BA has been under massive scrutiny since the embarrassing performance on Friday night, rightfully so. Question for those in the club is can he get us back to relevance, he has done it twice in the past. I mean even Trent Robinson had an off year in 2016 where Easts finished 15th, the following year they were 1st. Not saying we will have that trajectory of course but it can happen. O'Neill is the other one under criticism for his recruitment. Overall, since coming to the club in 2019, O'Neill has done a hell of a job. 2019 he signed Paulo, Lane, Blake and Fergo. Then in 2020 he got RCG and Matterson, with 2020 us looking the goods as a team to fear with inexperience in bigger games. 2021 he had one of his best years with Papali'i, Opacic, Lussick, Cartwright and Greig. 2023 he has had to practically start from stratch again in terms of depth, with the market slim as it was he of course struggled to get the players needed, Hopgood being the lone bright spot.
The big question, that should be answered in a review that the club should conduct, is BA getting the players he wants? Now when it comes to recruitment i understand both points of view of terms coaches involved in recruitment. The coach should have a say in who he wants, though at the same time he also should not have 100% say. It is up to O'Neill to get BA the players he wants close to what his requirements are. So this year one would be Hodgson, a replacement hooker with experience was more likely the criteria but was it what BA wanted? Though i am in the camp that BA should have a say at least in who we get. Look at it in soccer, where the manager reins supreme, Jurgen Klopp (as i am a Liverpool fan) came to Liverpool with a transfer committee in tact, the club kept it even though Klopp was not too keen on it. But the way they work with him is he might say i want this player and they try and see how that player fits financially, culturally and tactically. Klopp might get the exact player he wants, though most times that player might be out of reach so the committee go to him with similar options and narrow it down, then Klopp picks out of what is there. It worked for a fair time. That can work with BA and O'Neill. We know a Centre is what BA has wanted for a while, starting with Schoupp early in the year. Smith-Shields was the latest however it seemed Canberra said no but the board also werent overly keen and i think they got that one right. So not giving the coach what he wants can be a good thing, but it is apparent, as BA has voiced, there is a massive disconnect in the type of team O'Neill wants to build and BA wants to build. More likely the reason we have not signed a back due to neither party agreeing. Some might say BA should get who he wants, others will say BA should take what he's given. Either approach is off as BA should be given a choice to the final choices presented.
What approach should they go? Well if i was the club i would go with getting the players BA wants and if it fails then makes it easier to sack him on the basis of we got you what you want and it didn't work so no excuses. But also, that is hard to do also. Should one of either BA or O'Neill go? Well that is tough as if one has to go, the one that will be gone is O'Neill, simply that BA has backing of the board for some time and i think making a GF buys him some time and credibility to them.
I think neither should go, though they could bring in a head of football to assist BA and O'Neill. Too many chefs in the kitchen? Perhaps, but if you choose wisely it can work. A name i want to bring up i am guessing wont be too popular but i feel they will bring a sense of guidence in all aspects of the club, plus has backed BA in the past. Brian Smith, that is who i would bring in. Allow him in the negotiations and meetings in recruitment and give some help. He also has an eye for juniors. At the end of the day he could be that third person that gets a deal over the line if BA and O'Neill cannot agree. If BA is against a head of football along with GM of football in O'Neill then he can go as we are offering help.
Overall the club have not gone with the times, they have been slow in timing and patient in decisions and it has bit them badly. Need a new voice from someone with an idea of football and how a team runs other than BA.
Replies
He should but he won't and the reason he won't is he has two years to run with zero options and he has people in the media and within the club and it's fan base making fucking excuses for him.
In 2016 it was because of the salary debacle that apparently he had zero to do with, ahem....
Then in 2018 it had nothing to do with him because we were still rebounding back after the salary cap scandal.
Then we made the semis consistently for 4 years and that was apparently ALL his doing.
But now as we drop faster than a hooker on Canterbury road, he has nothing to do with the predicament we find ourselves in.
It's all freaking hilarious. Win and it's all that do with his development and recruitment, but lose and suddenly recruitment and development has nothing to do with him.
Which is it? Will his defenders please wipe the smegma off their eyes....can't have it both ways
10 years is enough regardless of results and we need changes both with the squad and with the coaching team.
I think you're being dishonest Frank The Tank. None of it - good or bad - was ALL Arthur's doing. He contributed to every win and loss, and for the most part we have been winning. Even in 2023 we have won half our games. Most years that's enough to make the eight, sometimes it's enough to run seventh. We've had more good years than bad years under Brad Arthur. If he's responsible for all of it he's doing a better job than most coaches. But personally I don't think he is responsible for everything. His job is to coach the team he gets, and there plenty of better squads. Funny how the Broncos didn't lose a single player during the years they were shit and now they suddenly have the best squad in the NRL. It's like the 90s all over again. As soon as they found the money they even got Walsh to become homesick. I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to keep Haas too.
There comes a time when you have to accept that BAs time might be up - right now might be that time mate.
He's had 10 years with plenty of ups and a few downs and enjoyed a rather long stint at one of the more glamour NRL clubs, not a bad look for his resume.
This downward trend that we will find ourselves in next year will be beyond him IMO and I think we need a new voice who offers the club and squad a new direction.
It's not fatal for him, he can still coach elsewhere but as a club if we hold on to him much longer it could be disastrous for the club. I want a premiership and so should the club - BA won't deliver that any time soon IMO.
Daniel Anderson was sacked a year after taking us to the 09 grand final. I hope the same fate falls upon Brad Arthur. Frankly 10 years of his poor coaching is enough..
He is not a coach that has that killer instinct to be able get the team to perform in the big games. We got lucky last year to make the grand final and I think since then his coaching has gone downhill..
We need a fresh start, a new coach and team.
I mean fitzy took the sharks to 2nd place or 3rd place in his first year of coaching so why can't our future new coach?
Please we need the dumb retard BA out of our coaching ranks..
That Fitzy did and got bounced in straight sets. Ciraldo was the 2nd coming and done nothing. Webster has the warriors playing great, but let's see what happens come finals.
I'm of the opinion now that ba needs to be replaced, but to say he's done nothing as a coach is a stretch. We've had players come and go during his reign but apart from Stefano, I can't think of many players that have left here and been superstars under another coach.
The team needs a new voice and a new defence coach. We've had enough points in us to win most games so Barrett's done his job.
I'm for a rookie coach like Hannay, Burt, Morris(not that experienced) if we could get an experienced assistant coach like a Toovey to work with
I think the issues go further than just the coach. Any review needs to look at the entire establishment and it's professionalism. A lack of that can be seen by some of the actions of the players. Matto taking a 3 match suspension or Dylan and his bender on a bye week amongst other things.
Then I look at recruitment. Andrew Davey is a nice guy I'm sure, but he couldn't even get a run at the Dogs and is in our run on side every week. I look enviously at the Chooks snaging Spencer Lenui and Dom Young, players who will bolster their roster. We appear to sign journey men and rejects.
What we are lacking is SPEED for sure. You only have to look at the threat of Walsh at the Bronco's, and the players he sucks in as a result. Gutho doesn't offer anything like that, nor does anyone else in the roster. Going to be a lean few years, regardless of who is the coach.
And precisely why he moves on ASAP to give the new guy a chance to rebuild this side his way....
We are also lacking that worker out the back. Brian To'o is the perfect BA winger. It is funny how our forwards were at their best when we had Fergo and Sivo in form. We need a worker out the back to start our sets well and create post contact and quick play the balls. Not great when our wingers get pulled back and our forwards run into brick walls from the wingers not making metres or creating momentum.
Added to that though, with Leniu and Young off to Roosters, even if we wanted them we wouldn't get them from our no TPA policy alone.
Looking at this Broncos squad I'm utterly depressed because I don't think we're ever going to have a team that good. We haven't since 1986. Every club goes through peaks and troughs and since '86 our peaks have only been enough to sneak into a grand final. And then after all three grand finals we've immediately declined:
'01: grand final (minor premiers)
'02: 6th (out in week one of the finals)
'09: grand final (after finishing eighth)
'10: 12th
'22: grand final (from fourth place)
'23: ???
This is under three different coaches, so I don't think coaching is the problem. Sacking them certainly hasn't been the solution.
FFS!!!
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next