Only time will tell if Pay can turn the teams fortunes around. We've faced two teams with talented rosters. I had hoped we'd start the year better, but it seems we've changed our defensive structure to an umbrella style defense which seems to have caught some of our players out. I personally think the umbrella defense leaves areas for good line runners to exploit which seems to be backed up by the fact that we've looked vulnerable on the edges. I was happy enough to see Hasler moved on, but I didn't think that Pay was necessarily a great choice to replace him. I'll hopefully see the doubts I had proven wrong. But at the time it seemed like a self preservation measure from Dib to recruit the choice that the loudest of opinions seemed to want round here. I'd have liked us to bring in Cleary. Both the Warriors and Panthers performed well under him and he's always gotten great results bringing through juniors. Pays only credentials thus far have been his junior rep coaching and assistant roles at a few clubs.
If we don't start getting some wins, people will soon stop blaming Haslers recruiting and retention choices and begin to funnel the hate at Pay in typical kennel style. I'll give both our coaching and playing personnel the benefit of the doubt for a while yet. Our roster is not as bad as many would like to think. We just need to get some good results and let them grow in confodence before we see what the team is capable of. It's very early in the season and far too soon to cast judgement.
