All NRL Games [Round 18, 2025]

[Nordburg]

I'm a bit more measured on Weekes leaving.

More a "you can't keep them all" then "wtf are we doing".

I'm not sure he would have gotten the minutes and progressed at the same rate here.

It’s a simple equation,TomT/Lehi/Koula or Weekes?

 

[Scorpio]

I almost cry when I see Weekes play, speed to burn. Why did we let him go.

Tom and Lehi also have fullback as their best position... would we have preferred either of those leave instead?

 

[HoldenV8]

Please include bozo in barrett's list as his fingers were all over that roster overhaul.

Bozo made some poor choices during that time. One of them was buying Gould's BS that Barrett was the coach of the future.

Edit: and I still believe to this day Gould did that as a way to get Barrett out of Penrith's coaching hair without having to fire him. That it screwed over Manly was just his bonus. They'd given Barrett charge of the U/20s and his was the only time in what would be a 4 year stretch that not only did they not make the 20s GF, but they missed the finals altogether. Barrett was them removed as 20s coach and put in as Cleary's assistant for half a season before Gus sold him to Bozo.

For mine Gus knew full well even then that Barrett wasn't going to be a good coach.

 

[nightster]

Cowgirls have stepped up a notch

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

It’s a simple equation,TomT/Lehi/Koula or Weekes?

Exactly

How do you keep each one , and if you do every one of them gets a first grade gig, so your dropping Tommy or Lehi or Koula just to give Weekes a run.

I laugh when I read these comments “ why did we let him go “.

It’s simple we couldn’t fit him in

 

[mave]

Exactly

How do you keep each one , and if you do every one of them gets a first grade gig, so your dropping Tommy or Lehi or Koula just to give Weekes a run.

I laugh when I read these comments “ why did we let him go “.

It’s simple we couldn’t fit him in

*we chose not to fit him in.

For better or worse, we made our choices.

 

[Eagle 1]

We had too many fullbacks - we gave him one part of a game at 5/8 and decided he wasn’t a keeper - gong !

If only Weeks had of impressed in the short time we had him...them's the breaks.

 

[Rafferty]

Drinkwater can play with the ball, but his near on useless without it……

 

[Eagle 1]

Cow girls grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[Eagle 1]

Ref in the Cows game is just atrocious, nearly as bad as Sutton. He looks like someone from the 1920's.

 

[TheSoaringEagle2023]

Exactly

How do you keep each one , and if you do every one of them gets a first grade gig, so your dropping Tommy or Lehi or Koula just to give Weekes a run.

I laugh when I read these comments “ why did we let him go “.

It’s simple we couldn’t fit him in

Of course we couldnt fit him in...we signed Jake Arthur and Cooper Johns and gave them a run instead.

 

[nightster]

If only Weeks had of impressed in the short time we had him...them's the breaks.

He impressed plenty in Reggie’s but was never given a real go in nrl

 

[TheSoaringEagle2023]

He impressed plenty in Reggie’s but was never given a real go in nrl

Played in 4 different positions against top tier teams. Some wrote him off after a bad night at the office against a Penrith team which went on to win multiple premierships.

 

[ManlyTragic]

Maybe I might have to back the Eagle for the remainder of the season
That second half performance has shown nothing to me, putrid!

Unfortunately we have one of those second half performances every second week!

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Ref in the Cows game is just atrocious, nearly as bad as Sutton. He looks like someone from the 1920's.

That moustache on that head is not a good idea. He looks like a hobbit in a leather bar, cruising for a bit of Bag End rough trade.

 

[Wombat Junior]

Damn I thought I would chuck a wild tip in and go for a cowboys upset but when I did it, wishart was named at fullback and pezet to start at 6 so then I was late watching the first game and didn’t have time to change it back.

Was both great games to watch.
Loved weekes side stepping the ref and going through for a try. FINALLY got to see some try July celebrations this round mainly thanks to storm.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Of course we couldnt fit him in...we signed Jake Arthur and Cooper Johns and gave them a run instead.

The difference was , neither Arthur or Johns came expecting to have a first grade spot from the get go , Weekes in the other hand left for that reason.

 

[TheSoaringEagle2023]

The difference was , neither Arthur or Johns came expecting to have a first grade spot from the get go , Weekes in the other hand left for that reason.

Which begs the question, why sign these guys in the first place who were proven to be quite average over time, only to give them a run ahead of someone like Weekes, who cost next to nothing. I think you're making excuses for signing them on the basis that they were cheap and werent expecting a gig, all the while we had a diamond in the rough that needed time and patience to develop. Guys like Watmough, Stewart bros, Matai, Jason King,Paul Stephenson, back in the day were given plenty of time to develop and gain experience. We now go for the short term fix by giving a junior a go if they can show they are 1st grade material in a space of 3 games. If they cant show anything in say 3 games, we chuck them to the side and sign a few has beens that gives the illusion that they are somewhat better. The point is youre seemingly ok with letting juniors walk while we sign average players or injury prone who you think offer better value overtime.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Which begs the question, why sign these guys in the first place who were proven to be quite average over time, only to give them a run ahead of someone like Weekes, who cost next to nothing. I think you're making excuses for signing them on the basis that they were cheap and werent expecting a gig, all the while we had a diamond in the rough that needed time and patience to develop. Guys like Watmough, Stewart bros, Matai, Jason King,Paul Stephenson, back in the day were given plenty of time to develop and gain experience. We now go for the short term fix by giving a junior a go if they can show they are 1st grade material in a space of 3 games. If they cant show anything in say 3 games, we chuck them to the side and sign a few has beens that gives the illusion that they are somewhat better. The point is youre seemingly ok with letting juniors walk while we sign average players or injury prone who you think offer better value overtime.

Not my point at all.

You are talking 20 years ago , it was different then , players prepared to accept less money to keep the brotherhood alive.

Today these young players want

Big money
Guaranteed first grade spots

Point 2, the other players weren’t brought in , instead of Weekes , rather brought in because they were considered reasonable backups and weren’t expensive.

Case in point how many first grade games did both play ??

And under what circumstances were they brought in??

The answer, just a few & they were never purchased to be future superstars , they were just cheapies to fill the necessary 25-30 positions and due to injury / SOO jagged a couple of games .

 

[TheSoaringEagle2023]

Bozo made some poor choices during that time. One of them was buying Gould's BS that Barrett was the coach of the future.

Edit: and I still believe to this day Gould did that as a way to get Barrett out of Penrith's coaching hair without having to fire him. That it screwed over Manly was just his bonus. They'd given Barrett charge of the U/20s and his was the only time in what would be a 4 year stretch that not only did they not make the 20s GF, but they missed the finals altogether. Barrett was them removed as 20s coach and put in as Cleary's assistant for half a season before Gus sold him to Bozo.

For mine Gus knew full well even then that Barrett wasn't going to be a good coach.

Had we got a decent coach for 2017 - 19, with that roster we had, a premiership would not have been out of the question. Api,Walker,AFB,Tapau,Turbo,Jurbo,DCE,Thompson,Tafua,etc we had a roster better than most of other teams at that time.