Who brings the improvement in game tactics

[Mark from Brisbane]

Ive been getting the sarcasm button for thinking our spine influenced outcomes in most other areas so i started my own thread

Injuries aside, manly did not have the patience, kicking game, structure, or self control to put themselves in enough games last season

Tommy and dylan add spark and legitimate gamebreakers and the addition of some wingers helps in other ways

DCE , Foran, cust , croker and schuster are in positions that have responabilities toward essential roles but none of them other than DCE seem cemented yet in what position they will play.

Cust seems better with the ball than croker but i suspect croker has better kicking skills. Both defend well so they should be rewarded for that. You would think we need a lot more from hooker than the stop gaps can contribute . Someone else will have to add what these guys cant until an established 9 adds some flair, kicking and expolosiveness

Foran adds a short kicking game and takes the ball to the line to do so making his kick pretty good inside the 30 m but as many have said if we leave it to one kicker the opposition find it too predictable. And what if he is injured , where will he play and for how many minutes

Not sure on schuster , had some skills with ball in hand but doesnt look a natural kicker but more of a runner who draws defenders to him. He is big bodied so maybe he plays the nik kosef role starting , then easing foran/ cliffy type in after 20. I liked this method back then and still do but kosef had more experience and dce is generally pretty quiet in the first 20

So who manages the gameplan when a lot of these players are probably not going to play 80.

Dce positions himself poorly to kick seemingly to avoid collision. We have a pretty strong team on paper and you dont have to be an ironstine to realise i think dce can be underwhelming considering his salary, experience and standing in the game, and on this forum but

Manly needs a onfield brain as well as flair, pace , muscle and attitude. Someone to know when to slow the game down to avoid losing faster. We can not continue to have one plan of trying to outscore the opposition in the first 20 minute ambush and hope we can hold on by playing fast, poor ball control and relying on the forwards for field position. This was really bad last year

Is it too much to ask that we expect that brain to be the only permant member of the spine in the front line, our captain and most experienced player.

It just has to be this year or we are also rans unless tom plays 25 blinders and foran finds undetectable roids.

Please discuss . Its a serious footy question , If you want to idolise than i suggest this is not the thread for you. I know i am insistent on this topic but its a footy forum and i see this as our achilles heal. the chooks played cronk with 2 broken necks and one leg taped to his bottom lip in a GF because you need a brain on field. They knew it, Some people on here know it too

Or are we just cool accepting mediocrity on this forum . What should we expect from the roles they play as opposed to effort. Is it ok to not learn the trade bit by bit, year by year. From memory cronk was never a half and had waaay less skills but he worked on becoming the player the team , state and country needed. Keary was half the player he was until cronk got there.

Dce is a freakish talent yes but maybe he needs to employ cronk as his number 7 coach and maybe he would have if he ever had to play for a contract. Just my opinion

Nice thread , good questions , dunno is the answer

 

[Dee Why Eagle]

Would you en d up with a fur ball in your throat

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

We are going to need Foran to manage games in the last quarter, our weakness over the last few years is lack of it and Foran can do this. It will allow DCE to play his natural game.

The last 20 minutes of most of our games last year were absolute crap!!

If Des was smart ( in my opinion ) Foran should play the first 20 and the last 20. I don’t think his body will stand up to the pressure of 80 minute games.

 

[The better Robbo]

The last 20 minutes of most of our games last year were absolute crap!!

If Des was smart ( in my opinion ) Foran should play the first 20 and the last 20. I don’t think his body will stand up to the pressure of 80 minute games.

I like it. Can even leave Schuster at 5/8 and bring Foz back on at hooker.

 

[jbb/james]

You raise an interesting point ... in the "apparent" absence of a thinking hooker and a dominant 5/8th, we really suffered last year from a lack of football smarts .. and I think this was also exasperated by a lack team and coaching patterns/tactics to take advantage, or even compete under the new rules ..

Hopefully, we have adjusted and changed our general play to the faster game ... and as others have said, Foran, Schuster and Cust can create more attacking options and 6th tackle variations ... with a fit Turbo, Walker, and a literal host of new and exciting outside backs such as Funa, Harper, Saab, Tupoluto and garrick ready to take advantage ..

a thinking hooker is a luxury most teams do not have. the new rules almost had a superleague feel about them where the fleet footed rakes created the opportunity of second phase play, or just good metres with a quick play the ball

dominant halves that at least carry out team strategy is a must in the modern era

possession , penalties and field position are so vital in terms of team mentality and ultimately the result

long gone are the days where teams were prepared to give away a few penalties early on to let the opposition know whats doing. Now you can be 18 nil down after 15 minutes with 10% possession and thinking about next weeks long training sessions

The old cliche of we are only worrying about ourselves, and what we can do rather than the opposition has never sung more true. i think foran can give us some of that as @Mark from Brisbane raised he may be best used for 20/20 minute bursts at important times

apart from that its individuals

when the sharks were playing well a few years back good ol jeff robson was playing a role that kept them in the game and the tough pack were rolling up the sleeves. when you do not have the true champions , this seems to be close to the next best tactic and at least kept the scoreline modest in a loss

in the words of the great craig coleman. sure we got done by 20 but we won the second half 10-6 which says a lot about the boys and gives us something to work on next week. gotta start somewhere

geez i liked coleman. tough little bastard

 

[Will on the hill]

a thinking hooker is a luxury most teams do not have. the new rules almost had a superleague feel about them where the fleet footed rakes created the opportunity of second phase play, or just good metres with a quick play the ball

dominant halves that at least carry out team strategy is a must in the modern era

possession , penalties and field position are so vital in terms of team mentality and ultimately the result

long gone are the days where teams were prepared to give away a few penalties early on to let the opposition know whats doing. Now you can be 18 nil down after 15 minutes with 10% possession and thinking about next weeks long training sessions

The old cliche of we are only worrying about ourselves, and what we can do rather than the opposition has never sung more true. i think foran can give us some of that as @Mark from Brisbane raised he may be best used for 20/20 minute bursts at important times

apart from that its individuals

when the sharks were playing well a few years back good ol jeff robson was playing a role that kept them in the game and the tough pack were rolling up the sleeves. when you do not have the true champions , this seems to be close to the next best tactic and at least kept the scoreline modest in a loss

in the words of the great craig coleman. sure we got done by 20 but we won the second half 10-6 which says a lot about the boys and gives us something to work on next week. gotta start somewhere

geez i liked coleman. tough little bastard

There is still room for giving away a well timed penalty. Storm, Roosters, Raiders and Panthers were all in top 5 for penalties conceded, while Eagles, Dragons, Bulldogs and Cowboys were in the Bottom 5.

 

[Eagles4Life]

I like it. Can even leave Schuster at 5/8 and bring Foz back on at hooker.

This works but I prefer the following. Foran as 5/8 first 20. Cust as 9. Schuster 14. Foran to 9 second 20. Schuster to 5/8. Cust to bench. Second half first 20 Foran to bench. Cust back as 9. Schuster stays at 5/8 Second half second 20. Foran returns to 5/8. Schuster to lock. Cust stays at 9. Rotate our three forward reserves to suit the above 5/8 - 9 rotation.
Thoughts???

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

This works but I prefer the following. Foran as 5/8 first 20. Cust as 9. Schuster 14. Foran to 9 second 20. Schuster to 5/8. Cust to bench. Second half first 20 Foran to bench. Cust back as 9. Schuster stays at 5/8 Second half second 20. Foran returns to 5/8. Schuster to lock. Cust stays at 9. Rotate our three forward reserves to suit the above 5/8 - 9 rotation.
Thoughts???

Des , you reading this ???

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

This works but I prefer the following. Foran as 5/8 first 20. Cust as 9. Schuster 14. Foran to 9 second 20. Schuster to 5/8. Cust to bench. Second half first 20 Foran to bench. Cust back as 9. Schuster stays at 5/8 Second half second 20. Foran returns to 5/8. Schuster to lock. Cust stays at 9. Rotate our three forward reserves to suit the above 5/8 - 9 rotation.
Thoughts???

Too obvious, that won't fool anyone 😉

 

[Woodsie]

@jbb/james ... I have been giving more thought to your question regarding who will provide the game management and generalship ... and I wonder if we are guilty of being dinosaurs ..

We are used to wanting a half to "lead" a team around the paddock, using 5 tackles setting up for a predetermined field position, and then executing the appropriate 6th tackle option .. with all players trained and expecting the rehearsed play .... But.

With the new faster play the balls, 6th again rulings on the run, increased fatique and line breaks from dummy half or gaps near the ruck ... Is the half that is playing to a general's script still a part of the game ?

Is the game evolving to the point that each play the ball is an opportunity ... and the dummy half's and 1st and 2nd receivers that instinctually play what is unfolding in front of them the new way ... are we seeing the return of the opportunist as opposed to the general who plays by the numbers and joining the dots ....

 

[jbb/james]

@jbb/james ... I have been giving more thought to your question regarding who will provide the game management and generalship ... and I wonder if we are guilty of being dinosaurs ..

We are used to wanting a half to "lead" a team around the paddock, using 5 tackles setting up for a predetermined field position, and then executing the appropriate 6th tackle option .. with all players trained and expecting the rehearsed play .... But.

With the new faster play the balls, 6th again rulings on the run, increased fatique and line breaks from dummy half or gaps near the ruck ... Is the half that is playing to a general's script still a part of the game ?

Is the game evolving to the point that each play the ball is an opportunity ... and the dummy half's and 1st and 2nd receivers that instinctually play what is unfolding in front of them the new way ... are we seeing the return of the opportunist as opposed to the general who plays by the numbers and joining the dots ....

Its true what you say, we are heading toward superleague 2.0
And other players are playing more dominant roles , no better example is the progression of wingers on the last 5 or 10 years

The new style game built on speed makes possession king. And while mistake free footy is part of the equation how does a team disrupt the ebb and flow

Currently we seem overy reliant on the referee stopping the flow against us. Better teams , not just have better kicking ganes but better timing of these kicks and patience

Far too often if the ref gave us an opportunity we were guilty of throwing the kitchen sink at the last play rather than restoring the sides mental and physical fatigue.

While the footy is more frantic , in the history of sport the players with more time are integral. I see your point regarding the new style but we either need to get better at mistake free footy in a faster game or respect field possesion to give the team hope an the inner strength that comes with being on top in field position , if not the score board, and definately a break in tackling

I would expect our forwards would get tired of being on the backfoot for 20 minutes , finally get a reprieve , usually and overdue penalty and to watch our halfback go all in on black before retreating to outside centre

There were times last year when marty would be replaced at the 25 minute mark with stats of 24 tackles and 3 runs because of how little manly valued possession. Ben kennedy would have been arrested for his reaction

It might be just me but i think its as much a grey matter issue as it is a reluctance to be a real team player .

But i Enjoy chatting it out @Woodsie

I also think we gives the refs a hammering far too much and not look at the problems the team creates for itself. They have a self destruct button and they ate not afraid to use it

 

[Woodsie]

Its true what you say, we are heading toward superleague 2.0
And other players are playing more dominant roles , no better example is the progression of wingers on the last 5 or 10 years

The new style game built on speed makes possession king. And while mistake free footy is part of the equation how does a team disrupt the ebb and flow

Currently we seem overy reliant on the referee stopping the flow against us. Better teams , not just have better kicking ganes but better timing of these kicks and patience

Far too often if the ref gave us an opportunity we were guilty of throwing the kitchen sink at the last play rather than restoring the sides mental and physical fatigue.

While the footy is more frantic , in the history of sport the players with more time are integral. I see your point regarding the new style but we either need to get better at mistake free footy in a faster game or respect field possesion to give the team hope an the inner strength that comes with being on top in field position , if not the score board, and definately a break in tackling

I would expect our forwards would get tired of being on the backfoot for 20 minutes , finally get a reprieve , usually and overdue penalty and to watch our halfback go all in on black before retreating to outside centre

There were times last year when marty would be replaced at the 25 minute mark with stats of 24 tackles and 3 runs because of how little manly valued possession. Ben kennedy would have been arrested for his reaction

It might be just me but i think its as much a grey matter issue as it is a reluctance to be a real team player .

But i Enjoy chatting it out @Woodsie

I also think we gives the refs a hammering far too much and not look at the problems the team creates for itself. They have a self destruct button and they ate not afraid to use it

I like what you say and your analysis ... but remember breaks are now being made on the 2nd tackle from inside teams own 20m zone .. or a 6 again call on the run from inside a teams own 30m completely changing the dynamic ... the traditional 5 tackle hit-ups for field position is becoming so 2019's ... attack and opportunity are becoming possible on any tackle .. any where on the field ... and the teams with the heads up natural footballers to take advantage of it .. will inherit the earth ...

Defence will never change as far as importance is concerned ... and even more so now .. speed, pattern and structure with the ability to regain shape after a break .. critical ..

But I see attack becoming far less structured and robotic ... halfs becoming more heads up players than generals .. although you are correct they need the footy IQ ... but then .. any half who is a good heads up player is by definition a smart player .. ideal for a fullback that likes to sniff around every play through the middle ... GO TURBO ..

Fainu is the perfect example of a player who is naturally suited to the new game ... he is far more instinctual in his attack and probing for openings .... than he is regimented to a predetermined attack ...

... And then of course the speed and talent out wide to take advantage of the broken play ... an area we have bolstered this year ...

 

[Smokin Joe]

This works but I prefer the following. Foran as 5/8 first 20. Cust as 9. Schuster 14. Foran to 9 second 20. Schuster to 5/8. Cust to bench. Second half first 20 Foran to bench. Cust back as 9. Schuster stays at 5/8 Second half second 20. Foran returns to 5/8. Schuster to lock. Cust stays at 9. Rotate our three forward reserves to suit the above 5/8 - 9 rotation.
Thoughts???

Could work,but uses up 3 of the 7 interchanges,would need the forwards to play looooong minutes and does not take into account for injuries etc...that would use up more interchanges and force the forwards to play even longer.
You would need to keep some interchanges up your sleeve for later in the match and if the forwards are already buggered then it is game over.

 

[manlyfan76]

I like what you say and your analysis ... but remember breaks are now being made on the 2nd tackle from inside teams own 20m zone .. or a 6 again call on the run from inside a teams own 30m completely changing the dynamic ... the traditional 5 tackle hit-ups for field position is becoming so 2019's ... attack and opportunity are becoming possible on any tackle .. any where on the field ... and the teams with the heads up natural footballers to take advantage of it .. will inherit the earth ...

Defence will never change as far as importance is concerned ... and even more so now .. speed, pattern and structure with the ability to regain shape after a break .. critical ..

But I see attack becoming far less structured and robotic ... halfs becoming more heads up players than generals .. although you are correct they need the footy IQ ... but then .. any half who is a good heads up player is by definition a smart player .. ideal for a fullback that likes to sniff around every play through the middle ... GO TURBO ..

Fainu is the perfect example of a player who is naturally suited to the new game ... he is far more instinctual in his attack and probing for openings .... than he is regimented to a predetermined attack ...

... And then of course the speed and talent out wide to take advantage of the broken play ... an area we have bolstered this year ...

AKA touch footy.
Defend well and attack from breaks, if no breaks try to win field position.

 

[jbb/james]

I like what you say and your analysis ... but remember breaks are now being made on the 2nd tackle from inside teams own 20m zone .. or a 6 again call on the run from inside a teams own 30m completely changing the dynamic ... the traditional 5 tackle hit-ups for field position is becoming so 2019's ... attack and opportunity are becoming possible on any tackle .. any where on the field ... and the teams with the heads up natural footballers to take advantage of it .. will inherit the earth ...

Defence will never change as far as importance is concerned ... and even more so now .. speed, pattern and structure with the ability to regain shape after a break .. critical ..

But I see attack becoming far less structured and robotic ... halfs becoming more heads up players than generals .. although you are correct they need the footy IQ ... but then .. any half who is a good heads up player is by definition a smart player .. ideal for a fullback that likes to sniff around every play through the middle ... GO TURBO ..

Fainu is the perfect example of a player who is naturally suited to the new game ... he is far more instinctual in his attack and probing for openings .... than he is regimented to a predetermined attack ...

... And then of course the speed and talent out wide to take advantage of the broken play ... an area we have bolstered this year ...

Fainu is a modern hooker and despite his mishap i dont believe we kept the wrong hooker. No disrespect to api , but fainu is a better option especially for our team and spine. He gives dce something to play off

Attacking from your own end is something we did when walker was available , early in the season. Turbo jumping in at dummy half on the blindside and committing defenders also gave us some of what you say.

But both of these players were just playing old school putting there body on the line to promote someone else. I posted last season jokingly that suli was upset at parker because he got to play outside of walks as opposed to dce

With turbo, tom, fainu, marty and some other likely prospects i believe we have a finals window as they say in the next couple of years. but foran is a one year prospect and we have placed an awful lot of eggs in his basket,

If he is replaced we dont have much coin to get someone decent

We need dce to assume the mantle because after this year its reported he has 2 more years in his option and he will surely take the coin as any suitors will never get close to manlys contract, where he is currently afforded certain luxuries most halves only dream of,

Watch this season to see how many times he takes the ball to the line with either pass or kick.

 

[AlxFromNthNarra]

Ive been getting the sarcasm button for thinking our spine influenced outcomes in most other areas so i started my own thread

Injuries aside, manly did not have the patience, kicking game, structure, or self control to put themselves in enough games last season

Tommy and dylan add spark and legitimate gamebreakers and the addition of some wingers helps in other ways

DCE , Foran, cust , croker and schuster are in positions that have responabilities toward essential roles but none of them other than DCE seem cemented yet in what position they will play.

Cust seems better with the ball than croker but i suspect croker has better kicking skills. Both defend well so they should be rewarded for that. You would think we need a lot more from hooker than the stop gaps can contribute . Someone else will have to add what these guys cant until an established 9 adds some flair, kicking and expolosiveness

Foran adds a short kicking game and takes the ball to the line to do so making his kick pretty good inside the 30 m but as many have said if we leave it to one kicker the opposition find it too predictable. And what if he is injured , where will he play and for how many minutes

Not sure on schuster , had some skills with ball in hand but doesnt look a natural kicker but more of a runner who draws defenders to him. He is big bodied so maybe he plays the nik kosef role starting , then easing foran/ cliffy type in after 20. I liked this method back then and still do but kosef had more experience and dce is generally pretty quiet in the first 20

So who manages the gameplan when a lot of these players are probably not going to play 80.

Dce positions himself poorly to kick seemingly to avoid collision. We have a pretty strong team on paper and you dont have to be an ironstine to realise i think dce can be underwhelming considering his salary, experience and standing in the game, and on this forum but

Manly needs a onfield brain as well as flair, pace , muscle and attitude. Someone to know when to slow the game down to avoid losing faster. We can not continue to have one plan of trying to outscore the opposition in the first 20 minute ambush and hope we can hold on by playing fast, poor ball control and relying on the forwards for field position. This was really bad last year

Is it too much to ask that we expect that brain to be the only permant member of the spine in the front line, our captain and most experienced player.

It just has to be this year or we are also rans unless tom plays 25 blinders and foran finds undetectable roids.

Please discuss . Its a serious footy question , If you want to idolise than i suggest this is not the thread for you. I know i am insistent on this topic but its a footy forum and i see this as our achilles heal. the chooks played cronk with 2 broken necks and one leg taped to his bottom lip in a GF because you need a brain on field. They knew it, Some people on here know it too

Or are we just cool accepting mediocrity on this forum . What should we expect from the roles they play as opposed to effort. Is it ok to not learn the trade bit by bit, year by year. From memory cronk was never a half and had waaay less skills but he worked on becoming the player the team , state and country needed. Keary was half the player he was until cronk got there.

Dce is a freakish talent yes but maybe he needs to employ cronk as his number 7 coach and maybe he would have if he ever had to play for a contract. Just my opinion

Think there are some good questions in there. Agree with a lot of it, and have some stuff to add on a few pts.

>Injuries aside, manly did not have the patience, kicking game, structure, or self control to put themselves in enough games last season

Agree. They didn't adapt to the rule changes as well as other teams might have. The 6-again rule especially is a tricky one to quantify the impact of, and the momentum impact.

Both teams may have 4x6-again restarts on the stats board, but one team might have conceded 2 in a row on the 4th tackle piggy-backing a team upfield to score, whilst the other might have 2 15mins apart on the first tackle on their own line. One team might concede 3 in a row defending their line and then be gassed the next 15mins, whereas the other team gets late-game 'equalising' 6-again rulings to balance the sheet - like GF last year with Penrith's staged fightback.

6-again calls seemed to happen in a way that killed Manly defensively far more than the 6-agains awarded to them benefitted us. Conditioning no doubt contributed - as teams didn't train the off season with that rule guiding any part of strategy.

>Dce positions himself poorly to kick seemingly to avoid collision. We have a pretty strong team on paper and you dont have to be an ironstine to realise i think dce can be underwhelming considering his salary, experience and standing in the game

Talk about DCE has become very binary I noticed - people love or hate him and there seems to be no middle ground after the love/hate label has been applied. Can I sit in the grey area?

Using last year as a gauge is harsh given he was the only long-term spine option available. Manly seemed one-dimensional because we WERE, and opposition coaches and the staff are not stupid, they see that stuff and exploit it.

I see DCE takes up the mantle of the man when the games are on the line in golden pt and a deadlock needs to be broken - and he does this quite well when he has to sink a FG from 35m out to win a game. That is a very useful quality.

I don't see him as being the one to engineer a houdini effort from pure instinct like Munster does - putting on the sort of line-breaking body-on-the-line efforts or stepping around an opposition before a sublime offload from a 3-man tackle to a backup who scores. Foran has that capability - or HAD it when he wasn't held together with glue and paper. I imagine that's why a lot of people (including myself) are excited about his return. Even if he is uninsurable as an injury liability, at least he has(had) that x-factor in his DNA - that is something DCE just doesn't and won't ever have.

>Manly needs a onfield brain as well as flair, pace , muscle and attitude. Someone to know when to slow the game down to avoid losing faster."

Yeah this is a good point. I agree we are at times a dumb team. Halves and hookers are often those with the nous and instinct to exploit a situation with good footy smarts. 2019 Fainu had that quality in spades. 2020 Levi did not. Levi stifled our creativity last year, not just because he made bad calls on our opportunities, but because we seemed to engineer so few of them. Levi's instincts were off too much in my view.

The muscle/attitude part worries me too. We lost a lot of both with AFB, and further leadership qualities with Thommo. We also seem to have lost all our niggle over the years, and lost our ability to milk penalties/infringements as well as other teams do. The game today needs that (someone like an Ennis), infringements are such big momentum shifters that to milk a penalty/6-again at a key moment can determine a game. I know we recruited to replace but I don't think we replaced them with anywhere near the same level of quality - time will tell.

 

[jbb/james]

Think there are some good questions in there. Agree with a lot of it, and have some stuff to add on a few pts.

>Injuries aside, manly did not have the patience, kicking game, structure, or self control to put themselves in enough games last season

Agree. They didn't adapt to the rule changes as well as other teams might have. The 6-again rule especially is a tricky one to quantify the impact of, and the momentum impact.

Both teams may have 4x6-again restarts on the stats board, but one team might have conceded 2 in a row on the 4th tackle piggy-backing a team upfield to score, whilst the other might have 2 15mins apart on the first tackle on their own line. One team might concede 3 in a row defending their line and then be gassed the next 15mins, whereas the other team gets late-game 'equalising' 6-again rulings to balance the sheet - like GF last year with Penrith's staged fightback.

6-again calls seemed to happen in a way that killed Manly defensively far more than the 6-agains awarded to them benefitted us. Conditioning no doubt contributed - as teams didn't train the off season with that rule guiding any part of strategy.

>Dce positions himself poorly to kick seemingly to avoid collision. We have a pretty strong team on paper and you dont have to be an ironstine to realise i think dce can be underwhelming considering his salary, experience and standing in the game

Talk about DCE has become very binary I noticed - people love or hate him and there seems to be no middle ground after the love/hate label has been applied. Can I sit in the grey area?

Using last year as a gauge is harsh given he was the only long-term spine option available. Manly seemed one-dimensional because we WERE, and opposition coaches and the staff are not stupid, they see that stuff and exploit it.

I see DCE takes up the mantle of the man when the games are on the line in golden pt and a deadlock needs to be broken - and he does this quite well when he has to sink a FG from 35m out to win a game. That is a very useful quality.

I don't see him as being the one to engineer a houdini effort from pure instinct like Munster does - putting on the sort of line-breaking body-on-the-line efforts or stepping around an opposition before a sublime offload from a 3-man tackle to a backup who scores. Foran has that capability - or HAD it when he wasn't held together with glue and paper. I imagine that's why a lot of people (including myself) are excited about his return. Even if he is uninsurable as an injury liability, at least he has(had) that x-factor in his DNA - that is something DCE just doesn't and won't ever have.

>Manly needs a onfield brain as well as flair, pace , muscle and attitude. Someone to know when to slow the game down to avoid losing faster."

Yeah this is a good point. I agree we are at times a dumb team. Halves and hookers are often those with the nous and instinct to exploit a situation with good footy smarts. 2019 Fainu had that quality in spades. 2020 Levi did not. Levi stifled our creativity last year, not just because he made bad calls on our opportunities, but because we seemed to engineer so few of them. Levi's instincts were off too much in my view.

The muscle/attitude part worries me too. We lost a lot of both with AFB, and further leadership qualities with Thommo. We also seem to have lost all our niggle over the years, and lost our ability to milk penalties/infringements as well as other teams do. The game today needs that (someone like an Ennis), infringements are such big momentum shifters that to milk a penalty/6-again at a key moment can determine a game. I know we recruited to replace but I don't think we replaced them with anywhere near the same level of quality - time will tell.

Nice adds abd stay grey.

I think many find me as a DCE hater. Im not at all, even though i do paste him often. I actually hate his contract. I want him to play to his worth. If he was on 750 k i would find him quite pallatable

People say its not his fault he gets oaid that, to an extent that is true however if you ask for CEO money but want to be middle management because it has heaps less responsability there are consequences.

Surely he realised in a cap era asking 12 or 15 % of the cap would create expectations. He seems pretty switched on. He has mega job security but still insists we find the missing pieces elsewhere and openly says things to tha account.m8 years as number 7 must make you think i better start evolving.

Its great when such and such does this so i can continue to play my game. Its kind of shameless and that i dont like

 

[Eagles4Life]

Could work,but uses up 3 of the 7 interchanges,would need the forwards to play looooong minutes and does not take into account for injuries etc...that would use up more interchanges and force the forwards to play even longer.
You would need to keep some interchanges up your sleeve for later in the match and if the forwards are already buggered then it is game over.

Yes it's a balancing act BUT Schuster will cover one of the forwards playing long minutes in the 4th quarter. We won't be playing Foran for 80 minutes. It simply won't happen. Using 2 interchanges potentially there anyway..... Playing versatile mobile backrowers off the bench (with one that covers prop) resolves the tired forwards issue somewhat. We can't cover for multiple injuries with ANY combination as we will always fall short in the hooker and arguably halves as well. Let's make the best with what we have.