Benji 2025 and Beyond

[Vicious]

In the end.. now or then..we need a real coach ... cause we have the team.

We don’t have the team or the coach.
Another rebuild required.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Imagine some of these comments in mid January. You’d get lynched.

 

[Tom Shines]

The Magpies NSW Cup coach doing a good job I hear …😎

 

[Chunk]

We do seem a little one dimensional. The same old plays. Watching other teams there seems to be more variety.

Like tonight against a very average backrow and halves, we didn’t target them or exploit this weakness

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

In reality. Benji is doing much better as a junior coach than the veteran coaches. Broncos, Knights, Titans, Sea Eagles etc etc etc.. Where and how do we separate reality from fiction? Maybe it's not us, apart from Bellamy and Bennett - it seems to be all about money

 

[crazycat]

Imagine some of these comments in mid January. You’d get lynched.

Yea, Look Benji is delivering more for us then Sheens or Madge at the moment.

That said I expect Richo and Benji to have a real heart to heart at the end of the year.
Benji had played at souths and knows the oppositing team and his own well enough. But saw Zero strategy this game. Api gets 2 tries off being able to outstep Latrell Mitchell.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

Whilst they are having a heart 2 heart. We appreciate people like yourself paying money to buy them time.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

We are an extremely poorly coached team and fail at the basic fundamentals of the game, consistently.

What about the two sets in a row where, on the fifth tackle, the first receiver was Sione Fainu, then Jack Bird.

Pathetic.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

Like Belly Ache stuff. Now I got to go to work. Real-life. Game day. Every day. Thank God I don't pay their rent Through membershit Benji is right. Family first.

 

[bigsiro]

We are an extremely poorly coached team and fail at the basic fundamentals of the game, consistently.

What about the two sets in a row where, on the fifth tackle, the first receiver was Sione Fainu, then Jack Bird.

Pathetic.

Bizarre.
I’m a Benji fan, but he has what to answer for with the insipid attack.

 

[TIGERS]

The forwards did enough for us to win that game today. Except perhaps Seyfarth who plays the game like he doesn't remember or think about the rules, like he's still in year 10. We did ok without Pole.

Our last tackle options were appalling. Galvin had a really poor game, he's no prodigy and I would prefer to be pulling my hair out over a player that's actually unplayable week in week out and not a tall teenager with a decent running game. He and Luai have little chemistry as players and when you watch us it looks like we're are playing without a halfback.

Luai and Api are doing all the talking and you can tell Galvin is not really involved and there is little love lost between each of them them. Api carried us with those two tries today just playing eyes up footy, and there was nothing from the training paddock in those points we scored. It's not good.

Hence, Benji's got some work to do. I think some of his media bites are post match performances are getting a bit predictable and careworn. I don't like hearing him say the team could do with a bye. We're going to need a bit more boldness and big decisions from him as a coach at some stage of this season.

 

[426Tlgerland]

We don’t have the cattle , south’s out muscle us in size and strength
Seyfarth and Sam F are poor this year and not big
Our centres are average as AD is not really a centre , he is there for his kicking , Galvin is in poor form , Bulla has been average again he also runs to the sides specially the right side in attack , they just go to wide and don’t cut back in quick enough ,

 

[Tom Shines]

Hence, Benji's got some work to do. I think some of his media bites are post match performances are getting a bit predictable and careworn. I don't like hearing him say the team could do with a bye. We're going to need a bit more boldness and big decisions from him as a coach at some stage of this season.

In those after match press conferences, he looks like he is about as happy as getting a root canal …Im still not convinced he has a passion for NRL coaching …

I agree with your “ need the bye” assessment… bit of excuse making I would expect from the podcast crowd for another sub par performance … it’s 11 games … this is not really anything out of the ordinary historically speaking …

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Benji never looks happy. Not even when we win.

 

[Telltails]

Bet he is the only coach who is being stalked during the bye round.

 

[Betterdays22]

I'll lead this by saying Benji has to stay. Some food for thought however, here is a comparison with rounds 11 in 2024 and 2023:

2025: Wins: 5, losses 6 (12th); For: 226 point (13th); Against: 280 points (16th)

2024: Wins: 2, losses 7 (15th); For 144 points (17th); Against 226 (9th)

2023: Wins: 2, Losses 7 (17th); For 136 (17th); Against 226 (8th)

Each year the trends are desire, effort and competitiveness for the first 10 rounds, followed by a total capitulation in the 2nd half of the season. I made this point last year when the amnesia had set in from the previous years results. If this trends continues we are in for a world of hurt against some much better opposition in the 2nd half of the season. Despite the backslapping our defence is objectively worse than the last 2 years.

Our attack is improved. On on individual level, some players are much improved from previous years. Having more focal points in attack has resulted in more points despite the total absence of a cohesive attacking structure. Benji can take some credit for the individual output of some players (To'a, Bula and Turuva mainly), but he also needs to share the blame for the obvious problems with structure in attack and defence and poor discipline.

We have some wins, but there are some huge worries for me about what the rest of the season holds. The season isn't in the toilet, but in another 4/5 weeks it may well be.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Attack looked ordinary last night but think that the weather played a part, wasn't the night for sweeping backline plays, even so if wonder boy took more care and made sure of the grounding we could have won.

Can Benji coach, most think he can make it when we win a couple but when we lose back to back we want to put the blindfold on at the guillotine.
Our top 30 is still a long way from competitive so for me it's hard to judge probably needs min of 10 wins for a pass mark.

Trouble is if he's dumped who do you bring in.

 

[TooLong]

We are an extremely poorly coached team and fail at the basic fundamentals of the game, consistently.

What about the two sets in a row where, on the fifth tackle, the first receiver was Sione Fainu, then Jack Bird.

Pathetic.

Let's not forget that no one wanted the coaching job, we were rejected by the coaches we approached. Benji took it on as a last resort, which took courage.

 

[Bus 2 Terrigal]

I'll lead this by saying Benji has to stay. Some food for thought however, here is a comparison with rounds 10 in 2024 and 2023:

2025: Wins: 5, losses 6 (12th); For: 226 point (13th); Against: 280 points (16th)

2024: Wins: 2, losses 7 (15th); For 133 points (17th); Against 203 (8th)

2023: Wins: 2, Losses 7 (17th); For 136 (17th); Against 206 (8th)

Given that Benji has a far stronger squad in 2025, none of these comparisons to past years matter much 🥴

 

[Betterdays22]

Given that Benji has a far stronger squad in 2025, none of these comparisons to past years matter much 🥴

Disagree. How else would you track improvements year to year?

Huge alarm bells on the defensive side of things IMO. Think the improvements in attack can be put down to better individual quality than last year because running the eye test over our attack, it is 🤢