The Hard Truth and it could implode the playing group

[eagleron]

I wonder if he sticks around with what’s transpired over at bondi more recently. Other clubs will be sniffing around him now offering big $$. He may tell East’s to shove it. Never has there seemed to be this many players leaving that club.

It would be nice if he were to turn his back on them but as we all know if Politis doesn't want to lose someone he doesn't generally lose them and given Chrichtons recent form and the loss of Fifi I reckon they'll upgrade his contract pretty soon with the additional benefits that only uncle Nick can provide

 

[Uber Eagle 72]

WOW! Just imagine if we won last night? If a couple of decisions went our way we could have easily won and the genesis of our performance would be no different! However the site would be singing the praises across the playing group and even some blowing virtual kisses to mestrov and Seibold…and a like… Anyway just summing up the hyperbolic ride of a footy fan site…. GO Manly

 

[double hoops]

It's a fair post and agree with a few of the points by Jay Eagle and the hurtful truth is there are so many needs and shortfalls in this current setup, yet we are not way off the pace which makes it frustrating.
I mean Manly should have at least another 2 Wins minimum in the bank and be sitting aroung the 4, which shows many clubs are also a little unpredictable and it's only maybe Penrith, Cronulla and Melbourne who are consistent.....just my 2 cents is "Why and What" are these 3 clubs doing different and the answer I see is they turn up to "Win" every week and Manly and the others turn up to "Play"
This then means you have to "beat" those 3 willing and energetic teams over the 80 minutes, vs the also rans (including Manly) who can "Lose" a game more so than the opposition beating them.....
Yes the right setup with a left edge back rower (Creighton) and a hooker with some zing (?) will make a Huge difference, but we need to get the thing promoted in the off season "The Manly mentallity" which looked great pre season, but is not showing where it counts - On the Field !!

Agree with all that.

But in Manly Mentality. It's standards setting. We all know how fragile and weak these players have been.

So far we can see there is still a long way to go. But equally there is improvement there. The way we played last night is real visible change. Some of the decision making is vastly improved.

They haven't yet changed the culture and mentality of this group completely, but I think we can at least see, that work in progress, with moments players instinctively regress.

 

[The '47ers]

All we need now is a rainbow jersey...

 

[davohan123]

All we need now is a rainbow jersey...

 

[lsz]

I've seen enough of GKT to believe he is not the answer. He's willing in defence but is not physically strong enough to stand up to the forwards. He either misses the tackle completely or we concede substantial post-contact metres and lose the ruck. Then you've got his service, which is worse than Croker's. Sure, Gordy can engage the markers and run on occasions, but the passing is sloppy with a capital S.

I believe he has been overrated by many on the forum because we have a part-time 9 in Croker. People are itching for something better. The reality is Gordon is just a fringe first grader, not an upcoming star.

You are a far better judge than me if you can work that out after 38 minutes in first grade this year

 

[Kalvin]

I think one of our big issues also is we actually don't have a "top 30" players signed... could be wrong but maybe we have 28? Also "development player" positions not being utilised effectively (I.e Woods)

 

[lsz]

Wooden Spoon!!!!.. that will f@#king do me.. i will lead a pitchfork brigade down to Brookie and burn it to the ground

Issue for me is the way we are currently structured (a few players on big money etc) means that we will almost always be competitive but not have enough class to win a comp.

In a world where we let the Trb's contracts run down and try sign them for less / let them leave would hurt the club for a 3/4 year period but you could argue would allow a rebuild. As a fan I would not want that situation but that is also why I am realistic about what we can acheive

 

[LeonardCohen]

You are a far better judge than me if you can work that out after 38 minutes in first grade this year

Trouble is, I didn’t work it out after 38 minutes. I’ve followed his path since Harold Matts and seen him play countless times over the last 5-6 years. He is not a star in the marking. I appreciate that players take time to develop and grow into roles and all those things. But I am commenting on his talent, his raw attributes, not his ability to learn what first grade is about.

Compare a player like Ben Condon to a player like Sam Fainu. One has all the attributes to be a star, the other is toiling away for the occasional opportunity off the bench as depth. Gordon is the dummy half equivalent of Condon; a guy with limitations, looking for opportunities. Therefore, I’d like us to look at buying the dummy half equivalent of Sam Fainu; Serious talent and potential. A Blake Mozer or Tallyn De Silva, etc.

 

[NYEagle]

I wrote a post last week titled... A loss this weekend could be our Season.. and I predicted we could be sitting 11th after the round.
Thankfully the bulldogs lost so we may finish 10th

But this post is reality, a reality all can see but I believe if action is taken will implode the playing group.

Burbo, is not a first grader, he may become one but need a season or two in the NSW cup, or a new club to become his own man, he tries hard but he offers very little in attack, is slow and lacks any real skill, he's basically there on effort and a name and this could be hard for the Trbojevic family to swallow.
His defence is hit and miss and he has way too many errors in his game.

Paulo isn't a first grader. Simple

Garrick is a wing, a really good finishing winger but definitely not a centre, his defensive reads are at times woeful, and more importantly he has zero ability to set up his outside man. He has also become a hog, possibly the worst in the league, he believes he's a superstar centre without actually putting the team first.

We need a hooker and not just a name sake hooker but a real hooker who can get us on the front foot.. Croker does a job defensively but we need more from his partner, and Croker can then go to 14. GKT not the answer.

Jake is a prop.. no more said.. way too slow as a 13 and so predictable

So summing it up Seibs and Mestrov need to
Drop Burbo
Drop Paulo
Jake to prop
Garrick to wing
Buy a real hooker
Crocker to 14
Buy a centre

And whilst I'm on it..if Seibs can't make these calls then he is not the coach we need..so Tony time to then get a new coach

Good post - great points. I’ll add a few more:

(1) Please ask Haumole not to wait until four players are attached to him before he runs. This game is called rugby league, not Gauntlet.

(2) Please ask Koula to stop running at people. He is not Nathan Brown

(3) Please get Ginger back in the centres. He is no world beater but he is a centre

(4) Please ask the forwards to stop catching the ball 10 metres back. It make their stats look good, but their net metres are nothing

(5) Please ask the backline to stand deeper. Let’s try some shape.The team tried some nice moves in the latter part of the game but the team were too shallow so we’re easily read.

(6) And finally, FFS stop playing scared of making an error. It’s being going on since and including he Parra game. This team is playing for stats and is not playing footy. Loosen the shackles the team is almost unwatchable, and I can’t take another narrow loss from this team that plays scared, keeps the opposition in games when they should be buried, and then loses always on one stupid call. I can’t watch this s$&t any more.

The problem is we have too many ex tigers, warriors and saints players who have never played finals and have no experience under pressure. They are scared to take the blame. I don’t care if they make an error every now and then grow a pair and throw the f&@king pass!

Siebold is constantly praising his team for narrow losses and pretty stats. Enough!. It’s making me so pissed off!!. I have never been more frustrated.

As Jay says, we are destined for 11th or 12th. We have to do something different. Every game is coming down to a referee ot lucky bounce and we always end up the loser. Stick your 150 metres gained per game up your arse because you are stacking up L’s. If so you can use your inevitable wooden spoon like a plunger to ram it up there further.

NYEagle

 

[Rocky]

To be fair Burbo looked like a pretty decent center and at least plugged some holes defensively.

That sounds like Parker though.

 

[Under the Sticks]

All good and well to say drop Burbo but who you picking in front of him?

IMO he is clearly our second best edge atm

And let’s not forget he is coming back from a hamstring injury.

 

[sharx]

I wrote a post last week titled... A loss this weekend could be our Season.. and I predicted we could be sitting 11th after the round.
Thankfully the bulldogs lost so we may finish 10th

But this post is reality, a reality all can see but I believe if action is taken will implode the playing group.

Burbo, is not a first grader, he may become one but need a season or two in the NSW cup, or a new club to become his own man, he tries hard but he offers very little in attack, is slow and lacks any real skill, he's basically there on effort and a name and this could be hard for the Trbojevic family to swallow.
His defence is hit and miss and he has way too many errors in his game.

Paulo isn't a first grader. Simple

Garrick is a wing, a really good finishing winger but definitely not a centre, his defensive reads are at times woeful, and more importantly he has zero ability to set up his outside man. He has also become a hog, possibly the worst in the league, he believes he's a superstar centre without actually putting the team first.

We need a hooker and not just a name sake hooker but a real hooker who can get us on the front foot.. Croker does a job defensively but we need more from his partner, and Croker can then go to 14. GKT not the answer.

Jake is a prop.. no more said.. way too slow as a 13 and so predictable

So summing it up Seibs and Mestrov need to
Drop Burbo
Drop Paulo
Jake to prop
Garrick to wing
Buy a real hooker
Crocker to 14
Buy a centre

And whilst I'm on it..if Seibs can't make these calls then he is not the coach we need..so Tony time to then get a new coach

I’d put talua and turbo to centre,Garrick to wing & Kola at fb

 

[XV-1]

WOW! Just imagine if we won last night? If a couple of decisions went our way we could have easily won and the genesis of our performance would be no different! However the site would be signing the praises across the playing group and even some blowing virtual kisses to mestrov and Seibold…and a like… Anyway just summing up the hyperbolic ride of a footy fan site…. GO Manly

Imagine if we won the last 3 matches - all matches that we should have won.

Guess what. We lost all of them that is why nobody is happy.

We can't deal with what ifs . That is the infuriating thing listening to Seibold waffle on.

 

[Uber Eagle 72]

Imagine if we won the last 3 matches - all matches that we should have won.

Guess what. We lost all of them that is why nobody is happy.

We can't deal with what ifs . That is the infuriating thing listening to Seibold waffle on.

I get your point and agree. Personally I don’t think many of our performances have been that great this year even a lot of the games we won. The stand out performance was against Penrith. The point of my post was to point out the fickleness of some on here and the disproportionate extremes going both ways! IMO what’s changed in the NRL is that the difference between winning and losing from a performance perspective has significantly! Reduced. Btw, I am not a fan of Seibold at all and subjectively suspect he is a snake in the grass.. I however hope to be proven wrong…

 

[Dion Johnson]

To be fair Burbo looked like a pretty decent center and at least plugged some holes defensively.

That sounds like Parker though.

That’s my view on Ben T, he is a modern day centre where he is at the moment, doesn’t have that hardness about him yet for a backrower, no offload in his game, he needs time to develop into a backrower but there is nobody else unless they use Condon there.

 

[Tomay]

Poor recruitment. Poor coach hirings. Terrible decision to align with Blacktown.

 

[Rafferty]

We do need to face some hard truths and they do have the potential to cause some dramas, thing is, whats the alternative, more of the same old same old?

I’ve read some crap and some home truths this morning, not sure it’s all doom and gloom, but the reality is we’re not in a premiership window, we’re not even remotely close to playing the style of footy that makes us competitive, week in week out, least of all over a season and through a finals campaign, it’s a bloody sad reality, one that needs some big balls to not just address but to remedy.

In the mean time we’re pretty much a lock for the next couple of years, we have a potential backline, Tolu, Saab, Tom, Tom, Rubes, shift Quac up front and get our selves a couple of hard working mobile edges, who knows, we may be able to salvage something out of the next couple of years, enough, it’s way to depressing, I know we all live for our footy, well I do anyway and facing the truth is stinging a little, perhaps a lot at the moment, in saying that, it’s not like I woke up today and figured this out, blind Freddy can see the problems with our roster.

 

[ManlyTragic]

I wrote a post last week titled... A loss this weekend could be our Season.. and I predicted we could be sitting 11th after the round.
Thankfully the bulldogs lost so we may finish 10th

But this post is reality, a reality all can see but I believe if action is taken will implode the playing group.

Burbo, is not a first grader, he may become one but need a season or two in the NSW cup, or a new club to become his own man, he tries hard but he offers very little in attack, is slow and lacks any real skill, he's basically there on effort and a name and this could be hard for the Trbojevic family to swallow.
His defence is hit and miss and he has way too many errors in his game.

Paulo isn't a first grader. Simple

Garrick is a wing, a really good finishing winger but definitely not a centre, his defensive reads are at times woeful, and more importantly he has zero ability to set up his outside man. He has also become a hog, possibly the worst in the league, he believes he's a superstar centre without actually putting the team first.

We need a hooker and not just a name sake hooker but a real hooker who can get us on the front foot.. Croker does a job defensively but we need more from his partner, and Croker can then go to 14. GKT not the answer.

Jake is a prop.. no more said.. way too slow as a 13 and so predictable

So summing it up Seibs and Mestrov need to
Drop Burbo
Drop Paulo
Jake to prop
Garrick to wing
Buy a real hooker
Crocker to 14
Buy a centre

And whilst I'm on it..if Seibs can't make these calls then he is not the coach we need..so Tony time to then get a new coach

Stop stressing ! … the Bye is coming

Just sayin’

 

[maxta]

I've seen enough of GKT to believe he is not the answer. He's willing in defence but is not physically strong enough to stand up to the forwards. He either misses the tackle completely or we concede substantial post-contact metres and lose the ruck. Then you've got his service, which is worse than Croker's. Sure, Gordy can engage the markers and run on occasions, but the passing is sloppy with a capital S.

I believe he has been overrated by many on the forum because we have a part-time 9 in Croker. People are itching for something better. The reality is Gordon is just a fringe first grader, not an upcoming star.

Could well be a very true call
Personally looked for more spark from dummy half and maybe put him on a pedestal that is unrealistic - yep I agree