The Untouchable Bob Fulton

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How does a selector, who is running at a 9 per cent success rate, maintain his role for 11 straight years?

In any other sport, a selector who has won one series out of the last 11 would simply be shown the door. Told ‘thanks but no thanks’. But this is rugby league immortal Bob Fulton. The untouchable Bob Fulton. And by being untouchable, Fulton simply goes under the radar.

The problem with having a sole selector is once he is locked on an idea, and believes he is right, it’s very hard to change his mind. What was Bob Fulton’s idea? It was Paul Gallen.

In June of 2014 Fulton suggested Paul Gallen was a future immortal.

“We talk about Darren Lockyer, Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater as future Immortals, which is fair enough too,” Fulton said.

“It’s just that I’d include Paul Gallen in that company too. He’s the best NSW Origin forward I’ve seen”.

After losing the final match of the 2015 series 52-6, it was time for fresh ideas. Time to move Bob Fulton and Paul Gallen on. You can’t get a clearer indication that a 46-point hiding in an Origin decider.

However, if Bozo remained and with an inflated opinion of Paul Gallen, the captaincy wasn’t ever in threat of changing. So with a selector with a success rate of 10 per cent selecting a captain with a success rate of 20 per cent, is there any real surprise that NSW lost yet again?

They are lucky their success rates can’t drop much lower. Now Fulton sits at 9 per cent and Gallen 17 per cent.

NSW needed fresh ideas. They needed a captains talk, that when they heard it, wasn’t the same one they’ve heard for the last five years that often ended in a loss. They needed something else.

However, the got the same speech, and the same result.

And Bob Fulton remains as untouchable as ever.
 
Lets be completely honest. It doesnt matter what team gets selected the last decade, NSW will always be up against it.

QLD is experiencing a period of talent we may never see again. A generation of players that include Lockyer, Smith, Thurston, Slater, Cronk, Inglis, Parker ect.

It doesnt matter who you pick. Its a once in a hundred year team.
 
Daley said last year that NSW doesn't have selectors and the coach solely picks the team.

He said he may ask people for opinions but at the end of the day the decision rests with him.

What is Bobs offical role with NSWRL?
 
Don't know how much credence I give to a blog by some keyboard warrior who calls themselves 'Beardan', particularly seeing how prickly they get in the comments when their opinion is challenged. Each to their own though.
 
I have posed the query before without a real answer. To the critics of the coaches and selectors over the last ten years and given the unfair advantage of hindsight , who would you select as half and five eight over this period who would have given us a steady combo to win as many as we lose, with Bellamy as coach. Fulton is a born winner and the idea that he is out of touch is a legitimate question, I believe he is not. NSW seem to have had loads of players over this period who are good players but are nowhere near as good as QLD players. Sometimes there is no answer to a problem other than to bide your time and do your best which is what is happening. The good news is that I reckon the dominance is over. The way the new players in excelled shows me a massive turning point. The new brigade will have the massive advantage of not being scarred by the defeats and more importantly against a team which will decline soon. Cleary will be the half next year and a new era begins. ( Left my defences a bit open but what the heck)
 
Daley said last year that NSW doesn't have selectors and the coach solely picks the team.

He said he may ask people for opinions but at the end of the day the decision rests with him.

What is Bobs offical role with NSWRL?
There haven't been official selectors since Ricky Stuart was coaching. They did a review and report a few years back and they decided to get rid of selectors and retain a selection advisor - Bob Fulton. Officially, the coach has final say on all selections and Bozo is 'in the room' so to speak to offer his opinion.

The question is whether this is actually how it plays out, or whether Bozo has more sway than suggested.
 
There has not been a selection panel since 2010.
Fulton has been an advisor only.

The last 6 years rests soley with the coach and of course as Gus says the selfish Paul Gallen:D
 
There haven't been official selectors since Ricky Stuart was coaching. They did a review and report a few years back and they decided to get rid of selectors and retain a selection advisor - Bob Fulton. Officially, the coach has final say on all selections and Bozo is 'in the room' so to speak to offer his opinion.

The question is whether this is actually how it plays out, or whether Bozo has more sway than suggested.
Sounds like the manly team selection room a bit also.
 
when i was a kid mid 80's, i went to Lidcombe to watch manly play, and watched them warm up out the back, and as they finished and he went to walk up to the back of the grandstand i asked for his autograph, and he said ' no, not now mate'.

i don't like Bob Fulton either
 
even funnier, after the game i went to Mark Pocock and said ' can i get your autograph Darren Rodgers'. he said,' I'm not Darren Rodgers mate'.

man i was looking for a hole to crawl into on the playing field.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
3 2 1 45 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 22 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
3 2 1 10 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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