Did Brett Stewart do a lot of good stuff I didn't see?

[c eagle]

Was wondering if he's injured maybe, seems to swap with turbo on kick returns a lot and has been generally quite/uninterested , hasn't really showed his flare this year as yet. Not blaming him at all , it's a team effort... But the missed try and knock on did hurt, took some great high balls as well.... We really need him firing .

 

[Mal Cochrane]

Last night, i thought he was heavily involved for the first 20-30 mins or so, and noticed he was trailing forwards a lot in the 2nd half but just wasn't getting ball

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

Last night, i thought he was heavily involved for the first 20-30 mins or so, and noticed he was trailing forwards a lot in the 2nd half but just wasn't getting ball

He'll be ok once Dce comes back he'll start seeing some ball.

 

[HK_Eagle]

I thought he was very hot and cold, and overall has had a pretty disappointing year to date (whether that's injury or whatever).

I agree with Mal that he was looking to get involved in the early stanza. And he did show some good stuff, including taking bombs and that front on cover tackle of Rad.

However, there were a lot of disappointing moments. The two obvious ones were his inability to score that early try from the kick, and that fumble leading to the Parra try near the end. Apart from that he was just largely invisible (not great when you're missing your chief playmaker and need senior players with ball playing ability to step up).

The other intangible quality is what appears like a lack of enthusiasm and energy. I know there have been times since he's been back where he is talking and almost trying too hard, but there are also too many times when he just seems disinterested. I really don't know what that is about, as I mentioned, it's intangible and not something I can explain or quantify.

 

[Bird of Prey]

Could be just me but he seems to me to preoccupied at the moment , his mind dosnt seem to be 100% on football.

 

[Moops]

Was wondering if he's injured maybe, seems to swap with turbo on kick returns a lot and has been generally quite/uninterested , hasn't really showed his flare this year as yet. Not blaming him at all , it's a team effort... But the missed try and knock on did hurt, took some great high balls as well.... We really need him firing .

I have said it before and I will say it again, stick a fork in him, he is done. Slowly, the head in the sand brigade are waking up to this fact. There are still a few diehards in denial though. He offers very little these days but, according to the diehards, is still a good talker on the field. This is almost an admission to me. And fans don't seem to connect him to Toovey's demise either. I know there's blind loyalty but WTF?! His attitude and form has been on the slide for years. Foran cops all he hate, but Stewart doesn't? They were as think as thieves, along with Matai...

 

[HK_Eagle]

I do agree, Moops, that there is a lot of leniency given to Snake amongst fans. It's also understandable given what he represents to them. Nevertheless, in terms of pure performance, he has been very poor and unreliable of late. And I do agree there are aspects of his game that have been on the slide over the last few years, though he has also shown some positive aspects and moments of class (last year being a good example) to warrant his position at the back.

However, it does seem to be getting to the point where those moments are being outweighed by the growing negatives. The only thing that I can possibly hold onto this season based on what I've seen is the ability to organise defence from the back. And I've brought up the point before, how long before the other declining aspects of his game make retaining him in that position too much of a liability...

 

[HoldenV8]

As much as we're going to miss him, I do think that this year will be the last time we Snake as a player at Manly. I think that he will probably end up having a year with Gifty at Catalans in 2017 and that will be it for both of them.

I just hope that as a fullback Tommy learns the communication from the back that we're so accustomed to seeing from Snake, which is why I don't mind seeing him at fullback during games because its real game experience there and you can't get that in training runs.

 

[Dinga]

As far as I am aware Brett has one more year to go in his contract which he only just extended recently to end of 2017. So unless we do the same with him as we did with Matt Ballin snake will be playing for us next year.

Personally i think he should retire end of this year. He has been on the decline for past 2 years at least and I don't think he is capable of showing us his speed and class like he use to week in week out. Happy to be proven wrong BUT I doubt it.

 

[maxta]

Hands up here... Believe he is not 1 of, but the best communicating fullback in the game still today.
It's obvious that blinding speed he based so much of his game around, is now slowed to fast at best....taking away that split second ability to burn his man & bring in outside defenders or simply slice through untouched.....still has great timing & vision but lost impact of his peak form but still can offer plenty.
Would not be surprised if he does hang the boots end of 2016, but regardless of getting roasted here, I see Snake getting back into great form when the team gets that bit more cohesion & think a few are jumping the gun.
Don't always agree with the never write off a champion quote....but in this case I think it rings true & he will leave egg splattered over a few faces by seasons end.

 

[qldeagle]

I can't believe how slow Tommy is. That was a real eye opener for me. All the talk of turbo etc, I've never actually seen him well and truly in the clear. He's not a winger but just quick enough to be a fullback.

 

[mickqld]

Hard for a fullback to shine in attack when we have no playmakers in halves and our only ball playing forward is consigned to NSW cup. We running with a hooker at 7 and a center at 6 neither of which can pass the ball so no wonder we can't score enough points.

 

[wombatgc]

I can't believe how slow Tommy is. That was a real eye opener for me. All the talk of turbo etc, I've never actually seen him well and truly in the clear. He's not a winger but just quick enough to be a fullback.

Same. Just assumed with the name and all the talk from last year that he was quicker than Carl Lewis.
....but to be run down by an old second rower that's not far from the knackery (well I thought so, up until last night!).....fmd. Best hit that squat rack boy, and get your self some god damn motherf@kin Sammy rararararadra quads (or Beau Scott ones?)....get some decent calf muscles while you're at it too.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Hard for a fullback to shine in attack when we have no playmakers in halves and our only ball playing forward is consigned to NSW cup. We running with a hooker at 7 and a center at 6 neither of which can pass the ball so no wonder we can't score enough points.

I agree, Mick. I can understand he's not going to be able to chime in to the back line as sweetly as we have seen in the past with the halves situation as it is. I understand and expect his usual attacking ability to be stilted.

However, it has been other aspects of his play, which have been disappointing. And these are aspects that are not directly attributable to the halves situation.
1. His positioning at times has been off in both cover defence and defusing kicks.
2. There have been times where his tackling has been uncharacteristically poor.
3. Errors fumbling the ball.
4. Energy and enthusiasm up and down (along with involvement in general).
5. Not stepping up to contribute with his ball handling skills and help out the halves problem.
6. Returning the ball has been woeful, though that has been a long term issue since the knee problems. However, it does seem to be even worse this year.

The above hasn't been terrible every game, but certain points above have played a part in every game to same degree. There have been isolated situations where he us been very good. The overall inconsistency is a problem in my opinion.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Hands up here... Believe he is not 1 of, but the best communicating fullback in the game still today.
It's obvious that blinding speed he based so much of his game around, is now slowed to fast at best....taking away that split second ability to burn his man & bring in outside defenders or simply slice through untouched.....still has great timing & vision but lost impact of his peak form but still can offer plenty.
Would not be surprised if he does hang the boots end of 2016, but regardless of getting roasted here, I see Snake getting back into great form when the team gets that bit more cohesion & think a few are jumping the gun.
Don't always agree with the never write off a champion quote....but in this case I think it rings true & he will leave egg splattered over a few faces by seasons end.

I think as a senior player with all his experience and ability he should be shining NOW, while the team is struggling with injury and need a lift. It's easy to look good when everyone around you is playing well. As a champion he has been, I have expected much better from him.

And yes, I wouldn't be surprised to see him still come up with some brilliance and some great games before the year end. However, it is the consistency and leadership we need NOW that is missing.

 

[Budgie]

No difference from last year, sadly.
I think it's an age thing, and that cannot be fixed.

 

[maxta]

I thought in other recent games Stewart has done well now??
Considering the sudden improvement in cohesion & results since Snake returned, the fact as shown, everyone around him was not playing well....suddenly they improved with his return.
Expecting him to shine as a FB with key components of the spine missing in DCE & Parcel may be a little unreasonable....as shown clearly when other fullbacks are missing their chief playmakers...Slater without Smith/Cronk for example.
Stewart had an off night on Friday no doubt, with uncharacteristic errors at vital times.
Fact is if you asked the other 16 players to nominate the 3 most important players they want on the field....most/ maybe all would nominate Stewart....
Manly lost a tough, rugged encounter to arguably the best defensive team in the comp (atm)....also missed players & opportunities - still went close regardless of the score.
This always leads to a witch hunt, with Stewart having an off night in the spotlight.
He will come good & so will Manly....good enough to contend...only time will tell.

 

[HoldenV8]

6. Returning the ball has been woeful, though that has been a long term issue since the knee problems. However, it does seem to be even worse this year.

So far in 2016, Snake has run the ball 46 times for a total of 265 metres (5.76 metres per run). 23 of those runs have been kick returns. I don't know his kick return metres since the NRL only lists the top 20 and he's not there. Vave (15th) and Tommy (17th) are the only Manly players in the top 20.

Snake's stats in 2016 per game have been (according to NRL.com):

vs Cronulla - 7 runs, 35 metres, 0 line breaks, 6 tackles, 0 missed, 0 errors, 1 try.
vs Easts - 8 runs, 50 metres, 0 LB, 4 tackles, 3 missed, 2 errors.
vs Souffs - 15 runs, 75 metres, 0 LB, 3 tackles, 4 missed, 1 error, 1 offload.
vs Warriors - 5 runs, 31 metres, 0 LB, 4 tackles, 0 missed, 0 errors.
vs Speels - 11 runs, 74 metres, 0 LB, 3 tackles, 0 missed, 2 errors.

Of course, these stats don't tell the full story. They don't tell that since he's been back at fullback, the average score against us has dropped from 32 for the two games he wasn't there, to 21.7 (in the games he's played the average against us is 17.6). The defensive improvement is in no small part down to his communication from the back (admittedly, its also down to having the right forwards who are generally doing ok right now).

Make of it all what you will. Personally, I don't think he's even close to being 100% fit right now. I think he was rushed back early because of how horrible we were in the opening two rounds and really, we're lucky that we haven't lost him since especially given our draw. I also agree that in attack he is definitely missing DCE (lets face it, he's also missing Foran). Snake and DCE may not be best mates off the park, but on it they do have a good combination. He doesn't have that with Walker or Api.

 

[HK_Eagle]

I thought in other recent games Stewart has done well now? Considering the sudden improvement in cohesion & results since Snake returned, the fact as shown, everyone around him was not playing well....suddenly they improved with his return.
Expecting him to shine as a FB with key components of the spine missing in DCE & Parcel may be a little unreasonable....as shown clearly when other fullbacks are missing their chief playmakers...Slater without Smith/Cronk for example.
Stewart had an off night on Friday no doubt, with uncharacteristic errors at vital times.
Fact is if you asked the other 16 players to nominate the 3 most important players they want on the field....most/ maybe all would nominate Stewart....
Manly lost a tough, rugged encounter to arguably the best defensive team in the comp (atm)....also missed players & opportunities - still went close regardless of the score.
This always leads to a witch hunt, with Stewart having an off night in the spotlight.
He will come good & so will Manly....good enough to contend...only time will tell.

Rd 4: V Roosters: Invisible/missing. Was found out of position consistently throughout the game for both high kicks (bombs were hitting the deck all night) and covering tackles (defenders were strolling over and he wasn't even in the picture frame). He escaped much of the criticism only because of a horrible night for Tafua.

Rd 5: V Rabbits: Shocker. Tried very hard talking it up from the back by accounts from those at the ground, but execution was not there; poor handling, ambling into the defence without any pace and a bad kick over the dead ball line when we were attacking. In addition his tackling was woeful particularly in the first 20 min when the Rabbits were running over us and we needed him. Griswald ran straight over the top of him, and then a horrible arm grab when the South's hooker went over for his second try.

Rd 6: V Warriors: Quiet/not involved.

Rd 7: I've already outlined specifics on his poor round 7 performance.

 

[mickqld]

Whilst I agree that Snake is playing well below his lofty standards at the moment I don't see any alternative. Tom T isn't anywhere near ready. Tom defense reads the other night were terrible.