Come on Barrett. Wake up.

[HoldenV8]

The only problem with Brown at hooker is his piss weak defence which at hooker is in the middle of the field. But his dummy half passes are actually better than Api's.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other there.

 

[Brocky]

What a pack of ****ing losers. I can't believe we lost that game. Playing for the finals, against a team missing almost all of their good players, playing for nothing, and we lose.
I take back every nice thing I've said about this team and the coaches in the past 5 weeks. It was obvious after last week that walker shouldn't play 5/8 ever. Barrett is just a ****ing moron.

I feel for you unfortunately beating second rate teams is no measure to how bad we really are. Sooner the clown and barrette F off the better we will be. Losing to parra after what they have being thru us a DISGRACE. TOOVEY MUST BEVENJOYING THIS

 

[TagMonster]

Ali has not been good at 9 all year. His good games have come when he played in the halves. His service to DCE killed his ability to attack last night. Give him good service and he lays on 2-3 more tries that game. Parcell cannot come back fast enough not can Lyon.

 

[Chip and Chase]

The only problem with Brown at hooker is his piss weak defence which at hooker is in the middle of the field. But his dummy half passes are actually better than Api's.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other there.

He had Leary sitting on the bench for 70 minutes. Leary can come on and shore up the middle in D and let Brown do the dummy half in attack. The other option he has was putting Ferris into hooker to free up Api to move into halves.

 

[Simonmyers11]

Api had to play hooker, there was no one else. Brown is avg at Hooker, and he needed to play in the halves. Leary is just plain avg altogether. He did some good things and also did his usual bad passes and slow ball to dce.

To be honest without a genuine 5/8, and a hooker who can pass crisply to the left and right teams are just going to double team dce and rush up on him. We needed a 5/8 last night out on the left to give more good early ball to Tom.

 

[Woodsie]

2 changes need to be made and made now. (Well for the next match)

Wtf and why TF do they keep putting Walker in at 5/8. As a team we look disastrous with him in that position.

I would go so far to say that if he had have been in at center all year and we had run a dedicated 5/8 we would be in the 8 now.

Also Api has to go. We need a dummy half with better distribution, faster and a thinker. Parcell needs to be handed that position now.

Yes he just scored a try but that was the only good thing all match.

If lyon is out Move api to 7. Cherry to 5/8 .Walker to center and Lewis brown to ball boy.

So, Api has poor distribution, is a slow and poor thinker, and your suggestion is to move him from hooker to half back, where I assume you think (with those short comings) he will make a good number 7.

That goodness Barrett is coaching the side.

 

[Woodsie]

I have a very strange TV, on my set I saw our best defensive effort all year.

I also saw Buhrer and Tom-T spill the ball a combined 5 times whilst on attack in Parra's half. (5 uncompleted attacking sets) Obviously no one else saw that, or do people think that part of Barretts game plan.

 

[Jerry1]

I have a very strange TV, on my set I saw our best defensive effort all year.

I also saw Buhrer and Tom-T spill the ball a combined 5 times whilst on attack in Parra's half. (5 uncompleted attacking sets) Obviously no one else saw that, or do people think that part of Barretts game plan.

Did he have a game plan... I must have missed that too.

 

[Woodsie]

Did he have a game plan... I must have missed that too.

Don't doubt that at all.

 

[Karin]

At half time the commentator said that both coaches spoke about forcing errors whilst yes it is important it's certainly not a strong game plan (ok yes it cost us the game but we shouldn't have been in that position if we had direction).

 

[Woodsie]

At half time the commentator said that both coaches spoke about forcing errors whilst yes it is important it's certainly not a strong game plan (ok yes it cost us the game but we shouldn't have been in that position if we had direction).

Your point is only valid Karin if you conclude that Barrett's entire 10min half time talk consisted of the 2 seconds it takes to say "force errors"

 

[The Who]

I'm sure Barrett would have watched how Illawarra butchered the match with the Donkeys the previous night by playing dry weather, side-to-side football in wet conditions, yet we were guilty of it to a lesser degree.
Our best hope for a try was a kick-and-hope because Tom Turbo was off his game and we don't have another backline player who is creative enough to score. Play positional football, grubber kick/bomb and rewards will come.

 

[Forans Mentor]

He won't wake up until he gets bitch slapped by Nathan Brown.

 

[BOZO]

EXCUSES DONT WIN GAMES OR MAKE A GREAT COACH !!!

 

[EagleFromMay1967]

 

[HoldenV8]

What I can't figure out is how us irrelevant fans watching at home (or at the ground), plus the Nein and Fox commentators (and presumably the radio jocks) all saw the need for us to change tack on Friday night (and we all saw it early in the game), yet up in the box our highly paid coaching staff could not see it, or if they did they just didn't react to it.

As people have said, it could have been as simple as Brown to dummy half (with instructions that his job is primarily to pass and not run), Api to 5/8 and Walker to the centres. Livewire Api at pivot would have at least given doesn't-matta's defence something else to think about which would have taken some of the pressure off of DCE.

From start to finish last night we had a halfback that was getting crowded more than a Japanese commuter train and a 5/8 who the opposition didn't give a toss about when he had the ball.

Why could neither Barrett or Cartwright see it?

 

[king2213]

Baz get ready for a bitch slapping ... your **** house ... epic fail

 

[Bearfax]

Firstly I would love Toovey to be coaching this lot with his nous. But it aint going to happen.

So what can we say about Barrett. I've tried to reserve judgement because he's new and we've a lot of new players and a lot of injuries to contend with this year.

I would say Barrett so far gets a C+ (D being a failure), a pass but just a pass. His selections have been at times confusing, but no doubt he has his own agenda and he has had ongoing serious injury issues. He's pulled Manly back from the precipice where we were at risk of inheriting the spoon and he's almost got us back towards the middle of the comp. I think his game plans are a little predictable and for some reason he cant get away from selecting some players in certain positions where they are just not suited. But I think he's beginning to get there slowly.

I think its important to remember our recent hero worshipping of coach Hasler took time to be established and there were many who questioned his ability. In 2004, his first year, he brought Manly in at 13th, only one position higher than the previous year under Sharp. The following year they got into 8th and in 2006, 5th.

I think we have to give this guy another year to determine his qualities. If at the end of 2017 Manly are still lingering in the bottom half of the comp, it would suggest he's not making headway and then ditch him. If he gets Manly into the 8 next year, then we may have someone who can take us back towards the top.

 

[nightster]

to me TB just doesn't inspire ...

 

[Bearfax]

to me TB just doesn't inspire ...

Not being optimistic at all Nightster. I'm sitting on the fence and waiting with this one. I'd like to see what this guy does with a few more higher quality players and a less injury stained season. Reminds me of my old HR when it was out of tune. Knew it could purr but just couldnt get past the promise.