The overiding sentiment on this site, and in the media noise, is: we need a "new voice" and "new ideas".
Now, let's assume we can somehow nab seven-premiership winning Bennett who poured icy cold water on the Eels' idea a few weeks back.
It's unlikely we could get a better credentialed coach.
Let's put the obvious reality aside, which is, without certainty of knowing what the Eels' footy board, a seemingly optimistic, stoic "turtle wins the race" duck sailing smoothly on the surface is really doing underwater. Perhaps, paddling like mad. In all likelihood, it's unlikely that the footy board - who apparently have a very transparent and honest relationship with Brad Arthur and would go through the "front door" if there was a new coach on the horizon - have made any serious moves on the coaching front.
In all likelihood, Arthur will see our the rest of the year, at least. And when Moses returns if there is a renaissancenof sorts the landscape could change temporarily. A few wins could change the temperature quickly, quieting the rising drum noises and some of the natives.
The thing is, even if we nab Bennett somehow, which is far from a certainly, how long would he with us how long? Three years?
How much can he change in that time?
The tale of the tables tells we're in decline, overall as a footy club.
Our NRL squad currently sits 13th (gone up from 14th because the Tigers had a bigger loss than us this week), bottom five, with the 13th worst defence and since mid last year concede over 35 points a game away on average. Our Cup side is also 13th, in last place, with the third worst defence in the competition. Our Jersey Flegg side is also 13th, in last place, also with the third worst defence in the competition. Our woman's team is 10th, in last place, with the worst defence in the competition. Anyone seeing a trend?
Sure, it's only round and "not the end of the world" to quote Clint Gutherson from earlier mid-week. Just before the Manly loss.
From a distant galaxy, the good news is we're doing well in our juniors. Something not new. Our SG Ball Cup U-19s are 5th (from 16). Our Harold Mathew's Cup U-16 squad is 3rd (from 17). The polar opposite of what is going on higher up.
It seems the younger we go, with our enviable nursery, the better the results, at the moment.
It echoes the sentiments of 100% Footy by Gus Gould who pointed to our "cultural" woes running deeper than a head coach.
"Brad Arthur is not the trouble with why Parramatta are where they are now," Gus pointed out.
"In all the time that I have followed Parramatta, and I was a Parramatta junior, they have never really set up their pathways properly."
"They've never produced a culture, a character of their own, that's brought through the grades with young fellas wanting to be there and a part of the club. And that in the end becomes the problem of the head coach."
"In the end, that becomes the problem for the head coach, who is trying to win games today when no one has really planned adequately for the future."
"Someone has got to take that responsibility - that's not Brad Arthur's responsibility."
"They have great sides in the junior representative fields but it doesn't transition through to a culture or stream of players coming through in the club."
"It's become exhausting for him now."
Back to the we-nab-Bennett Hypothetical.
One of the other benefits that comes with Bennett is his trusty leitenant Dr Jauncey (see above). Bennett's Dr Massey of sorts. They go back decades from Bennett's Broncos premiership winning days. Jauncey is a highly successful sports psychologist, probably one of our best. It's also intriguing, why hasn't our footy board approached him? Results since 2022 suggest we may need a damn good shrink.
So, what's the best case scenario?
Bennett does what he has done before. And we do a St George 2010 to win a title. See above. The longest title drought in the NRL would be broken.
We celebrate. Drink. Dance. Be merry.
But, then what?
Think about what happened after Bennett left St George. The Broncos. Newcastle. Souths. The Broncos have finally started to regroup after their first wooden spoon in 2020 and make good on their God given talents and advantages. But how are Souths going right now?
There are two sliding door moments, here, depending on your perspective.
If you're an out and out optimist and believe we don't have deep rooted cultural issues or more fundamental issues - just need a new coaching voice - it's simple. We just keep throwing everything at the best coach we can find. Problem solved.
However, another door leads to what Jack Gibson said: winning starts at the front office. Perhaps, culture is a complex interdependent web, top to toe?
And in that case, we're going to get back where we started. After all the red wine has finished and the music dies down.
Replies
What is really disappointing is that we went through all that pain of 2016, the NSW government stepping in to sack the board and appointing an administrator, constitutional reforms and yet, the place is still being run like a basket case? What was the point of all that, when the place isn't being run any better than the Steve Sharp days?
There was the Nathan Brown review into elite pathways so at least there was some recognition in the club that things weren't right. Was that report ever published, and if so what actions did it recommend?
It does appear that there is an entrenched culture at the club that is results in failure at every level. I'm sure those in control will not give up their little empires all that easily and would be block everything someone like Bennett would like to alter or achieve. It needs someone with some big balls at the top, with the passion and desire to effect real change. Neither of which do the current lot appear to have.
I think our Premiership drought will extend into the Guiness book of records at this rate.
To be fair the intervention was about the running of the club from a legislation and financials perspective (including potential vote rigging and fraud). It had nothing to do with the success of the football club.
And the intervention worked. We are now a well run club from a financial perspective and from a governance perspective.
What was never addressed was our football club. And that's what we're still suffering from.
Well it was addressed Cappy, within the confines of the resources and nobody expected us to come out so quickly from those doldrums. 2018 was a hiccup and the coaching and resources were adequate at that stage, Subsequent success basically died in 2021 when the window was supposedly open. The worst thing that happened was the miracle of 2022 and a grand final and the delusion of success. It was really that 22 season where we were starting to falter inclusive of the destabilisation of the Jake Arthur scenario. At this time we were all saying what we are saying now, we saw the first signs last year and this year is shaping as a disaster.
Its time to look at that in reflection and now move on. I have never thought that we had a roster that would win us a competetion, I looked at the positives and optimisms and the pros and cons were always subjective.
The club has faltered now and lets see and give it the chance to rebalance. We have done too much blaming and handwringing. We have plenty of company amongst other clubs. Penrith are now on a slight decline and powerhouses like Roosters and Melbourne whilst still out there and threatening are not what they were. Broncos are the new kid on the block and they have/are coming off the back of a horror period. They should have won it last year and the talent they have is exceptional but that came from a period not that much different to ourselves.
It seems to me that the asylum of fans, especially 1EE's have got a lot of confusion confronting them.
There is a huge drive by fans on this site to think that with a wish the board will sign Wayne Bennett as the saviour.
Mutts has outlined as much with what he would do. Everything is fine except we have no idea if Bennett would be interested?
Lets go back to Mutts programme, he finishes BA next week (good timing the bye week) and simultanously rings (the board that is) Bennett to confirm his interest, appoints Barrett to finish the season.. Lets assume Bennett has given some consideration in the "dry laconic style he has" but is not prepared to commit untill his season with Phins is finished, why would he stop mid season and plan anything that is not in his head already. He would need to meet the board, discuss the aspects and autonomy and then decide. He then would offer an informal commitment with an undertaking that if any leaks take place he is out! Mutts wants to simulataneously advertsie for assistants, NO Bennett will get who he wants, he knows who he can work with.
Finally someone can remind me that Bennett was already to coach a side (I think it mat have been the Roosters) and it got leaked and he closed everything down. He doesn't like big mouths and god knows that this board to date can keep its mouth shut, a positive and a negative with regard to communication when I blogged specifically about this.
Now if Bennett does not want the job 50/50 for mine, you can all start speculating over the new coach for the hundredth time. There is no doubt we need to change but we have the essence of a good side, with the exception of "speed" a fully fit side with Lomax included, a decent hooker (Matt Arthur looks the goods) a classie utility player like a Connor Watson and a running forward like Angus Chriton. Maybe a winger like Toupu from Roosters, immediate experience and say two years off retirement.
We get rid of Sivo, Harper, and half a dozen of our reserve forwards and anyone else in reserve grade that is not capable of filling into first grade when required i.e. Hands and Lussick as pure back ups but the nucleus of a good 2nd Grade side, ..........last thing a dedicated sprint coach!!!!
The board has look at functional issues like TPA's which will allow us to fill our roster withnext level players in back up.
Rabbitohs announced Bennett for their Head Coach role 12 months in advance. It's not unprecedented.
Souths and Broncs were in a big shit fight over the Siebold swap. very different environment
So what? If Wayne was as media-phobic as you're suggesting he would have run a mile from all that. But he still turned up on Day 1. He would here as well. There's far less controversey and enormous upside to him coaching the Eels.
I'm kind of wavering on how confident I am we have a realistic chance of nabbing Wayne. 50/50.
Bourban Man made a good point that winning a title with the Eels - the perennial underachievers with the longest title drought - would cement Wayne's legacy as one of if not the greatest coaches in Australian history. Souths wouldn't carry the same legacy. All that's true.
Other than our "slower than the turtle", sloth-paced board allergic to making hard decisions, it's hard to predict where he'll land.
Supposedly he wants to stay in QLD. Will he land at one of the new expansion teams? Is it PNG? Are the Bears any hope soon? Hard to know what is going on in Wayne's World.
Pops, I was just watching the Dolphins came back and almost steal the game against the Knights.
In part it was because they still had some potency and speed to do it, despite missing their most potent attacking weapons (Hammer and Farnsworth) and a bulk of their top players.
It was also because they stayed in the "grind" ("chasing the collision" and all that) doing the fundamentals with intensity and gutso, and didn't implode.
No arguments there from me Phil. Parra is King of the Grinds and speed and potency rests with essentially two players with one of them injured.
The greatest mystery continues to be why we cannot get players like the Finns and Broncs with pace and agility.
With due respect to Harper who is a damn trier, he could not run out of sight on a dark night. Why did we not chase any speed, the real surprise is that our much vaunted juniors from last season, do not have speed either. In American football if you can't run 40 yards in 4.2 seconds don't bother turning up to try out!
Surely to paraphrase Coryn we can go after some 7's Union players, whereever they come from.
Pops,
I've got no idea why we wouldn't "chase more speed" and potency not just "chase the collision". Dunno. Really don't. It's as if we've fallen asleep on the wheel over the last few years, been complacent, lacked vision, or have had a blind spot to it (hard to believe). Lomax is a step in the right direction. But we need more.
Our R&R and scouts need to get into gear: cast their nets high and wide looking for talented demon-speedsters who can run hard fearlessly (and don't do what Sivo often does, back down from the challenge). RU, Fiji, the Islands, NZ (biggest nursery), wherever. Just do it. Find them. I think some of our backrowers are also looking a tad worse for wear, just quietly.
When I was watching the Phins game today, I thought to myself their linespeed looks a lot quicker and adaptive than ours on the eye-test.
So, I just did the stats on linespeeds and sure enough the Phins are top-four for line speed and we're second last.
Also, that miniature fullback at the Phins wasn't afraid to run direct into the belly of the Knights pack, full pelt, and caused mayhem. He puts some of our back five to shame. He's like a jet-propelled, minituare light-armoured tank on wheels.
As for "chasing the collision" it's a buzzword catchphrase for doing the most basic collective fundamentals well: Running hard, tackling hard (with your body, not flapping hands), and chasing hard. All of which involve "collisions". But, we're very off-on on these fundamentals. I mean just look at our linespeed. Our fundamentals are often pretty piss poor.
"Chasing the Collision" is hit and miss for other critical "off the ball" non-collision fundamentals such as keeping line shapes, following play, adapting, marking your man, and getting back in the line whilst also being aware of what is happening (not falling asleep and snoozing on the job).
Same with this idea of staying in the "grind" which is akin to staying in the fight; mentally and physically.
Actually, I don't think we're good "grinders".We part-time grinders.
I think we want to be. We aspire to be. But, we're not really. We often crack under pressure. We might be 'in the grind" for a week or two but then drop off the following week, or do it for one half, then drop off the next half.
Also, both those catchphrase ideas are hit and miss with some of the most critical footy IQ stuff such as staying alert, staying focused, not dozing off into the ether (harder to do that it seems for 80 minutes), counting numbers (at least the guys with some footy IQ), and spotting vulnerabilities.
We can caught out on the whole gamit of A to Z on all that including our speciality - switching off and on to a compressed unaware and lazy inside ruck defence.
The Panthers, though yes declining a bit (look at the players they've lost), are the masters of all that and that's a big reason they're triple-peat champions.
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