LIVE GAME Round 27 vs. Eels

Live Game Discussion
Iron Fist said:
Yep. You speak the truth. Roster is the smallest, youngest and least experienced in the NRL.

Talk of firing staff again shows supporters haven’t learnt anything from the past decade.

The club is still dealing with the Sheens roster. Club has to stick the course for another year. I’ll rely more on Richo’s approach than the knee-jerk reaction from supporters who seem to be no better than hBG.
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Yep let’s bury our head in the sand.
We won two more games than last year…yay! We are on the up!!!!!
 
Our side last night played how a young inexperienced side is expected to play. We were in it for 50 minutes then Api got sinbinned and never came back plus Feledy and Latu were off for the last 15 mins with no backs on the bench. The Eels were more experienced and luck went their way a couple of times. Not a surprise how it finished but am feeling confident for next year
 
boonboon said:
Our side last night played how a young inexperienced side is expected to play. We were in it for 50 minutes then Api got sinbinned and never came back plus Feledy and Latu were off for the last 15 mins with no backs on the bench. The Eels were more experienced and luck went their way a couple of times. Not a surprise how it finished but am feeling confident for next year
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You’d have to think the moment was too big for a number of guys who are still on their L plates and others who really should’nt be playing FG.
 
1itiger said:
Utoikamanu was disgraceful tonight Didn't want to be there.
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Him and Pole are our 2 worst defensive forwards, we can't carry players who are a lazy arm grabbers, costs us tries every week, one is gone, maybe both, me I won't be too disappointed if both go
 
BAGNF05 said:
You’d have to think the moment was too big for a number of guys who are still on their L plates and others who really should’nt be playing FG.
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I think just they wernt as good and more importantly as experienced especially in the backline.
 
Iron Fist said:
Yep. You speak the truth. Roster is the smallest, youngest and least experienced in the NRL.

Talk of firing staff again shows supporters haven’t learnt anything from the past decade.

The club is still dealing with the Sheens roster. Club has to stick the course for another year. I’ll rely more on Richo’s approach than the knee-jerk reaction from supporters who seem to be no better than hBG.
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To be honest it’s still a flow on from the Cleary roster. Once you sign a bunch of duds on big money you pretty much need to buy really well , which is hard when you’re last, or take the time to develop your youngsters, and that takes time. People complain, but what’s the solution? Hire someone that gets short-term results and in 3 years we are back at square one?

I’ll be the first to admit that Benji has made mistakes on certain things, but his long-term strategy is right and that what counts. We need to be patient, at least until half way through next year. If it’s still the same, then we kick up a stink, but until then we need to be patient. We will be much better next year.
 
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Merlot said:
nothing wrong at the moment with Benjie as coach ,the side did not compete as a team,said with a grain of salt as i payed little attention 2nite,nor did i really want 2 ,we just didnt look switched on from the start
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See how Flanagan handled the press conference last week, and his side lost by 4, compare that to Benji this week, a sold out home crowd all to play for, it's chalk and cheese
 
mikey said:
Not really - it's perfectly understandable that people will be upset with him (but not to racially or otherwise abuse him).
He's put in little most of this and last year. States he wants to be a leader and shows no desire on the field.
Are you going to be happy if he transforms into a machine at the Drizzle but couldn't be bothered putting in here?
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The lack of respect he showed for his own teammates, staff & fans with his efforts since April is downright disgraceful. A supposed leader & SOO player! Most fans have long memories and he will have to accept the reception he will get from WT fans as long as it’s above board.

I have my serious doubts whether he will transform into a machine at the Storm with his attitude & inconsistency. The Tarzan Jane analogy comes to mind.
 
851 said:
Him and Pole are our 2 worst defensive forwards, we can't carry players who are a lazy arm grabbers, costs us tries every week, one is gone, maybe both, me I won't be too disappointed if both go
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Agree. Talent and inexperience is one thing but at the crux of our club for a long time has been a lack of mental fortitude and desire. How to we change this at WT? Cycling through personnel year after year hasn’t flushed the soft underbelly out of the club.
 
I think the Benjricho youth policy has a couple of obvious flaws.

First and foremost, their argument is that we need multiple juniors being fed into first grade to build a competitive roster.

The so called “ Penrith” model.

Sounds sensible until one realises that most of the top 8 sides have hardly any of their juniors in the NRL.

For example, the storms success has been built on astute recruitment from sage officials who know what they doing.

Same salary cap restraints, better management thereof.

The effort was so poor and regrettable last night, so damning an indictment on our club, atm I think the right thing for Benji to do is resign.

Phase out the risky teenage rugby league player program and start recruiting emerging or proven talent from other clubs. By all means keep a few of the adolescents, but balance please!

I can’t wear the jersey today, I’ll be laughed at more than I already am in my regular westie uggbooted attire, blending in with the locals here near Penrith.
 
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Our game plan went out the window at half time 12 point margin against Parra shouldn't be go out there and throw the pill around from the get go in the 2nd half. Once they got that intercept i felt we were gone.
Then we semi get a sniff back and Api get's sin binned game 100% gone, in all fairness i don't blame Api the guy busts his gut week in week out with not a lot of help he was probably heavily fatigued.
Forget what was said pre game about 16 or 17th doesn't matter, it mattered a hell of alot the team needed momentum going into next year and also the supporters needed a glimmer of hope. That loss is again on Benji, team selections poor game plan poor player rotations poor. I don't think he's got what it takes Morris almost certainly doesn't unless his influence is so little he barely gets a say, but he and Farrah probably need to go and some experience with a voice to come in.
 
Coastie_Tiger said:
Our game plan went out the window at half time 12 point margin against Parra shouldn't be go out there and throw the pill around from the get go in the 2nd half. Once they got that intercept i felt we were gone.
Then we semi get a sniff back and Api get's sin binned game 100% gone, in all fairness i don't blame Api the guy busts his gut week in week out with not a lot of help he was probably heavily fatigued.
Forget what was said pre game about 16 or 17th doesn't matter, it mattered a hell of alot the team needed momentum going into next year and also the supporters needed a glimmer of hope. That loss is again on Benji, team selections poor game plan poor player rotations poor. I don't think he's got what it takes Morris almost certainly doesn't unless his influence is so little he barely gets a say, but he and Farrah probably need to go and some experience with a voice to come in.
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Unfortunately Morris is limited with the defensive capabilities of the team
Steph was very poor (again)
Pole has issues
The whole back line is challenged and has been all year irrespective of who was selected
So I think it is difficult to lay the poor defence at the feet of Morris
 
After sleeping on it and getting past the immediate disappointment of watching that performance, then reading everyones posts here, I think the obvious realisation for what we have seen in many of our poor games comes back mostly to our weak roster this season and the players who we have had to put out on the field due to injuries and suspensions each week.
You can blame the club for poor “culture” or Benji for his inexperience, or the assistant coaches for theirs, or a lack of discipline, or a lack of player effort, even the refs, or the NRL……..but you can’t go past the simple fact we often played with too many young boys against teams full of hardened men. We rarely had any consistent spine and lost many of our 17 each week, causing us to bring in players that were not up to it due to our lack of NRL depth.
As has been said.. we tackled like our KOE cup team.. exactly right, because we were (or should be) our KOE cup team. We look undersized and under strength and unfit because we physically are. It actually IS boys vs men out there, with a few old worn out warriors like Api trying to plug the holes.
The game found us out and was always going to this season. Let’s hope that with the right recruitment we can begin to fix this underlying issue of roster. Then we’ll see if Richo and Benji can sort out the rest of the equation.
Seems a long way off until next season!
 
I think Api needs to be stripped of his captaincy to focus on his game. When on song, he’s probably the craftiest dummy half in the game… lump that with a whole heap of responsibility on his shoulders and he shits the bed

The challenge in the first 10 mins
Kick out on the full
Sin bin

Great player, not so great leader. Not really sure who you’d give it to tho… Luai maybe
 
Iron Fist said:
The kids already had contracts before Marshall become head coach, and Richo arrived. There are only about 10 senior players in the top 30 with more than 3 or 4 NRL pre seasons under their belt. The rest needs to be picked from the pool which Sheens/McDonnell/Fulton signed.

This off season will be interesting. I wonder if they bite the bullet and pay out a few of the young boys and bring in some experience to at least level up the age and inexperience ledger.
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Cheers.

I’m going on their press conference utterances and stuff. It’s untenable for mine.

But we are broadly in agreement.

The squad hasn’t improved individually and as a team, that’s my biggest Benji issue.

If we saw genuine improvement, I’d be less vocal.

But the stark realisation that he doesn’t know what he’s doing -hasn’t dawned on him.

So in my view, we are wasting a lot of time, effort and resources on this fairytale.

I can’t remember which of our intrepid and high brow forumers coined that wonderful moniker.

Nothing personal Benji, just leave now. Millions of dollars and resources chucked at him for political correctness and grandiose ignorant pr reasons.

Even Lee still thinks he’s awesome. That’s a reference isn’t it?!
 
Tucker said:
Yep let’s bury our head in the sand.
We won two more games than last year…yay! We are on the up!!!!!
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Getting 60 put on us in spoonbowl at home is a coach
problem. He couldn't get the players that are leaving
& the guys that are staying up, that's the facts of the
situation and I don't want to harp on about it but
he's been very casual benji has, you can afford to
play babysitter for only so long, I know they're young
but we're beyond just going out there and having fun.
 
If we moved their forwards from side to side with ball security, then punch through the middle with Latu and Mason etc - we are in that game. Gas them and not ourselves with the hail Mary stuff. Pawa knew we would try to run around them.

The game plan and fun attitude was pathetic, an obviously stupid approach to the game. The nature of the loss is on Benji.

At least it gives Richo licence now to be Attila the Hun, because he need to be.
 
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