Interesting comments made by Fake and LB on the relative coaching record of Dean Pay in a great post in another blog.
They say how Dean Pay was hard done by in having a poor (dogs) side and doing well enough with what he had.
This made me think of an idiot on here making comments about BA being a failure because he has had 10 seasons to get it right!
I won't deny that the bald statistic (no pun) but the points you guys make about Dean Pay being a good coach and hard done by have some application for BA being judged for having 10 seasons to get it right.
BA was equally presented with a poor side and inherited a disaster in terms of the state of the club, he did a great job in the context of those early days and whilst the ongoing discussions about his retention are very relevant (now), the one thing is not.........., is that he has had 10 years to get it right.
I think he needs to be judged from post 2018 when the recovery, medicine and swap back all changed around to a new era of competitiveness. 2018 happened for a myriad of reasons, not the least being a huge sigh of relief that the prior pain was past us. The spoon winning side of 2018 was the final act of pain caused by the disruption of salary cap mismanagement and being placed under external management.
I believe the 2018 year has been a reflux event this season gone (afterall it was not the disaster of 2018, just our expectations had changed to new levels). GF making success not withstanding the side was probably not good enough, maybe it was too much for us to go forward with an arguably a weaker side this year. We also finally had our constitutional issues all resolved and a diabolical set of events in terms of injuries, suspensions and draws.
In that GF we had played above our season's expectations and ablity to a certain extent. During the course of the year we were not considered a threat or likely at many stages.
Maybe the new medicine of a different or new coach has some strong points. We do not appear to have a lot of realalistic alternatives? (Please dont trot out the usual suspects, we have been there enough for a while).
Finally all that said the coach has another 2 years and if he can repeat top 4 appearances with the cattle he has during that period, then the platform of new pathway success is on the cards after this period........whether he goes forward through this is subjective and not worth talking about anymore until we get into the "meat" of next season.
Its now time to stop speculating, wait until early november to see what we have and stop being so pessimistic about everything.
We continue to have our board imposed handicap relative to player payments (TPA's Etc) and we need as a club to communicate on cleaner and clearer lines from an executive level.... it is great having no leaks but there are always some positive things that need to be leaked. We also need for the club to start selling itself as an attractive venue for players to have a career at!
I hope you continue to enjoy the "orf seezun" in the spirit that Sir Col always wanted, yes madness but not suicidal.
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The reality of a sports coach is that you'll be judged on your last/current season all the way up to your retirement, and only then will you be judged on your career.
Kevin Walters had fans ready to burn their jerseys a few years ago, last year had his own players saying he's a nice guy but not a coach. Now he's taken a team to the Grand Final and they're not too long odds to go all the way.
Those who want to craft a negative agenda will point out BAs failures. Those who want to craft a positive agenda will point out BAs successes. His career and tenure will only be judged truly once it's in the past, until then all we have to go on is the last season which - by BAs own admission - simply wasn't good enough.
All that aside there's no point in letting perfect be the enemy of good. BA is contracted, there are no other better options, so it's all a bit of a moot point. BA is definitely good enough to be a first grade coach, he definitely seems to have the trust and the admiration of the players, and if Kevin Walters has shown us anything it's that ultimate failure to ultimate success may be a blink away from each other. Or maybe people put too much focus on the coach as a figurehead and they actually don't make the amount of difference people like to think they do.
Great post Cappy!
I can already see a few names head spinning, arms moving from the elbow up & down & running into walls yelling.... BUT I HATE BA, HE SON GONE WE NEED TO BLAME SOMEONE. Great post, so true. BA will have us in the Top 4 next year if the team go as a whole in the right direction. We can't find a new State coach, not many options out there. Rookie coach, not sure about that, Bulldogs are struggling with that option.
Sound words Pops but how do we sell the club....no high profile player wants a bar of us......how hard did we try for a quality centre....what was the process when we bid for Staggs, Farmsworth,Isako et al. Further when other quality came on to the market ie crichton where the f were we. Surely we are a better place then the dogs, or is ol pig head gould that good at filling these players heads with magic.....
where is our strategy where is our transparecy from the power brokers in relation to high end talent in areas we need it ie wing centre ....?? absolutely bubkas
Well I could do all that for you Parra G, but my guess is you wouldn't be happy so I will leave it to the board and the operative I referred to as "board imposed" handicap. It's a process of evolution, while reputation says it took 6 days and a rest for God, my guess is the 10 year process is in place.....notice I said 10 years as you will note that many of our members love a 5 year plan.
PS You nearly worried me for a minute when I read your opening parragraph......I thought shit I am not having to talk about privatisation and explaining it again am I.
fair enough Poppa ...lol have a great long weekend....I di agree a plan of something would be a start
I supported BA up until this year. I feel he has had plenty of time to make a bigger impact. More importantly, he has had plenty of time to build a consistent team. But we're not. Consistent means we remain hot all the the time. When a player is injured or suspended, some steps in easily without a hiccup. Like the Panthers.
This isn't a hate post. As I've said many times before, I like BA. He is a good coach, but not a great one. That's reality. In other businesses, you don't wait 10+ years to get it right.
My question for BA supporters, what is it that you see that many others here are struggling to see? Enlighten and give us hope. Looking at 2024, how will BA turn things around? And I'm not talking making us a top 8 team or top 4 team. How will we win the premiership with BA?
I'm making a prediction EAM, (not that,that means anything lol) . We will win the minor premiership next year, not necessarily the premiership, but we will be a much more consistent side......and lead all the way......we have learnt a lot from this year gone.....maybe lessons we had to learn after making a grandfinal. Still 2 years away from maximum depth!
Lol Brad win a minor premiership haha. You must have had one too many sherberts last night only fella, no way in the world with brads defensive record that we'll come first its impossible. . Thats a clown 🤡 statement
Great post.
I have been and still am a BA supporter but I think this next two seasons (possibly only next depending on results) should be BA's last, and the only way I can see that changing is BA getting the Eels into the next two Grandfinals and winning at least one. He will have had 12 years at the helm by then and has done an amazing job with the club considering where it was, but sports are a results driven business and winning the big one is what is required.
I have faith that he can do it, but it will take more than more of the same old. I think he needs to find that X-factor player who will grab a game by the scruff of it's neck (all by himself) and drag the team over the line when they are up against it. That is what the Eels have been missing ever since Hayne's run in 09. 15yrs is too long for us not to have a player like that and that is what we are missing, the final piece of the puzzle.
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