Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

How bloody good. Surely he will get $250 pounds or so. Once we apply the exchange rate it should cover most costs. Worst case we chip in about $100K which again we save from Simpkin, Kepaoa, Bateman & paying overs for Papalii.
 
Dont get me wrong he should absolutely be in Ressies, but im not sure anything Sullivan has done this year has been so terrible as to warrant being told he wont play first grade with the club again (if thats what has happened). Im not a fan of this approach in general, it can backfire if the player digs in (which is their right). Not the way to manage the roster imo
 
All fair points, but your last question can’t be answered and the answer is we don’t know and never will.

Benji was not given the job based on any merit whatsoever. He didn’t have a barest skerrick of experience.

It was a “mates appointment” because people liked him and he is a club icon.

And it’s not a sensible, commercial or ethical way to appoint a coach or anyone else to an important position.

As for stability, stability for its own sake doesn’t cut it. You don’t continue to persist with a losing coach so you swan about and declare “ yeah, we are coming last, but at least we are stable”

I’d rather us be unstable and off the bottom, I’d rather us be unstable but signing better players and having us play better. So long as there is progress on the park.

And once again, it’s not just a case of whether or not the job was his, it’s also about whether or not Benji should have waited until we had more ducks in a row.

And this “rookie coach” nonsense.

In my respectful submission, Benji simply isn’t coping. That’s where we are.

I think he should probably step down, but stay on as an assistant to a new coach. That would take a lot of courage, to have that solemn yet truthful conversation with himself.

Thanks for your side of it, much appreciated.
Ciraldo came second last in his first season. By the logic above, the Bulldogs should have punted him. All I'm saying is give him a fair shot...the roster is mid way through a rebuild.

Maguire had 3 years...or was it 4? He was a premiership winning coach in both ESL and NRL. Took NZ to great heights. Won a series from behind with the Blues...By all metrics, he should have turned us around, but he didn't. A credentialled coach makes a difference everywhere they go. We got worse under him. Why is that?

If replacing coaches was the answer, we would have solved the problem by now. I think the issues are more than skin deep and we have genuinely started addressing them starting with the CEO and the board.

Add to that Luai and Turuva and shelling underperforming players to make cap room for players that will make a difference. Slowly but surely things are moving.

If you expect results immediately, then your expectations may be unrealistic. I was always prepared to see 2024 and perhaps 2025 as tough years.

Brad Arthur is not our saviour. Flanno, Hasler or Bennett were the right calls for us, but we didn't take those opportunities, so now we need to work with what we've got. On the plus side, we are starting to score some points which is nice. Perhaps things are shifting in the right direction.
 
Dont get me wrong he should absolutely be in Ressies, but im not sure anything Sullivan has done this year has been so terrible as to warrant being told he wont play first grade with the club again (if thats what has happened). Im not a fan of this approach in general, it can backfire if the player digs in (which is their right). Not the way to manage the roster imo
There's a world of difference between "you'll never play first grade for this club again - get out now or rot in the reserves" and "realistically, you're likely to be our fourth or fifth choice half next season so if an offer comes along that gives you a better opportunity you should seriously consider it".
 
The kid is a goer but his frame is very undercut.
He isn’t in the hopgood mould and would need alot of effort to get his frame right for NRL level.
Well we don't currently have any room for a project player in our top 30. We already have 7-8 which is way more than any other club. He currently in Panthers top 30, but for us he'd ideally be a development player, but we're unlikely to get a player to denote their status and join us.
The solution to having the smallest club in the comp isn't too sign small forwards, I was hoping he'd be at least be 188, 105kgs.
 
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