If Croker can do "THIS" - will be Massive Boost

[Eagle 1]

A

Indeed he was part of current coaching staff. Very skilful

Has Monas left the club "he was" hopefully he still is.

 

[winnyason]

Has Monas left the club "he was" hopefully he still is.

Haha too many beers thanks for the pick up

 

[BOZO]

Cam Smith played hooker all through juniors and for 500 nrl games

Froggy (surprisingly to some) has yet to master all the skills after 20 games..

But his development has been sufficient enough for me to advise betting against him.

What matters most to all of us Manly supporters is to see Manly wins games

And we would all like nothing more than seeing all our players do well including Froggy

I have been wrong many times and I would like nothing more to be proven wrong by froggy who battled hard over time through injuries and I greatly admire his resilience and his tenacity to get this far

All players have a potential to reach so far

I see froggy as a dependable number 9 and not a dynamic number 9 .

In the modern fast game . A Dynamic 1, 7, and 9 spine is a big game winning spine .

 

[BOZO]

Haha too many beers thanks for the pick up

Cheers !!!

 

[winnyason]

What matters most to all of us Manly supporters is to see Manly wins games

And we would all like nothing more than seeing all our players do well including Froggy

I have been wrong many times and I would like nothing more to be proven wrong by froggy who battled hard over time through injuries and I greatly admire his resilience and his tenacity to get this far

All players have a potential to reach so far

I see froggy as a dependable number 9 and not a dynamic number 9 .

In the modern fast game . A Dynamic 1, 7, and 9 spine is a big game winning spine .

I don't see 9 is our biggest issue. Don't have strike centres and a forward to grab game by the horns

 

[Captain Moondog]

Haha too many beers thanks for the pick up

 

[BOZO]

I don't see 9 is our biggest issue. Don't have strike centres and a forward to grab game by the horns

Fair enough feathered friend . We all see different things

I see our Legendary Godfather Ken in my dreams every night getting the check book out and signing the best players from every club in every position


If you cant beat them Buy them
and the Godfather made them an offer they could not refuse

 

[winnyason]

Fair enough feathered friend . We all see different things

I see our Legendary Godfather Ken in my dreams every night getting the check book out and signing the best players from every club in every position


If you cant beat them Buy them
and the Godfather made them an offer they could not refuse
View attachment 20107

Haha those where the days, the chooks seem to be in head office back office these days and seem to nab all the good ones.

 

[winnyason]

View attachment 20106

Haha been one of those weeks

 

[Damien2812]

Running game a key for Lachlan Croker in 2022​

Lachlan Croker is determined to step up his running game this season after gaining plenty of confidence from his defensive efforts in 2021.
The hard-working Sea Eagles hooker was the only Manly player to finish inside the NRL's top 10 for most tackles in a season last year.
Croker finished fourth with 986 tackles for an average of 37.9 tackles per game from his 26 games, putting to bed any underlying defensive fears the former half had.

“Defence was always one of those things I was most concerned about. Going into that Sydney Roosters game at the start of last year, that was my main worry, whether I would be able to handle it,’’ Croker said.

“It really helped my performance and the way that I played. I just had to be the guy in the middle that made my tackles and try and learn up as much as possible.
“I was clear on what I had to do and how to go about things. If there were times when things weren’t working or I was doing something wrong, there was always someone there to pull me up straight away.
“It was a really good year and I was really proud to be a part of it.”

The 'Croker Crunch'...Dane Gagai feels the brunt.©NRL Photos
Croker acknowledged the role former Manly hookers and current Assistant Coaches, Chad Randall and Michael Monaghan, had played in his development throughout the year.
“I’ve been really grateful for the time they have put into me and just the recognition and respect they have given me to be able to learn one of the most important positions on the field,’’ Croker added.
“They talked to me about how I’m going, what things to fix, and to keep working on in my game. It's really humbling to be in that position.
“This year for me, it’s about moving more to the other side of the ball and seeing if I can do more in attack.
“I just want to try and evolve, especially with the way the game is going, and the way hookers are playing now. It’s something I spend a lot of time on, watching others and learning with our coaching staff about what the next steps are for me.”

Lachlan Crokeron 2021 season

Lachlan Crokeron 2021 season
Croker said he experienced a ‘bitter sweet’ moment in the week leading up to the Qualifying Final against Melbourne Storm when a lower back injury ruled him out.
The injury ended his run of 44 consecutive games for Manly, a cruel blow to the team and for a 25-year-old who returned from three previous knee reconstructions and hamstring issues.
“It was terribly upsetting. Being up there in Queensland without my partner or my family was hard,’’ Croker admitted.
“I was fortunate to have the boys to talk to about it. I just tried to focus on not making it more of a big deal than it really was as they had a game to focus on.
"But you do sit back and think about the years before that. How playing finals footy is all that you want to do. It was a weird one, it was really bitter sweet.
“Watching the game was the worst thing that happened to me all year. The 80 minutes we put in against Melbourne was not where we needed to be and not what we wanted to toss out.
“Getting the win against the Roosters the way we did the week after made everything better.
“It was the biggest game of my career and probably one of my proudest moments, just being able to finish that match and to walk off as a winner in a semi-final.”

If Croker can improve his running game we could go one better this season. I just wish we had Fainu because the way the game is atm he would dominate with his dart runs.

 

[Waz13]

What matters most to all of us Manly supporters is to see Manly wins games

And we would all like nothing more than seeing all our players do well including Froggy

I have been wrong many times and I would like nothing more to be proven wrong by froggy who battled hard over time through injuries and I greatly admire his resilience and his tenacity to get this far

All players have a potential to reach so far

I see froggy as a dependable number 9 and not a dynamic number 9 .

In the modern fast game . A Dynamic 1, 7, and 9 spine is a big game winning spine .

Smith was hardly a dynamic 9 Bozo. I’d go so far to say that a smart crafty intelligent 9 trumps a fast dynamic 9 any day of the week. I think we have enough strike, what we need imo in a 9 is someone that makes and takes the right decisions. It’s a bonus that they tackle their a** off as well and have a kicking game. I don’t forget the skill set of Fainu when he played though, such a shame his path took the turn it did. Hope he comes back at sone point and we have a good competition for the 9.

 

[maxta]

Smith was hardly a dynamic 9 Bozo. I’d go so far to say that a smart crafty intelligent 9 trumps a fast dynamic 9 any day of the week. I think we have enough strike, what we need imo in a 9 is someone that makes and takes the right decisions. It’s a bonus that they tackle their a** off as well and have a kicking game. I don’t forget the skill set of Fainu when he played though, such a shame his path took the turn it did. Hope he comes back at sone point and we have a good competition for the 9.

A more effective running game will really add plenty, but your right - a smart 9 who gets his pack on the front foot is enough....I recall Matty Ballin scoring first try in our 40-0 GF victory, but it was his smart and crisp distribution that allowed the key players to dominate the scoreboard

 

[Ranga]

I see no reason why we can’t win the comp with Croker at 9. In fact, I can see more reasons why we can win it with him at 9.

I’ve said it before, but we need to tighten up the middle in defence, learn to love the grind, and we will be fine. I actually see Croker as crucial to this - defence is all about attitude and Croker is made of the right stuff.

 

[eaglebuzz]

Croker has a good head on his shoulders which goes a long way, he just needs to up his skill set at 9 and cut the errors out of his game (to his credit I didn't notice as many errors from him last year as in 2020).

But I do fear that without a running game he just doesn't add enough at 9 to make us a premiership threat. I can't remember the last time a team won the comp with an unrecognised / crap / out of form hooker.

 

[jbb/james]

I see no reason why we can’t win the comp with Croker at 9. In fact, I can see more reasons why we can win it with him at 9.

I’ve said it before, but we need to tighten up the middle in defence, learn to love the grind, and we will be fine. I actually see Croker as crucial to this - defence is all about attitude and Croker is made of the right stuff.

croker is going about his business like a pro. adapting to not only the new position, to his skillset, but most importantly what the team currently needs. i thought his pass from dummy half improved a lot last season, we could win a comp with croaker at 9 but i dont think with this team

maybe if we can get an improved tactical kick chase game , patience and a style of play that is competitive without tom in the team we can afford the gradual development of other parts of the spine like 9, but in the conversation of giving it a nudge this year we need more tools i reckon. the spine has some tinkering options at 6 and 9 this year with all kinds of positional switches

 

[mave]

I'm backing Croker to put a lot of egg on a few faces.........again.

You never bet against a guy with that much heart.

 

[Woodsie]

I see no reason why we can’t win the comp with Croker at 9. In fact, I can see more reasons why we can win it with him at 9.

I’ve said it before, but we need to tighten up the middle in defence, learn to love the grind, and we will be fine. I actually see Croker as crucial to this - defence is all about attitude and Croker is made of the right stuff.

100% .. everyone is focused on attack.. and yeah it's important, but it is only 50% of a hookers game .. defense is equally important..

There is a reason why Api has 2 premiership rings

 

[The better Robbo]

Croker has a good head on his shoulders which goes a long way, he just needs to up his skill set at 9 and cut the errors out of his game (to his credit I didn't notice as many errors from him last year as in 2020).

But I do fear that without a running game he just doesn't add enough at 9 to make us a premiership threat. I can't remember the last time a team won the comp with an unrecognised / crap / out of form hooker.

Is Croker crap and out of form?
Roosters have been dominant and recently won comps with Verrils and Friend at hooker. Neither are dynamic hookers, similar to Croker.

 

[Ranga]

100% .. everyone is focused on attack.. and yeah it's important, but it is only 50% of a hookers game .. defense is equally important..

There is a reason why Api has 2 premiership rings

Totally. Api is crafty out of dummy half but his real strength is how tight he keeps the middle.

I just think back to the last two losses of the season where we got dusted by Storm and the Rabbits. We would have been just as easily beat if we had Grant or Cook.

The areas where we can materially improve are within our current squad’s control.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Totally. Api is crafty out of dummy half but his real strength is how tight he keeps the middle.

I just think back to the last two losses of the season where we got dusted by Storm and the Rabbits. We would have been just as easily beat if we had Grant or Cook.

The areas where we can materially improve are within our current squad’s control.

Croker was injured and missed the Storm semi final, we used Lawton. (Might have been the only game he missed all year)