I have lost faith in the coaching staff

[Kingbilly]

I still love our coaching staff and I still love you Trew

[trewhella]

You know mate, I think you and me were part of a hardcore group when the whole forum thing started up.
They were crazy days....werent they??.....the birth of the net.

We have seen a lot over 20 years havent we????

I love Robbo and I love Ricky for giving us a trophy.
Robbo choosing Fergo in the centres last week was diabolical.

I choked when he ran out....I was dumbfounded.....i knew what would unfold..............
You know footy KB, you know that bloke simply cannot read the play. If you rush out of the line you MUST take a man!!!!! Ive played with against bloke like that and they NEVER learn!!! Sliding or rushing or even holding your ground is intuitive to footy players. Centres are the hardest position to play for defense.

It was a very poor decision to select him there.
The coach seems like a top bloke....but hes lost the plot.
We all do at times.......... I dont want him sacked..............Im just saying Ive lost faith in him in the short term. Hes never seen pressure like this.

[Tommy Smith]

Has Bennett lost the plot?

The Broncos are crumbling and there's murmurs of internal issues.

I'm assuming Madge has lost the plot too.

The NRL is the toughest competition in world sport. It's a league of mighty fine margins. It only takes a couple of poor recruitment/retention decisions, a glut of injuries and/or the odd off field incident for things to go pear shaped mightily quick.

We've experienced this. In fact if you look at 3 of the bottom 4 - Roosters, Rabbits, Manly - we were the 3 preeminent sides for all of 2013 and 2014. And much of 2015 in the case of the Rabbits and ourselves.

Alas things can change very quickly. The only constant it seems is the presence of all-time great playmakers - see ths Cows with JT and Melbourne with Cronk & Smith. And see us, Knights and Broncos for a decade with Freddy, Joey and Lockyer.

Is Bellamy a genius? He's certainly a great coach. But he sure as hell looked like a mug as NSW coach minus his star playmakers. And Bennett looked like a dunce in Newcastle. So much so that he couldn't handle coaching a team without 10 rep players any longer and fled back home.

The point is, if your team doesn't have one - or in Melbourne's case 2 or 3 - generational superstars then you place at the top of the game is always going to be tenuous. In contrast to a decade at the top, you look to build for a 3 or 4 year run at the title if you plan well until the cap hits.

The Sharks have built a good roster but given the age of some of their players I suspect that their window is very small - two years at most. They may lose guys like Holmes too when the cap bites.

We've had our window. And then the cap hit. And in the absence of a superstar playmaker who acts as a constant force for players coming in and out of the team to revolve around we were always in for a tough year imo.

Unfortunately a horrendous run of bad luck hit at the same time which has made it an even tougher year than expected.

Fortunately, nobody rebuilds and resets as well as we do. We play for Premierships and I believe our decision making reflects that. Contrast that to the Dragons who it would seem play for scraping in and around the top 8 every year.

So have faith in the people who gave us an incredible three years. Have faith in their ability to get us right back to the top for another few years... perhaps in 2017 but more likely in 2018.

End rant.

[Johnny Tobin]

Has Bennett lost the plot?

The Broncos are crumbling and there's murmurs of internal issues.

I'm assuming Madge has lost the plot too.

The NRL is the toughest competition in world sport. It's a league of mighty fine margins. It only takes a couple of poor recruitment/retention decisions, a glut of injuries and/or the odd off field incident for things to go pear shaped mightily quick.

We've experienced this. In fact if you look at 3 of the bottom 4 - Roosters, Rabbits, Manly - we were the 3 preeminent sides for all of 2013 and 2014. And much of 2015 in the case of the Rabbits and ourselves.

Alas things can change very quickly. The only constant it seems is the presence of all-time great playmakers - see ths Cows with JT and Melbourne with Cronk & Smith. And see us, Knights and Broncos for a decade with Freddy, Joey and Lockyer.

Is Bellamy a genius? He's certainly a great coach. But he sure as hell looked like a mug as NSW coach minus his star playmakers. And Bennett looked like a dunce in Newcastle. So much so that he couldn't handle coaching a team without 10 rep players any longer and fled back home.

The point is, if your team doesn't have one - or in Melbourne's case 2 or 3 - generational superstars then you place at the top of the game is always going to be tenuous. In contrast to a decade at the top, you look to build for a 3 or 4 year run at the title if you plan well until the cap hits.

The Sharks have built a good roster but given the age of some of their players I suspect that their window is very small - two years at most. They may lose guys like Holmes too when the cap bites.

We've had our window. And then the cap hit. And in the absence of a superstar playmaker who acts as a constant force for players coming in and out of the team to revolve around we were always in for a tough year imo.

Unfortunately a horrendous run of bad luck hit at the same time which has made it an even tougher year than expected.

Fortunately, nobody rebuilds and resets as well as we do. We play for Premierships and I believe our decision making reflects that. Contrast that to the Dragons who it would seem play for scraping in and around the top 8 every year.

So have faith in the people who gave us an incredible three years. Have faith in their ability to get us right back to the top for another few years... perhaps in 2017 but more likely in 2018.

End rant.

Bennett will have that side humming when it matters. They are still a serious contender as far as I am concerned.

Four contenders - all superleague.

In order that I want them to win:

1. Cows
2. Storm
3. Broncos
4. Sharks - an unbearable thought

[Tommy Smith]

Premiership sides don't lose b2b games by 40.

I think they're done.

Hate the Broncos with a passion so i hope so! Agree on the Sharks though. Can't stand their bogan fanbase.

[Guest]

It brings to light how great it is to be a top team. Although we only got one premiership the last 3 years were awesome knowing we could give any team a shake. Sadly none of us have gotten much joy this year. For 20 minutes on Thursday night I thought we were looking like winners but that turned to shit pretty quick.

[trewhella]

I agree with Tobin.
Brisbane are far from finished. You cannot compare Brisbane to Newcastle. That is a poor reference for a lot of reasons....bit I think you already know these.

I guarantee they are far from gone.
I will back them this week, in fact.....7/1.


I would lay Cronulla. I rate them as fourth pick.
Melbourne are the team to beat....they will play cows or Bris in gf

[Parkway_Drive]

I wouldn't write off the Broncos just yet either. I expect them to go on a run especially post origin.

However, they will not get a top 2 finish so it may hurt them but if they come up against the Sharks (assuming they finish 4th and Sharks 1st), it will be like a neutral game for them as it will be at Allianz. If they win that then they will get a home PF like last year probably against the Cowboys.

The Storm is the team to beat but there is still a lot of footy to be played before the finals and injuries to key players can cruel a team's chances like we found out last year.

Footnote: We finished 1st in 2014 and 2015 and lost week one and bowed out week 3. If Cronulla finished 1st that outcome for them wouldn't surprise me at all.

[Johnny Tobin]

I wouldn't write off the Broncos just yet either. I expect them to go on a run especially post origin.

However, they will not get a top 2 finish so it may hurt them but if they come up against the Sharks (assuming they finish 4th and Sharks 1st), it will be like a neutral game for them as it will be at Allianz. If they win that then they will get a home PF like last year probably against the Cowboys.

The Storm is the team to beat but there is still a lot of footy to be played before the finals and injuries to key players can cruel a team's chances like we found out last year.

Footnote: We finished 1st in 2014 and 2015 and lost week one and bowed out week 3. If Cronulla finished 1st that outcome for them wouldn't surprise me at all.

We can only hope.

[Guest]

Agree that Melbourne is the team to beat.

[Kingbilly]

You know mate, I think you and me were part of a hardcore group when the whole forum thing started up.
They were crazy days....werent they??.....the birth of the net.

We have seen a lot over 20 years havent we????

I love Robbo and I love Ricky for giving us a trophy.
Robbo choosing Fergo in the centres last week was diabolical.

I choked when he ran out....I was dumbfounded.....i knew what would unfold..............
You know footy KB, you know that bloke simply cannot read the play. If you rush out of the line you MUST take a man!!!!! Ive played with against bloke like that and they NEVER learn!!! Sliding or rushing or even holding your ground is intuitive to footy players. Centres are the hardest position to play for defense.

It was a very poor decision to select him there.
The coach seems like a top bloke....but hes lost the plot.
We all do at times.......... I dont want him sacked..............Im just saying Ive lost faith in him in the short term. Hes never seen pressure like this.

I don't know why Fergo gets picked in SOO let alone centre for us, What i do know is I don't know what is going on behind the scenes, at training etc or even whats in contracts. All that stuff affects who is selected in what spots.

The other thing you can put money on is that some footballers are just dumb, instructions go in one ear and out the other. They do everything right at training say the right things, but then when they get out in the game then all that goes out the window.. I am not saying this is happening but I have seen it at all levels

[Double]

...

The other thing you can put money on is that some footballers are just dumb...

And by some form of coincidence they all find themselves at the Roosters? Spectacularly all are retained, week after week?

[Guest]

And by some form of coincidence they all find themselves at the Roosters? Spectacularly all are retained, week after week?

You have a point but to make it more edgy how about you give us the team Robbo should select?

[eddie]

You know mate, I think you and me were part of a hardcore group when the whole forum thing started up.
They were crazy days....werent they??.....the birth of the net.

.

LOL.............. classic cupboard.

The good ole days?

[takethe 2]

It will be interesting to see at the end of the year which members of the coaching staff, if any get punted. I cant imagine Robbo being booted but Holbrook or Macca....who knows.

Maybe Toovs might be an astute pick up.