The coach and the Manly culture:
this is the biggest thing we have to get right. Defence is 95% attitude and by looking at some of our teams efforts it is very clear the coach has failed to motivate the players.
We also completely lack a game plan of any type and all of our tries are forged through individual brilliance alone. The negative tactics of kicking the ball out completely stunts what is on paper a talented roster. Look at how well DCE steered the QLD side around when given a chance to play under a proper structure.
So who is the man we need? As far as I see it there are six contenders as we need a proven coach who has shown he can instill a hard attitude in his players as well as a sound tactical structure. They are Des Hasler, Michael McGuire, Wayne Bennett, Neil Henry and Michael Hagan.
Des is the only one who ticks all the boxes great win percentage, liked by his players, tactical master and above all understands Manly. Unfortunately his past probably means that he is untenable.
Michael McGuire is a club builder with a hard edge he has all the attributes we need and his style of play would probably suit our current roster. He is the next best option but unfortunately will probably end up at the broncos.
Neil Henry and Michael Hagan are both coaches who have proven to be successful and are very tactically strong. Hagan has been a very large contributor to Queensland’s decade of dominance and managed to make a grand final with both Parramatta and Newcastle yes he’s a bit left field but not the worst option. Neil Henry also has a good relationship with DCE so would probably be a sound appointment to promote club unity politically. These guys are the next option behind McGuire.
Wayne Bennett, simply one of the greatest coaches of all time would instill defensive attitude and structure. We could do far worse.
Verdict: Michael McGuire is the winner with the next best option being Neil Henry.
Assistant coach and support staff:
It is absolutely imperitive that the support staff understand the manly culture. Geoff Toovey must be involved so too Donny Singe and Matt Ballin. Ferris must go and as unlikely as it sounds so should John Cartwright. I’d also make enquirers to Cooper Cronk about being a halves consultant if he retires.
Recruitment manager:
we’ve been searching high and low. This is a no brainer bring back Crusher Cleal.
A five eighth, game manager and top shelf goal kicker:
James Maloney is being shopped by Penrith if we sign him we absolutely have a side capable of winning the competition. He’s one of the best game managers of the modern era and one of the best goal kickers in the game. Kane Elgey and Trent Hodkinson are more than serviceable backups. Walker must move back to right centre. Maloney is a must signing and we need to do whatever it takes to get him here including a heavily backended deal.
Defence and in particular the right edge:
The right edge defence is pathetic. Suli, Gosiewski and particularly Parker are all awful defenders and sides score past them with ease. Cherry Evans needs to move back to this edge with walker shifting wider. Parker is terrible and should be cut from the squad altogether to be replaced by either Reuben Garrick from the dragons or Joel Moon from leads (both of these players should be signed with Anderson taking taufua’s spot on the left wing).
A hard coach will go a long way to strengthening the rest of the defence however we are also a little bit heavy in the middle with most of our forwards being big Polynesian boys with limited ability to move laterally and plug holes in the middle. While the return of Koroisau will assist to this end to some degree we still need a high motor no frills middle forward in the mould of someone like Matt Prior or Aidan Tolman. The best forward in this ilk is available and keen to come to the NRL on a discount Alex Walmsley is the perfect addition to our side and would take our pack to the next level.
Attacking structure:
as already mentioned our attack structure is non existent and the negative plays need to disappear.
In conclusion I don’t believe we are too far away from winning a competition we only need a few key additions to cut some dead wood and replace them with players that have improvement in them. Barrett is a cancer and once cut out we will be on the rise if we can play our cards right.
this is the biggest thing we have to get right. Defence is 95% attitude and by looking at some of our teams efforts it is very clear the coach has failed to motivate the players.
We also completely lack a game plan of any type and all of our tries are forged through individual brilliance alone. The negative tactics of kicking the ball out completely stunts what is on paper a talented roster. Look at how well DCE steered the QLD side around when given a chance to play under a proper structure.
So who is the man we need? As far as I see it there are six contenders as we need a proven coach who has shown he can instill a hard attitude in his players as well as a sound tactical structure. They are Des Hasler, Michael McGuire, Wayne Bennett, Neil Henry and Michael Hagan.
Des is the only one who ticks all the boxes great win percentage, liked by his players, tactical master and above all understands Manly. Unfortunately his past probably means that he is untenable.
Michael McGuire is a club builder with a hard edge he has all the attributes we need and his style of play would probably suit our current roster. He is the next best option but unfortunately will probably end up at the broncos.
Neil Henry and Michael Hagan are both coaches who have proven to be successful and are very tactically strong. Hagan has been a very large contributor to Queensland’s decade of dominance and managed to make a grand final with both Parramatta and Newcastle yes he’s a bit left field but not the worst option. Neil Henry also has a good relationship with DCE so would probably be a sound appointment to promote club unity politically. These guys are the next option behind McGuire.
Wayne Bennett, simply one of the greatest coaches of all time would instill defensive attitude and structure. We could do far worse.
Verdict: Michael McGuire is the winner with the next best option being Neil Henry.
Assistant coach and support staff:
It is absolutely imperitive that the support staff understand the manly culture. Geoff Toovey must be involved so too Donny Singe and Matt Ballin. Ferris must go and as unlikely as it sounds so should John Cartwright. I’d also make enquirers to Cooper Cronk about being a halves consultant if he retires.
Recruitment manager:
we’ve been searching high and low. This is a no brainer bring back Crusher Cleal.
A five eighth, game manager and top shelf goal kicker:
James Maloney is being shopped by Penrith if we sign him we absolutely have a side capable of winning the competition. He’s one of the best game managers of the modern era and one of the best goal kickers in the game. Kane Elgey and Trent Hodkinson are more than serviceable backups. Walker must move back to right centre. Maloney is a must signing and we need to do whatever it takes to get him here including a heavily backended deal.
Defence and in particular the right edge:
The right edge defence is pathetic. Suli, Gosiewski and particularly Parker are all awful defenders and sides score past them with ease. Cherry Evans needs to move back to this edge with walker shifting wider. Parker is terrible and should be cut from the squad altogether to be replaced by either Reuben Garrick from the dragons or Joel Moon from leads (both of these players should be signed with Anderson taking taufua’s spot on the left wing).
A hard coach will go a long way to strengthening the rest of the defence however we are also a little bit heavy in the middle with most of our forwards being big Polynesian boys with limited ability to move laterally and plug holes in the middle. While the return of Koroisau will assist to this end to some degree we still need a high motor no frills middle forward in the mould of someone like Matt Prior or Aidan Tolman. The best forward in this ilk is available and keen to come to the NRL on a discount Alex Walmsley is the perfect addition to our side and would take our pack to the next level.
Attacking structure:
as already mentioned our attack structure is non existent and the negative plays need to disappear.
In conclusion I don’t believe we are too far away from winning a competition we only need a few key additions to cut some dead wood and replace them with players that have improvement in them. Barrett is a cancer and once cut out we will be on the rise if we can play our cards right.
