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The King’s Birthday Long Weekend brings mixed news for the Blue & Gold. Just as the King himself, Clinton Gutherson, hits the double ton milestone the team is hit by a huge injury blow as Bailey Simonsson bows out of 2024 due to a torn ACL.
Sixties, Forty20 and Clint get stuck into another busy week in the NRL as they cover all things Parramatta as well as State of Origin 1. From the latest on Parramatta’s search for a new coach to the last minute fullback reshuffle for the Blues as well as the latest market moves, The Tip Sheet is all over this week.
Every time I listen to a tct podcast I hear money đ° falling
What?
A few years ago wasn’t Christian Welch across the line and just about ready to be announced but did his ACL and that was the end of him. Bailey has been going ok but resigning him with that sort of an injury would be a big leap of faith and less likely with a new coach coming in.
Unfortunately for Bailey itâs going to impact the interest of other clubs.
I heard that too Sixties, a coin could he heard falling on the floor, bouncing a few times and then spinning on the ground, it was while you were talking.
I think that last night Madge in 1) his selections; 2) his rigid game plan and 3) in his demeanour (very intense) confirmed why we would not want him at parra.
As to 1) blind Freddy (no pun intended) could tell you before game that having two backrowers on Bench was unwise and that putting Burton there to cover any unforeseen reshuffle was needed. Moreover, as he had picked workhorse middles (Jake, McInnes, yeo), stacking a bench with more forwards (who wouldnât even get many minutes given the workhorse nature of states) made even less sense.
As to 2) Madge only had one way to win this game – the power game. Most commentators were conceded about the ability to score points given the exclusion of api and latrell especially. Again, it is fine to pick a âtoughâ team but you need to be able to win in different ways and toughness isnât always enough. Especially when we conceded so easily before the send off.
As to 3) his demeanour has been said by people at southâs and tigers (and seen in tigers doco + some of the live crosses last night) to be so intense he becomes emotional. He has cried from the passion he exerts. That is great but not what we need. We have enough people like Mitch, will, gutho, etc who are fiery and emotional when under pressure. We need more calm. This is then reinforced by hisnchocie of captain – Jake t. He is someone who admits he gets emotional about footy. He is a leader in his own way but he is not a captain of a state. Especially at this stage of career when he has slowed and only played 29 mins or so.
I know it was less than ideal circs with injuries and send off but these are things that people saw and said before the game.
I would be surprise if Madge got the gig.
I think Hof, ceo and chairman know they will lose their jobs if they donât get this pick right. Hopefully that doesnât make them go into their shell and simply pick least risky option
Mind you- I donât understand how the Hof is still working for us after the negligence that has been displayed year on year viz recruitment, retention, pathways and roster construction
Thanks for the podcast gents and congratulations on yet another award.
Sad news for Bailey, thereâs never a good time to suffer a serious injury, the timing for Bailey couldnât be worse Few clubs would actively persue a mid tier player with a serious injury knowing it may take 12 months to return to form. Itâs a tough call for our club, I hope heâs offered a new contract with us but I have feelings, I hear most CEOs are narsisisists.
No love for Barrett boys? He wasnât anyoneâs choice or even considered, thereâs no love from the media either. And a big no to Madge, Tigertown is all the board need to watch. That doco was a career ender not only for Madge but for those who employed him. Iâm sure it cost them a sponsor too. I laughed until I cried when Pascoe delivered a jersey to the boss of their main sponsor and tells him he didnât have time to frame it.
Crap, Hynes just had to have an arse of a game, steady wouldâve been fine but no, he had to stink beyond redemption. Moses is all but picked for game 2.
Off topic, the virgina Kafusi has grown on the back of his head is befitting.
Joseph, I thought that Hynes was arguably the best on field. He shouldnât be dropped đđđ.
I didnât discuss Barrett because I donât think heâll get the opportunity of proving what he can do with the current squad. I reckon theyâll make a call before then.
Vossy and Brandy picked Hynes and Tedesco to be replaced by MM and Edwards this morning on SEN.
I turned the game off and went to bed after 8 minutes.
Given our precarious position the last thing that I want to see is MM playing SOO.
That’s not fair on Mitch JE, he is entitled to a legacy in the game and being a SOO rep is a very high honour and he will have the privilege of being linked with Nathan Cleary.
Something not unsimilar to Sterling and Mortimer. Sterlo was always the first pick but Mortimer’s legacy is still legendary.
None of us seriously want Mitch to miss his selection. If heâs chosen weâll be cheering him on big time.
Poppa Iâm aloud to be selfish.
Anyway apart from that I agree with you on this issue.
I’m comfortable with Barrett, but to anoint him given his history it would be a very difficult sojourn.
What I am hoping for is that during the interview process that McDermott is agreeable to Trent being his main assistant with a view to a future training partnership. McDermott is very experienced and will eat the pressure.
The concept of a training partnership in Rugby league is novel but one that has emerged in racing and has proven very successful, notwithstanding the obvious differences.
The advantages are obvious and it producer’s a succession plan and avoids the insurmountable problems that faces any coach these days that doesn’t have a Bennett or a Bellamey in the mix.
I could not see anyone other than McDermott being selected, given the alternatives, he is just the type of coach we need with an inexperienced board. As a matter of interest Mark O’Neill actually played under him in a stint of English football and has apparently talked about him in glowing terms.
That doesn’t mean McDermott will be a yes man to MON, matter of fact it will make or break MON because McDermott does not take prisoner’s LOL
I think from your perspective 60’s this will allow Trent to keep his imprimatur on the team. Whether McDermott would immediately leave the Knights, I honestly don’t know. Something I guess they will work out.
Anyway it’s a view to throw into the mix. McDermott has only been talked about as the mystery 6th applicant, but let’s hope we are innovative and novel enough to bring in new era.
I have no idea which way the club is leaning. If anything, I suspect itâs between Ryles and Hannay.
Interesting Poppa. My son was going through McDermottâs coaching career for me the other day. The Eels board has said it wants a coach out of a successful operation. Can hardly call Newcastle that, despite last yearâs efforts.
However, his UK efforts are impressive. How does that rate in terms of NRL coaching Iâm not sure. I did read one article where Joey Johns rated him. Is that an opinion we should listen to? Interested in others thoughts on that and the UK/NRL coaching comparison. I would hope if he got the gig we would have a better insight/connection to any decent and emerging UK talent.
The way McElduff and Sarantinos talked post BAâs sacking didnât seem to suggest untested assistant coaches. Yet Ryles and Hannay seem to be front runners in the press. In their own ways they have had a classical apprenticeship so is it time to let them show what theyâve got in the head role? Who knows.
Namrebo, Brian McDermott has a tremendous record of winning. Whilst he is an assistant at the Knight’s, its no coincidence that he has improved their defence to be one of the highest rated for the past 2 years. Check the stat’s?
He is an Ex Royal Marine and has been successful at most things he has done, which is plenty…..he is exactly what Parra needs, not rookies on training wheels like Hannay and Ryles.
My thinking was also along the lines of keeping Barrett with him to create the type of process that Bennett has established with the Dolphins and Woolfe replacing him……i.e a succession plan.
We badly need a leader, we have a rookie Board and Head of Football, we need someone like this guy to take us to a new level and not run along with the also rans.
We all want to see progression for our team. BA was essentially part of the progression and ultimately became dated, we will go backwards with some of the alternatives being discussed by going with “rookies”.
Interesting Poppa, thanks. For some reason I canât reply to your response to my last. McDermotts record is interesting. Iâve seen some analysis around the Knights defence since he arrived and statistically it is much better.
Having a career outside of football, in the armed forces, must give a greater depth of thought for him on how to run things. Iâve also read an interview where he reflected on his coaching experience. He admitted heâd made every mistake in the book but had learned from them.
As I said before, and you mention, the Board presser after BA was sacked suggested the club wasnât looking for a rookie. If so, of the names mentioned, only Madge and McDermott seem to qualify. That would make me lean towards the latter because it seems Madge has had more failure than success.
đ I would award him man of the series now.
Some further information on the coaches, why am I doing this because hopefully some people on the selection commitee can see the wonderful opportunity that McDermott offers our club.
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Cheika – a handful of head coaching for Lebanon (lost 16-82 in two games against Australia and New Zealand; beat Ireland, Jamaica and Malta).
Ryles – one NRL game, no finals experience
Hannay – 37% over 2 yrs (defence 8th-10th), no finals experience
Barrett – 32% over 5 yrs (defence 11th-16th), one finals loss 0%
Madge – 49% overall in the NRL over 10 yrs, but 37% over the last and latest 6yrs (defence 11th-15th), a 55%-57% finals record (NRL and Super league), 2014 Title with Souths
McDermott – 58% overall over 15 yrs in Super League, most successful SL coach in history (4 SL Titles and 2 Challenge Cups), 81% finals record (13/16), 100% grand final conversion (4/4), 2023-24
While it seems Hannay and Ryles are the favourites I still would have been interested in Cheika. And given the Scott Fava has joined the Eels from rugby as the HNWP coach it could be a sign!
I too hope Hynes is given a second chance but he really looked out of ideas last night. It is a strange NSW team built on power while the QLD team simply had plenty of pace.
And it is really sad that Bailey is out as he has been a reliable performer for the Eels even during the losing streak. But it is a change for Blaise to blaze his own path in the game. It will be interesting to see how Barrett use him.
Thereâs always rainbow at end of a storm. Baileys misfortune does present an opportunity for Blaize to develop further. I am saddened that it came at the expense of Bailey.