2021 a hard year however there's reason for hope.

[Snow Tiger]

There is no doubt that 2021 has been a hard year for the club. Much of the heartache has been a result of a few of the dreadful numbers posted against the side in our losses which has been dispiriting for the team and fans. When fatigue set in during 2021 team wilted and points racked up quickly. This even happened to some of the better teams with both Souths and Manly coping drubbings during the season.

This graph below from an ABC article on Teddy shows how 2021 has had unusually large winning margin distribution's compared to previous years. For a young team, really at the very beginning of a rebuild with many players just learning how to play big minutes it's not a complete surprise that when we got punished we got punished badly once the fatigue kicked it under the current interpretation of the rules.

Based on this logic there is hope that if we can improve 5-10% next year with the boys having more experience under their belts and a couple of good recruits the changes to the scoreboard maybe significantly better than you'd expect as we move matches out of the 41.1% band.

Manly this year have been an excellent example of this. The difference Tom Trbojevic made to the side when he returned was enormous; I'd say he made a larger than 10% difference to the side. However his impact was exaggerated because of the rules and the impact they have had on the Winning Margin Distributions. The result was the team shifted from a bottom 4 to top 4 side.

I'm not trying to downplay the task ahead for the team and coach in 2022. Just noting that 2021 was unusual and I suspect the rules have had a bigger impact on the less experienced and under performing sides than most years. I also expect the NRL will work on adjusting the rules to reduce the winning margin distribution during the off season.


 

[tigerbalm]

Good enough for me. WT2022 undefeated premiers.

 

[Spartan117]

I fear it will be harder for the Tigers in 2022...

 

[Tiger_heart]

Not convinced 2022 is going to be any better than the last 10 years - or more. Most good teams have been able to adapt to the new rules. The distribution to me is more a reflection of the gap that exists between footballers and wannabes. Of better managed clubs than those that are light years behind.
We are the latter. Sadly.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

More of the same. Everyone knows it, even if they can’t admit it.

 

[yeahcaz]

Yeah but we’ve had rule changes since last year. All the best coaches have already adapted and we’ve got even worse. Next season will be no exception.
Fans will be begging for 13th

 

[Geo]

Good enough for me. WT2022 undefeated premiers.

100%

 

[TYGA]

This post is true we are in for a long rebuild. It will take 5 years at minimum before we are competitive ie a top 4 side and at least 2 years away from the top 8.

It is what it is. We have no other choice. The club is not one that has had any success in recruiting for its entire existence. We have to become and stay a development club. It has to be done only then can you recruit talent. We have too many competitors in Sydney and we seem to play by the rules.

 

[Magpie_Magic]

This post is true we are in for a long rebuild. It will take 5 years at minimum before we are competitive ie a top 4 side and at least 2 years away from the top 8.

It is what it is. We have no other choice. The club is not one that has had any success in recruiting for its entire existence. We have to become and stay a development club. It has to be done only then can you recruit talent. We have too many competitors in Sydney and we seem to play by the rules.

All your points based on snows observations are true. We are seemly too much of an honest and politically correct club which dosent lend itself to winning .
Been thinking about it lately, that is what is the way out for the club during these lockdown days and it's difficult to find inspiration. Development, as you say is the only way out and all this takes time, I mean with the rule changes it would be silly to overcommit to buying established players because I sense the rules are not a finished product and will be tweaked again, in any case hard to know what type of player to buy in this situation.

However, maybe I'm dreaming but with reserve grade and Jersey Flegg going well perhaps the juniors we seek are not long in the making. And let's not forget with Sheens return we have a coach who inspired a distinctive style which fitted the interpretation of the rules back then and somehow I feel new tactics are required now. Someone elsewhere mentioned the Walker brothers, perhaps not that extreme but I sense a slow methodical rebuild won't work for us, we are going to have to be different and at least we have a coach returning in some capacity who's done it before with us as well as some winning juniors.

Perhaps I'm dreaming but...

 

[happy_tiger]

I tend to disagree .....I can't see the NRL changing the rules and if they were planning changes for it we would have seen it trialled in the last round

The game has to stop the rule changes for a few years and stop and see it effects on the game for a period of greater than one season .......

 

[Telltails]

Yeah but we’ve had rule changes since last year. All the best coaches have already adapted and we’ve got even worse. Next season will be no exception.
Fans will be begging for 13th

 

[Demps]

If we can find hope after so many seasons of hopelessness... we are truly amazing ❤

Tigers fans, loyal & inspiring.

The real premiership winners are the loyal fans.

 

[TYGA]

This post is true we are in for a long rebuild. It will take 5 years at minimum before we are competitive ie a top 4 side and at least 2 years away from the top 8.

It is what it is. We have no other choice. The club is not one that has had any success in recruiting for its entire existence. We have to become and stay a development club. It has to be done only then can you recruit talent. We have too many competitors in Sydney and we seem to play by the rules.

All your points based on snows observations are true. We are seemly too much of an honest and politically correct club which dosent lend itself to winning .
Been thinking about it lately, that is what is the way out for the club during these lockdown days and it's difficult to find inspiration. Development, as you say is the only way out and all this takes time, I mean with the rule changes it would be silly to overcommit to buying established players because I sense the rules are not a finished product and will be tweaked again, in any case hard to know what type of player to buy in this situation.

However, maybe I'm dreaming but with reserve grade and Jersey Flegg going well perhaps the juniors we seek are not long in the making. And let's not forget with Sheens return we have a coach who inspired a distinctive style which fitted the interpretation of the rules back then and somehow I feel new tactics are required now. Someone elsewhere mentioned the Walker brothers, perhaps not that extreme but I sense a slow methodical rebuild won't work for us, we are going to have to be different and at least we have a coach returning in some capacity who's done it before with us as well as some winning juniors.

Perhaps I'm dreaming but...

Madge’s Souths team were all under 23 bar a few and he gave a debut to most. We don’t have Souths juniors. He struggles with experienced players that get tired of the hard work.

 

[GarryOwen]

I also expect the NRL will work on adjusting the rules to reduce the winning margin distribution during the off season.

I would be very surprised if this were the case.
They are definitely making it up as they go along, but they seem pretty content with the high scores and blowouts.
There seems to be more inequality in the game than there has been in living memory, all as a direct result from the way the NRL is administering the competition. Be it through a lax CBA or the rule changes, the rich are only going to get richer.

 

[Devon Head]

I can't stand the 6 again rule, there was absolutely no need to speed up the game. I don't mind the emphasis on head contact and the 2 point FG however the 6 again rule is rubbish. The old fashioned grind is all but gone with the exception of the odd game here and there. Nothing more annoying than a 32-30 scoreline, give me a 12-10 any day. I honestly don't understand the need to constantly be changing rules when the game wasn't broken.