When things aren't working for you on field, you need a player that can stand up and turn things around.
Des can coach whatever structures he likes.. but he can't exactly put on a pair of boots and go out there and tell them / show them what they are doing wrong.
Players like Thurston are able to control a side ... and order players around the ground.. this is what most others sides have, and what we lack.... DIRECTION!
The players have come out in the media and admitted they let the coach and fans down last year.
Whilst that doesn't absolve Des of criticism, he's not the sort of coach to sit back and watch his career die.
Heck.... Manly were going gangbusters with him.. and he comes over here, gets us into the finals each year, had us up with top attacking sides up till Rd 19 last year, and people still aren't happy.
So ... if he left a very successful Manly with his style of coaching and structures, came over here and it DIDN'T work .... then it's not the coach that is the issue is it? if it was Manly would have been choking in recent years before he left.
Yh you still don't get it all.
Our side is massively overcoached and our structures simply don't allow a key player to stand up and take charge. Our forwards don't actually run lines, we have no depth, our props are positioned in our hookers pockets, etc. There is no freedom for a key player to stand up because our structures are way to strict and unique.
JT is a terrible example. Do you think JT just makes shit up at the top of his head and everyone just runs around after him? Lol please.
JT controls the side because that is what he does at training, unlike our halves. Every play that JT "organises" or "directs", the whole team has trained for. The team also has many variations...JT's job is to simply pick the right option. Yes he goes off track sometimes, but he has the freedom to do so because of the Cowboys structures and because the players around JT are ready to react to what he is doing.
And comparing us and Manly is stupid. The structures between the two sides are completely different along with the gane being different.
But yes we do lack direction, but that isn't the players fault. That is on Des.