[Resurrected] DCE is the worst halfback in the NRL

[Cioran]

The awful irony is that if we do actually go ahead and give a bunch of youngsters game time.......and they all go well.......then in reality all we'd have done is showcase them to other clubs......who will then price them out of our range.........

a diabolical catch 22

(the only way our top 3 should be on the money they are is by Eastern Suburbs style 'gifts' from a benefactor who doesn't mind not making tax claims on the funds........shhhhh)

Sadly true. If we give them game time and they show promise odds are they will be in Roosters or Storm colours in 12 months. Maybe why Des dropped Cust from the 17 and has been reluctant to run Schuster and Funa.

 

[Bearfax]

Points that need saying

1. You pay for quality, especially at 1,6,7 and 9. Maybe we paid too much, but with a lesser player costing less, it may increase buying power, but you still need the star quality at No 7 or you are going no where.

2. Its not DCE's fault, though many seem to be blaming him for his huge salary. He was on the verge of accepting around $7-800,000 a year but Manly dropped him hoping to hold onto Foran. Fulton then had to go cap in hand and offer overs to have him break a contract with Gold Coast which was around $1,000, 000 a year, and we know what DCE had to face as a consequence of that turn around. Had already bought a house up there. The blame for his contract has far less to do with DCE, and more to do with a club in crisis making odd decisions such as with Foran and Gutherson.

3. DCE may have off games from time to time...all players do. But to question his commitment is folly.

4. Other than the Gold Coast issue and his involvement in the incident with Hastings (and who really knows what happened there except the players), little has ever been reported of negativity in his personal life. He's a very positive image for the club and a well spoken one who has been shown lately to stand up for players rights and speaks quite intelligently and rather eloquently.

5. He has been the difference in getting Manly over the line to win in a large number of matches.

Cant understand why he is so often under the pump, and even here among the supporters. He's not God, he makes mistakes. But I would want him on the field more than any other half I can think of. He's surely one of the last players in the team deserving of criticism.

 

[JackDaytona]

Points that need saying

1. You pay for quality, especially at 1,6,7 and 9. Maybe we paid too much, but with a lesser player costing less, it may increase buying power, but you still need the star quality at No 7 or you are going no where.

2. Its not DCE's fault, though many seem to be blaming him for his huge salary. He was on the verge of accepting around $7-800,000 a year but Manly dropped him hoping to hold onto Foran. Fulton then had to go cap in hand and offer overs to have him break a contract with Gold Coast which was around $1,000, 000 a year, and we know what DCE had to face as a consequence of that turn around. Had already bought a house up there. The blame for his contract has far less to do with DCE, and more to do with a club in crisis making odd decisions such as with Foran and Gutherson.

3. DCE may have off games from time to time...all players do. But to question his commitment is folly.

4. Other than the Gold Coast issue and his involvement in the incident with Hastings (and who really knows what happened there except the players), little has ever been reported of negativity in his personal life. He's a very positive image for the club and a well spoken one who has been shown lately to stand up for players rights and speaks quite intelligently and rather eloquently.

5. He has been the difference in getting Manly over the line to win in a large number of matches.

Cant understand why he is so often under the pump, and even here among the supporters. He's not God, he makes mistakes. But I would want him on the field more than any other half I can think of. He's surely one of the last players in the team deserving of criticism.

love ya work grizzly old fart

 

[Peter C]

He is good but, you could get 2 good halves using the money he is on.

That's all they would be, good halves, nothing special,how many games has DCE brought us from the death, sure we're paying him about 200k more than we should but that's the clubs fault.
If you average out game time and what they're being paid, then Tom is the one we should worry about, along with Walker

 

[Chip and Chase]

He's surely one of the last players in the team deserving of criticism.

I think quite the opposite.....he's Captain, playmaker and our marquee player. He's playing inconsistent football and the team are suffering as a result. I don't understand why he constantly gets a free pass with excuses a mile long as to why things aren't working for him. He deserves the criticism and the only way to shut it up is to start showing some leadership and some form. Plenty of other teams with injury issues and inexperienced halves. Have a think about this - 3 out of 4 of our tries on Friday were when the Warriors were down to 12 men. Thank God for sin bins.

I'll freely admit that on his day he is one of the most devastating running halves in the game, but the conditions that need to occur for that to happen don't seem to be coming together for us currently. So he needs to find another way. Plain and simple.

 

[Bearfax]

I think quite the opposite.....he's Captain, playmaker and our marquee player. He's playing inconsistent football and the team are suffering as a result. I don't understand why he constantly gets a free pass with excuses a mile long as to why things aren't working for him. He deserves the criticism and the only way to shut it up is to start showing some leadership and some form. Plenty of other teams with injury issues and inexperienced halves. Have a think about this - 3 out of 4 of our tries on Friday were when the Warriors were down to 12 men. Thank God for sin bins.

I'll freely admit that on his day he is one of the most devastating running halves in the game, but the conditions that need to occur for that to happen don't seem to be coming together for us currently. So he needs to find another way. Plain and simple.

C & C as I see it, and it is only my perspective, Manly has not had an effective attacking backline for several seasons, much because of Turbo's injuries and Walker's trial and injuries. That's two of our three main attacking weapons.

Players like Elliot, John and Matt Wright etc, and even Parker are solid hard working players, but they offer little penetration. You can possibly afford one in the centre for defensive reasons, but not three in the side. Suli is developing and may get a lot better but at present he's very hot and cold. Our wingers are not getting good ball and we've had numerous players at 5/8, some adequate at best, but very disruptive for a backline trying to compete. The general consensus here has been slow and safe, and that's not going to win games.

This leaves a half back who has to virtually be our only attacking part of the back line. That's easy to shut down. When Turbo was playing and especially when Walker was in the centres, the team looked dangerous. It looks pedestrian at present. Cust may solve some of the problem and Funa looks a likely lad. But for so long its been dependent on DCE and the forwards to get us over the line. This last game was the first time in 7 games that the outside backs have outscored the forwards.

Sorry C & C but I think you're looking for a scape goat, when the real problem is the personnel out wide. This latest game is the first time in 7 weeks that the outside backs have outscored the forwards in tries. That to me says there has been a problem out wide, and that, as I've been saying now for well over three years, is the source of our difficulty in winning games.

Check the scorers in the first 6 games. 16 tries, 13 by outside backs, one by a forward. Without Walker and Turbo in the next 7 games, 21 tries, 10 by forwards, 6 by outside backs and three of those were scored in the last game where Funa and Cust were added. Add to that defensive lapses out wide where teams are walking through us. Stands out like a beacon. It aint DCE mate

 

[JackDaytona]

C & C as I see it, and it is only my perspective, Manly has not had an effective attacking backline for several seasons, much because of Turbo's injuries and Walker's trial and injuries. That's two of our three main attacking weapons.

Players like Elliot, John and Matt Wright etc, and even Parker are solid hard working players, but they offer little penetration. You can possibly afford one in the centre for defensive reasons, but not three in the side. Suli is developing and may get a lot better but at present he's very hot and cold. Our wingers are not getting good ball and we've had numerous players at 5/8, some adequate at best, but very disruptive for a backline trying to compete. The general consensus here has been slow and safe, and that's not going to win games.

This leaves a half back who has to virtually be our only attacking part of the back line. That's easy to shut down. When Turbo was playing and especially when Walker was in the centres, the team looked dangerous. It looks pedestrian at present. Cust may solve some of the problem and Funa looks a likely lad. But for so long its been dependent on DCE and the forwards to get us over the line. This last game was the first time in 7 games that the outside backs have outscored the forwards.

Sorry C & C but I think you're looking for a scape goat, when the real problem is the personnel out wide. This latest game is the first time in 7 weeks that the outside backs have outscored the forwards in tries. That to me says there has been a problem out wide, and that, as I've been saying now for well over three years, is the source of our difficulty in winning games.

Check the scorers in the first 6 games. 16 tries, 13 by outside backs, one by a forward. Without Walker and Turbo in the next 7 games, 21 tries, 10 by forwards, 6 by outside backs and three of those were scored in the last game where Funa and Cust were added. Add to that defensive lapses out wide where teams are walking through us. Stands out like a beacon. It aint DCE mate

another chicken dinner youre killin it bearfax 40 other guy nil

 

[qldeagle]

Our success will only resume when DCE retires. He's a smart little prick for playing us on that contract. So get used to another 3 yrs minimum of mediocrity and no new visitors wanting to play for us.

 

[Bearfax]

Our success will only resume when DCE retires. He's a smart little prick for playing us on that contract. So get used to another 3 yrs minimum of mediocrity and no new visitors wanting to play for us.

Get a decent 5/8 (maybe Cust is the answer) Walker and Turbo on for a full season, Funa, Schuster, Hopa somewhere in the mix. Hopefully Fainu back. We'll win the comp...with DCE

 

[HK_Eagle]

Get a decent 5/8 (maybe Cust is the answer) Walker and Turbo on for a full season, Funa, Schuster, Hopa somewhere in the mix. We'll win the comp...with DCE

How the hell are we going to ever get a full season out of either of those two, let alone both? I believe that looks more like fantasy than reality.

 

[qldeagle]

Get a decent 5/8 (maybe Cust is the answer) Walker and Turbo on for a full season, Funa, Schuster, Hopa somewhere in the mix. Hopefully Fainu back. We'll win the comp...with DCE

I just don't think he has the kicking game to be able to control a game. You have all that talent but with no effective kicker you can't build momentum.

 

[jbb/james]

Last week fox had a stat that since 2017 ash taylor had 2 less try assists than cherry . I reckon he was dropped for 2 years

Thats not a good stat

 

[hozza]

Said it in 2015,16,17 and now. We won’t win another comp until his ridiculous contract is up.
Doesn’t fuking matter whose fault it is....
Dce accepted the contract, needs to accept the pressure.

And yes we need a better 5/8th and a better backline but we can’t because we have no money. Absolutely ridiculous to keep babbling on about it. What we need is our 3 highest paid players to stay on the park and play to there best ability. And Dce doesn’t go anywhere near it week to week. That’s WHY he gets hammered from everywhere including here......

 

[jbb/james]

Said it in 2015,16,17 and now. We won’t win another comp until his ridiculous contract is up.
Doesn’t fuking matter whose fault it is....
Dce accepted the contract, needs to accept the pressure.

And yes we need a better 5/8th and a better backline but we can’t because we have no money. Absolutely ridiculous to keep babbling on about it. What we need is our 3 highest paid players to stay on the park and play to there best ability. And Dce doesn’t go anywhere near it week to week. That’s WHY he gets hammered from everywhere including here......

Aaaah pretty much

 

[Chip and Chase]

C & C as I see it, and it is only my perspective, Manly has not had an effective attacking backline for several seasons, much because of Turbo's injuries and Walker's trial and injuries. That's two of our three main attacking weapons.

Players like Elliot, John and Matt Wright etc, and even Parker are solid hard working players, but they offer little penetration. You can possibly afford one in the centre for defensive reasons, but not three in the side. Suli is developing and may get a lot better but at present he's very hot and cold. Our wingers are not getting good ball and we've had numerous players at 5/8, some adequate at best, but very disruptive for a backline trying to compete. The general consensus here has been slow and safe, and that's not going to win games.

This leaves a half back who has to virtually be our only attacking part of the back line. That's easy to shut down. When Turbo was playing and especially when Walker was in the centres, the team looked dangerous. It looks pedestrian at present. Cust may solve some of the problem and Funa looks a likely lad. But for so long its been dependent on DCE and the forwards to get us over the line. This last game was the first time in 7 games that the outside backs have outscored the forwards.

Sorry C & C but I think you're looking for a scape goat, when the real problem is the personnel out wide. This latest game is the first time in 7 weeks that the outside backs have outscored the forwards in tries. That to me says there has been a problem out wide, and that, as I've been saying now for well over three years, is the source of our difficulty in winning games.

Check the scorers in the first 6 games. 16 tries, 13 by outside backs, one by a forward. Without Walker and Turbo in the next 7 games, 21 tries, 10 by forwards, 6 by outside backs and three of those were scored in the last game where Funa and Cust were added. Add to that defensive lapses out wide where teams are walking through us. Stands out like a beacon. It aint DCE mate

Mate you are entitled to your opinion, as am I. Your perspective is that you are happy with the way he is playing. My perspective is that I'm not happy with the way he can't control a game and the lack of a decent kicking game. I also don't buy into all these excuses. If the backs aren't scoring tries then could it be because the playmakers can't set them up ? Wingers aren't getting good ball ?? perhaps it's not getting there quick enough ? How many tries from kicks this year for us ?? How many repeat sets from forced dropouts ? If our forwards are scoring more tries then someone is making a decision that going through the middle is our plan - if that's not our playmaker and Captain then who is running the show out there ? I haven't gone through stats, but I'd be interested to know what stats he is dominating compared to his peers - I reckon probably only 40/20's at a guess.

Also have a look around the NRL and see how many inexperienced halves are running around at the moment, he's not the only senior playmaker trying to ply his trade with a junior partner. So Tommy is so important to our team that the Australian halfback can't win a game without riding his coat tails ? Answer me this, who is charged with running the team out there on the field ? who sets the structures ? who runs the plays ? who has to make the most of what we have ?? who makes the decisions ? It's not all his fault, but given he is the Captain and playmaker he has to shoulder a larger burden than the rest of the side. It IS on him, that's his job. Cust is close to outplaying him at the moment.

Just because I criticise the guy doesn't mean I don't think he can't play. Clearly he can, but it's his lack of consistency that is killing us. I'm not looking for a scapegoat, I'm just dumbfounded about turning up here every time after a loss and seeing the excuses trotted out. They are endless, I've never known a player to get cut so much slack. If you are happy with his contribution then great. I'm not talking effort, I'm talking actual contribution towards us competing in games. Leadership, direction, game control, all those things we have been missing of late.

I fully accept I'm swimming against the tide of popular opinion, get told that every time I post in this thread, but in my opinion he is building a legacy of being a flat track bully. Sure there will be a game in the next few weeks where we carve it up and he looks a million dollars, but then there will be some more where we don't and he doesn't. You are happy to accept that, I think he can do better. Do you think if they picked the Australian side today that he would be wearing the 7 ??

Anyway, we can't win this comp without him playing his best and utilising his full skill set, so let's hope whatever has to occur to make that happen occurs soon. If he plays well I'm more than happy to acknowledge it, but equally I'm not going to blow smoke up his nether regions when he runs around like a headless chook.

 

[40 years an eagle]

Said it in 2015,16,17 and now. We won’t win another comp until his ridiculous contract is up.

Probably not until all 3 big ones are up...unless we miraculously find another million to balance our squad properly.

 

[Dion Johnson]

Points that need saying

1. You pay for quality, especially at 1,6,7 and 9. Maybe we paid too much, but with a lesser player costing less, it may increase buying power, but you still need the star quality at No 7 or you are going no where.

2. Its not DCE's fault, though many seem to be blaming him for his huge salary. He was on the verge of accepting around $7-800,000 a year but Manly dropped him hoping to hold onto Foran. Fulton then had to go cap in hand and offer overs to have him break a contract with Gold Coast which was around $1,000, 000 a year, and we know what DCE had to face as a consequence of that turn around. Had already bought a house up there. The blame for his contract has far less to do with DCE, and more to do with a club in crisis making odd decisions such as with Foran and Gutherson.

3. DCE may have off games from time to time...all players do. But to question his commitment is folly.

4. Other than the Gold Coast issue and his involvement in the incident with Hastings (and who really knows what happened there except the players), little has ever been reported of negativity in his personal life. He's a very positive image for the club and a well spoken one who has been shown lately to stand up for players rights and speaks quite intelligently and rather eloquently.

5. He has been the difference in getting Manly over the line to win in a large number of matches.

Cant understand why he is so often under the pump, and even here among the supporters. He's not God, he makes mistakes. But I would want him on the field more than any other half I can think of. He's surely one of the last players in the team deserving of criticism.

DCE has not got his all round kicking game to where it was last season.

Not sure what the problem is but DCE has a consistent/ brilliant short and long kicking skill, would like to see it again.

 

[JackDaytona]

all this dce hate i get hes on too much coin that is for sure no arguments what do you want him to do give it back but seriously look at the other teams who would you rather have at manly than dce maybe keary cleary but thats it

 

[Simonmyers11]

DCE is a gun. We will win the comp if the players around him stay on the field. Problem isn't DCE, problem is we have a very good side but everyone keeps getting injured, suspended or stood down

 

[BOZO]

Our success will only resume when DCE retires. He's a smart little prick for playing us on that contract. So get used to another 3 yrs minimum of mediocrity and no new visitors wanting to play for us.

DCE has won many games for us and being an elite halfback deserves all the financial rewards he gets . We are rebuilding and DCE will lead our great club to premiership Glory once again