Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
The dolphins had a boost the last couple of seasons with Bennett and basically the 2010s storm pack. They have some great players come across , but I think they will regress . Which to be fair was/ is inevitable . They’ve recruited well though so I could be wrong . I don’t think I am though .
Buttface
Well-known member
I reckon he had a fair grasp on roster, cap management, and everything thing else he needed to make his decision to tell his son not to sign here I’m coming back.
You don’t reckon if our club was storm or roosters he was coaching at, and they had a better roster then riff at the time, he wouldn’t have had the fam move to Bondi or Toorak?
He knew and knifed us asap, the only people that wouldn’t have done what he did is WT’s fans, and I reckon there plenty of those that would also knife us for the betterment of their kid and/or themselves.
TSP
Well-known member
Yeah I modified the post in the lift at work before you posted this.
BAGNF05
Well-known member
They’re in a similar spot to us with good young backs but will have some holes to fill in an ageing forward pack.
TSP
Well-known member
But Ivan made it plain, the love of the kid meant everything to him.
Buttface
Well-known member
Ivan would have been here 5mins and said stay where you are son it’s better for our future careers.
BAGNF05
Well-known member
One hundred percent
jrtiger
Well-known member
down 16-0 in Round 25 against then-fifth placed Manly who were chasing a top four berth. nothing to play for. we won.
do you think a team that didn’t respect their coach would’ve put in like that?
Stevie Wonder could see these youngsters are hanging on his every word. yes he got Spoonbowl wrong, but they still went out and executed the game plan he laid out for them.
I was at that game, and I was as disappointed as the next person, but if Shane Richardson - a better judge of coaching talent than you or I will ever be - rates him and trusts him, then so should we.
BAGNF05
Well-known member
Easy to forget we won two of our last three with three teenagers in the spine and the Api sin bin wrecked any hope in spoon bowl.
Way better end than the previous two spoon years.
We have some better players on the way.
I get the impatience of people, it’s been a very long time without success.
At least give the coach a chance with his marquee signing who hasn’t even arrived yet.
Last edited:
Coastie_Tiger
Well-known member
Remember there was that fleeting moment when we thought we were getting rid of Brooks to sign Cleary Junior here because he wanted to be coached by his dad.
That was a fun day or two 🤣
WesternSuburbsBoy
Well-known member
Go watch the undisputed documentary on Penrith’s youtube channel based on last years run to the premiership. Literally everything you’re complaining about how Benji speaks to his players & the whole family mantra Ivan preaches to his players. Before a prelim final mind you Ivan said to the playing group “most importantly throw the footy & go out there & have some fun.”
It’s important that you build a culture & an environment that players want to be in. Which is what Benji has done successfully imo. 2024 was never going to be a year where we made the Top 8 or even close to it let’s be real here… we were the youngest & most inexperienced team in the comp & that's a fact. I’ve heard enough from the young guys to know that they love playing under Benji & the vibes amongst the playing group are strong despite the losses. The young guys are committed to turning the clubs fortunes around & I know a few of them are doing a training regime heading into pre season which is being leaded by Galvin himself. The same Lachlan Galvin btw who loves playing under Benji & that’s come from his dads mouth.
Does Benji need to improve on his game plan & tactics? absolutely & if we’re sitting at the same spot next season i’d agree but answer me this… within WT’s whole existence has sacking coaches ever changed anything?
TSP
Well-known member
I’m pretty sure Ivan has blinkers for young chinstrap.
We were in talks with Nate I heard and the panthers pounced. They gave Nate that big long term deal and we were up the creek.
Yes, they had better prospects, but Nate sealed the deal.
We were in talks with Nate I heard and the panthers pounced. They gave Nate that big long term deal and we were up the creek.
Yes, they had better prospects, but Nate sealed the deal.
TSP
Well-known member
I still think they screwed up letting JL go. They’ve had enormous success with their r&r decision making, but they mucked this up.
As screwed up as we are, this is a gun signing. Putting my reservations about the pack aside, If he can’t make some kind of meaningful impact, all is lost.
And I say that from running last as well.
And I think he knows it too.
Its very interesting the bond between JL and Benji. We’d have to welcome it.
And the links between ex panthera.
Hopefully we can master the induction better than the dogs.
JL is their best to leave, just my view.
As screwed up as we are, this is a gun signing. Putting my reservations about the pack aside, If he can’t make some kind of meaningful impact, all is lost.
And I say that from running last as well.
And I think he knows it too.
Its very interesting the bond between JL and Benji. We’d have to welcome it.
And the links between ex panthera.
Hopefully we can master the induction better than the dogs.
JL is their best to leave, just my view.
Last edited:
I am sort of on the fence regarding if Benji can or cannot coach. Like most of us, I live in hope and my feeling is that he probably can.
What does need addressing is the voices around him. The spirit of 05 needs to be balanced with others with different experiences that will challenge and improve Benji’s opinions and coaching development. Diversity in thinking is not a bad thing.
What does need addressing is the voices around him. The spirit of 05 needs to be balanced with others with different experiences that will challenge and improve Benji’s opinions and coaching development. Diversity in thinking is not a bad thing.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
To coach his kid I believe … plus he quickly worked out that all the duds and injured crocs he signed long term were going to stuff the club for years… he was right about that
BAGNF05
Well-known member
I remember when Ivan came in and he initially went after some good players like SJ and Widdop but they all knocked us back. We ended up with the Dogs discards and Packer and Matulino from his Warriors days. On huge four year deals.
Benji came in and seemed to go pretty close to convincing Moses before eventually landing Luai.
Benji is ahead of Ivan based purely on recruitment at WT.
jrtiger
Well-known member
further to your point about game plans @tigermate I think you forget that when we played straight and thru the middle and kicked to corners we got whacked.
we had no choice but to adapt the game plan that would avert those issues. I don’t know about you, but I feel that’s good coaching.
furthermore it speaks to the lack of quality he had at his fingertips if we couldn’t play basic footy, because Sheens and McDonnell recruited a bunch of kids and undersized weaklings.
we’ve fixed our yardage problem with our recruits and we’ve recruited Luai who will do 90% of the kicking next year. let’s see what comes about when we’ve got Skelton and Turuva carting the ball up on plays one and two as opposed to Staines and Faataape.
we had no choice but to adapt the game plan that would avert those issues. I don’t know about you, but I feel that’s good coaching.
furthermore it speaks to the lack of quality he had at his fingertips if we couldn’t play basic footy, because Sheens and McDonnell recruited a bunch of kids and undersized weaklings.
we’ve fixed our yardage problem with our recruits and we’ve recruited Luai who will do 90% of the kicking next year. let’s see what comes about when we’ve got Skelton and Turuva carting the ball up on plays one and two as opposed to Staines and Faataape.
