"Be patient" Andrew Johns

[rented tracksuit]

I don't want Johns anywhere near our halves. Piss off back to Newcastle.

Couldnt agree more.

[Game Fowl]

The spine combination will take time to gel no doubt, but in my opinion it will be up to our forward pack to play hard/strong/fast up the middle consistently which will allow Cooper and Luke to have space and time to be creative, see options and also engage Teddy (who is almost like a second running 5/8 on the field). Last season towards the business end of the year our forwards got smashed and let the Roosters down especially against the Cowboys in the grand final qualifying match for example.

Napa and JWH will have to step up this season as the forward pack leaders... BIG TIME ! otherwise it wouldn't even matter if we had Cameron Smith at #9 and JT at #6 if our forwards don't hold the middle and lay a strong platform for the spine to call the shots and direct the team around the park then we will be just a top 4 side at best who will end up in the same position as last year !

Never a truer asssessment made DP , but I am sure Naps and JWH are aware of their short comings .
another difference is we now have a master tactician in Cronk who will let you know if you haven’t played your part immediately

[bondi.boy]

Certainly he was a naturally gifted footballer, brilliant, but he is certainly no great coach, I don't think he knows how to coach what he did because it was mostly off the cuff, as his results have shown. He has worked with plenty of clubs, including us and Manly with no success in the past. I'm sue he will be working with Newcastle this year, that's obviously where his heart is, I want to avoid any conflict of interests and I don't think he has anything to offer us.

Yes, he really belongs in Newcastle.

[Nicola Tesla]

Maybe if Johns wasn’t around then Pearce would have been even worse???
Maybe the club thought that if Joey and Freddie etc can’t take Pearce to the next level, then it’s time to look elsewhere!
Johns may be gifted and have a vision for the game but he demands his team to step up and does the hard work off the paddock also.
Have you ever heard Nathan Hindmarsh tell the origin story about Johns slamming him for not being in the right place? Or stories about how much he practiced or how pussed off he got after a loss? It gives you an indication of his demand for perfection and not cutting corners.
i just think Pearce couldn’t take the next step because he can not quieten his mind on the field.

[bondi.boy]

Considering Jake Friend and Pearce didn't gel all year and our centre combinations changed constantly, I am certain our new additions will only better our prospects.

Jake seems to have lost weight?

[Mickie Lane]

This place will go into melt down if they dont win in Rd 1.
I think Cronk will be clunky for a bit because he wont have the players around him (mainly the forwards) dominating the opposition.