Sheens does not give young players a go very much.
😱pen_mouth:
Seriously? Ayshford, Benji, Moltzen, Lui, Gibbs, Galloway, Fulton, Farah, Heighington, Collis, Lawrence, Fafita, Dwyer, Lazarus etc, etc, etc might disagree with you.
Sheens has been a master of bringing young players through the ranks. You can bag him for a number of things- but that statement was way off the mark.
There's a whole lot of gesticulating going on around here, but as far as I see it- this team was playing well at the beginning of the year, then Moltzen got hurt & the Tigers have looked about half as good since.
Losing Moltzen has put a serious crimp in the Tigers style since his injury. The forwards are playing fine- for those of you trying to lay the blame of the Tigers success at their feet- they rarely are dominated by opposition packs. The way the Tigers play, the forwards are not DESIGNED to dominate themselves- they lay a platform, tackle their bums off, and let the backs do the sparkly razzle dazzle stuff. Gibbs, Payton, Fulton, Galloway, Ellis, Heighington etc do a fine job of it.
Lui hasn't played up to the level required for him to be a success at halfback- and Benji, as everybody knows, needs that foil to really excel. Without it, Benji is asked to do too much organising- not his strength. As a result, Farah is then required to spend a large portion of his game filling that role- which limits his effectiveness as a dummy half option- teams zone in on Farah at the play of the ball, giving him fewer options, knowing that the attack stems from him or Benji.
McKinnon hasnt become the attacking option we need at fullback- but that could be a developing thing at this point.
I've seen more committment to defence than in previous years, I've seen the tigers win those close, ugly games this year, and I've seen them do it on the back of a revolving door for injuries through the year. Bad when you lose a player for a season like Moltzen. but equally bad when you lose a Lui for 3 weeks, then back for 2, then out for 2, then back for 3 etc- gives no continuity- same with McKinnon- same with Galloway.
Is Sheens the greatest coach in the NRL? No, probably not. But for a team that is built on a few good players & a bunch of promising players- a guy with Sheens' experience is a better option than a win-at-all-costs type like Gould or Stuart- who will fill the roster with experienced players, wring them dry, and leave the club in a hole when they leave. Whoever gets to follow Sheens walks into a great situation- a team that continually generates young talent.
Bag Sheens as much as you like- but try to be objective, instead of just hashing out the tried & used "We need a big prop blah blah…we need a 'real' halfback blah blah" stuff.
Lui, Fafita and Dwyer are the only ones that have come into the squad from the NYC as you well know. The rest of the players you have named came through the lower grades or from other clubs. The selection policy adopted by Sheens is a load of crap. Lui, is a 5/8 not a half back. Moltzen is a 5/8 not a half back, Lazarus is a half back, not a winger, Ryan is a centre, not a fullback or winger. Brown is a winger not a centre or fullback. Farah is a hooker, not a halfback. Benji is a 5/8 not a halfback. Ellis, the best second rower in the world is being used as a bash up prop, not a wide running wrecking ball as he should be. Ditto for Moors.
If you think that this team would not be better with a natural half back then you do not have a clue about football.