The old brigade are dying off

[Manly Daly]

Can't help but think at the eagles and the NRL the new brigade is coming through and our stars of the last few years are falling away
Kite choc snake wolfie matai, I'm sure their best days have gone
In other teams, Benji Farah Thurston Darius Gidley I could go on forever
But I think our guys are burnt out or been found out,
You watch the new lot succeed like the young Broncos
Sharks Canberra penrith, Melbourne apart from the big 3 are
A team of new names and they are un beaten
And the roosters nevilles giving it to the warriors ???

 

[Ian Martin tragic]

As always to sustain success is really ****ing hard!

You have to balance blooding the young guys coming through with maintaining the established winning combos and profiting from their experience more and their raw physical impact less. So when you get injuries to key players you get the imbalance of too many inexperienced players.

 

[Manly Daly]

Storm never seem to have a problem......
I do remember one game when smith didn't play
They lost 40-0 ........

 

[Ian Martin tragic]

yes if the storm lost say smith and slater for a few weeks, and had to play away, how would they be going?

But they are certainly good at recruitment and bringing people into the top grade squad, and blessed with very durable spine players.

 

[MPC75]

We lack some depth there is no doubt about it, but how does any team replace 3 superstars with the calibre of Lyon, Gift and Trex, plus throw in 5 games away from Brooky.

We have received the blunt end of the stick with our scheduling, but we will bounce back. It's not like we are getting beaten easily.

 

[mickqld]

Problem is we are now into catchup mode with the top teams and that spells more pressure. We have conceded 20 pts per game and that lousy defense just wont get you into the top 4 or 5. Big problem is our front row and rotation just not getting the meters needed and they haven't done all year so far even in the games we won. If king and kite dont step up soon we can kiss this year goodbye.

 

[seaeagles4life]

i think the new guys being blooded now by the injuries we have will benefit us in the long run and through the origin period i just think our bench at the moment lacks that spark or effectiveness now that burher is starting games and baring the brunt of a full 80 mins. none of our bench players gained more than 50m in attack

 

[Fluffy]

wish the old guys like Gallen wouldnt waste our time

 

[Top End Eagle]

Boooooooooooooooooooo!

I don't think I need to say anything more and this is not an attack on anyone else's POV but man Matai was in a league of his own tonight, King has never played better and Choc did everything our new structure/role for him required.

Joe G was outstanding for a 35yo who was first game back from a serious injury.

Do you not think we will be better for these close losses as the squad comes together in the latter stages of the year.

Tooves' responses have shown nothing but insight, patience and a maturity that other first time NRL coaches would kill for.

We will make the top four. I promise - cause there aren't enough quality teams to keep us out of it. We will dodge an SOO bullet thanks to a TREX suspension and a G Stewart thumb injury - but what is better we will learn to play without these legends which will pay dividends down the track.

A couple of weeks out for Foran and and people will see what Ricardi can do.
Go Manly! Go Tooves! It's hard being the best but I see nothing but positives coming from this foray into premiers compared to recent sides.

 

[Peter C]

Boooooooooooooooooooo!




A couple of weeks out for Foran and and people will see what Ricardi can do.
Go Manly! Go Tooves! It's hard being the best but I see nothing but positives coming from this foray into premiers compared to recent sides.

Then we will have most of the other clubs chasing Riccardi, same as Lussick.

 

[simz]

Maybe we should make sure riccardi is signed up before next week.

 

[Top End Eagle]

Maybe we should make sure riccardi is signed up before next week.

yes. Yes we should.

---

Seriously - people on this site were panicking with our draw months ago - they were saying that we would be lucky to win two of our first five with the programme we had.

We played last years grand finalists with an almost full strength side and won.

We played the team the 'experts' installed as favourites, and won comfortably.

We lost to a vastly improved Sharks team in terrible conditions and had no calls go our way.

We lost to last years premiers and premiership favourites with some poor execution and missing fire power.

We walked into an ambush last night without our captain and ex player in a game that was only ever Parra's to win.

NOT ONE of these games have been at HOME.

Young players are getting the taste of first grade in small stints with no long term injury - forcing them into first grade for a long spell indefinitely - that could lead to them burning out or cracking under week in week out pressure.

Players like Tafua, Whare and Skinner will work that much harder when they get back to NSW Cup and when we call on them again they will be better for it.

2 from five is about par for the start to the season in the Hasler era (except when we blitzed then faded in 05). We will be killing it in August once players futures are settled and we have a solid home game stretch.

B2B with 2V

PS if you play with the aspect control on your TV when the Eagles are playing you can make Darcy Lussick into Vic Muro by setting widescreen on/off.

---

Seriously - people on this site were panicking with our draw months ago - they were saying that we would be lucky to win two of our first five with the programme we had.

We played last years grand finalists with an almost full strength side and won.

We played the team the 'experts' installed as favourites, and won comfortably.

We lost to a vastly improved Sharks team in terrible conditions and had no calls go our way.

We lost to last years premiers and premiership favourites with some poor execution and missing fire power.

We walked into an ambush last night without our captain and ex player in a game that was only ever Parra's to win.

NOT ONE of these games have been at HOME.

Young players are getting the taste of first grade in small stints with no long term injury - forcing them into first grade for a long spell indefinitely - that could lead to them burning out or cracking under week in week out pressure.

Players like Tafua, Whare and Skinner will work that much harder when they get back to NSW Cup and when we call on them again they will be better for it.

2 from five is about par for the start to the season in the Hasler era (except when we blitzed then faded in 05). We will be killing it in August once players futures are settled and we have a solid home game stretch.

B2B with 2V

PS if you play with the aspect control on your TV when the Eagles are playing you can make Darcy Lussick into Vic Muro by setting widescreen on/off.

 

[Utility Player]

Well worth repeating.

 

[The Eagle]

At this stage in 2009, we had one less won and came Fifth

Its only just turned April ffs

 

[arty]

At this stage in 2009, we had one less won and came Fifth

Its only just turned April ffs

A marathon is not won at the five or six mile mark, of twenty six.

 

[Manly Daly]

At this stage in 2009, we had one less won and came Fifth

Its only just turned April ffs

A marathon is not won at the five or six mile mark, of twenty six.

But not many runners come from the back of a marathon to win, pays to be up with the leading bunch

 

[Brookvale]

I'd prefer the old brigade over the juniors any day.

Canberra, Rooters, Souffs n co are always good startes to every year. They are March premiers.

Its just like cricket or many other sports. the new guys are hard to work out (so they start off well and score centuries), but once their weaknesses are exposed they capitulate. Seasoned professional all know this.