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It was considered a fair bet that Des would fix up Manlys defensive woes which were evident under Barrett which was hard to argue with but I was concerned that he wouldn't sort the attack out after watching his last spell at the Dogs. The defence is no different to the worst days at Manly...

I was wrong about Waddell last season at Manly , I thought he would be a handy player and a threat in attack but he was just pedestrian. Barrett bought Lewis Brown with him to Manly and he was just bloody very average as well. Manly have potentially got the best deal in ages by swapping...

Fantasy spine for Manly 1. Thomas the Turbo 7. DCE 6.Schuster 9. Fainu

Hasler won two titles at Manly and in both of those years he had a great run with injuries. In his first year back at Manly they made the finals but the most important player was missing in Turbo. AFB , Jake and Fainu also went in to the finals needing shoulder operations. It's a fickle...

Well that's true but it's better than driving whilst drunk. If you earn massive money a taxi isn't such a bad idea.

It sounds like plenty of young woman are more than happy to drag NRL players back home for a romp and are pretty explicit about it. You would have to say that more often than not it works out just fine. I don't think much will change because both parties are up for the deal. It should be a...

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure plenty of blokes have been convicted without footage or witnesses. Anyone grabbed off the street and raped has a much stronger case than someone like the female we are talking about who willingly enters a unit with two blokes after flirting with them on camera...

Have you been following the case? She also said she was walking in front of the two accused later on when the footage showed she was walking behind and could have ''escaped'' any time. She wasn't honest about the level of flirting before hand. She didn't mention the 4th person in the unit...

If you are charged with rape the NRL will stand you down no matter what the circumstances are. The charged player could be single , propositioned by the woman and innocent but none of that will help him. The NRL will only get in to more trouble if they treat the dopey ones like JDB more...

She either lied or got things wrong innocently multiple times in her evidence and the ones I read about favored her case until they were revealed to be incorrect. She said she sent the text about smoking pot to help with the trauma of being raped but it wasn't true. They were on the way to the...

Trouble is most of the serious cases in the past didn't involve players putting themselves in compromising positions. Brett Stewart is a perfect example. Often it's been the partner who has made up fairy stories as well.

It's not assassinating her character but establishing her credibility. She was flirting heavily with the two accused but appears to be lying about it. The video footage refutes her story. If she's lying about what happened before entering the unit why would the jury believe everything she...

It will be interesting when we hear from the two accused. We've heard what she is alleging that the two defendants said during the incident and no doubt much of it will be refuted. Her credibility isn't all that flash and it could go pear shaped for her pretty quickly. Wasn't she or her...

Camerons Smiths try should have been disallowed , the play the ball was a joke.

As a Manly fan I had reservations about the teams attack when Disco Des came back but it wasn't too bad last year. It was always assumed that the defence would be good under him though and it's now dismal. Most of the ''experts'' on the good old Sea Eagles forum were sure that Api was a dud a...

By the logic of big Nick that would mean the Storm were well under the cap in 2008. Unlike his team of 2019 the Storms big guns were all bought in before they became stars and therefore were all on less money? Trouble is they weren't. Not long ago the Chooks had Pearce and Cronk and...

One trick pony with his grubber down the sideline. It worked once but he was too dopey to even look up and notice Cronk waiting to collect the pass to win the GF for the Storm. He has been lucky to play in an era without many top centres and being in one of the top teams. Put him in the era...

We've had a fair number of cases over the years in the NRL where the punters get all fired up about reports of what happened before the other side gives evidence. In all the most serious cases the fairy tales which were told before the trial bore no resemblance at all to the truth. All the...

In most cases it looks like the female is after revenge or money or both and knows they will get a lot of reaction and cause a lot of damage because of the persons profile. I'm not sure they think thru the ramifications of their actions and to be honest there are some pretty dopey people of...

If we are looking at history which shows that false accusations against men by woman are pretty rare we also need to look at the NRL where false accusations in serious cases aren't rare at all but in the majority. I can't think of one NRL player who has been found to have raped someone. If...

Apparently told the cop he was going to sue his arse off. Good luck sunshine.

I'm prepared to wait until both sides give evidence and a verdict is reached until I lash out at anyone. It's a pretty radical concept but I'm sticking to it. It's almost like the Brett Stewart case and others are some sort of illusion because most haven't learnt anything.

As a neutral observer who always want the Broncos to lose because they have so much advantage handed to them on a plate , I thought the Dogs put on a brave performance. The Broncos would have beaten just about anyone at home last night. The expansive style that Pay has adopted is a great idea I...

Banned from the Kennel , not something I thought possible.

They could command more dollars by leaving Manly but they aren't the types who would place that as their highest priority. Apart from all the obvious reasons to stay the fact that training is five minutes away from home and so are a couple of great golf courses are pretty decent factors as well.

Gagai was playing in the centres for the Bunnies and is very very average in that position. He poses very little threat.

I will be interested to see how closely the story we hear now matches what we hear in court. The most serious cases in the past have been largely or completely fabricated, why not in this case?

Are you sure his partner wasn't happy for him to go out and party? I wouldn't have a clue myself. Sharing a cab with two other people is no big deal, it's only the alleged charges that are such a big deal, all the other stuff is largely trivia. He isn't on trial for being some sort of person...

I read a post on a forum recently where someone who claimed to have some legal knowledge say that he was bemused that anyone didn't understand why JDB would be stood down as it's common practice in work places to stand down those charged with serious offences. He explained that it was obvious...

I don't suppose you caught any footage of the Dogs letting in 3 tries in the last few minutes to lose? Wouldn't call that a choke ?

Still a bottom 4 roster who have played much of the year like a top 4 team attitude wise. Very unlikely to make the 8

It is a bit of a cheap shot but Jackson Hastings was way off living up to expectations at the Roosters.

Just about anyone the Eels have recruited over the years to replace Kenny and Sterling. Flickers of hope emerge but they have all ended up going down the gurgler so far.

I listened to the whole podcast, it was interesting but Watmough's memory is shot. He had no idea what he was talking about half the time. He said the Storm wanted to sign him but then he said it might not have been the Storm. Also said the players wanted Tafua in the 13 GF instead of the Wolf...

Have a look at Manly after 2011, JWH , Trex and a few other big forwards gone with nobody to replace them. How does the team keep doing well for a few years after? The left overs play above their weight and the backs play like forwards as well as backs. End result , they're all smacked up...

Toronto are poised to pounce on Parras 'star' second rower no doubt.

He gets a lift over with a few other players and is going well at the moment. Needs to put on some speed and fitness but handled Mitchell pretty well last week.

Without Smiths lifting and pulling there is no injury . The other players are acting fairly , Smith isn't. The grabbing of the leg like this is annoying when the other leg is free, when the other leg is being tackled like it is here it is clearly dangerous. If this is let go the one who needs...

Disgraceful and premeditated. Even if it was deemed legal which it isn't he knows it is not fair play. It's legal to smash a player who is badly and obviously injured but only a dirty unethical grub would do it sand it is a similar concept. Very few players in the game would have continued to...

Gould was full of praise when the Eels didn't take the two early on to lead by six and was bemused when the Dogs did take the two to trail by two at half time. The commentators all seem to be not understanding that two penalties is the same as scoring an unconverted try. Bobcat on the ABC radio...

Shaun Johnson, Ponga, Victor Radley, The Fox and Tom T. are my best 5 Kenny Edwards , Andrew Gee and Lodge are players I don't hate but don't like all that much.

A ref could penalise a half back for not feeding the scrum squarely this weekend and the would be correct via the rule book but the rule book isn't applied in some cases. For years the refs have been calling most dropped balls a knock on because it looks sloppy and that's just what they feel...

The markers aren't square either

Foran was doing great and feeling at home at Manly and won a premiership. Manly have taken plenty of players who were struggling at other clubs and turned their careers around. Hastings must be really bad news not to fit into this team. Most Manly players from Forans era have been terrible...

I heard the comment from Gould and if it is the same incident then Morris did run inside where the gap opened up but Licha didn't even think of passing him the ball. It is a fundamental characteristic of a ball player to recognise when a defender chases you too far across field and to look for...

Looking at who a club releases and using that as proof that they are under the cap means zero. There is no proof they are over the cap either but as someone on this forum said a while back that their ability to sign the best players available at will is hard to fathom. The Storm in 2009...

All of a sudden a ref blows a penalty in golden point after not doing it for years. Not only that it's a marginal call at best so just don't blow the whistle. The ref was fooled by the person playing the ball moving sideways after he played it. Not having a decent goal kicker cost the Tigers...

The venom seems to go out of forwards pretty quickly these days. Parra had a few borderline lunatics last year including Brown but this year they can't get cranky and Brown was manhandled by DCE on the way to the Eagles first try. Moses is pretty cranky but it doesn't seem to bother anyone but...

I remember Gus Gould talking Anasta up mid career and saying that his best days were ahead of him. He just didn't have the talent of a top flight pivot and he just faded away.

True but good judges think he will be and sometimes clubs need to gamble on potential. The storm did that and exceeded the salary cap to buy potential like Inglis and Folau and that is what the Knights are doing. Nothing is a certainty. The Roosters moved Maloney on to retain Hastings who...

Something similar could have been said about Jonathon Thurston when he was surplus to requirements at the Bulldogs . The Cows wanted to keep Ponga more than the Dogs wanted to keep Thurston. Maybe some fans at the Cows said something similar years ago ' Why are we buying a half who couldn't...

I don't know but I'm predicting a long year for the Broncos and the Sharks as well as the Tigers. Manly is very reliant on the health of DCE as are the Dogs with Foran. Both are good enough to lead their team deep into the finals. The Knights missed the eight in Bennetts 1st year from a...

My tip is the Balmain Magpies. Some are tipping Manly as a chance and anything is possible but even as the Northern Eagles and their 1st year back after that era they couldn't manage the spoon. In fact Manly has never won the spoon. Ivan Cleary has a big challenge I reckon and their starting...

Maybe Cronk was a done deal and Teddy knew it. Even if he didn't he had a genuine 1st grade half / five eight combo to go to at the Rooters.

Teddy had no problem signing at the Rooters because Cronk was riding into town maybe?

'AT WILL' sums it up very well. At will used to happen before the cap and the Wests players absolute hatred of Manly seemed to vanish overnight when a bundle of cash was waved at them. But the Roosters have the same money to spend as the other clubs in the salary cap era don't they?

It has been proven that clubs can cheat the cap and explain away their roster. It has happened in the past. If the Storm could explain their roster to the auditor for half a decade then the Roosters magic power to attract the cream of the crop can be explained as well. The ease in which they...

I would imagine every club which has cheated the cap in the past has had a plausible explanation as to how they had managed to fit their all star cast into the cap. Just because they can explain it away it doesn't prove that it is truthful. The auditors give it the all clear and everything is...

At his best Walker is very good and a great hole runner. His goal kicking is average and he needs to get smarter in the way he operates. He is also recovering from a couple of bad injuries. I don't think Manly need to shed players anyway.

He could have Tooves running the water bottle and get him to do the odd tackle now and again. Aiden charging at the line like a wounded pillow on the 5th tackle would be just as effective at Origin level for sure.

I was reading somewhere that Hodkinsons agent (Riolo I think ) was saying that his knees are fine and it is just rumors that they are shot. If that is the case then Hodgo could put those 'rumors' to bed by actually taking the line on.

George Rose swallowed a Goat , does that count?

Archer said the call was correct because Whitehead wasn't trying to knock the ball out . Therefore once again we are reading minds and my mind reading abilities thought that Whitehead did a great job to reach out and deliberately attack the ball. It didn't remotely look like an accident to me...

I have tried to look the rule up and can't find it. It reminds me a bit of when refs incorrectly calls a knock back a knock on. Because it looks sloppy and it looks like a mistake and the player drops the ball, I've lost count how many times they call a knock back a knock on. Because...

Why would it matter if it was a loose carry or whether Whitehead was deliberately playing at the ball? It is all about who propelled the ball towards Tongas tryline. If it was Fifita then it is no try but if Whitehead did it then it is a try. Whiteheads hand did contact the ball and to me...

50% rep success will translate into a fair share of SOO wins it seems if stats are the guide. Bellamys rep success is much lower , plenty of coaches have high winning percentages for a while but it usually proves nothing about the future. Ricky Stuart and Tim Sheens must of had incredible...

If Foran is fit and healthy and plays as well or close to his Manly days then the team will look a lot different to 2017. He is a gifted runner , defender and ball player. I'd be a bit worried if he doesn't fire because that leaves the halves looking very average it seems.

'Maloney and Townsend will be even better after one year together' Sounds good in theory but who were the last halves combination who improved on their title winning year the next season? I couldn't see the Raiders missing the 8 and thought they were a fair chance of winning the title. I...

The funny thing about Maloney is his impact on the clubs defence. It was explained that he is basically the worst defender in the comp based on stats and that means the Pennies poor defence would get poorer and therefore he was a bad signing. Sounds like another expert using stats alone to...

History seems to favor the legacy of the players more than the coach particularly the great herd of coaches who win a single title. Very few coaches depart on their own terms and ultimately for just about all of them leave with with a kick up the butt. Harsh but true. According to...

Very difficult but I think the Sharks are done and will miss the 8. I don't think they will believe they can win it and will play accordingly. Great chance next year for a dark horse to win it.

I read in the paper today that Jake friend ran for zero metres! Why would he do that and why would the coach let him? On coaches , I've long thought they get too much attention because I just don't see that they make as much difference as they're meant to. If Sonny Boy Williams...

He seems to be highly respected as a person but as a player I just can't see anything resembling a first grader to be honest. He plays like a rampaging pillow.

True, although as someone said a while back to me it might be the best strategy to win a title because for a few years you are in a way operating with a roster above the cap but apparently legally. Whatever happens it can create mayhem when it comes home to roost but a title makes it...

I'm happy to discuss all aspects of a game myself but as they say each to his own. The Roosters are sneaking under the Radar this year. Zero injuries, no games in Melbourne, no pressure. I'm starting to think that they can win this comp. Enough experience as well. Latrell Mitchell at his best...

It's becoming spooky, I was having a look at the Panthers press conference , no mention at all of the refs or anything. Abusing Refs is not acceptable but not discussing a crucial aspect of the game is crazy. From now on when anyone is injured fans will be holding their breath to see if it...

Watching the Pennies play tonight they really lack a creative player in the spine. I used to think Cartwright was on the way up but he looks so incredibly slow compared to some of the other forwards like Yowie Yo Yo or whatever his name is. Moylan was a huge loss for them I reckon as Cleary...

I can't recall ever seeing a try called back like that. I heard Fatty and crew talking about it after the game but I reckon the NRL has directed them to go easy on the Refs. One of them said they had to be careful because when the Panther was retrieving the ball he might aggravate an injured...

In Haslers second year at the Eagles we got done 68-6 by the Sharks and some thought the sun would never come up again. This is Barretts second year and the big losses were pretty grim but I noticed the sun rise this morning.

I am happy to discuss any Sea Eagle loss form the past or any issue at all if you or any others are interested. In 95 I watched the Dogs beat us in a GF. I was bitter at the time that the refs allowed the Dogs a try from a forward pass and on the seventh tackle. On the seventh tackle try I...

I have no complaints at all and I accept your opinion.

If Mitchell lives up to his potential Easts are very scary especially with Teddy next year. Mitchell has every physical attribute you could ever want and the talent to match it.

Sounds like you pay a visit to the Silvertails site? As an Eagles fan I am embarrassed by half of them. Some are really good and have some insight. How do you pick the duds straight away? They are abusive and are always telling the club how to operate. A glance at their history will prove it...

I've long thought that the influence of the coach is over rated. I would change my mind if the most highly rated coaches like Bennett , Bellamy and Hasler (well he was! ) moved clubs and had the effect that they were supposed to. Bellamy has only had one gig outside the Storm with three losing...

The poster who goes by the name of 'desreturnoftheking' would just be so happy to get the great man back where he belongs. Just between you and me I have some doubts regarding his sanity. ( and I'm getting a bit concerned about Disco Des as well.)

Toddles has basically declared that refs mistakes don't cost teams games and it is ridiculous to suggest that they do He only needs to view Manlys loss objectively to see that he indeed is a ridiculous goose. The whole game changed when Dylan Walker was declared to be offside by the bunker...

Half the team were unwanted reserve graders from other clubs so making the eight was the bit that the critics are amazed at.

It feels that way. Opening game of the season against Parra The Semi trailer was running along with no one near him and decided to not wait till he was tackled to play the ball. An Eagles player then did what the rules say you are meant to do and tackle him BEFORE he plays the ball and was...

Any other game this year when they rule this a no try? Every single time I remember when it was close like this they awarded a try. Great time to change things around you imbeciles. If Walker is offside then just about every Cameron Smith dummy half pass is forward. Sironen gets...

I remember The Eagles winning the minor premiership by 10 points in the early 80's and demolishing the Eels in the semis. Grand final day they weren't in the race. Hard to imagine the Storm not winning but I couldn't see anyone demolishing the very strong Rooters pack a couple of years back...

The cries of sack Barrett will be bouncing around Brookvale as we speak

Assuming this article to be close to the mark then it is very surprising that Disco Des didn't bail out at the end of last year. He could have maintained his long run of finals appearances and then blamed this years failure on the new unfortunate coach. Surely he didn't really expect to make...

Could history repeat? Grand finalists 1979 and premiers 1980. The entertainers morphed out of the 1978 plodders, who would have guessed.

I thought this bloke was a ridiculous Goose but then he explained that he was a family man and that changed everything.

Cameron Smith and co won't be pleased when they get stripped of most of their Origin titles. Apparently the NRL has discovered that Greg Inglis has been playing for the wrong team for 10 years.

The clowns on the Silvertails forum who declared Barrett the worst coach in the world ever and Disco Des as better than sliced bread have gone a bit quite on the topic.

I reckon almost any club can turn themselves around in two years these days. Where have all the big five eights gone? I'd love to see a Laurie Daley type back on the scene. Even the mighty Des himself was a fairly big half who could charge at the defence and actually hurt them with...

I wonder myself when some teams dominate a season physically. I was amazed how the Bunnies dismantled the Rooters in the 2014 semis they were all over them physically. Manly seemed to be pretty strong as well in their best years recently and who knows how much Dank's magic potions played a...

I think the Dragons are still cranky from when we put 62 points on them years ago but they got us back for sure