Michael Lett - 2011 Discussion Thread

[ByRd]

Your reply has nothing to do with what was said, it's not a positive thing we are again in the NSW cup final, it shows how pathetic our recruitment has been in recent years cause many of the players were brought here for first grade. And it's not an achievement coming close to the finals, being very successful in NSW cup has got us nowhere in the top grade and the club has realized this and is cutting alot of players to bring younger kids through, it's embarrassing if we don't win it tbh with the players we have down there.

 

[hazem_elmasri]

may I please add that VERY RARELY a gun in Toyota Cup will even PLAY 1st Grade. This is why NSW Cup is around (good old players, who are mature enough to progress through to NRL) If you want a good NRL Team, you'd rather have a better NSW Cup team than NYC... Once the NYC boys come of age, that is where they are snapped up by other clubs, and put in their SECOND GRADE TEAM, to prepare for NRL.
NYC > NSW CUP > NRL

 

[w00t]

Cutting the right players would be smarter...I fail to see why our club would be satisfied with a winger like Wright.

We don't need a superstar in that position in all honesty, if they could dig up another Steve Turner from somewhere it'd be fine, if Goodwin could show the same consistent form he did in 2009 it'd be fine, the problem is our club doesn't even seem to focus on the performance of every individual player. Lett should've gotten a much bigger shot at the FG wing spot, he was by far and away the best replacement we had and whilst that is NO achievement it shows how poor our club's attitude is when it comes to selection policy and retention. Why on earth is Wright retained? His high ball vunerability and feet for hands might be able to be ignored in regular season games, but they're ultimately costly in big game matches. Neither Goodwin nor Lett has shown themselves to be THAT bad.

Same thing when it came to dropping players. Idris was NEVER dropped despite his pathetic form throughout the season, Why wasn't Wright tried in his proper position for example? For all we know he could've been much better there, why wasn't Lafai given more of a go? Morris got dropped and when he came back his form instantly improved, Idris however managed to retain his spot week in week out despite the fact he didn't seem to care how he played.

Our NSW Cup doesn't just show that our recruitment has been poor, it's a mixture. It shows that the coaches aren't willing to use form as an indicator and rather pick who they prefer as opposed to who's performing.

 

[Moronic Musings]

mr I, i respect your love for the club and knowledge of players in the lower grades, but get over your love for big tim browne LOL. he is as injury prone as you can get and will be no where near first grade with tolman, graham, kasiano and taupau.

 

[Mr Invisible]

Our NSW Cup doesn't just show that our recruitment has been poor, it's a mixture. It shows that the coaches aren't willing to use form as an indicator and rather pick who they prefer as opposed to who's performing.

That last line hits the nail on the head.

From the start of this year the Dogs looked good, yet when they started to struggle the coach completely forgot that we had NSW Cup players floating around and persevered.

A good coach should use NSW Cup to his advantage. Keep your poor first graders on their toes and fresh, and promote your best NSW Cup players. That's the ideal scenario/purpose for the NSW Cup.

Why did Romelo and Reynolds take so long to get promoted from NSW Cup? This is something nobody but Moore could explain.

Likewise Morris's spell in NSW Cup did him the world of good.

But people shouldn't view NSW Cup as a second rate competition, as that is just unfair.

......

A good coach should have ideally a solid first grade side, and then a few backups making up the top 25 playing in NSW Cup. Up and coming Toyota Cup players should get promoted to NSW Cup, and any other numbers brought across from Bundy Cup.

I mean obviously our club is cutting some of the fringe first graders from NSW Cup, and that will weaken the side (understandable), but the skill of teams across NSW Cup is determined by the level of fringe first graders they have. In our case we have had a lot over the past 2 seasons. Only now are other NSW Cup sides starting to get more competitive.

 

[Paint.]

All of you saying that he'll go to some other club and fire and it'll bite us in the ass...

don't you think St George, the Roosters and Parra thought the same? Look where he is now... he's gotten, what, 12 games for 4 clubs? And each team hasn't wanted him.

 

[Pom_81]

All of you saying that he'll go to some other club and fire and it'll bite us in the ass...

don't you think St George, the Roosters and Parra thought the same? Look where he is now... he's gotten, what, 12 games for 4 clubs? And each team hasn't wanted him.

Please stop making sense. Didn't you hear he's going to win the Dally M and the NRL Top Tryscorer award next year?

 

[B4L]

EXACTLY ..... Wright is a winger/centre, Lett is a winger/fullback.

Lets look at the depth we have in first grade for those positions.

Centre is covered somewhat. Barba gets injured and we are short on replacement winger/fullback.





I *really* must have been one of the few people who watched the Warriors vs Bulldogs Toyota Cup Semi Final. 64-0 Sixty Four to NIL. 64 to 0. A 64 point win!.

Ahhh yes, our record breaking Toyota Cup side.

Just incase I didn't make it obvious those records were (according to post game roundup):
The biggest loss by a Toyota Cup side in history.
The biggest winning margin by a Toyota Cup side in history.
The highest score against a Toyota Cup side in history.
The highest missed tackle count of any Rugby League Game (in the NRL).

That side will be like lambs vs lions in NSW Cup.

Sure we missed Sezer (gone next year anyway), and Lafai, but TC rely too much on Lafai to score.

Sean Deaves, he was bloody terrible along with Jackson, Klemmer, and pretty much every other player in the side.

Where do you think our depth comes from? How many players debuted from Toyota Cup to NRL for Bulldogs this year?

NSW Cup is far more important than people realise, it's feeding NRL clubs.

Not to mention Vulcans, Tigers and Panthers and focussing on building stronger NSW Cup sides next year, so that says something in itself.

==================

On a final (and somewhat sidetracked note), if we get an injury to a backline member next year, our season is going pearshaped very quickly. Lafai will be a starter in first grade, with only Wright and Goodwin as potential backups (and Cutler at a push).

We barely have enough players to put a NSW Cup worthy side on field, let alone cover for injuries there too.

Oh and Bankstown Sports (Bundy Cup) don't even bother looking there, as that side is a train wreck.

I dont think we will have a problem :

NRL

1. Barba
2. Turner
3. Lafai
4. Morris
5. Wright
6. Reynolds
7. Hodkinson
8. Tolman
9. Ennis
10. Graham
11. Pritchard
12. Eastwood
13. Halatau

14. Romelo
15. Kasiano
16. Taupau
17. Stagg

NSW CUP

1.Cutler
2.Deaves
3.Foster
4.
5.Goodwin
6.
7.Keating
8.Browne
9.Pumpi
10.Millington
11.Jackson
12.Payne
13.Finucane

14.Alaalatoa
15.
16.
17.

NYC

1.Abu Slamein
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Graham
7. Mbye
8. Klemmer
9. Gill
10.Lavulo
11.Carter
12.Sopoaga
13.Burr

14.
15.
16.
17.

And SG Ball players coming in to the NYC team like every year!

I think we will be fine in all 3 grades if coaching is good and i think we will sign a few fringe first graders when our coach gets announced!

 

[will.i.am]

Unfortunately for the majority of the players, it's time to move on. And I have confidence that we could even win quadruple NSW Cup titles next year! (Provided we win on Sunday of course!) Players such as Browne, Payne, Millington, Romelo, etc will still be around so I wouldn't be too worried. With the inclusion of NYC players such as Finucane, Jackson, Deaves, it will give the team an injection of youth it needs!

The players themselves won't want to play reserve grade all their lives as well. They will look elsewhere to play first grade whether it be in the NRL or super league. They will also look elsewhere for a higher-earning contract to secure their futures.

The NYC were well-beaten last weekend but let's face it, they were beaten by last year premiers', the Warriors who have an enormous outfit and have been the team to beat all season. We had one of those days where we were simply out-classed. And to add to this, we've had injuries and mid-season departures from some key positions. And to be honest, I was quite proud of the boys' season despite being knocked out 64-0 in the GF prelim.

 

[hazem_elmasri]

Please stop making sense. Didn't you hear he's going to win the Dally M and the NRL Top Tryscorer award next year?

Quite a possibility, Y'know

 

[hazem_elmasri]

Phil Gould just said Lett is one of his favourites

 

[astroboy]

I hope he gets signed up for another year.

 

[Bulldogs09]

me too, still best option to go with turner for us.

 

[Mr Invisible]

I wonder, if Lett does go elsewhere, if Gould would give him a shot at Penrith...

 

[Mr Invisible]

From SMH article on the NSW Cup Game.

TAKE NOTE BULLDOGS PLAYER RECRUITERS

Canterbury winger Michael Lett did his best to convince an NRL club to give a lifeline next year, after a sizzling second half performance.

Unwanted by Canterbury next year, the 24-year-old journeyman is on the hunt for his fourth club in 2012, after previous stints at the Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra.

Although he's played just 14 NRL matches since debuting for the Roosters in 2005, Lett showed the speed and raw instinct that made him a junior star.

He wasn't perfect, he made a glaring mistake in not cleaning up a kick which got the Vulcans back into the match in the 59th minute.

But otherwise in the second half Lett was electric - scoring two tries and making a scintilating kick return up the middle of the field that set up the try of the match for Joel Romelo which gave the Bulldogs a 16-12 lead in the 44th minute.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...miracle-try-20111002-1l3gz.html#ixzz1Zcozf84Y

 

[bite man]

what a great player gee i glad we have him in our team and wright playing along side him yeeha the combo the dogs have been searching for they know eachothers game so well this must be a big pluss for 2012 ..the bulldogs have some real talent that has been coming up through the ranks after moore got the boot , jim dymock is starting to gel alot of talented young players togeather for next year if we keep our team and coach dymock togeather we will have a much better year in 2012, we dont need a new coach we have the best coach now..

 

[hazem_elmasri]

I wonder, if Lett does go elsewhere, if Gould would give him a shot at Penrith...

was thinking that too.

 

[Izzy Forreal]

I do hope that the Dogs keep Michael Lett at Belmore. In the NSW Cup grand final he made an error that cost a try; the same type of blunder General Patten himself made a few times. But he set up Romelo's try and scored two himself. With Lett on hand to do some of the kick return stuff I think Ben Barba would breathe a lot easier. And that's no slur on Barba, he's just a small bloke that the bigger stronger opposition takr pleasure in ploughing into the ground.

 

[Pa-28]

I would have Lett on the Wing over Goodwin or Wright. Wingers are there to finish off tries, and Lett is by far the best out of the three at doing that. I'll sacrifice a mistake here and there for a good finisher. I have no idea why Wright was played out of position over him in fg this year.

 

[S4Sonny]

Lett for Left Wing position in 2012, for his outstanding dance moves shown during the NSW Cup GF Try Celebration.