Have we over achieved in 2019

CaptainJackson

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Exactly. We lack those few key players that you need if you're going to be a genuine Premiership threat while the squad is also a little unbalanced, but the ability is there and we're seeing it right now.

Like I've said previously, that Manly and Raiders games we lost were massive, Manly were missing key players while Raiders were missing half their team, we should've done better in them. That's an extra 4 points. An improved start with us focusing on defence like we're doing now and a much better pre season and there's our for and against cut back and potentially another win or two. These things happen and we're now sitting inside the 8 and I'm praising Pay lol.
I'm not, I'm waiting to see once we have a fully fit squad. Because the biggest drawback for me about Pay is that he has his favourites and picks his favourites over better players. I'm worried that Sue/Elliot/C.Smith will cause either Renouf or RFM to be dropped to reserve grade come next season
 

Berries

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Can somebody prove to me how we have the worst roster in the comp.
We have plenty of new zealand reps, australian reps, origin reps so on and so.
Look how many grand finals our 2 props have played in.
Now look at titans, tigers, cowboys, and many more. Anyone that thinks we have worst roster in comp has absolutely zero knowledge of rugby league.
Where we are, will just be a pass mark.
To the idiots that think we will be trading out half our squad for 21 also have no idea.
We may see another prop centre and hooker come in. But that will be about it.
Gold Coast, Tigers and Cowboys definitely have a worse roster and I would day we are equal with the Warriors and Dragons
 

GrogDog

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Love how everyone bases us on "paper" therefor yes we overachieved. Paper has nothing to do it, it's all about heart and finally we have found some.

I expected us to be around 10th this year so I think in the end we are on par. Problem is if you start to think about the 3 robbed games then it will do your head in when you consider we would be finals bound and the form team in the comp.
 

alchemist

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our top 17 when we started the year

1. Meaney - an old school running fullback with limited ball skills and slight of build. Left the Knights for an opportunity to play FG. Unproven.
2. Smith - a tall, very fast winger who showed good form towards the end of 2018. Very good.
3. Hopoate - a consistent performer at fullback and centre, has rep experience, but seems to have lost pace during his Mormon mission. Has not played Origin in 4 years despite being only 27 years old now. Past his best.
4. Holland - a fringe/squad player, good goal kicker, has good instincts but lack the speed and athleticism most outside backs now have in the NRL. Replaced a rep standard centre for us in Josh Morris.
5. Okunbor - tall, rangy winger with questionable hands and defence but has potential. Unproven.
6. Foran - one of the best five-eighths in the game while at Manly, a NZ international, but has struggled since leaving the Sea Eagles with unsuccessful stints at the Eels and Warriors before moving across to us. Many have questioned whether his body I starting to break down with all the injuries he has had. Past his best.
7. Lewis - awesome defender, calm demeanour on the field, good kicking game but limited athletically (in particular, his speed) which then limits how effective he can be as a half. Still early in his career. Unwanted at Canberra. Was unwanted by us early last year. Unproven and probably a limited player.
8. Tolman - workhorse, very experienced, makes few errors, slow, never really fulfilled his potential, and has the infuriating tendency of getting/calling for the ball on 4th and 5th tackles in the opposition half. City-Country Rep only.
9. Marshall-King - 24 years old this year. I would assume signed as a half but he could not make a go of it as he lacks any real creativity. Game in defence and does provide good service/passing and is doing a job for us at hooker. Squad player.
10. Napa - Premiership winner, rep player, damaging runner and can put on big hits. Can be erratic and has errors in him. Off field issues did not help. Good.
11. Jackson - Rep player, played in GFs, came up thru the grades, workhorse, good in defence. Has been a bit down on form over the last couple years. Very good.
12. Harawira-Naera - questions in his defence but a very damaging wide second rower. Runs good lines. Very good footwork, has an off load. He and Foran can do great things on the edges.
13. Elliott - a hard worker but I have always thought he lacked impact. Squad player.

14. Lichaa - I really don't want to pile onto him but for all his promise from years back, he just did not develop as hoped. Slow service from dummy half, makes bad decisions. Not FG standard.
15. Fualalo - an ok player off the bench and for depth. Nothing more IMO.
16. Faitala-Mariner - a damaging ball runner but questionable defence. Ok.
17. Sue - an ok player off the bench and for depth, good in defence. Nothing more IMO.

is there a worse spine in the comp? I don't think so... the rep players we have are past their best and aren't getting selected for rep teams now... our bench is poor... our young players have potential but are unproven... our coach is unproven

my only hope this season was that we avoid the spoon, which we have... when we were 3 wins from 14 games, my fears were being realised --> we were in games (eg. against the Storm in Melbourne), but lacked the quality to win and when we were not on, we were getting smashed

not quite sure what to make of the recent good run of form, besides it has been fun f*%#ing with all these clubs trying to make the finals... there seems to be a good chemistry and atmosphere amongst the players, they are great in defence, Foran has been good in his recent stint, Cogger was underrated, and they are playing above themselves --> which is what the 'Dogs have always been renowned for

we seem to be moving in the right direction which is the most important thing considering the general diminishing we were experiencing under Hasler in our results, playing squad and style of play
 

Heckler

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Playing with the Bulldogs spirit is never an over achievement. That's for teams like Parra and co.
 

TABOO

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Gold Coast, Tigers and Cowboys definitely have a worse roster and I would day we are equal with the Warriors and Dragons
No way can you say our roster is on par with St George.
St George HUGELY underperformed this year (The word hugely doesnt even do it justice).
Looking at their team going in to this year (Before the DeBelin incident), they have a top 4 team on paper.
To be finishing ahead of them is a great achievement by us despite losing to them twice.

I am happy that we have turned a corner and are playing for eachother now.
My disappointment is that we dropped so many winnable games at the start of the year.
 

alchemist

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No way can you say our roster is on par with St George.
St George HUGELY underperformed this year (The word hugely doesnt even do it justice).
Looking at their team going in to this year (Before the DeBelin incident), they have a top 4 team on paper.
To be finishing ahead of them is a great achievement by us despite losing to them twice.

I am happy that we have turned a corner and are playing for eachother now.
My disappointment is that we dropped so many winnable games at the start of the year.
agreed... the Dragons have a great spine with Widdop, Norman, Hunt and McInnes, a strong pack with Vaughan, Korbin and Tariq Sims, Frizell, and some good outside backs... huge disappointments this year... unsure how McGregor is not under great pressure for the lack of results --> even taking into account the De Belin issue
 

Dognacious

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Considering we were spoon favourites pre season and all the "experts" picked us in the bottom couple, u could say we overperformed.
 

Berries

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No way can you say our roster is on par with St George.
St George HUGELY underperformed this year (The word hugely doesnt even do it justice).
Looking at their team going in to this year (Before the DeBelin incident), they have a top 4 team on paper.
To be finishing ahead of them is a great achievement by us despite losing to them twice.

I am happy that we have turned a corner and are playing for eachother now.
My disappointment is that we dropped so many winnable games at the start of the year.
Dragons are a bottom 4 team who over achieve. Every player except Frizell and Vaughn is vastly over rated. Hunt, Norman and Widdop are terrible and only had good games when the pack dominated a few times last year.
 

TABOO

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So lets have a look at this:
Spine
Gareth Widdop: International
Ben Hunt: Origin and International
Corey Norman: Origin
Cam McInnis: Not far off rep footy

Forwards
James Graham: International
Paul Vaughn: Origin and International
Frizell: Origin and International
T Sims: Origin
DeBelin: Origin and International (Before standdown)

Upcomers:
Zac Lomax
Reece Robson
Lachlan Timms (Yet to be blooded)
Jacob Host
Blake Lawrie

Older experienced players
K Sims
J Latimore

That squad should be right up there in top 4 contention.
 

Phalangist

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I'm not, I'm waiting to see once we have a fully fit squad. Because the biggest drawback for me about Pay is that he has his favourites and picks his favourites over better players. I'm worried that Sue/Elliot/C.Smith will cause either Renouf or RFM to be dropped to reserve grade come next season

He seems to drop players though

Everyone thought holland and licha were favourites of his yet he dropped them during the year

Same goes for Lewis, cogger ect


He does drop player unlike our last coach
 

coach

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Dragons are a bottom 4 team who over achieve. Every player except Frizell and Vaughn is vastly over rated. Hunt, Norman and Widdop are terrible and only had good games when the pack dominated a few times last year.
Dragons are a top 8 team everyday of the week
Widdop is very good player
Way better squad than ours
Got 4 origin forwards plus graham, hunt, norman, Widdop,
Lomax Lafai, McInnes
Most walk Into our team
 

Bulldog_4_Life

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I don't agree we have the worst squad on paper, I think in terms of talent pre DWZ we were in the 10-13 range and post DWZ we are 8-10.

We have the current Kiwi captain at the back with the former captain in Foran joining him in the spine, we have an origin centre in Hoppa with one of the best finishers in the game outside of him in Smith. Our pack is solid with Jacko being the standout with a decent rep career and other good starting players like Napa, CHN and Tolman filling it out.

I know we have had injuries but thats apart of rugby league and every team deals with them.

We are probably a gun centre, hooker and forward away from being a peripheral top 4 team. I still we would need another half to make us serious title contenders though.
 

Bulldog_4_Life

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Dragons are a top 8 team everyday of the week
Widdop is very good player
Way better squad than ours
Got 4 origin forwards plus graham, hunt, norman, Widdop,
Lomax Lafai, McInnes
Most walk Into our team
They should be top 3 easily.
 

Dingo

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We finished 12th last year and are now 12th with 2 games left. I'd say this was a realistic outcome. We have neither over or under achieved.
 

Realist90

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How is it over achieving if we don’t even make the 8? Winning some games near the end of the season doesn’t warrant an over achiever season ffs when most of it we were shit. If we make the 8 maybe but still wouldn’t consider it an over achievement. Dean gay really needs to fuck off still.
This will be the first time since the 50’s or something we haven’t made the finals 3 years in a row. And two of those are on dean gays record.
Trent Barrett and manly were fkd but Hasler managed to take them from wooden spoon contenders to top four contenders his first year back. There’s no excuses for dean gay.
 

James zac

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Nope no overachievement sold platform being built for achievement as far as I’m concerned
 

south of heaven

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Said it a while back you don't have to be that good to make the 8,scrapping the 8 would of been reasonable an a good platform to build off for next year, I don't feel any reason to be excited over a late surge when our season was pretty much fucked.same result last year happened look how it turned out. Its make or break next year that's for sure .
 
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