Recruitment team did not do there homework

[Northern Beaches dog]

We recruited players from clubs that were at the top end of the table.
Mahoney was the starting hooker of a team that made the GF last season. He was also in the conversation of origin selection.
Burton was in the starting side of a team that won the GF. The same with Kikau.
JAC had plenty of success at the Storm.

No doubt our recruitment team THOUGHT because they are from successful clubs, they will come here and lift the standards of the place and it will have a flow on effect.

Not only did these players not lift the place, but they became worse players themselves. Why?
It is very obvious that these players did not drive the culture at there previous club, they were the recipient of it.

Contrast this to what Bennett did, he went and bought LEADERS like the Bromwich brothers, Kafusi etc.
Now while these players are not "sexy" purchases like Kikau, Mahoney etc as they are at the end of there careers, Bennett identified and knows you need leaders first and foremost over skill, talent etc and look at the season they had?

While these leaders played pretty much at the same level as they did before, look at what effect it did to JMK, Jamayne Isaako, Hammer, Nikorima etc.

Gus and CC have identified and are hoping Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Salmon etc while not sexy buys, will drive the standard. They are not there have a major effect skill wise or grunt guys, but are "locker room" guys.

When you interview for these type of players, you are not looking for there skill sets and what they can do on the park, but what effect that have on the culture which has a far far greater effect that trying to just buy skillful or good forwards in a team with a rotten culture.

Time will tell but i they got it wrong.

 

[bradyk]

Salmon isn't someone who's going to drive standards imo. Taaffe neither. Maybe Taukeiaho, but he's always seemed pretty quiet too. Critta brings similar to what Fox did. Xerri probably doesn't need to be mentioned in regards to driving standards either. I would say the recruitment isn't much different to previous years.

 

[Nasheed]

Nasheed here.
The problem we made is very clear to me.
Two fold.
First.
we recruited heavy in the wrong positions.
Cotric, JAC, DWZ. Naden. Duffy. All wingers and defensive liabilities for the most part.
This was done with adding flair. But it caused the opposite problem.
For years I was saying none of that matters if we don’t recruit an experienced half and spine players. Still doesn’t. They is the glue. They be the heart of the team.
Look at how we overturned it in 2009. How broncos did this year and cowboys did last year.
Countless examples.
We should have held steady and gone all oit for Reynolds or Townsend or players of this I’ll as they became available.

The second issue is the Barret focus was youth obsessed.
Again I spoke out strongly about it at the time.
Barrett’s idea was he could a dynasty by buyin youth.
But what we cried out was experience.
An experienced team with a solid foundation need youth to go up a notch. A young inexperienced team needs leadership. Not more youth. Unless they are absolutely sublime talent like Benji and Robbie Farah appearing at once. Or Foran/DCE.
Both those times the players were basically the best of a generation.
Even the tigers example was only made possible because they nabbed Prince to help Benji.

When we got Burton, our immediate focus should have been to get Townsend who was out of favour at the time. I reckon 600k he was ours. We then had expetience and guidance with a young G.
We actually realised that when Gould came in board but we let Townsend through to the keeper and cowboys swooped and although Reynolds signed with the brumbies for less, I’m sure a cool million would have done it. Or at least keep Foran for the small multi year deal we asked.

Our balance has been wrong at every step. The only smart decision was Mahoney.

 

[Noosa Dog]

Whatever the homework was, it most likely needs to be adjusted in the future so we avoid ending up with half a team of pussycats

 

[Noosa Dog]

Nasheed here.
The problem we made is very clear to me.
Two fold.
First.
we recruited heavy in the wrong positions.
Cotric, JAC, DWZ. Naden. Duffy. All wingers and defensive liabilities for the most part.
This was done with adding flair. But it caused the opposite problem.
For years I was saying none of that matters if we don’t recruit an experienced half and spine players. Still doesn’t. They is the glue. They be the heart of the team.
Look at how we overturned it in 2009. How broncos did this year and cowboys did last year.
Countless examples.
We should have held steady and gone all oit for Reynolds or Townsend or players of this I’ll as they became available.

The second issue is the Barret focus was youth obsessed.
Again I spoke out strongly about it at the time.
Barrett’s idea was he could a dynasty by buyin youth.
But what we cried out was experience.
An experienced team with a solid foundation need youth to go up a notch. A young inexperienced team needs leadership. Not more youth. Unless they are absolutely sublime talent like Benji and Robbie Farah appearing at once. Or Foran/DCE.
Both those times the players were basically the best of a generation.
Even the tigers example was only made possible because they nabbed Prince to help Benji.

When we got Burton, our immediate focus should have been to get Townsend who was out of favour at the time. I reckon 600k he was ours. We then had expetience and guidance with a young G.
We actually realised that when Gould came in board but we let Townsend through to the keeper and cowboys swooped and although Reynolds signed with the brumbies for less, I’m sure a cool million would have done it. Or at least keep Foran for the small multi year deal we asked.

Our balance has been wrong at every step. The only smart decision was Mahoney.

You make some very fair points, although I think our lack of standards was probably our biggest mistake. Credit to Sexdogs, as I think he has mentioned the training and conditioning standards in past seasons.

 

[Sir dogeth style]

We recruited players from clubs that were at the top end of the table.
Mahoney was the starting hooker of a team that made the GF last season. He was also in the conversation of origin selection.
Burton was in the starting side of a team that won the GF. The same with Kikau.
JAC had plenty of success at the Storm.

No doubt our recruitment team THOUGHT because they are from successful clubs, they will come here and lift the standards of the place and it will have a flow on effect.

Not only did these players not lift the place, but they became worse players themselves. Why?
It is very obvious that these players did not drive the culture at there previous club, they were the recipient of it.

Contrast this to what Bennett did, he went and bought LEADERS like the Bromwich brothers, Kafusi etc.
Now while these players are not "sexy" purchases like Kikau, Mahoney etc as they are at the end of there careers, Bennett identified and knows you need leaders first and foremost over skill, talent etc and look at the season they had?

While these leaders played pretty much at the same level as they did before, look at what effect it did to JMK, Jamayne Isaako, Hammer, Nikorima etc.

Gus and CC have identified and are hoping Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Salmon etc while not sexy buys, will drive the standard. They are not there have a major effect skill wise or grunt guys, but are "locker room" guys.

When you interview for these type of players, you are not looking for there skill sets and what they can do on the park, but what effect that have on the culture which has a far far greater effect that trying to just buy skillful or good forwards in a team with a rotten culture.

Time will tell but i they got it wrong.

when the good players are surrounded in shit, it wears on you eventually and frustration and personal emotions take over.. then the in fighting starts ect.. i was worried about cc for a while, and now i think we are seeing a true rebuild, work hard or fuck off is the new motto i think

 

[TOTTO]

I think that's why they are signing players from the top clubs; they know what training is about, hard work also think CC picks his team on players who do the training not the bludgers.

 

[Natboy]

Credit to Sexdogs, as I think he has mentioned the training and conditioning standards in past seasons.

He’s negative about everything we do though

 

[Cappuccino]

We've signed what we could
There's no doubt we needed a hooker

 

[Bad Billy]

You make some very fair points, although I think our lack of standards was probably our biggest mistake. Credit to Sexdogs, as I think he has mentioned the training and conditioning standards in past seasons.

Whenever you find yourself agreeing with nasheed… reconsider.

 

[Bad Billy]

I don’t think we’ve signed the wrong people. I think there’s so much shit at the club, that it’s dragging them down.
anyone can see Mahoney is trying his guts out.

 

[Nasheed]

Whenever you find yourself agreeing with nasheed… reconsider.

Why?
I have built a bit of Respect.
Look at my account.
Underneath it is ‘Kennel Legend’
Next to my name it says ‘gilded’
Gilded is like an OAM medal here.
I. Have. Respect.

 

[Chris Harding]

We recruited players from clubs that were at the top end of the table.
Mahoney was the starting hooker of a team that made the GF last season. He was also in the conversation of origin selection.
Burton was in the starting side of a team that won the GF. The same with Kikau.
JAC had plenty of success at the Storm.

No doubt our recruitment team THOUGHT because they are from successful clubs, they will come here and lift the standards of the place and it will have a flow on effect.

Not only did these players not lift the place, but they became worse players themselves. Why?
It is very obvious that these players did not drive the culture at there previous club, they were the recipient of it.

Contrast this to what Bennett did, he went and bought LEADERS like the Bromwich brothers, Kafusi etc.
Now while these players are not "sexy" purchases like Kikau, Mahoney etc as they are at the end of there careers, Bennett identified and knows you need leaders first and foremost over skill, talent etc and look at the season they had?

While these leaders played pretty much at the same level as they did before, look at what effect it did to JMK, Jamayne Isaako, Hammer, Nikorima etc.

Gus and CC have identified and are hoping Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Salmon etc while not sexy buys, will drive the standard. They are not there have a major effect skill wise or grunt guys, but are "locker room" guys.

When you interview for these type of players, you are not looking for there skill sets and what they can do on the park, but what effect that have on the culture which has a far far greater effect that trying to just buy skillful or good forwards in a team with a rotten culture.

Time will tell but i they got it wrong.

Good assessment, but use spellchecker. It's "their" not there.

 

[Chris Harding]

Why?
I have built a bit of Respect.
Look at my account.
Underneath it is ‘Kennel Legend’
Next to my name it says ‘gilded’
Gilded is like an OAM medal here.
I. Have. Respect.

Don't put too much into the title "gilded". If you've ever read AB Paterson's "The man from Ironbark" you might recall these lines:

"There were some gilded youths that sat along the barber's wall.
Their eyes were dull, their heads were flat, they had no brains at all"

 

[D- voice]

We recruited players from clubs that were at the top end of the table.
Mahoney was the starting hooker of a team that made the GF last season. He was also in the conversation of origin selection.
Burton was in the starting side of a team that won the GF. The same with Kikau.
JAC had plenty of success at the Storm.

No doubt our recruitment team THOUGHT because they are from successful clubs, they will come here and lift the standards of the place and it will have a flow on effect.

Not only did these players not lift the place, but they became worse players themselves. Why?
It is very obvious that these players did not drive the culture at there previous club, they were the recipient of it.

Contrast this to what Bennett did, he went and bought LEADERS like the Bromwich brothers, Kafusi etc.
Now while these players are not "sexy" purchases like Kikau, Mahoney etc as they are at the end of there careers, Bennett identified and knows you need leaders first and foremost over skill, talent etc and look at the season they had?

While these leaders played pretty much at the same level as they did before, look at what effect it did to JMK, Jamayne Isaako, Hammer, Nikorima etc.

Gus and CC have identified and are hoping Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Salmon etc while not sexy buys, will drive the standard. They are not there have a major effect skill wise or grunt guys, but are "locker room" guys.

When you interview for these type of players, you are not looking for there skill sets and what they can do on the park, but what effect that have on the culture which has a far far greater effect that trying to just buy skillful or good forwards in a team with a rotten culture.

Time will tell but i they got it wrong.

First and foremost CC and Gus backed by Khoury and Co have set the standards...
As a result for the first time in a long time I truly truly feel we are back on track to recovery, this club always prided it self on hard yaka the kind that turns good players into leaders but once we lost that we lost everything...up until know,
IMO every player no matter who they are doesn't buy into our culture see yah later thanks for coming and don't let the door hit you on your back side on your way out.
Incidentally, for years I believed we needed an ALPHA a leader a captain, I still do !!!

 

[D.O.W.]

Fi

Salmon isn't someone who's going to drive standards imo. Taaffe neither. Maybe Taukeiaho, but he's always seemed pretty quiet too. Critta brings similar to what Fox did. Xerri probably doesn't need to be mentioned in regards to driving standards either. I would say the recruitment isn't much different to previous years.

We could do with 1 or 2 in the Finucane, JJ, Grimaldi mould… be we desperately need size, 2 decent middles should be the priority right now.

 

[D- voice]

I don’t think we’ve signed the wrong people. I think there’s so much shit at the club, that it’s dragging them down.
anyone can see Mahoney is trying his guts out.

They are the right people...
We just need to rid our roster from the wrong ones !!!

 

[D- voice]

Fi
We could do with 1 or 2 in the Finucane, JJ, Grimaldi mould… be we desperately need size, 2 decent middles should be the priority right now.

We definitely need 2 huge middle forwards and at least 1 workhorse.

 

[KLil]

Nobody is shining without a dominant forward pack.... NOBODY.

 

[Scoobs]

Salmon isn't someone who's going to drive standards imo. Taaffe neither. Maybe Taukeiaho, but he's always seemed pretty quiet too. Critta brings similar to what Fox did. Xerri probably doesn't need to be mentioned in regards to driving standards either. I would say the recruitment isn't much different to previous years.

Agree mostly, except i really hope Critta is the dude that can change the place. At least he has a bit of **** and swagger in him that we sorely miss.