wenty to continue his recovery. Now he is making him earn his spot back, yes he played good in the Jnr Test, and the week before that, but the 1st couple of weeks he was average, just another player.
Choc - He hasn't been in the best form, but he is a leader, you can see that on the field, the way he talks to the players and refs. I really think he should be captain and I think he was really good on the weekend. I posted previously that I think that choc has been playing injured after that knee to the chest/ribs in the 1st round and is why he has played limited minutes. If anyone has ever cracked/broke ribs you will know how much it effects your fitness let alone the pain that comes with it.
Paulo - I'll start off by saying I think it was his fault that Peni dropped those balls on the weekend, the passes were way to hard for someone running that short on an inside ball. In saying that, I think he gets selected because he can fill a lot of positions if needed through injury etc. better than anyone else we have to choose from. But I think the main reason he is selected is because Sandow just isn't doing the job. I think that Parra would be better off with Paulo as the starting 6, and let Norman run the team.
Norman - I think he is playing really well, last year I wanted him axed, but he has turned me. I think that he and Foran should be the halves next year and he should be locked in as the cheap supporting half to Foran, Build your team around your star half and have a cheap supporting halve like every other team has. I think Norman looks frustrated by the end of the game every week, as he is doing all the work for both halves.
Sandow - Now this is my gripe. He gets selected because there is no half better in the club at this time. He is the reason we have been losing. If you look at all of our games, or any game for that matter, there is always one or two key moments that changes/decides the game, Sandow has made the bad decision on every occasion at these key moments. I'm not going to continue bashing Sandow, but, if we had JT, Pearce, Benji, Cronk or Mullins etc instead of Crissy, would we win most of our games? yes we would.
So in conclusion, our forwards make good metres and the halves don't take advantage, the game turns and we are forever defending. If our halves make the right choices, build pressure with repeat sets and control the game, then our defence doesn't get strained and leak points, people like Hoppa and Tacka don't look so slow as they are playing on the front foot, the forwards continue to roll through the game, and we win. But we don't do that, our forwards dominate early, the halves kick it dead, release the pressure off the other team, they get into position, there halves build pressure and we end up making 100+ more tackles by the end of the game and lose.
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He still has plenty of support.
Yeah I know, I just think that we have been one or two bad choices away from winning most of our games. And to me that's not BA fault and shouldn't cop the blame.
Very well written Big Bee.
I couldn't agree more particularly your opinions on Choc and more so, Sandow not being able to gain repeat sets and hence our entire team end up tired from defending which is why we faded at the end of both the Broncos and Storm matches in particular.
It would be so nice if we could just make it to the 20min mark without being at least one man short on bench (ha due to injury I mean).
It has been really bad this year for that...don't think it's an excuse but it doesn't help either.
Don't take too much notice of other team situ in this regard. Maybe it's commonplace?
All very good points Fong and very hard to argue, I guess due to my frustration I just went off on a tangent and forgot my point. So what I mean is that I think that BA brings a love and passion for the club that no other coach since BS has had, that combined with the current board will bring stability and development to the club that is needed to become a powerhouse within the NRL. I think that he is a coach that sees what is needed for the future and the players we need to develop the young guys, to bring them up with players around them that know what it takes to win a comp or even play in a semi final. I think that he is the victim of bad decisions on the field, If the right choices are made at that one crucial stage in the game, we win. At the beginning of most games we are on top, but do not capitalise on those opportunities and that comes down to our half. In those crucial moments on the field when the game is in the balance the wrong choice is made, and that's not BAs fault, you can't teach a off the cuff player that right choice to make, they either make it or they don't, and our half doesn't. I got carried away again.
Who givesa shit about love and passion when your losing? The only important concern is wins
Josh - if he really is injured, he shouldn't be playing at all. I don't see how dropping a player to NSW cup will aid them in any way with injury rehabilitation.
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