Croker Experiment OVER!

[BirdMan4ever]

If they all played with crokers intensity we would be in The top 8. He rarely has a bad game. Give him a break. He is selected at 9 and our coaching staff haven't developed his passing.

 

[XV-1]

If they all played with crokers intensity we would be in The top 8. He rarely has a bad game. Give him a break. He is selected at 9 and our coaching staff haven't developed his passing.

He is a 5/8th by trade. Passing should not be an issue.

 

[Snake]

OK Snake I get it. You are a Croker hater and your digging in at Manly’s worst hour. I agree, he had a lousy game today, but please:

I just gave a football based opinion…the entire point of the forum. I never personally attacked Croker. I acknowledged his great efforts, etc.

I’m really not in the mood for this sort of response. Don’t be a dickhead.

 

[Snake]

If they all played with crokers intensity we would be in The top 8. He rarely has a bad game. Give him a break. He is selected at 9 and our coaching staff haven't developed his passing.

It’s just a footballing opinion…that’s the point of the forum…discuss the football. I haven’t personally attacked Croker so I don’t need to give him a break. Wtf is wrong with of some of you?!

 

[Kalvin]

It's funny I feel crocker is a better number 9 than he ever was a number 6!
In saying that I think he could be a handy 14 (his defence is whe hearted) but at the same time, i don't believe we can win the comp with him as our starting #9... even with turbo back we are too predictable

 

[BOZO]

It’s just a footballing opinion…that’s the point of the forum…discuss the football.

Spot on Snake !

 

[mave]

I still maintain the best #9 in the comp is earning mega $ playing headless chook for us in the halves.

I feel for Croker. He is all effort, in a team that lacks that very quality at the moment

 

[Sheikheagle]

He is partly responsible for the performance of our pack. Seriously, watch what the other 9s do and then watch Croker. He does not give the forwards any momentum. None whatsoever. They basically just get a pass and run into a brick wall as a result.

Yeah. Brailey was another level as was Mahoney the other week unbelievable difference.

 

[Snake]

Yeah. Brailey was another level as was Mahoney the other week unbelievable difference.

Hallelujah! Someone watches the same game as me!

 

[Snake]

I still maintain the best #9 in the comp is earning mega $ playing headless chook for us in the halves.

I feel for Croker. He is all effort, in a team that lacks that very quality at the moment

Agree…I’d never question his effort. He has the ticker of a champion…unfortunately, he does not possess the skill and guile required of a FG 9. Our forwards just can’t gain any momentum because they aren’t getting good enough service.

When I say service, I mean it is not just the accuracy of the pass, it’s the timing and the position they receive the ball. There just must be deception around the ruck to move the forwards around the park.

 

[NYEagle]

I just gave a football based opinion…the entire point of the forum. I never personally attacked Croker. I acknowledged his great efforts, etc.

I’m really not in the mood for this sort of response. Don’t be a dickhead.

I’m not going to apologise for what I posted, as the title of your thread invoked my reaction rather than the content.

Let’s face it, It’s going to emotional for a while. This is just the beginning.

We have just seen Manly as we know it essentially die.

NYEagle

 

[Cameron]

Jake Turpin. He's better than Croker.

Mate I know we had a volley in the other thread but trust me I've seen him a lot I watch him in 2018 when redcliffe won the comp and again in 2019 before he debuted with the broncos and it's a massive no he is ****e buddy.

Also something just dawned on me. Since the roosters game crokers passing has been off. He's thrown some shockers out of dummy half. I wonder if he is suffering some symptoms of fatigue associated with long covid and is playing because we don't really have anyone else

 

[lsz]

I think he is also a victim of a lack of back up - most of his errors and lack of pep out of dummy half have to be impacted by the amount of tackling he does every week with out a rest

Not saying he is the solution but that he play is impacted by our lack of depth at 9

 

[Pete W]

Hop

Need to find the next grant type coming through the grades and ease him in off the bench . Croker / Lawton can start at 9 and then the young fella can have a crack.

Hard to see us improving next year.

Hopefully GCKT

 

[Pete W]

It’s just a footballing opinion…that’s the point of the forum…discuss the football. I haven’t personally attacked Croker so I don’t need to give him a break. Wtf is wrong with of some of you?!

Lol it's this woke crap again. Slowly infiltrating opinion forums... slowly strangling our free speech through self-serving judgement. @Snake I agree 100% that whilst Croker's a great guy, with great work ethic, he doesn't cut it as a modern day 9. I also agree with you voicing your opinion...wait for it... on a footy forum.

 

[Disco]

Ooooft some fire in this thread.

Many that have come in to bat for Croker are right. He has improved greatly, he is whole hearted and his defence is fantastic.

Ultimately though Snake is correct, in that is, if we are looking at premierships as our goal we need better output out of the 9 jersey (yes yes along with plenty of improvement elsewhere).

I stated in the threads after Fainu's conviction my two preferred options and they are.

Either speak to Peter Mauzolus at Souths about 2023. I believe he is under contract but if they re-sign Cook then we may angle him for a release.

Great young talent. Have both under contract with Croker given the respect of starting the year at 9 but the expectation that the role becomes Mouzolus's long term.

Or failing that, come Nov1 lets talk to Reece Robson for 2024......underrated player imo and a good upgrade for us.

 

[Dion Johnson]

We are never going to get anywhere with Croker at 9. I'm not basing this off his mistake at the end of the game. He offers absolutely nothing in attack. Nothing. I don't expect him to have try assists of make darting runs...but expect some decent deception around the ruck to help his forwards play over the advantage line. You know those 3-4 plays a game where a team ends up near the sideline and a winger or centre comes in and dishes the ball back into the middle to help out? Well we have that sort of enterprise around the ruck on EVERY PLAY! The forwards (although also culpable) have no hope with this kind of service. The experiment needs to cease now. Sign Jake Turpin. Sign anyone.

Sure, Croker is a wholehearted defender but it's not going to matter. We cannot win the battle in the middle without a genuine 9.

Was a gamble by the coaching staff not to recruit a number nine last off season, the band aid solution with Croker needs to be torn off.

Croker is a solid depth player in the 30 with a high work ethic and of good character but he ain’t the answer to the nine jumper.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

The Penn experiment is over.

An experiment suggests an act that is devoid of emotion.

I see it more as a never ending nightmare.

The irony is Penn couldn’t be any worse as Manly’s chairman, if he actually hated Manly.

 

[Snake]

I’m not going to apologise for what I posted, as the title of your thread invoked my reaction rather than the content.

Let’s face it, It’s going to emotional for a while. This is just the beginning.

We have just seen Manly as we know it essentially die.

NYEagle

I’m talking footy not hating on Croker. I love the guy, but the whole point of the forum is to discuss footy…god forbid there should be a critique of the mechanics of the make up of our team after losing 40-6.

 

[jbb/james]

Strange that jakes absence hasnt been talked about more as first receiver and link man. It had some impact on frogs rhythm yesterday , due to his absence no one stepped into the void of moving the team about and the forwards were one out

the reliance on jake to take so many creative middle plays has pushed dce wider and he needs to take more of that slack while jake is out, as the forwards one out are easy to handle. Losing the link man did no favours for either players game yesterday . Frog or chez

manly will look best if frog is a bench player covering halves, hooker and back row utility but

foran and croker represent the best value spine players in the game. If we started from scratch with those first 2 and there salaries and recruited from there we would be a far stronger team

manly have invested in cherry for 3 more years. This pretty much means we need to recruit

a top 9
develop shoe into a top 6 very quickly
hope tom stays injury free because that's what that recruitment decision means for us fans . Dce needs all of these positions functioning at high kevels before his special skills shine

my conclusion, dce stays, frog goes, from hooker anyway
big froggy fan though