@coivtny said in [Signing Suggestions & Rumours](/post/1426503) said:
Our signings record over the past couple of years has been abysmal. The two teams I think we're most like in terms of size, reputation, location etc are the Bulldogs and Sharks. Both teams have completely outgunned WT in the quality of their signings this year. It has become an embarrassment how we are consistently out-manoeuvred time after time for quality players. Surely at some point this will have an effect on retention of WT fans and sponsors and ultimately on retaining our own quality players. I can't imagine the likes of Stefano and Simpkin wanting to stay with a club which is a consistent non-performer. Put simply, something has to change if we are to change botrh the perception and reality of our club's performances on and off the field.
Not much point having a whinge without proposing a solution. Here's mine:
a) get rid of Hartigan. We have stuffed up too many recruitments. I'm sure he was a great recruiter at Easts. But it's not that hard to recruit players to Easts because they desperately want to go there and will go there for less money than clubs like WT. His style just doesn't work with a club like ours.
b) get rid of Maguire. The players don't respond to him and he's had more than enough time to get better results than he's getting. Nice guy but he's part of the problem and will not be part of the solution. I'd sign Flanagan in a heartbeat. He knows how to coach and will have a better chance of attracting quality players. I think the mere fact that we make the switch to Flanagan will change the dynamic for WT and will open us up for business with better quality players. I know plenty of forum members have no time for Flanagan but he's a winner and I would ensure his contract had strong behavioural clauses in it.
c) get rid of Pascoe. He's been at WT for long enough to improve the culture of the club and he just hasn't been successful. He just does not have the vibe of a COE. His position would be the easiest of the three to recruit to, there would be a good field of applicants.
d) Once those three changes have been made I'd have Sheens and Flanagan go through the playing roster and get rid of / pay out any player that doesn't fit with the culture and uncompromising playing style that the new WT represents.
Once those changes have been made I think players would be more willing to come and play with us but it could take three years to build a finals-ready roster. I'd be prepared to wait.
Flanagan attracted players by breaking the salary cap. CHEAT
I mean seriously who cares ? Surely he can’t do worse as a coach than Maguire
Where is Flanagan going to get his cheating money and peptides from? I can't understand how anyone reckons the bloke has ability when he cheated and grafted his way to a premiership. The only reason people let the Sharks off as a brand is because they feel sorry for them, the decades of failure.
But Flanagan himself had a good run by systematic cheating in more than one domain (salaries and illegal substances), then got sanctioned, then cheated AGAIN by continuing to operate against his ban. And somehow he still knows enough people in the media to land a gig on Fox, despite being a proven and sanctioned cheat.
And people want someone like that at Tigers. Good lord. Maybe if he could cheat the salary cap again and inject all our players with performance-improving substances he might get Tigers going.
He TOOK a WOODEN SPOON TEAM TO THE GRAND FINAL!
Yes, the roster was upgraded. Yes he had Dr peptides come. Yes they did a year out to make up for that. It happened under his leadership, but far out rookie coach who probably barely knew what a peptide was. Would we have done better? I vaguely remember a more obvious incident with Terry Lamb and John Hopoate? Yes he should have stuck to the 1 year ban, but the guy can coach.
Did Flanagan break the salary cap worse then Easts? Did he have a draw card better then the Donkeys so could offer players unders? No
He loaded a rental truck with Gym equipment from a bankrupt Gym and drove it from Melbourne to Sydney.
Cronulla had money and Flanagan rebuilt their roster. He rebuilt it wisely getting Fifita, Heighington, Ben Barba at the right time. He outcoached Bellamy for the Grand final. He worked out set plays with Ben Barba hiding in the scrum which lead to a try. Guy can coach.
Happy to stick with Madge. But if we lost Madge, Flanagan would be my next choice. Heck he dealt with Cronulla when they were a nothing Club and not spending their entire salary cap. Makes sense that he would come here.
Yes they broke the salary cap worse than Easts, he built his squad by cheating, after that everything else is irrelevant because that has such a huge impact on you ability to build the roster. He has not shown that he can coach without an illegal roster.
On top of that he was unable to protect the welfare of the player in his care and to me that is unforgivable, a coaches first priority should be protecting the young men in his care. He failed massively in that regard and that is unacceptable and in my opinion should be enough to see him have no place in the game.
