Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Airport05]

In

it doesn’t need a controlling 7 mate . There only 5 teams in the nrl who actually have one IMO. The riff, eels , cowboys and broncos and roosters now with DCE. The cowboys are literally the 2026 version of the wests tigers 05-12..: thy could put 70 on you and then get beat by 50 the next week . DCE was an impediment to manly in the end , but everyone thinks he’s going to have a bounce back season at 38 years old … I mean Ok .., Reynolds is one sprint away from tearing his hamstring off the bone . He’s a little gun though , the most underrated player in the comp most of his career IMO.
And now the big 2 the eels … well they’re a one man band . It’s plain to see what effect Moses has on them . But you shut him down , then there’s literally not much else . Especially in the forwards .
And finally the riff . Who I’d argue their most important player is not Cleary but rather Yeo . When Yeo isn’t there their record is terrible . Everyone else has either a young half still learning , or a makeshift player shoehorned in there . The issue isn’t Luai can’t organise . I thought at times the structures were there but it was just execution . For me his issue is in games of attrition , where precise kicking and monotony because important , he lacks mid field power and accuracy . I think when AD was on the field , that’s clearly ADs big strength , and it made things a lot clearer . It definitely took a while though , the structures needed to change , because they were so built around Galvin and his backline killing cross field runs , to another run down the other side to another run down right .. relentless attack , because he was so fit , this changed to a more fluent , collaborative style where each cog was just as important as the next , and I thought the team clicked at the end . A whole offseason of perfecting this with minimal change to the spine (for the first time in years the same 4/5 guys will return) should lead to connectivity and crisper execution . The players are there .. we’ve got ex Aus schoolboys all across the park . These guys can play .. they need to belive in themselves belive in the system and belive in each other . Those last 2 are the reason teams like the storm are always on top . Because they don’t have Aus schoolboys across the park . They field a lot of rejects from other clubs , who they mould into believing in those last 2. That’s where we need to get . The talent is there IMO.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying here. Especially your take on Yeo, Reynolds and the fact that our team 'should' get better with another season together. For all the uproar about our losses against the Cowboys and Titans at the end of the season, I thought those last three games were far and away the most cohesive and threatening we looked all year. I actually walked away from them with a fair bit of optimism for the future, albeit obviously hurting from not getting the wins.

For mine, I think Latu has what it takes to become the long-term 7 if he can get a decent run without injuries. I just hope Douehi can transform into a ball-playing lock because I think that could be the making of this team.

 

[innsaneink]

Totally agree. In the early 90s I was extremely fortunate to receive 2 bits of advice from Jack Gibson after a game. (I know, I know, name dropping) One of those bits of advice was that I should forget about spiralling the ball. He wanted me to make sure I gripped it correctly & followed through with my hands each & every time. He said so many star players in first grade can’t pass properly. I have been in & out of coaching for 30 years & I always tell any player to practice passing both sides everyday. So many halves can’t do it

Its the most overlooked fundamental in the juniors
Did a coaching / trainers course with Balmain jnrs 20 years back...Sirro and Dave Kelly were saying this back then too

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Only 17 can still be used out of

Just about every round in 2026 NRL and reserves playing the same day

Rotation strategy and even game time strategy will be important with a 6-man bench.

Maybe we will go in with 4 probables on the bench, then the other 2 will be given some game time in Cup if there is adequate time between venues & matches.

 

[TIGERS]

It is a cop out and I blame Benji Marshall.

he is the one pushing this "free flowing", play it as you see it no plan attack.

This may work for him if he is playing 5/8. It is not working for the team.
I have no problems with players devating from the plan when they see an opportunity, but that initial "What do we do" should be very clear.

It's 'eyes up footy', not free flowing. Wayne Bennett and Tim Sheens both coach that way. It's prioritises decision making and calculated risk (in the right moments), over structured play. It's why Mitchell Moses is considered a better rep halfback than Nathan Cleary but Cleary has more premierships. Cleary is a clutch player within structure. Moses is always looking up for his next penalty to milk.

I prefer it over the structured/pragmatic approach for now given the way the salary cap is geared against us. 2 teams with roughly the same tactics, the team with the better players will usually win. But you have to stay the course. And that's not easy. Everyone here froths over Brad Arthur, but it wasn't until the end of his 4th season at the Eels that he had them playing finals footy.

 

[upthetigers]

Tyran Wishart looks to be next.

Looks like you were on the money mate.

 

[innsaneink]

Rotation strategy and even game time strategy will be important with a 6-man bench.

Maybe we will go in with 4 probables on the bench, then the other 2 will be given some game time in Cup if there is adequate time between venues & matches.

With Wests mainly playing at Lidcombe it will rarely be feasible imo

Dunno how theyll manage it...

Catefully.planned rotations between reggies and nrl squads

 

[TigerSkins05]

Looks like you were on the money mate.

it was reported 3 days ago that Meaney and Wishart were signing with the Bears (jerseys are going to be black n red .. aka Western Reds style from years gone .. or maybe the North Sydney Bears style .. ??)

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

It is a cop out and I blame Benji Marshall.

he is the one pushing this "free flowing", play it as you see it no plan attack.

This may work for him if he is playing 5/8. It is not working for the team.
I have no problems with players devating from the plan when they see an opportunity, but that initial "What do we do" should be very clear.

This type of footy won us a GF be it a long time ago, it is obviously more difficult to master as we do look lost at times but when it's mastered it has benefits over structured.

How easy would it be for the opposition on game day to shut the plays down after watching replays in the video sessions if the attack is too robotic

Get rid of structure all together, no a good balance probably has the defense guessing.

 

[batboy]

This type of footy won us a GF be it a long time ago, it is obviously more difficult to master as we do look lost at times but when it's mastered it has benefits over structured.

How easy would it be for the opposition on game day to shut the plays down after watching replays in the video sessions if the attack is too robotic

Get rid of structure all together, no a good balance probably has the defense guessing.

That's the Problem,
This club built itself from that shitty Flashy footy and not hard work.

Without pissing on your comment mate, the game was very different in 05 (Obviously)
But to double down on that with a couple questions
- How long you been watching the game?
- How many Prime Benji Marshalls have you seen in that time?

That footy works when you have a once in a lifetime talent conducting it Mate.

2005 is the best (and in some ways) the worst thing that ever happened to us,
We've hung our hat on it for too long - Sheens was still dining out on it 2 years ago.

It took the good coaches 1 off season to nullify the game we built that year,
And took us 5 years to rebuild / recover.

 

[TheEnz]

You can't say having Galvin, Latu and Doueihi moving in and out of the halves wouldn't be a disruption we have seen how one important spine member can affect other teams ala Parra.

When Doueihi came into the side after a couple of games the side improved but when he was KO'd in the cowboys game it all fell to shit again.

We can only hope for once we can get through a season with minor spine interruption/media speculation, if this happens with a good off season they should show spine alignment, very disappointing if they don't.

we will really be successful when we can build enough resilience not to fall in a heap when we do lose a spine player.

 

[TheEnz]

That's the Problem,
This club built itself from that shitty Flashy footy and not hard work.

Without pissing on your comment mate, the game was very different in 05 (Obviously)
But to double down on that with a couple questions
- How long you been watching the game?
- How many Prime Benji Marshalls have you seen in that time?

That footy works when you have a once in a lifetime talent conducting it Mate.

2005 is the best (and in some ways) the worst thing that ever happened to us,
We've hung our hat on it for too long - Sheens was still dining out on it 2 years ago.

It took the good coaches 1 off season to nullify the game we built that year,
And took us 5 years to rebuild / recover.

I would argue that the introduction of the "dominant tackle" rule is what killed that style of play.

 

[batboy]

I would argue that the introduction of the "dominant tackle" rule is what killed that style of play.

Which was instigated from whom?
(Hint - it was the good coaches)

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

we will really be successful when we can build enough resilience not to fall in a heap when we do lose a spine player.

So true, could we be at last approaching this with Madden and the youth coming through as back up, I really hope so.

 

[Telltails]

It's hard for any club to win a competition and you use what ever skill you have to make it happen within the rules of the game at the time.

Melbourne have made a habit of being successful by flouting the rules.

We had a great 2005 and 10/11 playing great footy. What brought us undone was the inability of the management to build the club around that.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

That's the Problem,
This club built itself from that shitty Flashy footy and not hard work.

Without pissing on your comment mate, the game was very different in 05 (Obviously)
But to double down on that with a couple questions
- How long you been watching the game?
- How many Prime Benji Marshalls have you seen in that time?

That footy works when you have a once in a lifetime talent conducting it Mate.

2005 is the best (and in some ways) the worst thing that ever happened to us,
We've hung our hat on it for too long - Sheens was still dining out on it 2 years ago.

It took the good coaches 1 off season to nullify the game we built that year,
And took us 5 years to rebuild / recover.

Good point B about Benji back in the day and why it worked but surely you don't think the same structured plays is going to get it done, I suggested a balance.

You could argue well have a whole list of them to apply but not all football brains under fatigue can operate like a CPU.

Do you have an answer on how to approach our attack?

How long have I been watching footy,1st game I was 8 when Artie scored at LO on the grandstand left side corner, but really that means Jack stacking it up against the modern game.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Sitting in on the Zoom calls and CC'd on all the contract negotiations eh?? Maybe Mal Meninga needs to do a few seasons in NSW cup first to learn a bit more about footy.

Benji doesn't count as a 'real coach' and neither does Mal Meninga apparently. Jeez, who's your dream appointment?? Are you Matt Elliott's agent or something??

Makes you wonder what kind of overs they are paying to get players to the other side of Australia.

Can't wait to see how the depth stacks up in the back 13 of their roster.

 

[Tiger Stripes]

My biggest indicator last year that coaching waa our issue was how lost our spine looked a lot of times. A spine consisting of Bula, Luai and Api shouldn’t have struggled as much as they did. I’ve heard the excuse about Galvin leaving. That’s a cop out. If they don’t improve, we’re toast.

The missing ingredient in your comment is WE HAD NO HALFBACK OF NOTE. (Latu on L Plates).
A competent halfback is central to all moves, game plans, kicks.
Doueihi filled in well for a time and what a difference that made.
Halfback is our weakness and remains our weakness unless Madden or Doueihi take the on that roll or Latu/Andrews come good. Fingers crossed.
The coach can only show them what to do-------up to them to execute.

 

[EllisFan]

The missing ingredient in your comment is WE HAD NO HALFBACK OF NOTE. (Latu on L Plates).
A competent halfback is central to all moves, game plans, kicks.
Doueihi filled in well for a time and what a difference that made.
Halfback is our weakness and remains our weakness unless Madden or Doueihi take the on that roll or Latu/Andrews come good. Fingers crossed.
The coach can only show them what to do-------up to them to execute.

The chopping and changing following the Galvin debacle didn’t help. Hopefully more stability in our spine this year. Need to sort the Bula situation.

 

[Lestronge]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying here. Especially your take on Yeo, Reynolds and the fact that our team 'should' get better with another season together. For all the uproar about our losses against the Cowboys and Titans at the end of the season, I thought those last three games were far and away the most cohesive and threatening we looked all year. I actually walked away from them with a fair bit of optimism for the future, albeit obviously hurting from not getting the wins.

For mine, I think Latu has what it takes to become the long-term 7 if he can get a decent run without injuries. I just hope Douehi can transform into a ball-playing lock because I think that could be the making of this team.

Yea that would be the optimal outcome . The titans game … the boys were mentally at Broadbeach around the 60 min mark , with nothing to play for. I can sit here and piss and moan about it , and I think I did last year haha , but it’s stupid really , as just about anyone who’s 20 mins off knockoff for the year is doing the same thing with nothing on the line .
That cowboys game … we had them … those injuries were brutal , and probably a big catalyst for the conversation around this 6 man bench . If we had a centre or a utility on the bench , would Drinkwaters eyes have lit up like they did .. I don’t think so . The footy gods sent us a pineapple that day. But it was clear to see if the tigers play like that , the will win more than they will lose . Probably a lot more .

 

[jadtiger]

Correct.
We were discussing this a few weeks.back
I assume there will be the bench of four that will be a.likely ... no injury scenario bench...and.the extra two just in case..likely a halve and maybe a 3/4
I dunno how.it will work as u said my worry with the way the reggies comp is all over the place there could be a couple of players not getting much footy.
Wether they have 3 x players each for positions 18 & 19 and rotate them weekly to ensure theyre getting match fitness either in nrl or reserve...how practical that is i dont know
Thur and fri games in NRL will.benefit those players...the clubs.with most of those will benefit

Just another rule to favour the Bronco's