Croker - Honest opinions need apply

[ManlyTragic]

I think Crocker is going to be fantastic! Mark my words, save this post, you will see. Just give the kid a little bit of time, not a lot, just a little bit of time!

 

[BOZO]

I think Crocker is going to be fantastic! Mark my words, save this post, you will see. Just give the kid a little bit of time, not a lot, just a little bit of time!

Good on you @ManlyTragic I admire your strong views . I wish I saw what you see but at the end of the as a Passionate Manly supporter its all about our team winning and I am happy to be proven wrong by Croker . To me its not about me and my ego , its all about my Sea eagles and winning at all costs .
I might not be able to make it to the game because of family reasons will you be at the game ?

 

[Fluffy]

I think Crocker is going to be fantastic! Mark my words, save this post, you will see. Just give the kid a little bit of time, not a lot, just a little bit of time!

odds are pretty good as Bozo has written him off.

 

[Woodsie]

Do you read people’s responses or just post whatever suits your point of view? I believe I specifically said “i’m not saying he’s fantastic”. I’m just not writing him off. I’m not trying to convince you he is either.

Arguing with you is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how good I am at chess the pigeon is still going to kick over the pieces, crap on the board and strut around like it won...

You are heading for the inevitable " I only call it as I see it " lecture followed by a pithy fortune cookie statement with a meme from a fictional character proving you are wrong ....

 

[BOZO]

odds are pretty good as Bozo has written him off.

I hope so Fluffy as a Manly win is my priority .

 

[BOZO]

You are heading for the inevitable " I only call it as I see it " lecture followed by a pithy fortune cookie statement with a meme from a fictional character proving you are wrong ....

Here is a meme that may help you enjoy your day today Woodsie and as for 2morrow I hope our Sea eagles make it a pleasant day for all of us feathered friends as well

 

[eaglebuzz]

Another thread condemned to irrelevance by boring posts.

 

[ManlyTragic]

Good on you @ManlyTragic I admire your strong views . I wish I saw what you see but at the end of the as a Passionate Manly supporter its all about our team winning and I am happy to be proven wrong by Croker . To me its not about me and my ego , its all about my Sea eagles and winning at all costs .
I might not be able to make it to the game because of family reasons will you be at the game ?

Yep I will be there - wouldn’t miss it for quids!

 

[pjayz]

Arguing with you is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how good I am at chess the pigeon is still going to kick over the pieces, crap on the board and strut around like it won...

This would have to be one of the best posts in the last 5yrs on this site. Love it.

 

[BOZO]

Yep I will be there - wouldn’t miss it for quids!

Champion !!! I hope you go home with a big winning smile

 

[Denno]

I seem to remember back in 2011 it was the 1st game of the season down in Melbourne we played the storm we lost 20 to 4 ....I remember quite a few people calling for a young Half Backs head ,Now what was his Name...........??????

 

[Kevinward777]

I gave him an evaluation on how I saw him play . I was not impressed but you sound like you are and have come up with your reasons why you think he will excel .
At the end of the day feathered friend you are not going to convince me how good Croker is or how good he will be by your posts , Croker will convince me by his performances on the field .😉

Sometimes great players perform really badly, aaaand... average players do something amazing to turn a game. You are aware of this aren’t you? Remember that anyone good enough to play first grade can play the game (except perhaps Lewis Brown) I consider it to be close to impossible to ascertain whether a kid is up to first grade standard after one full game. Your analysis of young talent based on whether they kill it in their first couple of games (or whether they become Andrew Johns in their first season) shows a lack of vision regarding player talent, development and the game in general. Take Brian Kelly for example, anyone who has followed the game should be able to identify that the kid has some serious potential, as seen in his footwork at the line and his ball skills. Now, Brian played very well against the Knights (and on several other occasions as well), which illustrates he has what it takes to play the game at an elite level. If Brian plays sh1thouse against the Eels does that mean he isn’t up to it? Same with Croker... he was a star junior, so we can at least surmise that he knows how to play the game. Despite the fact we are Manly, it isn’t possible to have a side with seventeen representative players anymore @BOZO. Arthurson has gone, and the eighties began almost 40 years ago. We can’t just buy the best of the best in every position. You need to taper your unrealistic expectations regarding some of the young guys coming through and give them some time to develop.

 

[Kevinward777]

Good on you @ManlyTragic I admire your strong views . I wish I saw what you see but at the end of the as a Passionate Manly supporter its all about our team winning and I am happy to be proven wrong by Croker . To me its not about me and my ego , its all about my Sea eagles and winning at all costs .
I might not be able to make it to the game because of family reasons will you be at the game ?

Whenever you post about a player, it’s always along the lines of “I appreciate your opinion regarding player X... but he didn’t play like a superstar... and we are Manly not Norths, and I’m happy if he proves me wrong but...” How about when a player you’ve slagged off unending like Brian Kelly plays like he did last week, you come out and say “Well Brian has made me look like a bit of a goose this weekend, he had a blinder and I might’ve been very premature in writing him off.”

 

[BOZO]

Whenever you post about a player, it’s always along the lines of “I appreciate your opinion regarding player X... but he didn’t play like a superstar... and we are Manly not Norths, and I’m happy if he proves me wrong but...” How about when a player you’ve slagged off unending like Brian Kelly plays like he did last week, you come out and say “Well Brian has made me look like a bit of a goose this weekend, he had a blinder and I might’ve been very premature in writing him off.”

This is a forum and we all say it how we see all see it and we all have different views . Isn't that right Kevin ?
I was no goose when Kelly got dropped last season and I am glad he had a good game and I hope he continues to .

 

[BOZO]

Sometimes great players perform really badly, aaaand... average players do something amazing to turn a game. You are aware of this aren’t you? Remember that anyone good enough to play first grade can play the game (except perhaps Lewis Brown) I consider it to be close to impossible to ascertain whether a kid is up to first grade standard after one full game. Your analysis of young talent based on whether they kill it in their first couple of games (or whether they become Andrew Johns in their first season) shows a lack of vision regarding player talent, development and the game in general. Take Brian Kelly for example, anyone who has followed the game should be able to identify that the kid has some serious potential, as seen in his footwork at the line and his ball skills. Now, Brian played very well against the Knights (and on several other occasions as well), which illustrates he has what it takes to play the game at an elite level. If Brian plays sh1thouse against the Eels does that mean he isn’t up to it? Same with Croker... he was a star junior, so we can at least surmise that he knows how to play the game. Despite the fact we are Manly, it isn’t possible to have a side with seventeen representative players anymore @BOZO. Arthurson has gone, and the eighties began almost 40 years ago. We can’t just buy the best of the best in every position. You need to taper your unreal expectations regarding some of the young guys coming through and give them some time to develop.

Listen mate , I do have high expectations and just because we cant have 17 rep players any more it doesn't mean we cant have a roster of quality NRL players . Another thing that we all know is that not all Junior Kangaroos make it at NRL level .
Now lets focus on todays game and hope our mighty Sea eagles give us a win for the first time in 4 years against Parra and make us all happy 🙂

 

[Bubbler]

It’s not spelt “Crocker”. Let’s see tomorrow if it should be spelt “Choker”.

 

[BOZO]

It’s not spelt “Crocker”. Let’s see tomorrow if it should be spelt “Choker”.

Manly will be smoking and the Eels will be choking

 

[ManlyTragic]

I have a feelin’ Crocker will be Man of the match today!

 

[Woodsie]

Very good article on Croker in the Telegraph lift-out today ... very interesting read ..

If anybody has the skill to reproduce it here, it would be worth it .... cheers.

 

[Cameron]

Resilience of bush kid Lachy Croker takes him from Crookwell to Brookvale Oval
DAVID RICCIO, CHIEF SPORTS WRITER, The Daily Telegraph
March 18, 2018 6:22am
Subscriber only
THE story of little-known Manly five-eighth Lachlan Croker begins a few years ago at the bar of the Crookwell Hotel-Motel.

Dale Croker, a sheep shearer and Goulburn Police officer and the father of Lachlan, uses the story as a way to help explain his oldest son’s greatest character; resilience.

“The day he turned 18, I took him down to the Crookwell pub,’’ Dale, the brother of former Canberra great Jason Croker, explains.

“I was pretty proud he turned 18.

“Being from the country, we all enjoy a beer and so I was looking forward to sharing a cold one with my boy.

“He said; “Dad, can I have an Apple Cider?’

“We had one drink and we went home.’’

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Lachlan Croker is set for his first game at Brookvale Oval. Picture: Richard Dobson
Dale wasn’t exactly surprised.

He and his wife Sally have witnessed first-hand their son’s sacrifice, as trivial as refusing a sip of alcohol on his 18th birthday, or be it waiting under The Big Merino every freezing Goulburn winter - the meeting spot for his lift to training in Canberra.

The traits of fortitude and toughness are evident in the fearless defence which has earned praise from Manly coach Trent Barrett - despite the crushing shoulder and knee setbacks suffered throughout his career.

Primarily, persistence and patience is dotted throughout Croker’s NRL journey from Crookwell, to Canberra and now finally, Brookvale Oval this afternoon.

A former school captain of Goulburn’s highly-respected Trinity Catholic College, Croker scored an ATAR of 91 in his final year at school.

Lachlan Croker in kindergarten at St Mary's Primary, Crookwell.
To this day, Dale still can’t comprehend how his son achieved such a score.

“The thing is, I’d pick him up from school at 3.30pm, we’d drive an hour and-a-half to train with the Raiders until 8pm, we’d then drive back to Crookwell and then he would be up doing his homework until midnight,’’ Dale said.

“He was doing that three times a week. It shows how mentally tough he is.’’

A Crookwell Green Devils and Goulburn Bulldogs junior, Croker grew up as the oldest of four boys, playing footy in winter and cricket in summer.

“He represented NSW in under-16s for cricket. He could’ve gone further, but he had to pick either cricket or football and he chose footy,’’ Dale said.

Croker also played schoolboys rugby union.

Devastatingly, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee at just 13.

Even at that tender age, resilience got Croker through.

“He was going to Goulburn three times a week for physio and at home he did everything possible to speed up the recovery,’’ Dale said.

Croker returned to the field for Goulburn 14-months later, collecting seven man of the match trophies before winning the under-15’s premiership undefeated.

The following year, the Raiders signed the budding centre-five-eighth to be part of their junior representative teams.

Lachlan is the nephew of Canberra Raiders legend Jason Croker
Over three consecutive seasons, Croker won the ‘Players-Player award’ for the Raiders under-16 and under-18s teams, in between washing dishes for $14-an-hour at the Crookwell hotel bistro.

However, the Raiders almost overlooked Croker all together, prior to the under-16 Harold Mathews trials.

It took the belief of local Goulburn legend, Steve “Freezer’ Freebody, who was working as a junior talent scout at the time for the Raiders, for Croker to dodge the axe.

“They were going to tip him out prior to the under-16 trials and I said “you guys have got to be kidding,’’ Freebody recalled.

“He’s the fittest, he’s intelligent and he’s tough. You can’t coach most kids to be tough and he loves the contact.

Croker playing for the U12 Crookwell Green Devils.
“They took it on board and Lachie did the rest.’’

Croker was eventually chosen by the Raiders on the interchange bench for his first Harold Mathews game.

It upset him enough to make sure that he was never benched again playing every match for the next three years.

Croker’s NRL debut was inevitable, having been chosen in the NSW under-18 and under-20 sides, and at halfback for the Junior Kangaroos in 2016 alongside Penrith gun, Nathan Cleary.

His first grade debut came in round two of the 2016 season for the Raiders against the Roosters.

Croker’s dad Dale took him to the Crookwell Hotel for his 18th birthday
The rookie lasted until just before half-time, forced from the field with a shoulder injury that would require surgery.

Up until last Saturday in his Manly debut against Newcastle, that one appearance for Canberra remained Croker’s only NRL match.

Road-blocked behind Raiders halves Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin, Croker did what so many impatient young players today, would never consider doing.

He spent two seasons playing NSW Cup for Mounties plying his trade until a phone call from Manly coach Trent Barrett last November changed everything.

While the rest of the league world have been infatuated with finding Manly a replacement for the departed Blake Green, Barrett - who being a former five-eighth and country boy can relate to Croker - has backed his young charge to partner Daly Cherry-Evans from day one.

Croker with younger brothers Ben, Thomas and James.
“As much as I would’ve loved him to stay in Canberra, moving to Manly has been a blessing in disguise,’’ Croker’s famous uncle Jason said.

“Everything takes times. Some do it quicker than others, but the thing with Lachie is, whatever he puts his mind too, he’ll do it.

“School, cricket, footy and now he’s got his chance with Manly, if he’s focused on achieving something, there’s not much you can do to stop him.’’