Xander
Waterboy
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2019
- Messages
- 65
- Reaction score
- 58
We have no hope of making the finals in 2019. We are most likely going to get the wooden spoon.
For those two reasons alone, 2019's focus should now be on working on 2020.
1. The very large majority of the lower grade team should all be given several opportunities to play in first grade. Winning games in first grade in 2019 is now redundant. I don't believe we should any longer focus on getting our best team on the paddock week in, week out. Give the lower grades a taste of first grade and their team will be strengthened on the back of it while adding depth and experience to next year's squad possibilities.
2. Players who won't feature heavily in 2020 or possibly at all in 2021 should already begin to make some room for the lower grade players. Aiden Tolman is example number one. He's been a bloody good player, an excellent club man, a decent bloke and someone who always gives 100%. But I don't care about what money he's on and whether it's a waste playing him in the lower grades. Send him down there to teach the reggies what the NRL is all about and free up space in first grade for some younger steam trains to have a massive crack at it.
3. Become an innovative and adaptive team. The Walker brothers are the best examples of shaking things up. I don't see the Bulldogs with their current squad being able to play the same style of football as other teams, week in week out, because other teams will almost always have the edge, roster-wise. It's time to factor in a few more levels of unpredictability. I remember Shifty Brent Sherwin used to use a bit of unpredictability to crack open a game. One example being kicking for touch off a 20m restart instead of taking the tap. Other teams didn't expect it and it was just one action that led to a less committed and organised defensive structure mindset. I don't think Dean Pay has the necessary tactical brain to explore new ways of breaking down the defense but there are lots of creative minds in the current squad who can shake it up a bit. Hasler shook it up a bit by bringing back the short dropout and now many teams adopt it. Unpredictability needs to be a full bow, not just a string.
I don't care if we don't win a single game for the rest of 2019. I don't anticipate we will get rid of Dean Pay anytime soon and in all honesty, I think the most important thing he can do is to encourage the players and build their confidence. His current 'turnstile' approach of dropping players who are in form only to bring in replacements who need to adopt the current mundane 'game plans' is breaking spirits. It's time to get players on-board with an effort to give the lower players experience and the more experienced and soon to be retired players mentoring matches in the lower grades. It's time to start differentiating our team from the rest of the NRL and showing that we don't have to buy a premiership (eg Roosters) but we can win one from depth, leadership, attitude and creativity.
For those two reasons alone, 2019's focus should now be on working on 2020.
1. The very large majority of the lower grade team should all be given several opportunities to play in first grade. Winning games in first grade in 2019 is now redundant. I don't believe we should any longer focus on getting our best team on the paddock week in, week out. Give the lower grades a taste of first grade and their team will be strengthened on the back of it while adding depth and experience to next year's squad possibilities.
2. Players who won't feature heavily in 2020 or possibly at all in 2021 should already begin to make some room for the lower grade players. Aiden Tolman is example number one. He's been a bloody good player, an excellent club man, a decent bloke and someone who always gives 100%. But I don't care about what money he's on and whether it's a waste playing him in the lower grades. Send him down there to teach the reggies what the NRL is all about and free up space in first grade for some younger steam trains to have a massive crack at it.
3. Become an innovative and adaptive team. The Walker brothers are the best examples of shaking things up. I don't see the Bulldogs with their current squad being able to play the same style of football as other teams, week in week out, because other teams will almost always have the edge, roster-wise. It's time to factor in a few more levels of unpredictability. I remember Shifty Brent Sherwin used to use a bit of unpredictability to crack open a game. One example being kicking for touch off a 20m restart instead of taking the tap. Other teams didn't expect it and it was just one action that led to a less committed and organised defensive structure mindset. I don't think Dean Pay has the necessary tactical brain to explore new ways of breaking down the defense but there are lots of creative minds in the current squad who can shake it up a bit. Hasler shook it up a bit by bringing back the short dropout and now many teams adopt it. Unpredictability needs to be a full bow, not just a string.
I don't care if we don't win a single game for the rest of 2019. I don't anticipate we will get rid of Dean Pay anytime soon and in all honesty, I think the most important thing he can do is to encourage the players and build their confidence. His current 'turnstile' approach of dropping players who are in form only to bring in replacements who need to adopt the current mundane 'game plans' is breaking spirits. It's time to get players on-board with an effort to give the lower players experience and the more experienced and soon to be retired players mentoring matches in the lower grades. It's time to start differentiating our team from the rest of the NRL and showing that we don't have to buy a premiership (eg Roosters) but we can win one from depth, leadership, attitude and creativity.