Recruitment

[fLIP]

I've kept pretty quite about it this season. We have been travelling pretty well and it hasn't really bothered me up until now.

I have to say, I am extreemly disappointed with manly's recruitment this season. All year we have known Ben Kennedy will be hagging up the boots. All year we've had a chance to replace him with someone at least half as tallented and half as inspirational and who do we come up with? Nothing.

I think its pretty evident how much of an impact he has had on our team. When he was off the field I almost couldn't watch as our team starts to implode under the pressure. I don't know if the players are skirts who needs BK to hold their hand or whatever but to come up with nobody to replace him is disgusting. Anybody associated with the decision should hang there head.

Instead we throw half a million to Jamie Lyon and thats ment to fix all our problems. I'm just wondering how much we have left under the cap, have we missed out because players just don't want to come to Manly or have we run short of money due to nearly 1/4 of the cap being accomodated by 2 players???

If we don't end up finding a suitable replacement in the off season, I want heads to roll, you can't be a succesful footie team unless you are constantly making sure your covered for times when greats like BK retire and in my books, one whole season is more than enough time to find an answer.

Who's going to replace him? Glen Stewart? Well it would have been good to give him some time on the field to prepare him better for 1st grade. Im not saying he's a bad player, its just a whole new game and more time this season would have proven immense value for next year. The same apply's for Rose. He got the position on the bench but for some reason despite his devastating effect while on the field he only managed 15 minutes a game.

Like I said earlier, if we don't find someone better than G.Stewart or Matai to replace BK in the offseason, I want the person at fault to admit to their monumental **** up.

 

[Garts]

Its not that we didnt try and sign any big name forward as we were heavily linked to Simpson, Creagh and Pritchard so I dont think it is through lack of trying. Those guys are all juniors at their respective clubs and were always at long odds to leave, cant force someone to leave and come to Manly.

We were also linked to Gallen, I believe we might have got in his ear but things did not work out.

I am thinking someone like Cuthbo or Wells will step up, I dont think things are that bad for us after how well we played while Kennedy was missing at the back end of this season. We will survive.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Wasting your time expecting to find 1 person to replace Kennedy, it has to be a concerted team effort to lift, no 1 person can do it.

They just all have to take a couple of extra hitups a game, get more involved in defence, rev each other up etc

 

[Disco]

Im really not overly concerned, people need to just sit back take a deep breath and not panic

 

[Jatz Crackers]

The fat lady hasnt sung on signings for 07.

There is a large shadow lurking, but she aint in view or on stage yet.

 

[fLIP]

Rose coloured glasses on guys?

If its as easy as just lifting... why do we seem to struggle when he was off the field. Like I said, does our team need their hands held through a game of footie?

 

[fLIP]

Further to my point, we have missed out on players from the NRL. We must be looking over seas. Other than that, we are trying to replace him with a PL player.

That is just not good enough.

 

[Garts]

these guys from PL have to step up sometime and as many on these boards have said they cant believe some of them have not been blooded as they deserve a shot. some of them will get ago and go well at that.

if it come down to getting Lyon or someone like Pritchard/Creagh instead I am glad we got Lyon.

 

[Disco]

When BK was off we beat Newie, Souths, Bulldogs and only just got taken by Melbourne

We'll be fine

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

BK played when Penrith destroyed us 1st half, was off for the majority of the comeback too

Well he did make a diff being off, it is not the end of the world

Look at Newcastle, everyone wrote them off when Johns was suspended, but Mullen lifted himself massively and they gave Penrith a big dustup

No point looking to find an answer on how to replace him, coz that is impossible, he was a 1 off.

 

[byso]

It will be near impossible to replace a bloke as good as BK. Especially the offloading abilities he bought to the club.

Stewy will miss him heaps.

 

[fLIP]

Will someone comment on replacing him with a PL player instead of a tried and tested 1st grader?

And if PL players need to step up to the plate and we knew BK was leaving, why not give them some experience while he's still there, instead of throwing them in the deep end.

The whole situation has been handled poorly. We have replaced BK with a half million dollar centre. Nuf Said.

 

[byso]

Dessie was in the position to win games placing players from PL who clearly aren't up to it isn't the answer.

Manly will have to look far and wide to get a player even 70% as good as BK. None of the PL players are up to it. Glen Stewart may is a couple more years but not now. Cuthbo may also, but he dropped off this year.

I think Beaver will go to Lock anyhow. It's his favourite spot.

 

[Dan]

it reeks of our classic recruitment drive of the past.

When the cupboardis bare pay the big dollars to get someone in. who ultimately fails.

 

[fLIP]

Exactly my point Byso.

None of the players are up to it? I'm suggesting we threw so much money at Lyon from day one of him leaving Parra that we havn't left ourselves enough to replace legends like BK when their time comes. In two years it will be Menzies, then a few more years down the track we'll have to try and keep Watmough and Stewart. Someone tell me Stewert won't be commanding nearly 1/2 a million.

Our club is so obsessed with success now, I think we are forgetting about future planing.

As for what dan said. I completly agree that Orford has not lived up to his price tag. I would still love to have him on our team but for his performance this season, his % of the salary cap is just too large.

 

[Dan]

Kimmorely anyone.............

Our recruitment seems to lack some edge, and I can only hope that there is a longer term goal here, with players like Groom etc in Flegg

 

[fLIP]

I think you can tell the recruitment drive and lack of wanting to develop PL players by how many hookers we take into a game.

Why not give Glen Stewart a go. Give Rose more time.

Des (in mata's words) is so risk averse that he fears failure if tried PL players don't work out.

If you never try, you never know.

Witt, Mullane are just another few recruitment disasters.

 

[Garts]

Half a million for Stewert???? I hope you mean over 2 to 3 years Flip. No fullback would command that sort of money for one season

 

[fLIP]

I wouldn't think a centre was worth that much. In fact with a salary cap of around 4 million, I wouldn't think anyone is worth that. However we seem to manage two of them that are very, very close.

 

[JEF]

With the possible exception of Cuthbertson (and Styles as a long shot) I don't think any of our Premier League team are geniune first grade prospects. They are certainly not going to provide the extra dimension we will need next year.

Our only hope is that some of our excellent prospects from Flegg will make the giant transition.

I have hopes that Offerdahl, Trembath and Grieve may feature successfully in NRL next year.

Other clubs seem to be able to bring up young players to star.

With our dire lack of quality depth, 2007 is certainly going to be a year when our junior players will have enormous opportunities.

Work hard in the off season boys. These opportunuities don't come very often.