Opinion 7 years of GroundHog Day So Far ..

[Berries]

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Imagine waking up every morning to the 2004 Grand Final day

 

[Paul Doolans mirror]

We’ve all heard this before, forwards win you the game, your backs determine by how much.

They can change rules, they can continue to try and make the game faster, they can do whatever they like with the game, but that old quote still stands true today, and so it will tomorrow.

Rugby League is a very straight forward game, the team that over powers their opponent and eats up the metres, is at the same time fatiguing their opponent, you out muscle & fatigued your opponent, they make mistakes, they get sloppy, they draw penalties, penalties put your opponent on the back foot and you fatigue them even more, obviously, your whole job just continues to get easier.

Who’s the most penalised team in the league right now? … yes you can blame ref’s, you can scream bias ect. but realistically, most of those penalties you can put down to fatigue and stupidity.

I’ve seen fans on TK blaming our losses on Ciraldo, Burton, Flanagan, Mahoney, Perham, I’ve seen comments saying Oloapu doesn’t have what it takes, the poor kids only 18 and played 3 games.

Individually it’s none of those players fault that we lose, these players can’t fully utilise their skills while we’re going backwards, and when they do get their chances they’re generally fatigued ….. we lose because we don’t have a squad that’s capable of over powering most of our opponents, we haven’t since we lost Klemmer James Graham and Co. we don’t over power, we get over powered.

I’m over hearing about the “these days you need more of a mobile pack” that’s not what the Bulldogs are about, it’s not what we’ve ever been about.

Go watch the games again where we lost to the Raiders, Warriors x 2, Sharks, Parra, Rabbits, Manly, we simply struggled to stop them going forward and put them to ground, these teams simply out powered us and in doing so they fatigued us, over power and fatigue your opponent, complete the majority of your sets, and 8 times out of 10 you’ll win the game.

One team in the league suits a mobile pack and that’s the Panthers because they’ve all played together since they were 14, that whole team trusts each other and can all ball play promoting the ball to tire teams out.

If the plan is to develop the “mobile pack” get used to losing, because we’re not good enough for that type of play, and meanwhile our opponents are all focused on building powerful packs.

We are not going to win games or play finals footy until we totally rebuild our engine room, honestly, right now, Max King is the only one I’d keep, some others might make bench or depth.

We do have the makings of a good team and despite what people think, we do have a smart talented coach.

I’m now hoping against odds that we snag Hunt, we need leadership, after 300 first grade games, reps and origin, he’d be very good for us & I think we might be very good for him to finish his career with.

This might be controversial but I feel we need 2 new centres, 2 aggressive powerful centres that can tackle, run, make metres, and break tackles. Personally, I don’t feel either Alamoti or Averillo are powerful enough right now to be modern day centres, (think Ramien - Talakai) whilst Al & Avo hold their own, they get dominated in defence by stronger more powerful body’s and therefore fatigue. Not sure Xerri’s that type of centre either but we’ll find out and hopefully he is ..

We have 2 powerful metre eating outside backs, we have 2 very good wingers, a good 9, we have Burton, Crichtons a ? the squad desperately needs a game managing 7, 3 big aggressive metre eating props, and 2 aggressive defensive tackle busting centres to back them up, we don’t need elite big money players, just aggressive powerful metre eaters that hurt, until we get them nothings changing and not even Cleary would have us winning games ..

The 2 biggest things we’re missing is “power and aggression” get that and we become a fearful pack again, until we get it we’re not going to be winning games and we certainly won’t be playing finals footy.

So continue to individually blame players as much as you like, but power mongrel and aggression is where the real blame lays ..

I tend to agree but with chrichton and xerri signed for 2024 I think we are good for centres.Pangai jr and Thompson have been hugely disappointing as they were signed on big money and big reputations and have failed us.Its now up to Gus to continue to get rid of the deadwood in the squad(waddell,Flanagan,Thompson)and bring in some hard running big forwards.We have wasted a solid 7 seasons with zero to show in the way of finals football and only a handful of regular first grade standard juniors.

 

[1967]

It only feels like Groundhog Day because you keep posting the same inept sh!t.

Hey @OldDogFan how’s things mate …

Just a hint, TK is such a better experience when you put those egg heads on ignore, I haven’t read anything from that particular egg for weeks and it’s refreshing to say the least.

I’ve put a few on the ignore list now, as you slowly eliminate them from the threads you eventually just end up with good footy chat.

Try it .. you’ll appreciate it mate …

 

[Geoff Chambers]

I think your title is perfection. Somehow I'm watching the team getting beaten allot and Josh Renyolds partaking in said losses.

It's definitely Groundhog Day in that sense and CC needs to wake up to a new day and make a change.

 

[1967]

I think you’re a bit harsh on our centres. We have the worst spine in the competition and easily the worst pack(especially middles).
We need 2-3 new middle forwards.
I’ve been extremely disappointed in Mariner. We have put so much into him, he’s our club captain and we get smashed through the middle every week. The guy should be having trouble walking off every week he’s put in that much effort, instead we get half assed rubbish from him.

I knew a few would feel I was a bit harsh on our centres, and I get it, but my comments come from the situation we find ourselves in at the moment more than who they are as players, if we were top 4 and killing the opposition we could bring a non seasoned 19 year old Alamoti into the side and cover for him till he gains the experience and power that’s needed, but we’re not in that situation, we need powerful centres to help us out muscle our opposition right now, because we’re being horribly out powered, and the 2 we have aren’t yet suited to that powerful style of footy yet, and I’m to impatient to wait another 2 or 3 years until they are.

 

[BlackDawg]

A junior system that actually pumps out actual 1st grade quality players is a start & then an astute recruiter who can differentiate the shit from the clay. Both these areas have been dismal. I like what Gould is doing as he is removing the overpaid non performers BUT we wont improve until my 2 key points actually start happening. Personally I like to recruit players who hate losing because they play hard every game. That is what we had heaps of in the past...blokes who didnt play origin but killed it week in week out like pollamounter, Reardon, Grimaldi etc

 

[Shanked]

what did you get for handing in this thesis?

 

[D0GMATIC]

A junior system that actually pumps out actual 1st grade quality players is a start & then an astute recruiter who can differentiate the shit from the clay. Both these areas have been dismal. I like what Gould is doing as he is removing the overpaid non performers BUT we wont improve until my 2 key points actually start happening. Personally I like to recruit players who hate losing because they play hard every game. That is what we had heaps of in the past...blokes who didnt play origin but killed it week in week out like pollamounter, Reardon, Grimaldi etc

Darren Britt and Simon Gillies, so consistent, they never had bad games.

 

[Kenya]

TPJ, Thompson are flops, we need to get out of that. And the sight of RFM still running to get on side on the second set after that guy made a big break and ran up the field was sickening.

These forwards would not have made the side in the Dogs or War days. They lack the motor, they lack urgency and aggression.

Forwards win games. Nice post 1967.

 

[1967]

what did you get for handing in this thesis?

Some good comments and responses from similar passionate Doggies fans who are also knowledgeable footy minded people.

Why do you ask ?

 

[Robbothedestroyer]

2024 no new middles and new halfback = 8 years and counting….

 

[1967]

2024 no new middles and new halfback = 8 years and counting….

And no 2024 specialist proven fullback … I’m over players getting bigger pay packets to play in positions they don’t specialise in.

If SC kills it and is the rockstar FB we’ve been waiting for I’ll eat my words, but I’m sure you get why I’m sceptical ..

 

[The_Chimpster]

I agree with pretty much everything except for the bit about the centres. Averillo hasn't played there enough and alamoti is still very raw playing in a busted side.

I think both will come good with time and better players around them

 

[Dogmonster]

Starting to think will we all be dead before they win another premiership. Unless there is a mass clean out, i can't see much changing.
Peter Moore would never have let it get this bad ever and had middles that are pussies.
Our 1980s packs would chew these pretenders up and spit them out, and they had jobs as well.
That shows just how poor these players are.

 

[maroondog72]

If you listen to this harami OP ‘games won by huge forwards’ then tell me about the team coming first at the halfway point of this season?

yeah cuz massive forwards smashing cünts from here to Bombay right here wallah.
View attachment 71761Notuijg to do with the slick spine and nimble pack no way.

Fuck off deadshit

 

[Scoooby]

Definitely been groundhog for the last 7, it’s so disheartening for us supporters too. The pain is real !!

 

[maroondog72]

Good post, we still have a long way to go but we have to keep reminding ourselves we started from an extraordinarily low base, Gus has already done a massive job with our junior pathways but that’s going to take a minute to pay dividends especially after we basically lost nearly two seasons of Qcup SG ball etc . The FG side and cap was a fucking disaster when Gus took over but he’s slowly weeding out the rubbish and while it fucking blows we are still struggling the signs are there that we have turned the corner

 

[1967]

I agree with pretty much everything except for the bit about the centres. Averillo hasn't played there enough and alamoti is still very raw playing in a busted side.

I think both will come good with time and better players around them

Your comments on both centres are huge reasons on why we’re being dominated physically on our edges … unfortunately we’re not in a position as a team right now for Averillo to play another 30 or so games in that position, or for Alamoti to finally gain the needed experience to dominate !!

What do they both need, another 12 - 24 - 36 months .. sorry but I’m not patient enough for that.

Firstly I feel Averillo has more to offer the team in other positions and I feel Alamoti’s not ready, and unfortunately we’re not in a situation where 1st grade can nurse him in a dominating pack as we used to do back when we were a full on development club ..

Have a look at the top 6 teams in the comp, look at the way their centres can play like a forward type role when it comes to busting tackles and making metres, they’re strong and hard to bring down plus they can run when they need to or they get it to their winger.

We don’t have that and it’s a huge part of why we’re being out powered.

 

[Disposable Hero]

tldr?

Yes please

 

[lovemachine]

Good post, we still have a long way to go but we have to keep reminding ourselves we started from an extraordinarily low base, Gus has already done a massive job with our junior pathways but that’s going to take a minute to pay dividends especially after we basically lost nearly two seasons of Qcup SG ball etc . The FG side and cap was a fucking disaster when Gus took over but he’s slowly weeding out the rubbish and while it fucking blows we are still struggling the signs are there that we have turned the corner

No bro, it was a shit post
I cant be any more honest.
He thinks that the key to our success is to get giant forwards bending the line.

This isnt 2010.

Please listen because im sick of repeating myself.


It ignores two waves of important rule chan2 players to 8.

2017- The reduction of interchange from 12 players to 8. This was the first step in ensuring players were fitter and more agile.

2021- The 6 again rule.

This cemented the emergence of small nimble forwards in place of hulky big players. Overnight, stars like Shannon Boyd became obsolete.

Why are we even arguing here? Souths are the berst team in the league by far and have the smalest pack. Penrith werent that big either.

Harami OP is stuck in the 80's. He even says 'the dogs will always be about a big pack' which is him living in the past.