Croker Experiment OVER!

[NREagle]

I feel like the fact we were “one game away from a grandfinal” last year is really going to hinder us..
It’s a Band-Aid season that everyone is going to hang their hat on as the reason to argue this team isn’t a total basket case..

Here’s a little fact.. in 2008 the eels came 11th
In 2009 off the back of an absolute freakish year from Hayne they made the grandfinal…
In 2010? 12th
In 2011? 14th
2012? Wooden spoon
2013? Wooden spoon..

That team was garbage.. but they rode 1 absolute freak to a grandfinal 1 year so they must have been a good team right???

Manly rode into the finals on the back of turbo having an absolute freak year… I will bet my left one on the fact Tom won’t ever have a season that dominant again…

Hayne never did after 09
Barba never did after 2012
Tom is a great player but it won’t happen again..

So we need to stop saying “we nearly made a grandfinal that one time so we don’t need to fix the glaring issues with this team” and actually start fixing the issues.. and hooker has been an absolute major issue for us since we let api go… we need a hooker.. a proper hooker.. not a half that couldn’t hack it and gets slotted at 9 because he have no other options.

Last year our team benefited from the comp moving to qld too. Felt like they were playing together as mates, but not so much this year. Winning does help that though.

 

[court83]

Hayne won Dally M player of the year in 2014 , Tied with Thurston.

Did he have a season that was on par with 09???
It’s not about winning dally ms… Hayne was unstoppable is 09
Scored every time he touched the ball and dragged a rubbish team kicking and screaming to a grandfinal by himself…
He never had another season on that level again

 

[deanm]

Did he have a season that was on par with 09???
It’s not about winning dally ms… Hayne was unstoppable is 09
Scored every time he touched the ball and dragged a rubbish team kicking and screaming to a grandfinal by himself…
He never had another season on that level again

No he didn't , but who is to say Turbo cannot reclaim his 2021 form to some extent?

 

[Top End Eagle]

So……..we go from one game from a GF to this ****fight, and you want to blame the bloke who has made the most tackles for the team for the year. Then , after running backwards tackling his guts out makes it to nearly every play at dummy half for the next set over and over for eighty minutes. Maybe the issue might be elsewhere Snake, i reckon you should give yourself a month for this thread ya dope. Go find us some front rowers that don't go on strike.

No reasoning with some people. The front rowers for Manly would be fine if they had someone bringing them onto the ball without a target on their head and a telephone call to the defensive line two days earlier telling them who is going to run and when.

🐍 Made his point about appreciating Crocker's effort especially defense. the fact is he isn't a modern day 9 and Manly struggle without Turbo, Walker, Turbo, Foran, DCE, Shuster/Olu all on the field as attacking threats when they forfeit the first point of indecision thrown at a defensive line by playing a makeshift hooker.

 

[court83]

No he didn't , but who is to say Turbo cannot reclaim his 2021 form to some extent?

He will to some extent..
Dont get me wrong, I’m not saying Tom will never be good again..
The kids a talent.. he’s the best player in the competition when he’s healthy.. I honestly believe that.. but last season he was a freak of nature.. I think it will be almost impossible to be THAT dominant week in, week out again..
I will let this year slide because even when he did play he looked busted, so keen to see how he plays next year after a full offseason and hopefully no niggling injuries

 

[Cameron]

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

You hit the nail on the head. We lacked shape jake provides when we went to forans side of the field. Against parra every time they went that way we looked like world beaters. That shape wasn't there yesterday.

 

[Sheikheagle]

You hit the nail on the head. We lacked shape jake provides when we went to forans side of the field. Against parra every time they went that way we looked like world beaters. That shape wasn't there yesterday.

Agree cambo our attack and structure was ****ing horrible.

 

[Cameron]

Agree cambo our attack and structure was ****ing horrible.

There was one occasion when schu came on when he got the ball in the same manner as Jake does and it looked good.

Walker at 13 is a different role. He's a ball runner imo. He doesn't like to pass that often.

Maybe schu should start at 13 next week

 

[Seagles68]

There was one occasion when schu came on when he got the ball in the same manner as Jake does and it looked good.

Walker at 13 is a different role. He's a ball runner imo. He doesn't like to pass that often.

Maybe schu should start at 13 next week

I think this was evident in that first 15 mins last night where we had enough ball and field position to score but had no ball runnder to up the defence. I was sitting there thinking I wish we had Schu on the field then. I also had the feeling that both Marty and Walks were trying to score a try in their last home game. There were a few hail Mary runs in the game.

 

[Sheikheagle]

I think this was evident in that first 15 mins last night where we had enough ball and field position to score but had no ball runnder to up the defence. I was sitting there thinking I wish we had Schu on the field then. I also had the feeling that both Marty and Walks were trying to score a try in their last home game. There were a few hail Mary runs in the game.

Marty was blowing up deluxe because he couldn’t get his hands on the ball on their line and then as soon as he did he went for one of his **** offloads and coughed it up 🤦‍♂️. I will not miss him.

 

[Seagles68]

Marty was blowing up deluxe because he couldn’t get his hands on the ball on their line and then as soon as he did he went for one of his **** offloads and coughed it up 🤦‍♂️. I will not miss him.

Any idea where he's going? I haven't seen that he's been signed.

 

[Sheikheagle]

Any idea where he's going? I haven't seen that he's been signed.

Not sure, Parra wanted him for the remainder of this season. But not sure about next year.

 

[Seagles68]

Not sure, Parra wanted him for the remainder of this season. But not sure about next year.

Hey, it could be one of our clubs signings they keep from us until the end of the season. Bargain!

 

[Uk eagle]

Was it ever really an experiment or more of a needs must stop-gap fix? I think he's done really well adapting but as many have said he'll never be a top class 9. Big problem though, there aren't many first rate hookers around and those that are already have a contract and even if they didn't we probably couldn't afford them. For me he's a perfect 14, can cover a few positions and has a great motor. But I think we're going to be left playing him at hooker. Would it be a terrible idea to bring Cam Smith in during the off season to work with him? Loathe him or hate him there's a player who made the most of his talent.

Awaits tirade of abuse......

 

[47MVEagle]

Given our apparent salary cap limitations, I think Croker will be our hooker for at least next season.

Given this was only his second season of playing hooker, & the leaps & bounds in improvement he has shown, I think he'll impress us even more next year.

I think he's the least of our worries TBH.

 

[madmax]

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.

DCE @ 9, Humphries @ 1/2, Schu @ 5/8.....Croker @ 14! Trbo, DCE, Hump & Schu is a fu<king good spine!

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

It's just not FG to have a guy that literally dishes off around the ruck. He doesn't even step out and engage a marker. It's actually pitiful and I am losing faith in Hasler. Surely, a Premiership winning coach can see the impact it is having. We just can't get forward.

I think Des was hanging out for MF to be cleared so now that's not happening we need to go to market really.
It was a double edged sward for any potential 9 that might come to the club knowing MF was coming back and they would probably be relegated to the bench. Now that's not an issue we may be able to get a decent 9.

 

[Sheikheagle]

I think Des was hanging out for MF to be cleared so now that's not happening we need to go to market really.
It was a double edged sward for any potential 9 that might come to the club knowing MF was coming back and they would probably be relegated to the bench. Now that's not an issue we may be able to get a decent 9.

Don’t know a lot about him but we signed Nathaniel Roache on a train and trial contract a few weeks back. Has had stints at Parra and Warriors and is a specialist 9.

 

[ricardo]

Don’t know a lot about him but we signed Nathaniel Roache on a train and trial contract a few weeks back. Has had stints at Parra and Warriors and is a specialist 9.

Oh really? Roache is a talent for sure, just cruelled by injury. He was originally a 6 then converted to 9 by the warriors .. had a good scoot in him and excellent vision. This news excites me

 

[manly al]

Don’t know a lot about him but we signed Nathaniel Roache on a train and trial contract a few weeks back. Has had stints at Parra and Warriors and is a specialist 9.

yeah , forgot about that option but really have no idea of Roache 's overall 9 capabilities . Froggy has been getting battered from pillar to post recently in defence and must be affecting his endurance and performance level and combined with an almost full season of very physical tackling in general . Think that he really misses Turbo 's presence and not having an opposition on the back foot more recently . Still maintain that Paseka is a big out and Keppie 's and Marty "s form has been quite average for a good part of the year . Did better when Lawton could give him a break and now with Roache coming onto the scene , even with a train on arrangement , just have to see how it pans out . .