Parramatta Eels 26
South Sydney 42
Well we can rule out a “coach disposal revival” from the Eels for season 2024, which means you can start making weekend plans for the winter without needing to worry about missing a footy game. You won’t be missing anything, trust me.
Let’s not kid ourselves, despite the brief revival that game was a disgrace. The team coming dead last, already without their star half and losing their other half mid-game, plus their best player spent ten minutes in the bin, and they put 40 on. The first 20 minutes were as dire as you’ll see, and it just accelerated the standard mid-match capitulation which is about the only reliable thing you’ll get out of a Parramatta team this year. Only Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson dragging this side to some late wins can save them from the spoon.
I’m retiring this section for 2024. The only X I want to see is over a whole bunch of faces in the end of year program as underperforming players are sent out to pasture.
I’m sick of giving MVPs in efforts like this one. I was the MVP for sticking this one out until the 71st minute, heck I deserve a lifetime achievement award for dealing with this crap for 40 years. Either that or I should be committed.
Blaize Talagi
1 – Fullback
It was another tough night under the high ball for Blaize and that is a clear off-season objective for the young fullback-to-be. Get the jugs machine ready for him.
With Clinton Gutherson working back towards a return, I would be slotting Gutho in at fullback and letting Talagi sharpen his skills elsewhere in the backline.
Maika Sivo
2 – Left Wing
He’s played worse, but all I remember is one run where he strolled over to a rolling kick, picked it up with all the urgency of a teenager asked to take the bins out, then ran sideways, goose-stepped for no reason and got driven backwards in the tackle. That’s about 20 metres left on the table, plus a few on the next run that has to come from his wet week of a play-the-ball.
Morgan Harper
19 – Right Centre
Morgan Harper always looks like he’s trying so hard, which makes it really tough to hate on him. Then he drops the ball rucking it out of our half and I suddenly don’t find it so difficult.
Sean Russell
4 – Left Centre
I spent big on Sean Russell shares to start season 2024, and while I’m doing better than those that bought in on Shaun Lane or Maika Sivo (who somehow now owe money on that investment) I’m ready to trade them in for a magic bean or two while I still can. Congratulations to him for being one of only a few Eels to not miss a tackle here at least.
Bailey Simonsson
5 – Right Wing
He’s comfortably been our best outside back this season, so of course he is the only one we haven’t secured for season 2025.
Daejarn Asi
6 – Five Eighth
Daejarn Asi didn’t miss a tackle in this game, which makes me think the Rabbitohs must not have run at him enough. He was also almost out-touched and out-passed by lock J’maine Hopgood, which isn’t a great look for a half that played 80. He’s not our biggest problem by any means.
Dylan Brown
7 – Halfback
He’s playing hard and often looks like the toughest runner of the entire team, not what you really want from the guy wearing 7 but that’s on his forwards. It’s a shame his coming of age had to coincide with the general collapse of the squad, but we’ll call it character building. Luckily I don’t understand his contract at all so I have no idea how worried I should be about him being poached at some point.
RCG
8 – Front Row
Reg still ain’t right, but in this pack he’s the fourth or fifth problem.
Joey Lussick
9 – Hooker
The only notable change to this Eels team without Brad Arthur was Trent Barrett’s hooking rotation, which prioritised Brendan Hands over Joey Lussick. Lussick still missed too many tackles and didn’t use his short stint very effectively as an attacking player, but that might have been because we spent almost all of it defending.
Junior Paulo
10 – Interchange
I’m off Junior Paulo like a four year old is off asparagus. This team needs a captain’s knock, somebody who can drag them up and whose efforts shame his fellow forwards into digging deep. We had those good games off the bench earlier in the season, but whatever this has been during the last month is not what we’ve needed. If this continues, Junior might be the biggest roster concern we have going forward, even if players like Lane and Sivo are showing much worse form.
Bryce Cartwright
14 – Second Row
I felt like a genius in the second half when I said “anything good tonight is going to come through Carty” and then he immediately crabbed across the field and put Maika Sivo over. That might well have been his last touch of the game. He’s by far our best attacking forward right now, he needs to be more involved and that comes from both gameplan and Bryce putting himself into position and demanding the ball.
Kelma Tuilagi
17 – Second Row
His numbers here were fantastic, but Kelma is getting grades like this one every week until he can stop dropping the ball on regulation hit-ups.
J’maine Hopgood
13 – Lock
Super busy in all aspects of the game, his passing and playmaking this week might be an indicator of what Trent Barrett is going to ask of the team going forward. He was fine, but we also got 40 put on us again so I’m not going to be saying a lot of passing (and just as many dummies) from J’maine Hopgood is what will save us.
Brendan Hands
18 – Interchange
This was more early 2023 Brendan Hands, when hope was high that Reed-regret wasn’t going to be a thing. I’ve got a bit of Reed regret these days, but that is all on what has happened at Parramatta since and very little to do with how the Bulldogs rake is playing.
Makahesi Makatoa
15 – Interchange
Bad bench management must be in the Mount Franklin at Parramatta, because despite our forwards having to tackle for basically 20 minutes straight at one point, Makatoa only got 11 minutes here.
Joe Ofahengaue
16 – Prop
Joe O is a bit meat and potatoes, but given how many of our forwards are playing this year he’s looking like a standout. How he wasn’t binned though, it’s a shame we were beneficiaries of officiating inconsistency and took advantage of it by conceding 20 more points.
Shaun Lane
11 – Interchange
I think most Eels fans were hoping Shaun Lane would be moved out of the side rather than to the bench, but a shorter stint did his numbers some good at least and there were a couple of promising runs. I didn’t see anything that suggests a stunning post-BA turnaround is in the works from Lane, but 40 minutes suited him a lot better than 80.
Normally when South Sydney have toweled us up, it has at least taken some basic runs through their left side attack and a bit of individual talent. This was just a battering, coming off the back of self inflicted misery through poor handling. This was a bad team making a terrible team look pitiful. I’m going to need more synonyms for horrible to keep these grades fresh for the rest of season 2024.
This is a sad football team to watch. Potential squandered everywhere, contracts signed for peaks that players have never hit, journeymen doing their best but it isn’t anywhere near good enough. Dropped balls, so many dropped balls, most of them in yardage. Tries conceded to basic hit-ups and stab kicks into the in-goal. It is an embarrassing time to be an Eels fan.
The Sharks coming to town on a Thursday might give some of those Covid crowd numbers a shake; for Eels fans getting out to CommBank Stadium for the rest of 2024 is purely an act of self-flagellation. At least coach speculation and coming up with creative destinations to ship our underperformers off to will keep fans occupied for the next few months.
Until then, stay slippery, Eels fans.
Gol
Stats and images provided by NRL / Eels media
Good on you Gol for expressing what the eye test sees.
Young Blaize does have some bright points but listening to the commentary last night, I thought Andrew Johns had made a come back ! Still don’t know why he is sitting at fullback when Simonsson or Russell could have done the job.
Barrett said that Lane did a great job in his stint, well he didn’t drop the ball I suppose.
If Barrett doesn’t make some changes to the team especially in the middles he’s just an empty shell until next year.
It was cringe at times, who knew Issac Moses mangers commentators too.
This column is always a funny read.
Not sure how many four year olds were ever on asparagus.
First time in my life I got to say Dejarn Asi outplayed Dylan Brown. Better ball playing. Dylan went missing.
Yeh sure, he went missing making cover tackles all over the ground as no one else seemed capable of putting anyone down.
Some people just see what they want to see!
I made a point on another site that Dylan and J’maine are both doing so much defensive work, it is effecting their opportunities in attack.
I hate to say this because it is like invoking Hitler when you are losing an argument. However those leg cover tackles of Dylan remind me so much of Raper and Coote from an era long gone.
Funny , you have to be on something in order to then go off it. A good one 👍
The great fear, of course, is that our better performers like Brown and Hopgood will be unwilling to squander their careers trying to lift a bottom feeder team and will move on in search of a premiership. They both would grace a Penrith side for example. It would help if we would pick our best side to win a particular game – Asi is easily our best full back option currently available, Woody and Doorey should be playing. A major concern is that some of our expensive under performers have so long left in contract and options; we can talk of moving them on but if no-one else wants them we really can’t blame them for opting to maximise their earnings by hanging around. The years of growth under Brad were fun but the team is well down the other side of that mountain. The immediate future will require some stoicism.
I think next year there has to be some amount of paying out of contracts just to be rid of the worst of the under-performers. This will hit our salary cap hard, but will also be an opportunity to fill the team with young players. Next year is a write-off already, and if we can make the finals in 4-5 years time that would be about all we can hope for unfortunately. The club has neglected the very thing that gives it life, and that is sustainable on-field performance. That should be the number 1 objective.
Finney we made the Semi’s after 2018…. no reason why we cannot again. Next year is not a write off in my mind in any “which way”.
Agreed – all that’s needed is some speed in wing + a junior or two in forwards to kick on ( Matt Arthur and guyme) and we will return to finals footy. Getting rid of dead wood such as sivo lane lussick, maka, Ogden etc will also help
Didn’t see game, didn’t want to and fears realised at full time. Except for first few weeks year has been a write off. But even in Bulldogs game, which I went to, when Dogs finally had some ball they scored 2 tries out wide and even then I thought writing on wall.
Regardless of who our next coach is, not Maguire or really help us, Barrett, their main criteria in selection would be a high commitment to defence. Until we get that right will we never be a force.
Gol, I thank you for watching the garbage that I’m unwilling to do, and I know the agony you’re going thru. But after watching the team for 50 years plus and reach the highs of the 80s and the mainly rubbish since, you realise that the Eels give you resilience and a thick skin. So hang in there as there is always onwards and upwards except when the Eels play, as they are a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re about to get!
I actually like the idea of Maguire. He is a premiership winner, he coached NZ to a whitewash of Aus and he is a good person. No one is capable of coaching the Tigers to a win. It will be interesting to see what Madge does in the SOO first game.
Oh yeah – last nights game. I retired to bed to read Baldaccis new book after 16-0. Considerably more enjoyable. I think you need a medal to get as far as you did Gol.
South’s ran through our middle early. They lost Latrell sin bin, Arrow and wighton HIAs. Still we couldn’t put them away.
Depth was an issue 2023 and it’s was described as negligence going into that season. Nothing was done in 2024!!
HOF must go!! He’s failed year on year he has blood on his hands with BAs demise.
HOF must go!!
I think HOF is totally at the mercy of sean the “weasel” and jimmy the “rat” and will be safe as all yes men are , the got rid of bernie and arthur because they want total control , mind you they wont take any responsibility for the roster and salary cap mismanagement thats brought us to where we are , at least a 4/5 season rebuild again , its the top of the tree that need fixing , the “WEASEL and the RAT are an embarrassment to the club .
Thanks for the grades Col, honestly don’t know how you do it. I went to the bar after 50 min at Magic round and only lasted 40 min for this one. At this rate only 3 more games till no more agony.
I know everyone has their ideas on who should play where but I’ve got a left field one. Brown to fullback, great defence and speed with ball playing ability. I really don’t think much of his organisational ability with the team and can chime in when he sees fit. Moses back and Sanders 5/8. Gutho one centre, defence and creativity and he will hang onto the f…ing ball. He will organise the defence that side and look after his body. Next to Sivo so he can rip a rocket up him when needed. M Arthur on the bench to get experience. I know Sanders is leaving but if full time NRL gig offered who knows.
Anyway that’s my thoughts so give it a flogging boys and girls
I agree with you sanders leaving so what we were far more organised in attack some people said defence a problem I don’t care what stat’s say I’ll defy anyone to show me 4 missed tackles in the 2 games put together and he was enthusiastic. Bring Matt Arthur in at least the bench with hands standing Matt doorey Grieg I’d also look at Charlie Gumer it’s not only that they earnt the right other’s have forfeited the right to be in 1st grade I believe the gun guns will add the enthusiasm the team lacks in bucket loads
Yeah Malcolm, I left the forwards out because bar 1 or 2 who do you keep.
Can anyone say in all honesty that these young blokes would do a worse job than our so called leaders in the pack. I doubt it, over 40 points a game gives them a little bit leeway wouldn’t you say.
The sooner we get rid of lane, Lussick, maka, Joe o , Morgan and replace with younger juniors who have real energy – the better we will be for it. There is nothing to be gained by playing journeymen who are consistently average or bellow average and have blocked the pathway of juniors for too long . We need Arthur and guymer blooded once Moses and gutho are back. We need some young energy (Pryke) around the joint later in the year. It seems we need these pathetic “senior leaders” to be inspired by gutho/Moses and youthful energy because they shown they can’t lead at all when chips are down.
I’m a shocked at how bad we loses each week – these are not healthy or top team we are getting pumped by – it seems we are on route for spoon.
Couldn’t agree more Ron
I was hopeful Lane and Lussick would come on but not from what I’ve seen this season.
Our club should have looked at retention back I. 2022/23 following GF.
Milo I have been a huge supporter of Lane. He had fought back under BA to come within an inch of making the Kangaroos. Despite all of his well documented troubles I believed he could find his form and get his best back.
As one of his biggest supporters, notwithstanding a massive reversal of form I feel his days are numbered.
Good luck keeping any of those juniors ron , the WEASEL and the RAT have shown these kids they cannot be trusted or truthful , anyway the only juniors that get a go will all be issac moses managed you would think.
We reached a peak in 2021 and then needed to learn from the great St George administrations of the 50s and 60s. They sought to strengthen every year even though they’d just won a comp. Among many others, Raper, Langlands,Walsh, Ryan, Huddart all were added to competition winning squads. We tried to stay as we were and went backwards. We ignored a key reality of adminidtration – when you stop getting better you stsart getting worse.
Reached a peak in but went to a GF in 2022.
Interesting
We got knocked out by Penrith in 2021 when, illegally, they sent a trainer on yhe firld when we wete threatening to score the try that eould have put us into the GF; we eere every chance of beating Souths had we got there. We’d slipped a little by the next year when Penrith were far too good for us in the gf
This is out of left field do we disrupt a winning NSW side who has won 4 on the trot at least till Moses and Gutho comeback even though a lot of those Players deserve a chance in first grade thoughts passionate Eels supporters
The Reserve grade team would probably beat the first grade side at the moment and probably have beaten South’s. I mean first grade is not first grade it’s an upside down world here.
Dropping players to Cup would be weakening the Cup side and improving the NRL side.
They actually beat them at training regularly pete ,
I think you’re being way too harsh on Talagi. He dropped one high ball that most fullbacks would’ve been a chance of dropping
Agreed – the kid needs time. He’s also playing one of the toughest roles
Blaize is hoping to make his way in a competition in which some of the hardest clevetest, best trained men on earth will keep their families at an enviablre level as long as they win football games. They have no reason to be sympathetic for the oppositipn
Blaize is not ready for the role that’s being asked of him. The NRL is no place for an apprenticeship.
Every young player goes through this process, including the greats. That’s part of the growth process. They don’t come from NSW Cup as ready made NRL players. It’s not an apprenticeship, it’s the normal development curve.
Its not dropping the high balls Brett, it would seem that we are blind to the fact he cannot tackle and his positional play as a fullback around the goal line is deplorable.
He is promissing, nothing more at this stage and he is not a fullback. Every fullback that eventually comes through in FG usually does so via the wing….i.e. Jarryd Hayne, even Billy Slater earnt his stripes on the wing.
The handling of this kid is appalling and the fact we have commentator’s blowing smoke up his arse does no one any good. The two tries he has scored Dyllan Brown put him through gaps as wide as the Sydney Heads…… he is not quick either.
I rate Blaize more highly than this comment suggests but it is unquestionable that we’re picking him on potential, maybe due to his contract situation. If I’m right and he’s by passing more seasoned players everyone in the squad will know that, and resent it. Thete’s a simple rule – you pick the side most likely to give you a win full stop. Professional footballers respect that.
I might have said it before, but I will say it again: These reviews are the only thing giving me any cheer in Rugby League this season.
Your X-Factor and MVP sections are standouts.
Appreciate your abiliity to wryly give such a colourful voice to what many of us are no doubt feeling.
Thank you.
I hope Jim and this committee thinks outside the box with the new head coach position, I wonder if one of the smartest minds in football could be interested, the great Peter Sterling?
Hed have to do some work , no chance
There’s nothing wrong with his positional play. When we’re under the pump he puts himself in the defensive line to plug gaps left by teammates, as he absolutely should. Gutho does exactly the same thing, as does every other fullback, or would you rather he stay behind the line and leave a wide open gap for them to stroll through ?
He can tackle, but as with most young players he needs time in the gym to get bigger, which will happen.
He absolutely is a fullback, his best performances thus far have come at the back.
Is he the finished article ?
Of course not, he’s played a handful of games, but he is an elite talent who just needs to play. He’ll have his ups and downs, but there is no questioning his talent.
Making comparisons with this kid and Gutho is odious. What makes you think he is a fullback. He has played nearly all his development football in the halves or centre.
Finally the most important thing he is lacking to full fill his promise is pace, he is much slow than his peers of his age in other clubs.
Now I saw Brett Kenny put on yards of pace from when he was at this kids age and when he finally came into first grade (not long). i.e. that means he can still get much faster, he needs to if he stays as a fullback. Otherwise he will be a handy backup half.
I would like nothing more than to see us produce the status of what this kid is. Unfortunately the status has been established but the ability has not! I hope like shit I am wrong, as probably the other 80% of Parra supporters that think the same way as me.
No-one likes to be critical of a brave young man trying to make a career in the N R L. I wish Blaize all the best, though I’m yet to be convinced; I certainly wouldn’t let his agent draw me into a prolonged auction for his recruitment. We’ve seen so many brave, talented youngsters not quite make the step go seasoned NRL performers. We sbould make him an offer genetous for his current status, give him enough time to consider it and look around then set a time limit and withdraw if he doesn’t accept. At his level thete’s no shortage of talent in the big, wide world.
There’s been a happy coincidence of me not being able to watch games due to other plans and work, basically since Darwin. There’s no need to watch full replays each week, so the 5-10 mins of “highlights” each week I put in is equivalent to the effort our squad puts in.
It will be interesting to see how Moses and Gutho change the squad when back. We always knew they were the generals on field, but perhaps they are even more important than we thought.
Either way, the insipid effort this team puts in week after week is unacceptable. Routinely conceding 30 and 40 points each week is pathetic. The press conferences also are starting to really grind me down – nonsense about “a few key moments” is just rubbish. Our F/A is -140 or something. That’s more than a few key moments or minor attention to detail.
Well said mate
Pretty fair assessment. Awful first 25 minutes. At one point just the post contact metres, was 234-74 – and most of Souths metres were through our vaunted forward pack. I dunno about grades but my summary
Blaize: Has moments. Positional play is horrific
Sivo: two, maybe three moments where he did his job to NRL level, everything else was garbage
Harper: Didn’t notice him on the field except for just hanging out lazily on the wing and being gifted a try.
Russell: was a below average centre, but not terrible
Sideways Simmonson: Still going sideways.
Asi: Barely registered
Brown: Clearly not a halfback! Please stop.
RCG: Maybe 2 good hit up’s. Which given he made a total of just 9!! Maybe isn’t a bad ratio
Paulo: See RCG. Seriously 9 hit ups…
Hands: Did enough to warrant another go.
Lussick: Surely did enough to show he has no place being out there. Yet we’ve seen that before.
Cartwright: still horrible with his inability to read the attack when defending.
Klema: A mistake waiting to happen. It’s like if Lee Oudenryan had been a forward
Lane: came off the bench and made 2 or 3 decent runs. Them barely looked like he was trying the rest of the night.
Hopgood: Decent.
Fair assessment of each players game last night. My expectations for the rest of the season is simply to avoid the wooden spoon which seems a distinct possibility. The team is severely out of form and playing with no luck, no confidence, no resilience, no plan.
The club should be looking to offload a heap of players – Sivo, Morgan, Matterson, Lane, Paulo, Lussick, Makatoa, Ogden and several others need to be out on notice.
We should have one of the best forward packs in the competition but week after week they fail to turn up.
Yes Gol. that Sivo retrieve got me off the lounge. Couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He could have initially stopped it with his foot, but on reflection the beast would have probably kicked it into the grandstand.
A moment of deep insight…it’s hard to perform at A level when many around you are performing C/D. That’s all I’ve got.
With other teams having the bye next week we will move into 16th place unless we beat Sharks. If we get flogged by 52 points we will be last….
Sharks coming of a huge embarrassing loss to the Panthers will be looking to fix up their for/against…
Thursday night games are not our best and Sharks have been a bit of a bogey team.
I guess on another note the only player picked for SOO was Zac Lomax. That means we should have close to our best squad available for the SOO series given Zac won’t be joining us till 2025.
Also being talked about commentators are spruiking that the Eels will be an attractive proposition for potential coaches due to their strong roster. Are the commentators not aware we only have 25 spots filled in our top 30?
Besides which Bennett and Slater could not say no quick enough. Who do we loyal supporters think is going to get the job? Surely not Mick Ennis!
I would say that it is between Maguire and Ryles.
Maguire would be a terrible option
Ryles does not really interest me from outside
Ennis would be a terrible gamble
Holbrook not sure – would be a good assistant
Hannay would be great as an assistant
Chieka – maybe go him with Hannay and Luke Burt as assistant?
It’s a pretty shallow pool of candidates for coaching gigs once Bennett and slater reject us.
And it doesn’t matter if we don’t fix up junior pathways and get a new HOF
Ron if we get Chieka maybe his nephew Adam Dhoui will come as well. While he would be a very good utility. His injuries are a major red flag.
I would hope not – bloke is made of glass and had 4 acl injuries already
He’d be cheap at this stage given he hasn’t played any footy for basically 3 years, and a better use of a roster spot than what we’re doing with them now. I’m not sold on Chieka as coach by any means, but a good man manager who would seek out strong assistants is more interesting to me than giving a guy like Madge a third chance or taking a punt on a guy Melbourne are so sold on they’ll let him walk after grooming him to replace Bellamy for four years.
Yes that’s my feeling aswell – chieka to motivate and Hannay + another to get the details right.
Re: ryles. I think storm don’t care if he goes as they have slater lined up post Bellamy. Ryles either knows that or is hoping slater just stays in qld and rejects storm when the offer no doubt is made
As to Madge, people rewrite his south’s legacy – he inherited a team of elite leaders (gi, teo and Sam). They did well with them but in aftermath he wasn’t able to CJ Ange his style of play to keep up with evolution of league (even back then). He doubled down on hard work and players burnt out. He got sacked. He went to tigers which crashed and burned. He went to Nz which he bottled the World Cup cause he didn’t have cover for cheese at hooker on bench and rub cheese into a standstill. He looked average with Nz this year and got pumped in second game. Got a nice win in last game but I don’t put much stock in rep team wins re: coaches. He is now nsw coach – again, I don’t feel he is anything that parra needs. He is similar to brad but worse in almost every respect (in my opinion)
Whoever gets the nod needs to have a bigger say than it appears, from the outside, that BA had. I agree with both on the Chieka choice but given his background I think the board maybe too risk averse to make that decision.
Deuihi definitely looking to get out of the Tigers. He is also a friend of MM for what ever that is worth.
The rebuild will not happen over night; the previous one certainly didn’t. Ee need to go with someone young enough to see it through and then keep faith with that person through some inevitable lean years.
What don’t you like about Ryles ?
For me it is a few things. That Melbourne coaching pathway has had more misses than hits at this point. That Ryles was unofficially anointed the successor to Bellamy, then Bellamy extends his career “just one more year” four times, and now they’ll happily let Ryles walk for another opportunity? That’s a red flag. Plus Ryles’ career never screamed to me a guy who would become a coach, he made some bone headed plays and decisions in his time.
None of which says anything about Jason Ryles, other than some vague insinuations about Ryles the player, which is absolutely irrelevant even if it was true.
He may or may not become a quality head coach, but there is nothing in his resume that says he won’t.
And if not Ryles, then who, and what evidence supports that choice ?
It’s not my call and everyone has their own opinion. But I don’t mind Madge!
He broke a 40year drought building South’s roster.
He built up NZ to thrash Kangaroos and got the best out of Dylan something BA hasn’t been able to do….
NSW Origin remains to be seen. But not afraid to axe long term incumbent captain. He will be judged harshly if we lose. But if we win Madge can name his price.
On the negative
Tigers were an abomination the board was sacked. CEO was partying with players madgecwas trying to discipline undermining his authority… Ex players agitating and undermining
Souths – players wanted to take foot of the pedal after winning the GF. He wasn’t having it and insisted in keeping the foot down. Everyone wanted to rest on their laurels. Turns out the same attitudes burned Demetriou.
It’s not my call but I hope the club interviews everyone eligible and ask each candidate to pitch what it is they would do and how. I’d also be getting Sterlo on the interview panel.
Give yourself a z – gol , since you’ve taken over you have destroyed the fabric of tct , the boys set up this site so wouldn’t be like 1ee but you have managed to drag the site into the same gutter , bring back mitch who whilst truthful was at least respectful .your disrespectful and an embarrassment to the site and its mission statement .
I’m inclined to agree with that Gol, you have a job to do to give grades and make opinions, you giving up the way you have implies the same reaction you critique the players for.
You don’t like to be criticised, who does, but it is part of what you do and TCT does. Stand up for yourself by all means, but don’t lie down because everyone else is.
Comment of having Sterling on the Interview panel is clever, not much work for Sterlo but it will stop a lot of whingeing when the final decision is made.
Final thing on what John Eel said that whoever is appointed should make sure they getter a bigger say than what BA had. This would not be true if we listen to the Chairman who said that BA was the dominant voice in R&R decisions.
Just saying John, I am starting to think that a lot of things are coming home to roost and the first one was how much better Barrett handled the rotations on Saturday. BA also made a huge mistake continuing with Tulagi as a fullback at this stage of his development and on a different note his absence should see Matt Arthur on the bench for our next game (that’s not Brad’s fault by the way, he had every right to be gun shy with that selection).
Fair enough response Poppa. I only say what I said regarding BA’s input to R&R because we have not had a full roster of 30 players since 2021 by my unreliable memory. Also we currently have a roster of 25. No coach could be happy with that.
Furthermore there is a lingering thought that it is one of the reasons Bennett rejected the Eels offer. Then again maybe he just had unfinished business at the Rabbitohs.
Poppa do you have a view on who maybe the next coach?
Not really, I have talked about McNamara and McDermott (Newcastle Assist) and have finally come back to Sam Burgess (SB).
He has a charismatic way of doing things, would have good knowledge of the ESL market for the much needed depth we need and could draw players to the club.
This last point is paramount in both recruitment and retention.
It is useless getting a relative untried coach (I make SB the exception) because social media will tear strips of everybody. The media will give SB good support and it will put Parra out there…..we have to be very careful not to fall into the easy beat category by people ignoring us.
A former great or the like on that selection committee as someone suggested here is a great idea.
I always try to ask myself if any comment I make as a post would get me a smack in the mouth by the target player/s. I like Gol’s satire and quips, but would he walk into the sheds after posting a column? Politicians are fair game for the media, but even there some lines can be crossed. Anyone who runs onto an NRL field, is engaging in one of the hardest team sports known to man, and woman, and we should always keep this in mind.
that was a very soft and ugly loss.
The club as a whole seems to be in the wrong mental space to play football.
It’s even like they don’t want to be playing and would rather be elsewhere.
It’s not that often they play on my birthday but i hope they don’t ever again if they dish up that.