Coaching staff to blame more than the players

[Masked Eagle]

We did a better job defending our 11 title than our 08 title in terms of how far we progressed. Ironically both title defences ended with a s**thouse performance against the Storm.

I'm sure Toovs would do some things differently if he had his time over again but to blame him for the performance is ridiculous.

 

[Moops]

Darren is a deadest knucklehead rarely is he constructive and loves to put the boot in when we lose. I am sure if we go back to threads when we have won he will be lauding the players he is now relentlessly bagging out. Fair weather supporter of the highest order

Doesn't Darren go to junior games? Doesn't sound like a fair weather supporter to me...

 

[simon64]

We got further than 90% of teams & have tasted more success in recent times than any other. The loss was error riddled & the boys never really got into the game regardless of the 12-6 ht margin.
Its not coaching staffs fault, the players have been catching & passing for 20 odd years & had an off night, not the best time to do it but s**t happens- yes even to us.

This.

My only hope is that Tooves starts the pre-season as Des would. Making sure the players are supremely fit so fade outs don't happen.

Rest up boys. The sand hills are calling.

 

[Darren]

Guys, I rave about players when they do well and don't sugarcoat stuff. Thanks Moops, I do go to junior games and write when I can about prospects. My points:
1.We do go on about no name teams: Well the no names beat us convincely. So did other "bottom" teams.
2. Our star studded team didn't do us much good. If they are all so great, not one did much last night (except Jamie, Brett and Joe)
3. Bellamy did have them primed. We looked lost even when we ran out.
4.Every team has injuries.
5. Tooves did well but when the crunch came, we got smashed by Dogs and Storm. Game, set and match. Results are results as we say. Who remembers the runner up?
6. A hard summer will get the boys back in a more hungrier mode as alot of egos got smashed the past few weeks. I doubt we will have the aura but that may be a good thing.

 

[eagleboy1]

Guys, I rave about players when they do well and don't sugarcoat stuff. Thanks Moops, I do go to junior games and write when I can about prospects. My points:
1.We do go on about no name teams: Well the no names beat us convincely. So did other "bottom" teams.
2. Our star studded team didn't do us much good. If they are all so great, not one did much last night (except Jamie, Brett and Joe)
3. Bellamy did have them primed. We looked lost even when we ran out.
4.Every team has injuries.
5. Tooves did well but when the crunch came, we got smashed by Dogs and Storm. Game, set and match. Results are results as we say. Who remembers the runner up?
6. A hard summer will get the boys back in a more hungrier mode as alot of egos got smashed the past few weeks. I doubt we will have the aura but that may be a good thing.

I think we done well after loosing Des and Hoppa straight after GF, then there was all those players that had to be resigned and then loose a few as well. All with a new coach and dysfunctional board. We will improve next year. GO MANLY

 

[KOMORI]

There are fears we all carry onto the field of battle, things that you never voice before a game and that only in your darkest hours will you admit to having. Things such as fear of major injury, fear of failure.

My greatest fear in any sport was wonderfully portrayed in a scene in a movie called "The Replacements": Quicksand.

If you've ever experienced this PAINFULL phenomenon on any field, you will understand just why players fear this more than anything, and I believe that our boys experienced it brutally last night.

Quicksand: the harder you fight, the quicker you sink. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, works. Everything that CAN go wrong, DOES go wrong: ironically enough it's a "perfect storm" of errors. So you dig deep and try harder, only to compound the situation, sinking deeper and deeper both on the scoreboard and in your heart and believe me when I say that the siren is a relief. Bouncing back from such a game is incredibly hard, at least our boys have a whole off-season (which is, incidentally, a two edged sword in itself!).

So quit the finger pointing. These things happen in any sport. Wether or not the players or coaching staff read these pages they NEED our support, and deserve nothing but the most loyal and staunch of supporters to lean on at the moment. The strength of this club lives in the foundations built by player loyalty and a winning culture and a core group of supporters who will go to their grave as Sea Eagles forever.

Be loyal.

Be STAUNCH.

Be PROUD!!

Be MANLY!!!

 

[Sheikheagle]

Nice work komori

 

[conanu]

It was the worst performance by any team that I've seen this year. Parramatta would have beaten us last night, so its fair enough to question the coach, though I think he did a brilliant job getting them to the prelim final.

I think the Storms enthusiasm, fresh legs and adoption of the dogs defensive tactic of having the edge defense sprint up and choke any Manly attack was the difference. The refs have now officially stopped policing the 10 metres - and thats bad news for attacking flair teams like Manly and good news for wrestlers and spoilers like the dogs and storm. Throw in the routine ball fumble by Watmough on the second hit up and then Trex's nice work for the first storm try and Manly were as rattled from the get go as they were in the dogs game. Unfortunately no composure.

I think a number of players have probably peaked and there may be some hard times ahead as our roster has pretty much been stagnant now for a few years.

It is kind of similar to Geelong in the AFL but the difference there is that they are moving the older players on and bringing in young, enthusiastic guys. We seem to be moving the younger players on and keeping the older guys. Unless Manly adopt a similar approach we could be making up the numbers for longer than we think. I hope Toovey brings these new guys in. A few teams are starting to surge ahead of us now (Dogs have well and truly gone past us) so we need to lick our wounds for the next few years and re-build...

We have bought better young guns from Under 20's teams that are still in the Semi's. Lussick is massively over-rated, Harrison was average and Oldfield was also average. I dont think we will miss these guys like we have missed Robbo or Hoppa. Michael Chee-kam is an awesome backrower with plenty of potential a real standout in the Raiders under 20's team littered with talent.

 

[The Who]

If we had injured forwards why wasn't Harrison used? He was good for us when he played, but he wasn't sighted in the later part of the season. Was he injured?
Too late now, of course, because he is off the Parra. Of all the players we are losing he is the one I'm most disappointed about - and probably would have been the cheapest to retain.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Darren, you keep saying every side has injuries, quite correct

But how many consistently lost 3-4 of them during a match most weeks ?

It started off in game 1 with Matai and Stewart, and seemed to never end !! It makes it damn hard.

You keep mentioning the finals, so let's look at those as a case in point

Dogs, Lyon gone early along with king, leaving us with a combo of Buhrer and Oldifeld and messing with plans for forward interchange, add Joe in the opening mins of the 2nd half and we are operating with 14 men against the minor premiers

Last night, Ballin gone early, Buhrer having to play extended mins at hooker, Matai injured early but can't be replaced because the man that would fill in that role is already filling in for an injured Ballin. Again, makes it damn hard against a side fit and firing, especially when we are off

Both the Parra and Newcastle games as well, flying until half time, straight after halftime we lose 4 guys in both games and struggle to hold on

To write injuries off as a factor is our campaign is silly

 

[Garts]

Darren, our "superstars" still got us to the GF qualifier. That is a better effort than 12 other sides is it not.

Smashed by the Storm yes. Smashed by the Dogs? What was the score again? From memory it was 6 points, geez what a hiding.

You sure do praise the players after a win and then bag them after a loss. To me you are a short sighted poster that bases our prospects on a game by game basis. Very short sighted in my opinion.

But last night was a diabolical performance. Worst I have seen from such a talented team. Does that mean we are screwed for next season? Of course not.

 

[Sheikheagle]

Spot on KE key injuries as well

 

[BOZO]

Why are we blaming our coaching staff for getting us to a GF qualifier ???

 

[globaleagle]

Why are we blaming our coaching staff for getting us to a GF qualifier ???

How dare they build our hopes up like that!!!!!!

 

[voicefromthehill]

We got further than 90% of teams

No we didn't - 75% yes 😛

 

[Ryan]

Tooves was thrown into the job with little notice last season with half the coaching staff following Hasler. Out of the shambles he's left with he gets us to the preliminary finals. Well done Tooves, love your work.

BUT, for mine, Toovey has had four very important games this past season. Three finals, and a World Club Challenge. In my opinion, he was out coached, and out played in three of four.

With the All Star roster Toovey had at his disposal, I believe we grossly under achieved, as I believe we should have won it this year from the bottom of my soul.

 

[Wolfpack]

We can all blame the players but some questions must be asked of the coaching staff!
1. Every league loving person I know says T-Rex is not an 80 minute player - Hasler never used him as an 80 minute player! Nor as a battering ram.
2. Our forwards run like crabs instead of running dead straight trying to get over the advantage line.
3. Instead of trying to pass the ball around Melbourne, play them up the middle where they have a sub standard forward pack.
4. Play simple error free settlers in the first 3 tackles... Get them on the back foot and then think what to do next.

1. Yes he did.
2. Sometimes they do, yes. Sometimes it works.
3. Would've worked if the pack actually decided to play - they didn't & the team was forced to look for other options.
4. Yeah, I'm sure Tooves told them to go out & make errors early in the sets.

In summary; lol get f**ked.

Tooves' first year in charge was at worst solid, for me. Obviously in a perfect world Des would have stayed, we would have gone back to back but things took a dramatically different path & Tooves did an admirable job given the circumstances he was given.

As for the 'star-studded' roster, form is a great equaliser. Sure, the Jamie Lyons, Cam Smiths & Greg Inglis' of the world always find a way to perform well but that can't be said for every player. Our halves were up & down this year, which is to be expected from young player with such expectations on their shoulders, especially given the injuries to Foran which stalled his season early on.

Tooves kept the team from falling in on itself & proved to be a strong figurehead for the club. In the off-field aspect, he certainly passed with flying colours. On the pitch I won't say that Manly was great, anyone here who watched all of our games knows that much but I'd say that the final season result was satisfactory.

The team didn't get outcoached last night, they just got outplayed, pure & simple. The Storm ran faster, hit harder & showed more grit & they rightly got the win. These games happen, it's part of the game, just don't let them taint your view of the season as a whole.

 

[Moops]

Darren, you keep saying every side has injuries, quite correct

But how many consistently lost 3-4 of them during a match most weeks ?

It started off in game 1 with Matai and Stewart, and seemed to never end !! It makes it damn hard.

You keep mentioning the finals, so let's look at those as a case in point

Dogs, Lyon gone early along with king, leaving us with a combo of Buhrer and Oldifeld and messing with plans for forward interchange, add Joe in the opening mins of the 2nd half and we are operating with 14 men against the minor premiers

Last night, Ballin gone early, Buhrer having to play extended mins at hooker, Matai injured early but can't be replaced because the man that would fill in that role is already filling in for an injured Ballin. Again, makes it damn hard against a side fit and firing, especially when we are off

Both the Parra and Newcastle games as well, flying until half time, straight after halftime we lose 4 guys in both games and struggle to hold on

To write injuries off as a factor is our campaign is silly

Without trying to sound like a smartarse, I see a connection about the injured players you mentioned...AGE. Some look old and tired and I look at a few of the young Dogs boys and they seem to be jumping out of their skin on the field - Barba/Reynolds etc. We are not going to climb the mountain again with our current group of forwards, I think that was proven last night.

---

Tooves was thrown into the job with little notice last season with half the coaching staff following Hasler. Out of the shambles he's left with he gets us to the preliminary finals. Well done Tooves, love your work.

BUT, for mine, Toovey has had four very important games this past season. Three finals, and a World Club Challenge. In my opinion, he was out coached, and out played in three of four.

With the All Star roster Toovey had at his disposal, I believe we grossly under achieved, as I believe we should have won it this year from the bottom of my soul.

I wasn't all that disappointed when Hasler left as I thought Tooves would be more than capable but I was wrong. Losing Hasler was the biggest f*#k up by the powers that be of all time and the club is going to regret it for years.Everybody seems to forgetting who is really at fault - THE BOARD. People talk about Toovey being given a poisoned chalice after Hasler left but what about what Hasler did with the Dogs at such short notice!? Toovey needs to be more demanding. When the players came out and said that Toovey needed to be tougher, that was real eye-opener...

 

[Darren]

Very true Moops! Never heard a player say that about the coach. The loss of Des may be our biggest loss for a decade. With every Dogs cruching win it gets rammed down our throat abit more.

I'm not going there about old players!

 

[Ryan]

Good call Darren. Des is a cut above most other coaches, and he manipulates his teams style to suit a competitor. The guy is just class. Whoever cost us that coach should be hanging their head in shame.

Manly will never be the team it was under Des, with the current coaching structure.

Love Tooves as a player, but as a coach, I believe he doesn't do the little things well. Those 1%'ers.

BUT, he may improve. I remember Byso and I venting about Hasler when he first started.