DCE looks Lost

[TagMonster]

On current form, just about any first grade half. My preference would be to go the youth route - there's always a good bunch of up and comers coming through. Spend the money on a couple of hard headed back rowers and some speedsters with potential. Raid penriths juniors. Get a team that can be molded together rather than swapping journeymen every year. In hindsight, we'd be better off with Kane elgy.

Ok, so let me list all the halves playing this weekend and whether I think they would be a clear upgrade over DCE based on current form:

Munster - No
Cronk - Yes
Milford - Maybe
Hunt - No
Reynolds - No
Mybe - No
Hingano - No
Johnson - Yes
Elgey - No
Taylor - No
Gutherson - No
Robson - No
Lamb - No
Hodkinson - No
Walker - No
Reynolds - Maybe
Martin - No
Cleary - No (but I would consider him based on potential)
Keary - No
Pearce - No
Morgan - No
Thurston - Yes
Austin - No
Sezer - No
Moses - No
Brookes - No
Maloney - No
Townsend - No
Widdop - No
McCrone - No

So based on the 30 non-Manly halves playing this weekend I would suggest that only 3 are clearly an upgrade with 2 potentially being an upgrade and one who would very likely be in upgrade over the next year or so. So I would consider swapping him for a total of 6/30 halves playing this weekend. That is hardly "just about any first grade half."

Yes, he is playing poorly by his standards but I would argue that is due to surrounding talent and scheme as much as it is his poor form. A professional athlete doesn't just magically lose his talent overnight, particularly when he is just entering his prime.

I will accept that there are a number of halves that would potentially give us the same quality based on current form for less money, but a lot of those guys are playing at their peak potential. DCE is playing no where near his potential. I'd take the guy with the better upside over an "also ran"

I think a lot of supporters on this forum need to accept that DCE is with the club for a number of years yet. That isn't going to change. To let him walk would be a disaster for our cap and the club wouldn't do it. Wouldn't it be a lot more productive speaking about things the club can actually change like the **** team selections, lack of coaching and poor recruitment rather than a player who is locked into the club for the next 8 years or so?

 

[COMMANDER]

DCE's captaincy will head down the same path and with the same results as Beavers captaincy.

 

[COMMANDER]

And it's no wonder the rest of the team outside of Jake and Tom are crap, DCE, Matai and Stewart would be taking half of our salary cap.

When you are left with peanuts all you can afford is monkeys.

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

Dce is being currently bombarded by disgruntled manly fans on 2sm talking sport.

 

[qldeagle]

Well his only public statements seem to be to call all that media heat as comical. Hardly taking accountability I would have thought.

When you're getting $1.25mil +++ a season for 8 years everything would seem comical I'd reckon.

 

[BirdMan4ever]

We need to rebuild the fortress.
There are only 5 players you would keep from the current roster
1. J. Turbo
2. T Turbo
3. KAPOW
4. AFB
5. B. Kelly
the rest together with the coach should be systemically replaced.
DCE can go back to the Titans where he belongs .

 

[Steve76]

Dce is not worth half of what he is getting. Tag monsters must be off his rocker.
Fact is quite simple..
If we had Thurston and the current team we would be winning.
With dce we are not. He is just not a natural leader. Face it

 

[Budgie]

Mate, look at the passion, speed, energy and aggression he had for us (all be it a highlights package). None of the players (and I include Jake in this) are the backrower Choc was at his peak right now:

He was truly great.
Interestingly this doesn't just showcase Watmough, but also shows how tough and fit our teams used to be.

 

[Disco]

Dce is not worth half of what he is getting. Tag monsters must be off his rocker.
Fact is quite simple..
If we had Thurston and the current team we would be winning.
With dce we are not. He is just not a natural leader. Face it

Ahhh Cowboys have finished 15th in two seasons (2008, 2010) with JT as Halfback and captain

As simple as it is to narrow a teams problems to one player that is not how footy works

 

[Fluffy]

Beginning to wish we had spent a quarter of that on someone like Ash Taylor and freed up money for some other players. Do we know how much money will come off the books next year once Matai and Snake are gone?

We tried that and it didn't work, we then had to offer DCE a longer contract that was almost 50% more again.

 

[Fluffy]

He looks lost because they didn't explain his match GPS Tracker to him, he thought it would tell him where to go not tell the coaches where he had been

At the 20 metre line pass left

 

[BOZO]

Ahhh Cowboys have finished 15th in two seasons (2008, 2010) with JT as Halfback and captain

As simple as it is to narrow a teams problems to one player that is not how footy works

Very good point !!!

 

[Fluffy]

stop blaming DCE...we have turned over well over 20 players in 2 yrs, what has changed ? nothing because the fkn coach is the cause.
who has excelled under TB????

Guys who have played their best footy in year under Barrett:
TTurbo
JTurbo
AFB
Lussick
Uate
Kelly
Bainbridge
Parker

 

[Kevinward777]

Guys who have played their best footy in year under Barrett:
TTurbo
JTurbo
AFB
Lussick
Uate
Kelly
Bainbridge
Parker

We are decimated in the forwards, but picking both Brown and Cullen on the bench? He has to, absolutely has to manufacture 2 props on the bench. Again this is the obvious pack and bench rotation with what's available.
8 Jake
9 API/Cullen/Hastings
10 Lawrence
11 Winterstein
12 Sironen
13 Kennedy

14 API/Cullen/Hastings
15 Myles
16 Lane
17 Bainbridge
Otherwise it will be the exact same scenario. Compete while we have props on the field but get run over the top of when they need a rest. It's so bleeding obvious, why can't he see this? Why did it take him half a season last year to figure out Dylan Walker is a centre? These sorts of basic errors cancel out the player development that has occurred under his watch.

 

[Fluffy]

DCE has played poorly since everything was lumped on him to single handed lead the team around. There are very few that can or have done that to a good standard and they are the top 5% of halves to have ever played. JT and Cronk are likely the only ones currently playing, but even they have more help than DCE right now.

The games DCE played well in last year didn't have Api serving up **** to him. When a half knows the ball will be placed perfectly every time he almost doesn't even have to watch the ball. He can scan the field so he has an extra second or two to read the defense. He hasn't had that since Ballin left.

Our major problems this season are a lack of second row talent and a complete disaster at hooker. I'd suggest a lot of DCE's poor play has to do with the lack of talent around him in the second row and hooker than anything else.

JT has never been able to run the team without help.

Cowboys struggled many years until Morgan and Coote came and helped out.

Cronk has Smith helping out.

We used to have Stewart and Foran helping out.

DCE has nobody now, TT is quiet as a mouse and Green is still green.

 

[Fluffy]

DCE needs a foil and we badly need a captain
I really hope the club is bringing a couple of experienced hard heads into the mix come 2018.
If a deal can be done with Des, I say take it. He would at least improve this lot by season's end giving us hope for 2018. By the end of this year, terminal damage may result in a real long term drought

I just don't think Des will be up to the rigors of playing NRL these days, a bit too old.

 

[BirdMan4ever]

Guys who have played their best footy in year under Barrett:
TTurbo
JTurbo
AFB
Lussick
Uate
Kelly
Bainbridge
Parker

they have not excelled under TB, they are good natural footballers, the TEAM is not winning games.

 

[BirdMan4ever]

FORWARDS
the forwards we have used over the last 2 years may be bigger than our 10yr dominating team of Watmough, Stewart, King , Ballin & Kite all were not huge men, but they had mongrel and worked as a pack, fought for each other, had mob mentality, a winning spirit of never giving up.
THAT MY FRIENDS IS THE ATTITUDE WE HAVE LOST.

 

[Fluffy]

We are decimated in the forwards, but picking both Brown and Cullen on the bench? He has to, absolutely has to manufacture 2 props on the bench. Again this is the obvious pack and bench rotation with what's available.
8 Jake
9 API/Cullen/Hastings
10 Lawrence
11 Winterstein
12 Sironen
13 Kennedy

14 API/Cullen/Hastings
15 Myles
16 Lane
17 Bainbridge
Otherwise it will be the exact same scenario. Compete while we have props on the field but get run over the top of when they need a rest. It's so bleeding obvious, why can't he see this? Why did it take him half a season last year to figure out Dylan Walker is a centre? These sorts of basic errors cancel out the player development that has occurred under his watch.

I hope Jake does play prop this week but I guess as has been said many times before why weaken one position to strengthen another.

As for Walker 5/8, maybe it too him half a season to convince Lyon to move back - a player he had to keep on side in fear of losing the team.

 

[Fluffy]

FORWARDS
the current forwards are bigger than our 10yr dominating team. Watmough, Stewart, King , Ballin & Kite where not huge men, but they had mongrel and worked as a pack, fought for each other, had mob mentality, a winning spirit of never giving up.
THAT MY FRIENDS IS THE ATTITUDE WE HAVE LOST.

I think you will find Watmough, Stewart, King , Ballin & Kite are bigger than Winterstein, Lawrence, Kennedy, Brown, Myles, & api.

Remember our top 5 biggest boys were missing last week, the smallest being 112Kgs