Opinion Going backwards (Poll)

[speedy2460]

We are not going backwards. But we seem to be in the same position as previously, so we have not improved.
We have a lot of "dead wood" in the ranks. They will be filtered out. The young guys are improving each game and will continue to do so.
When the seasoned incoming players, combined with the young guys get together, success should come.
The two problems I see about not winning is this.
We do not have an on-field general.
We do not have a competent talent scout.

 

[B-Train]

I hear this all the time but to me it’s bullshit. The last 6 years we’ve had the worst period in bulldog history since the early 70’s and we continue to sell out a shithole at BSG and we’re coming 15th. Souths kept getting flogged and finished with the wooden spoon many times for 15 years until Crowe took over. They are still one of the most supported teams in the NRL.

If and when we become a force to be reckoned with you will see all the blue and white supporters come out of the wood works.

Yeah you can never question the loyalty of our fanbase. Despite 8 years of missing the finals we got 33k against Parra a few weeks ago, 17k to sell out Belmore despite losing 66-0 two weeks ago and regularly get 20-30k at other games. Imagine what the crowds would be like when we eventually become good again?

 

[B-Train]

No one expected an immediate top 4/8 finish

Slow and steady improvements in results should definitely have happened, instead we will be battling it out for the spoon in 2023

Are you trying to tell me that even slight improvements weren’t expected? I checked the pre season prediction/expectation thread and just about everyone had us 7th-10th. Many went even higher. It’s fascinating how this is all forgotten just cos Gould has wheeled out a litany of excuses for peanuts here to gobble hp

We should be more competitive week to week even and the defence is inexcusable regardless of who is missing but there's no denying losing Kikau, Thompson, TPJ, Addo-Carr and Kiraz out for extended periods have played a major part and our squad depth isn't good enough to withstand it..

Either way Ciraldo has a lot to work on and isn't exactly inspiring confidence right now.. Hopefully he can turn things around because he's not going anywhere for a while.

 

[Bazildog]

Regardless of who started the thread or if you are a pyhsico team Positive or pyhsico team Negative, the facts about how we are travelling are a little concerning regardless of the many excuses we can offer via injury, bad luck or lopsided penalty counts..

Since the "Rebuilds and 5 Year Plans" began after 2016 our record in a very small snap shot is;

Year P/A G/P AVPG Ladder Wins

• 2017 435 23 -18 12th 9
• 2018 474 24 -19 12th 8
• 2019 477 24 -19 12th 10
• 2020 504 20 -25 15th 3
• 2021 710 24 -29 16th 3
• 2022 575 24 -21 12th 7
• 2023 549 18 -30 15th 6 (6 rounds still remaining)

Based on the above even if we were to improve our defence over the 6 remaining games down to just -20 points against we will still finish with an average of appox -28 per game against and our worst total against since we won the spoon in 2021. We have the Panthers next followed by Dolphins, Knights, Raiders, Manly and finally the Titans.

If we some how maintain our current average we will end up with 729 total against eclipsing our 710 with the spoon and our average will be almost -31, which surely cant actually happen given the mass changes in staff and roster etc..

Everything in the numbers above points to what has been our biggest issue since Des left, DEFENCE. Apart from last year with a brief turnaround in numbers from a few late season wins bringing the average back to -21, it has steadily been on the decline since 2017 and this year could easily be our worst. If you dive deeper into our defence and look at missed tackles, penaltys against, and tackle efficiency etc, its even far worse of a picture and for the life of me I cant understand how people like Gus and Ciraldo cant see it.

I am not calling for sackings, board changes or burning down the club (although should that ever happen...). But, what I am asking is apart from excuses and reasons looking to justify whats happening, do they even acknowledge this is the main problem that we have to fix before we can even think about becoming a force again??

 

[maroondog72]

lol, not everyone.. just most hahaha !!

nice avatar scoob why dont you take it over to the pod.

 

[Jonboi]

Those results show me a lot of people don’t know Jack shit, things always get worse before they get better.

 

[The DoggFather]

Those results show me a lot of people don’t know Jack shit, things always get worse before they get better.

Who's Jack Shit? Is he a middle forward?

 

[dawso047]

The roster is improving, next year they will have available Chrighton, Kiraz, Addo Carr, Xerri, Burton , Kikau, Preston, Mahoney. Plenty of potential with TPJ, King, Skelton, Sexton, KO, Mariner, Topine, Pele, Patolo, Sutton and Papali'i still in the squad. Fingers crossed that some of the following remain at the club and really come on next year Wilson, Alamoti, Morrin, Rajab, Edwards, Grey and Kautoga.
Though questions remain about 1 and 7, the club needs to nail those positions during the 1st half of the 24 season. One or two quality middles from elswhere need to be signed such as Hass, Tino, Sele would put the team on the path to the finals.

 

[gibbo2]

Add JAC, Mahoney, Sutton, Perham and co to your stellar list of the recruits who have either been sickeningly underwhelming, or simply recruited on big money to fill a position which won’t help us improve in a meaningful way eg. Second rowers, centres, wingers

Guys like kikau, jac, Crichton are luxury signings u add once you’ve got your spine settled. Not the other way round

Our recruitment has been beyond disgraceful under Gus. Facts

I think your being harsh about the recruitment. There hasn't exactly been many spine options actually become available , same
In the front row stocks.

 

[Bazildog]

Who's Jack Shit? Is he a middle forward?

And can the carhunt tackle..?

 

[The DoggFather]

And can the carhunt tackle..?

Fkn hoope so...someone needs to.

 

[LordSidious66]

The team hasn't been playing well, but we've had lots of factors such as bad ref calls and injuries not helping us.

 

[dogon]

The roster is improving, next year they will have available Chrighton, Kiraz, Addo Carr, Xerri, Burton , Kikau, Preston, Mahoney. Plenty of potential with TPJ, King, Skelton, Sexton, KO, Mariner, Topine, Pele, Patolo, Sutton and Papali'i still in the squad. Fingers crossed that some of the following remain at the club and really come on next year Wilson, Alamoti, Morrin, Rajab, Edwards, Grey and Kautoga.
Though questions remain about 1 and 7, the club needs to nail those positions during the 1st half of the 24 season. One or two quality middles from elswhere need to be signed such as Hass, Tino, Sele would put the team on the path to the finals.

Of the 7 you mention with fingers crossed only Kautoga is currently signed to a top30 deal in 2024-25

 

[04 Dreaming]

Who's Jack Shit? Is he a middle forward?

Hetherington maybe?

 

[The DoggFather]

Hetherington maybe?

Good call!

 

[TOTTO]

In the past 12-18 months under Gould, we have:

• Moved on Barrett, clearly the wrong man for the job.
• Brought in Ciraldo, who, although the Ws and defence aren't there, he at least has principles he follows and clear coaching directive with the squad that is filtering down to strong reserve grade and youth comp performances. Just need it to start to translate into the top grade, but it will come.
• Shipped off Cotric, Naden, Allan, Dufty, Wakeham, JMK, Hetherington, Jackson (Retired), to name a few.
• Signed Reed, Crichton, Kikau, Sexton, Preston, Skelton, Wilson, KO, Pele, EQW.
• Debuted 9 (?) players so far this season, the most of any club. We have the youngest average age of the 17 we run out with week in, week out.
• Laundy and Gus are working together to try and land even more big-name signings in clear positions of need (Middles in Haas and Tino).

We were an obstruction call away from beating the Warriors, and poor game management down the stretch from beating the Roosters to be within touch of the top 8, despite long-term injuries to key players in JAC, Thompson, Kikau, Kiraz, Max King playing hurt, RFM suffering Pneumonia, a handbrake at 7 (Flanagan) and a rookie/ out of position fullback for 2/3rds of the season. Burton has moved from 6 to 7, back to 6. All of the rookies have both been exposed, but also shown flashes that they are on the right path. We gave Grub the send-off he deserved being able to retire a Bulldog, despite the results on the field.

Had Kikau and Thompson not been MIA all season, with Sexton brought in from the start of the season, I have no doubts we would have been challenging for a top 8 spot to end the season.

All of the above and you haven't even mentioned pathways and sponsorship, sometimes i think we forget how big a club is to run its not all about one team.

 

[GoTheDoggies]

We should be more competitive week to week even and the defence is inexcusable regardless of who is missing but there's no denying losing Kikau, Thompson, TPJ, Addo-Carr and Kiraz out for extended periods have played a major part and our squad depth isn't good enough to withstand it..

Either way Ciraldo has a lot to work on and isn't exactly inspiring confidence right now.. Hopefully he can turn things around because he's not going anywhere for a while.

Defense is down to cattle not taking their opportunities. Mason said it on a podcast a while back the young players have an opportunity to shine. Some of them have and in particular the forwards have flopped. I believe Morrin is probably the only one who survives the exodus of deadwood.

 

[DinkumDog]

Who's Jack Shit? Is he a middle forward?

You don’t know him?
Here's a little family history if it helps:

Jack is the only son of Awe Shit and O. Shit.

Jack Shit married Noe Shit - and the deeply religious couple produced 6 children: Holie Shit, Fulla Shit, Giva Shit, Bull Shit and the twins: Deep Shit and Dip Shit.

Against her parents' objections, Deep Shit married Dumb Shit, a high school drop out. After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Shit divorced. Noe Shit later married Mr. Sherlock, and as her kids were living with them she wanted to keep her previous name. She was known as Noe Shit-Sherlock.

Dip Shit married Loda Shit and they produced a nervous son, Chicken Shit. Fulla Shit and Giva Shit were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony. The announcement in the newspaper announced the Shit-Happens wedding.

The Shit-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Hoarse. Bull Shit, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new bride, Piza Shit.

So now if someone says, 'You don't know Jack Shit', you can correct them. Not only do you know Jack, you know his whole family!

 

[The DoggFather]

You don’t know him?
Here's a little family history if it helps:

Jack is the only son of Awe Shit and O. Shit.
Awe Shit, the fertilizer magnate, married O. Shit, a partner of Kneedeep & Shit Inc. In turn, Jack Shit married Noe Shit - and the deeply religious couple produced 6 children: Holie Shit, Fulla Shit, Giva Shit, Bull Shit and the twins: Deep Shit and Dip Shit.

Against her parents' objections, Deep Shit married Dumb Shit, a high school drop out. After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Shit divorced. Noe Shit later married Mr. Sherlock, and as her kids were living with them she wanted to keep her previous name. She was known as Noe Shit-Sherlock.

Dip Shit married Loda Shit and they produced a nervous son, Chicken Shit. Fulla Shit and Giva Shit were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony. The announcement in the newspaper announced the Shit-Happens wedding.

The Shit-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Hoarse. Bull Shit, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new bride, Piza Shit.

So now if someone says, 'You don't know Jack Shit', you can correct them. Not only do you know Jack, you know his whole family!

Bravo!

PS so how is Knockonmor related? Lol

 

[Psycho Doggie]

Put it this way....he is killing it in all the lower grades. Picking the assistant killed FG.

He should of signed Flanno on 2 years max with a shit load of clauses, when we are trying to rebuild the whole club. An overrated "defence" assistant was never the answer.

If we were a good, established team, then you can experiment with an assistant.

I reckon he was kind of looking that way, but was thinking 1 year, not 2. That is why they didn't go the Flanagan route, because no way he is going somewhere on a 1 year deal. He was possibly thinking let Potter run things for another year, but then it turned out that CC wants to come straight away, and that forces a decision.

From some respects it is a bold decision, CC is really in the fire right now, if this doesn't break him entirely, it could make him into a decent coach. We don't learn much when things are going well, it is the hard times that really test us that we can really learn from.

That's why for me the question remains, how much is the assistant learning?