Opinion Fans need reassurance urgently

[Jean-Claude Juncker]

Andrew Hill, Lynne Anderson:

We need to hear from you publicly, urgently.

Please tell us what the plan is.

Please be transparent about the brutal reality of the challenges we are facing.

Please give us confidence that there is a way out of this and that we are not doomed to despair.

 

[B-Train]

Of course this regime inherited a massive mess. And they have deserved patience to try and turn things around.

But with some of the signings they've made in Meaney, Napa, Sue, Crichton are creating more of a mess as the club is tying up valuable cap space on proven average players who aren't the long term solution.

The old regime were the ones who set the club back years but this new regime is inspiring zero confidence...

The more that time passes, the less they can use the mess that they inherited as an excuse and have to accept responsibility for their own mistakes....

 

[wendog33]

Of course this regime inherited a massive mess. And they have deserved patience to try and turn things around.

But with some of the signings they've made in Meaney, Napa, Sue, Crichton are creating more of a mess as the club is tying up valuable cap space on proven average players who aren't the long term solution.

The old regime were the ones who set the club back years but this new regime is inspiring zero confidence...

The more that time passes, the less they can use the mess that they inherited as an excuse and have to accept responsibility for their own mistakes....

This is the most worrying aspect of any hope of improvement. Where are the good judges of good footy players? We were better off playing cheaper reserve graders for the same results and front loading as many as possible of our existing backends and ratchet clause players.

What a mess.

 

[wendog33]

This is the most worrying aspect of any hope of improvement. Where are the good judges of good footy players? We were better off playing cheaper reserve graders for the same results and front loading as many as possible of our existing backends and ratchet clause players.

What a mess.

Maybe Crighton, Montoya, Holland, Sue, Lichaa are cheap already?

 

[thehektikwolfpack]

2020 cannot come faster enough...

 

[Trafford10]

Maybe Crighton, Montoya, Holland, Sue, Lichaa are cheap already?

Lichaa isn't cheap this season.

 

[Boxer]

Plan is to wait and see how the team gels together.

 

[sifter6]

I rarely post - not because I think I am special, but because I have little to say. However, in this instance I feel compelled to say we are stuck with the 'Hasler hangover' and the new group in charge have also performed poorly.

To attract exciting players the club needs to relocate - preferably in NSW still. I say that with a heavy heart after spending my younger years at Belmore for every home game back in the good old 80s. Since then I have resided overseas so relocation doesn't effect me as much as you loyal Sydney people.

 

[Alexander the Great]

I rarely post - not because I think I am special, but because I have little to say. However, in this instance I feel compelled to say we are stuck with the 'Hasler hangover' and the new group in charge have also performed poorly.

To attract exciting players the club needs to relocate - preferably in NSW still. I say that with a heavy heart after spending my younger years at Belmore for every home game back in the good old 80s. Since then I have resided overseas so relocation doesn't effect me as much as you loyal Sydney people.

How the fuck have manly taken this **** back? Just fucking racks the mind

 

[Boxer]

I rarely post - not because I think I am special, but because I have little to say. However, in this instance I feel compelled to say we are stuck with the 'Hasler hangover' and the new group in charge have also performed poorly.

To attract exciting players the club needs to relocate - preferably in NSW still. I say that with a heavy heart after spending my younger years at Belmore for every home game back in the good old 80s. Since then I have resided overseas so relocation doesn't effect me as much as you loyal Sydney people.

No way dogs are relocating.
Money will attract any player.

 

[Vlasnik]

All I can say is God I'm glad the team is playing for us fans and not just for themselves........ NOT!!!!

 

[KiwiDog7]

I hope they come out and back Pay 100% which is the deathknell for any FG coach

 

[Bulldog_4_Life]

We need to just gut out the roster.

We need to just let the following run down their contracts or move them on early:

- Lichaa
- Fualalo
- Sue
- Foran
- Montoya
- Hopoate
- Brown
- Olive
- Tualau
- Elliot

Lichaa, Fualalo, Tualau, Olive and Brown are all off contract at the end of this year, all should be let go.

We should be able to find suitors for Hopoate and Elliot as they enter the final year of their contracts. And we will just be forced to see out Foran's contract unless he gets injured again and retires.


In terms of signings we seem likely to sign Robson and with a few players of the books plus the supposed 500k we have we will probably have 1.3-1.4 million to spend. Looking at the options we really need to make a strong play at Oates, I know it will be difficult to sway him away from the Broncos but he has already shown that his head can be turned with some extra $$, we saw yesterday (Fergo) how important it is having big strong wingers who can start your sets off on the front foot, we might have to overpay but we are almost desperate for outside backs right now and he is one of the few left, 650k should do the trick. Another player I'd target is Enari Tuala, super talented young centre at the Cowboys but he is struggling for regular play time and would improve our edge, wouldn't be too expensive either, say 350k.

In terms of our juniors we really need to hit a home run with one of Ogden or To'omaga, if both develop then we will in a strong position but we need atleast one to step up. Hopefully Harper can hit his stride in reserves this season too and get promoted to first grade before the end of the year. In terms of Meaney we are just going to have to take the punt at some point and throw him in and see if he can cut it, his defence needs a lot of work but he is the only specialist fullback at the club and unless we can find a rough diamond some where else then he is all we've got, Hopoate isn't a fullback and never will be, his positioning isn't good enough, has no pace, isn't a playmaker and his defence isn't all that either, his a nice bloke but he is a winger or nothing.

It would be great to go into next year with the following:

1. Meaney
2. Oates
3. Tuala
4. Harper
5. Smith
6. Cogger/Foran/Wakeham
7. Lewis
8. Napa
9. Robson
10. Ogden
11. CHN
12. Martin
13. Jackson

14. Tolman
15. To'omaga
16. RFM
17. Roumanos

It is an extremely young squad and we would probably need another forward too but it's our best option right now, we might not have enough experience to make the finals but at least it would be fun to watch.

 

[Dawgfather]

Andrew Hill, Lynne Anderson:

We need to hear from you publicly, urgently.

Please tell us what the plan is.

Please be transparent about the brutal reality of the challenges we are facing.

Please give us confidence that there is a way out of this and that we are not doomed to despair.

If you as a fan are by any means surprised at these results, then you would want your head read.

It's clear to anyone with half a footballing brain that we are a team who is trying to re-build itself after it was torn apart by Hasler, Dib and Castle.

If you thought we were going to be able to compete with other teams this year then you are either crazy or completely ignorant.

The team is performing exactly how it should perform (i.e. the team is performing without much of a rudder and is unable to withstand attacking pressure because we don't have the talent to do so).

 

[Kempsey Dog]

We need to just gut out the roster.

We need to just let the following run down their contracts or move them on early:

- Lichaa
- Fualalo
- Sue
- Foran
- Montoya
- Hopoate
- Brown
- Olive
- Tualau
- Elliot

Lichaa, Fualalo, Tualau, Olive and Brown are all off contract at the end of this year, all should be let go.

We should be able to find suitors for Hopoate and Elliot as they enter the final year of their contracts. And we will just be forced to see out Foran's contract unless he gets injured again and retires.


In terms of signings we seem likely to sign Robson and with a few players of the books plus the supposed 500k we have we will probably have 1.3-1.4 million to spend. Looking at the options we really need to make a strong play at Oates, I know it will be difficult to sway him away from the Broncos but he has already shown that his head can be turned with some extra $$, we saw yesterday (Fergo) how important it is having big strong wingers who can start your sets off on the front foot, we might have to overpay but we are almost desperate for outside backs right now and he is one of the few left, 650k should do the trick. Another player I'd target is Enari Tuala, super talented young centre at the Cowboys but he is struggling for regular play time and would improve our edge, wouldn't be too expensive either, say 350k.

In terms of our juniors we really need to hit a home run with one of Ogden or To'omaga, if both develop then we will in a strong position but we need atleast one to step up. Hopefully Harper can hit his stride in reserves this season too and get promoted to first grade before the end of the year. In terms of Meaney we are just going to have to take the punt at some point and throw him in and see if he can cut it, his defence needs a lot of work but he is the only specialist fullback at the club and unless we can find a rough diamond some where else then he is all we've got, Hopoate isn't a fullback and never will be, his positioning isn't good enough, has no pace, isn't a playmaker and his defence isn't all that either, his a nice bloke but he is a winger or nothing.

It would be great to go into next year with the following:

1. Meaney
2. Oates
3. Tuala
4. Harper
5. Smith
6. Cogger/Foran/Wakeham
7. Lewis
8. Napa
9. Robson
10. Ogden
11. CHN
12. Martin
13. Jackson

14. Tolman
15. To'omaga
16. RFM
17. Roumanos

It is an extremely young squad and we would probably need another forward too but it's our best option right now, we might not have enough experience to make the finals but at least it would be fun to watch.

1. Meaney (if he fails then Hughes or Drinkwater )
2. Smith
3. Staggs
4. Cotric
5. Oates
This is all I want, nothing worse than having a poo poo backline

 

[Jean-Claude Juncker]

If you thought we were going to be able to compete with other teams this year then you are either crazy or completely ignorant.

Being competitive is the least fans can ask for. It should be a base expectation. It's also what the administration, the coach and the players promised we would be, all off-season. Their stated goal, actually, was to play finals. In this context, consecutive humiliations to start the season against average sides signals a fucking crisis.

 

[Scoooby]

The amount of talk building up to round 1 was unreaL, the vibes were great! It gave us hope that we would have a good year... problem is none of that has been put into action on the field and it feels like broken promises!! Show some fucking resolve and pride for the club or clean it out and get people who will. We Are the doggs and deserve MUCH better!!!

 

[Dawgfather]

Being competitive is the least fans can ask for. It should be a base expectation. It's also what the administration, the coach and the players promised we would be, all off-season. Their stated goal, actually, was to play finals. In this context, consecutive humiliations to start the season against average sides signals a fucking crisis.

You may 'hope' to be competitive, but are you not aware of the happenings of the last 3-4 years?

Are you aware of what Hasler did to the club?
Are you aware of the state of the salary cap?
Are you aware of the desperate deals done with Woods and Foran in the last stages of the previous Boards and Haslers time with us?
Are you aware of the lack of time and investment paid to our junior squads?

Sure you can hope to be competitive but let's be realistic.

 

[Alan79]

This year and next will see a lot of player turnover. Our recruitment drive started when we supposedly had around minimum wage to sign 5 players. Based on that assumption Chrighton, Cogger and Meaney all seem like decent signings. As we cleared the decks more we nabbed CHN and Sue. The unexpected departure of Klemmer seems to be when we finally developed a little war chest.



We are seemingly stacked with second rowers. Many of them will move on. Hopefully we funnel their wages into some decent outside backs, retain some of the quality in the second row and continue to develop on the potential of guys like Cogger and Meaney. Chrighton looks like he tries, but I don't rate him highly. If none of our current backline options step up I have no issues with not renewing their contracts.



I don't see the majority of this roster being here long term. This is a transitional team. I hope we start getting results from them. The reality for the fringe first graders is that this could easily be the only NRL time they see. They need to own it.

 

[Mr Invisible]

They have and this clubs taking the piss with their fans.

"Sorry we let you down, come spend your hard earned cash watchnig us get 70 put on his by the Tigers this weekend"