How much is that halfback in the window ?

[simon64]

With all the running down of DCE of late (and I'll admit he has left me feeling less than enthused at times this year as well) I got to thinking of who I would (and wouldn't) swap him for.

So I ran through the 7's at the other 15 clubs running down the table.

Penrith...Nathan Cleary....100% Yes. Best 7 in the game. Fair goal kicker too.
Cronulla....Nicho Hynes...Yes. Has youth on his side and a quality player. Should still be at Manly.
Nth Qld....Chad Townsend...No. Too old and solid at best.
Melbourne....Jahrome Hughes....Yes. Competitor. Really like him as a player.
Parramatta....Mitch Moses...No.
Roosters....Sam Walker...Yes. Besides being over 10 years younger, I love how he plays. Tough and great goal kicker.
Souths...Lachlan Ilias....No.
Canberra....Jamal Fogarty....No
Brisbane...Adam Reynolds...If he wasn't in his 30's, Yes.
St. George...Ben Hunt....Six of one, half a dozen of the other for mine.
Canterbury...Kyle Flanagan....No.
Newcastle...Jake Clifford....Bigger No.
Warriors...Shaun Johnson....Massive No.
Titans....Toby Sexton...Has potential but No.
Tigers...Luke Brooks....No. A myth.

I think half the hate comes from his pay packet which isn't his fault. But if you make 7 figures, you better be having a big impact on each game. And he just doesn't. He's supposed to be the team's rudder but he's just not all too often.

But in his defence, our forwards have been getting rolled over for the past 6 weeks. But how long can we use that excuse ?

 

[deanm]

Cade Cust doing ok in UK, Not that you can read too much into that.

 

[Woodsie]

With all the running down of DCE of late (and I'll admit he has left me feeling less than enthused at times this year as well) I got to thinking of who I would (and wouldn't) swap him for.

So I ran through the 7's at the other 15 clubs running down the table.

Penrith...Nathan Cleary....100% Yes. Best 7 in the game. Fair goal kicker too.
Cronulla....Nicho Hynes...Yes. Has youth on his side and a quality player. Should still be at Manly.
Nth Qld....Chad Townsend...No. Too old and solid at best.
Melbourne....Jahrome Hughes....Yes. Competitor. Really like him as a player.
Parramatta....Mitch Moses...No.
Roosters....Sam Walker...Yes. Besides being over 10 years younger, I love how he plays. Tough and great goal kicker.
Souths...Lachlan Ilias....No.
Canberra....Jamal Fogarty....No
Brisbane...Adam Reynolds...If he wasn't in his 30's, Yes.
St. George...Ben Hunt....Six of one, half a dozen of the other for mine.
Canterbury...Kyle Flanagan....No.
Newcastle...Jake Clifford....Bigger No.
Warriors...Shaun Johnson....Massive No.
Titans....Toby Sexton...Has potential but No.
Tigers...Luke Brooks....No. A myth.

I think half the hate comes from his pay packet which isn't his fault. But if you make 7 figures, you better be having a big impact on each game. And he just doesn't. He's supposed to be the team's rudder but he's just not all too often.

But in his defence, our forwards have been getting rolled over for the past 6 weeks. But how long can we use that excuse ?

I think given our current situation you need to add the additional traits required over and above just playing ... for example ... if you consider how much impact on the team Chad Townsend has had .. you would raise his status a bit ...

 

[mave]

I'd swap him for Jock Madden tbh. At least there is upside there.
We have seen the best of Cherry.

I've not seen enough of the famous Humphreys and Fainu to comment.

 

[Budgie]

With all the running down of DCE of late (and I'll admit he has left me feeling less than enthused at times this year as well) I got to thinking of who I would (and wouldn't) swap him for.

So I ran through the 7's at the other 15 clubs running down the table.

Penrith...Nathan Cleary....100% Yes. Best 7 in the game. Fair goal kicker too.
Cronulla....Nicho Hynes...Yes. Has youth on his side and a quality player. Should still be at Manly.
Nth Qld....Chad Townsend...No. Too old and solid at best.
Melbourne....Jahrome Hughes....Yes. Competitor. Really like him as a player.
Parramatta....Mitch Moses...No.
Roosters....Sam Walker...Yes. Besides being over 10 years younger, I love how he plays. Tough and great goal kicker.
Souths...Lachlan Ilias....No.
Canberra....Jamal Fogarty....No
Brisbane...Adam Reynolds...If he wasn't in his 30's, Yes.
St. George...Ben Hunt....Six of one, half a dozen of the other for mine.
Canterbury...Kyle Flanagan....No.
Newcastle...Jake Clifford....Bigger No.
Warriors...Shaun Johnson....Massive No.
Titans....Toby Sexton...Has potential but No.
Tigers...Luke Brooks....No. A myth.

I think half the hate comes from his pay packet which isn't his fault. But if you make 7 figures, you better be having a big impact on each game. And he just doesn't. He's supposed to be the team's rudder but he's just not all too often.

But in his defence, our forwards have been getting rolled over for the past 6 weeks. But how long can we use that excuse ?

Any chance you, or another Silvertail, might publish the same list with their likely salaries beside their names? If we're looking to fill a balanced roster, it's vitally important.

 

[Nordburg]

I think if DCE gives away Origin next year,things maybe different.In past yrs,the games leading up to Origin were his(the team really)issues,as it appeared he went into Origin preservation mode,but this yr,on top of that,he has been flat/ordinary after Origin.I think his age is starting to show and fair enough,so out of respect to Manly and the fact he won his second series as captain,I’d like to see him give Origin a miss for his last three seasons

 

[MW66]

Agree DCE also appears to be running on empty and he is not getting any younger (or just simply dogging it which is hard to reconcile given he is a pretty proud player). I would prefer he simplify's his game. Play more direct, kick deep, set repeats etc. All the1%'s - just like he does for QLD (and same for Jake and NSW). At the moment he is running around like a chook with his head cut -off. Again, coaching has a big say in this. Stop the ad hoc rubbish. Look at Cows/Payton. Get the boys really fit.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

With all the running down of DCE of late (and I'll admit he has left me feeling less than enthused at times this year as well) I got to thinking of who I would (and wouldn't) swap him for.

So I ran through the 7's at the other 15 clubs running down the table.

From that list, I'd also say yes to Moses, Ilias and Fogarty. Hard to argue that Moses isn't a more consistent and influential player than DCE these days, Ilias is young with a lot of upside, and Fogarty is reliable and consistent.

I agree that DCE's pay packet isn't his fault but it is a reason to hold him to a higher standard. It also severely impacts on the club's ability to put good players around him. Cherry has never been the kind of player who will win you a game on his own, so the "leftover" players become even more important. Can you build a team around him that plays to his strengths (ie, long kicks and ad-lib play)? Maybe. Can you do it while also paying a fullback who never plays a motza and remain within the salary cap? I think we all know the answer to that.

 

[40 nil]

Many halfbacks when they age and lose pace have developed other attributes along the way and become known as 'wily', 'crafty' and so on. Unfortunately, not so for DCE. This is greatly detrimental to our team. He is in his 12th season and the club has signed him for another 3 years! In that time his game is more likely to deteriorate than improve.

The wiliest player in this era has been Cameron Smith. He has said he often knew how a game would pan out before it even started. He was always thinking 2 or 3 sets in advance. In comparison, it seems DCE can barely think how one set should be played.

 

[JakeyB789]

I despise Moses but he is miles ahead of DCE at this point.

Townsend has been a great signing for the Cowboys this year by playing a proper halfback role - putting in sensible kicks, organising the team around well and not overplaying his hand, which has helped Dearden go to another level. Fogarty and Ilias can both do this as well with slightly less effectiveness. On the other hand DCE is incapable any of these things.

If you take those guys out that is Flanagan, Clifford/Clune, Johnson, Sexton and Brooks that we would take DCE over. Incidentally those are the halfbacks for the bottom 5 teams who we are now only sitting above by a few wins. And all of these guys are on nowhere near the pay packet that DCE is on, bar Brooks (special case of Tigers being an even bigger basket case than us)

I worry for Foran leaving not because Schuster is replacing him, but because it leaves us without a half that can manage the game. DCE's inability to take control will likely pile more pressure on Schuster, which could see him come up with more errors for people to keep ****ting on him. All while they ignore the $1.2 million elephant in the room. Notice how Schuster's best games for us this year was when he could play his preferred 5/8 position while DCE was out for Origin?

I hope the contract extension is not set in stone and we can find a way to ship him out at the end of next year. Dolphins seem the best chance but I think they will be happier with O'Sullivan by that time. In the meantime we should give Jake the captaincy right now, look to bring Cust back from England and continue bringing through Latu Fainu and Humphreys in the hope one of them can be our next great halfback.

 

[Rocky]

With all the running down of DCE of late (and I'll admit he has left me feeling less than enthused at times this year as well) I got to thinking of who I would (and wouldn't) swap him for.

So I ran through the 7's at the other 15 clubs running down the table.

Penrith...Nathan Cleary....100% Yes. Best 7 in the game. Fair goal kicker too.
Cronulla....Nicho Hynes...Yes. Has youth on his side and a quality player. Should still be at Manly.
Nth Qld....Chad Townsend...No. Too old and solid at best.
Melbourne....Jahrome Hughes....Yes. Competitor. Really like him as a player.
Parramatta....Mitch Moses...No.
Roosters....Sam Walker...Yes. Besides being over 10 years younger, I love how he plays. Tough and great goal kicker.
Souths...Lachlan Ilias....No.
Canberra....Jamal Fogarty....No
Brisbane...Adam Reynolds...If he wasn't in his 30's, Yes.
St. George...Ben Hunt....Six of one, half a dozen of the other for mine.
Canterbury...Kyle Flanagan....No.
Newcastle...Jake Clifford....Bigger No.
Warriors...Shaun Johnson....Massive No.
Titans....Toby Sexton...Has potential but No.
Tigers...Luke Brooks....No. A myth.

I think half the hate comes from his pay packet which isn't his fault. But if you make 7 figures, you better be having a big impact on each game. And he just doesn't. He's supposed to be the team's rudder but he's just not all too often.

But in his defence, our forwards have been getting rolled over for the past 6 weeks. But how long can we use that excuse ?

Good post and would largely agree with you. It all depends on salary and output. DCE is paid like a superstar (1.2m?) and his output is only that of a slightly above average half.

Where I really disagree with you on Hunt - i'd take him in a heartbeart over DCE. Hunt is a leader and has carried a pretty ordinary Dragons roster above Manly this year.

 

[Peter C]

That halves combo from the Penrith B team wouldn't be bad, Sean O'Sullivan and The Weak Gutted Dog, any player that pi$$es of Sticky can't be too bad, however I don't think either has a no look pass in his bag of tricks

 

[robbiea]

Dce trys 100%
We need a 7 and captain who competes 100%.
Big difference.

 

[Ryan]

I'd actually give Jamie Humphrey's a good go. 3 year deal, minimum contract. Offer DCE to the Dolphins (them paying full freight). Every good half-back in the game started at some point.

 

[WiseyEagle]

Isn't Jock Madden looking for a contract at the end of this year? I heard that yesterday watching the Sunday arvo game. Gee anything is worth a thought in the current situation.

 

[MadMarcus]

Craig Field was released from jail earlier this year and could be another option.

 

[cc eagle]

I'd actually give Jamie Humphrey's a good go. 3 year deal, minimum contract. Offer DCE to the Dolphins (them paying full freight). Every good half-back in the game started at some point.

Good idea, but I can't see Bennett paying full freight, unless he get desperate

 

[mickqld]

I just can't believe they extended his contract. Manly used to be ruthless. We were never a retirement benefit fund no matter who you were. We've let club legends go yet Des is fixated on this bloke. We'll never win a premiership whilst DCE is here and captain.

 

[NREagle]

I think if DCE gives away Origin next year,things maybe different.In past yrs,the games leading up to Origin were his(the team really)issues,as it appeared he went into Origin preservation mode,but this yr,on top of that,he has been flat/ordinary after Origin.I think his age is starting to show and fair enough,so out of respect to Manly and the fact he won his second series as captain,I’d like to see him give Origin a miss for his last three seasons
[/QUOTE

If they keep selecting him, I can't see DCE saying no to origin.

 

[Stuey D]

Imagine if we didn't have Matthew Ridge at the time and Ivan Cleary ended up being a career Manly player!