Smartest thing that club ever did.

[Shoe1]

I thought George Williams was good, and it's less than 12 months since he was sent packing!

True, I guess they’ve struggled to get a consistent good 7.

 

[XV-1]

I'm not going to have an opinion until @XV-1 gives us a list of everything DCE did wrong last night.

DCE was great yesterday. I am a big DCE supporter. The only thing I have mentioned is that he and Foran need to spend more time on the same side of the field.

Yesterday he and Foran were on the same side of the field a few times which made Manly a lot more dangerous in attack. good to see DCE is listening

 

[Woodsie]

DCE was great yesterday. I am a big DCE supporter. The only thing I have mentioned is that he and Foran need to spend more time on the same side of the field.

Yesterday he and Foran were on the same side of the field a few times which made Manly a lot more dangerous in attack. good to see DCE is listening

Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason for the win ..

 

[XV-1]

Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason for the win ..

It certainly helped

 

[Woodsie]

It certainly helped

Yep along with 4 props actually contesting the middle and raiders playing like the ball had spiders on it .

 

[mickqld]

Dunno mate. A good half still needs the right cattle around them. Reynolds a case in point, playing alongside glorified turds now, he looks bog average. He also had to suffer through the ****ty Barrett era. I don’t recall any half carrying their side to a premiership, but happy to be corrected.

Yes I do agree on Reynolds. He does look bog average now surrounded by that average forward pack that stands back waiting on Haas to do it all. DCE did have a forward packs of Taupau, AFB, Lawrence, Lussick, Sironen, Jake, Thommo, Api and Fainu back in 2017,18,19. Unfortunately didn't have a decent coach in 17, 18.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Of the ones Insomniac mentioned, may I humbly suggest that Gibbs could have been the greatest of all Manly halfbacks and one of the greatest in the game’s history, but for injury?

Anyone who say him play at his best will remember how the attack grew wings with him there - reminiscent of the impact that Tommy has when in full flight.

One of my fav Manly half backs to watch. Electric. Enigma. Socks down, head up and back.

 

[madmax]

I was there too and he had a lot of help from absolute champions like the 2 Stewart's, Lyon , Foran, Matai , Watmough, Ballin, Kite. I'm talking about now. To be an absolute elite champion he has to deliver this team a premiership through consistent week after week performances like today as players like Cleary, Munster, Hughes, Cronk, Thurston, Lockyer, Reynolds have done.

Ummmm Thurston delivered a single premiership in his career!!! Oh & I guess all the other players didn’t have other champions around them?

 

[Merdy33]

I’m a big fan of DCE and I think he has been worth the money. He helped steer us in 2011 and was MOM in 2013. He is not the type of halfback to steer a team around the paddock. He is an off the cuff player, with a magnificent kicking game. The best in the comp, as evidenced yesterday. That’s why I like having Foran back, he can organise and direct. Remember also DCE is playing without a hooker who can organise.
But I also want to comment on Cronk. I don’t get the love for him. Yes he’s handy, and seems like a pleasant chap, but he has NEVER played in a team without a dominant forward back, and where he hasn’t been surrounded by superstars. As well as playing under the two best coaches in the game for his whole career. Something tells me that he would never have ‘tarnished his brand’ by playing at a weaker club.

 

[HK_Eagle]

It is fair to say that DCE over the years has been at times a rocks and diamonds sort of player. For any player to have played as many games as he has says a lot about his durability. There is no better halfback in the game that can kick a clutch field goal as he does. There are however many halfbacks who game manage a lot better than he does.

To be fair on DCE when he signed that deal, the club was in a mess, 2015 and 2016 were really ordinary seasons for the club, 2017 the team made the finals then fell in a heap in 2018.

Since 2019, I think DCE has been more consistent and become a better player.

Whether he was worth that size of contract is debatable. I remember at the time in 2015 when he and Foran were there to be re-signed that it was a real fork in the road for the club. Foran wanted out and did so. DCE was also happy to take the coin from the GC and go. It really disrupted that season and our management of the day really had a tough time trying to retain these two players, our great team was ageing. Gifty left, Whatmough went to the Whingers, Killer, Snake and Skivvy were past their best and injury prone and at the end of the 15 season there was a big player purge for Barretts arrival as coach.

DCE being the highest paid player really struggled at times to lift his game and even at Origin level was well behind Cronk and co.

If Manly in the next few years can win a premiership it will be justified.

The truth is the money he is on is also making it harder for us to get in players that we really need. If we are going to challenge the top clubs we need a quality 9 to come in and control the ruck and we will eventually need to replace DCE.

It will be interesting to see what the club does in relation to DCE. The Dolphins are bound to come a calling requesting his services you would expect and I believe that DCE has maybe 3 years left at the elite level.

You cannot fault his commitment to Manly! He tries hard most weeks and when he is on he is a clutch matchwinner!

It's just painful to think of the mess this club created from early 2010s onwards. After a glorious period we really mucked things up. If we navigated that transitional period better I shudder to think of the success we could have seen. It really was a clusterfark and incredibly unprofessional from the loss of Hasler to the Foz/DCE circus. Pathetic.

 

[mickqld]

Ummmm Thurston delivered a single premiership in his career!!! Oh & I guess all the other players didn’t have other champions around them?

Thurston had around him Matt Scott , Michael Morgan, Taumalolo and Coote. Wouldn't say he was surrounded by champions.

 

[Technical Coach]

If you could buy 1-2 premierships every 8 years for $10M, every club would say "where do I sign?"

Reality is all you can do is put your best foot forward. I shudder to think of the precession of no hopers we would've had to entertain if we lost Chez to the Titans.

If Chez wins us 1 more he will match Joey.

Joey made the Knights, DCE in 2011 was the icing on the cake behind many others.

$10 million was outlayed for stability and success and we only achieved half that.

The "Where do we sign" angle you are trying to make doesn't even make sense, basically what all the other clubs are saying is by not doing so is "we don't feel there is currently a player good enough to warrant such an outlay that will generate that kind of success" and so far it appears they are correct.

Jason Taumalolo investment along similar lines has been a failure also, relative to that contract DCE has offered more value.

I'm hard on DCE because i feel he is a much better player than he has shown over the years, developing too many poor habits that should of been coached out of him earlier in his career, i have stated this since his first year.

I rate DCE very highly,love his toughness, fitness levels and rarely injured, i feel he could of been one of the great halves with more attention to detail.(for example more talent than Cronk but 1/4 the attention to detail with his game and you see the difference in results)

 

[XV-1]

Joey made the Knights, DCE in 2011 was the icing on the cake behind many others.

$10 million was outlayed for stability and success and we only achieved half that.

The "Where do we sign" angle you are trying to make doesn't even make sense, basically what all the other clubs are saying is by not doing so is "we don't feel there is currently a player good enough to warrant such an outlay that will generate that kind of success" and so far it appears they are correct.

Jason Taumalolo investment along similar lines has been a failure also, relative to that contract DCE has offered more value.

I'm hard on DCE because i feel he is a much better player than he has shown over the years, developing too many poor habits that should of been coached out of him earlier in his career, i have stated this since his first year.

I rate DCE very highly,love his toughness, fitness levels and rarely injured, i feel he could of been one of the great halves with more attention to detail.(for example more talent than Cronk but 1/4 the attention to detail with his game and you see the difference in results)

DCE is a bargin compared to B Hunt and D Fafita

 

[Technical Coach]

Its a team game. Always has and always will be. Even today our forwards while better weren't great. Some players just need the right conditions to flourish. DCE is one of them. We are lucky to have him.

How did that work out for Ben Hunt? Or Anthony Milford? Or Tamalolo? Or ......... The list goes on.

Quoting Cronk or Smith is very funny! well done stormer.....

Not quoting the Storm, it's just the Storm/Bellamy are the only team smart enough to know the right players to invest long term with and the rest of the clubs have no idea.

You are highlighting the issue and that is there are many poor coaches and judges of talent in the NRL than there is quality, as it should be in most professions.

The Storm developed the talent that created the overwhelming interest in their star players to the point of causing an inflationary spiral on player values to retain what they developed.(aka other clubs couldn't develop so decided to poach instead)

The Storm were punished cap wise yet still win a few more GF's.

First it was blaming the cap for their success, secondly it was "well they retained the big three" and hardly punished, thirdly it was "Melb get more latitude in the ruck".

They still win with an aging Smith and new halves pairing and still competitive now without Smith, they deserve more respect than is afforded them.

People and lame ass commentators refer to "their systems/the Melb System" as if they have half an idea what they are on about, yet have no idea or appreciation of the depths and attention to detail Melb go to for success.

I support Manly, but i fully appreciate and respect what the Storm have achieved.(that doesn't mean i respect all things they have done in terms of the dirty tactics but they are not the first in that regard either)

 

[Technical Coach]

DCE is a bargin compared to B Hunt and D Fafita

You are highlighting the issue, the few who went long term expensive contracts have had poor results, the few who paid big money for medium term length contracts have had poor results also.

You are comparing average results with DCE to poor results in others as a basis of value when all three are no better than average as an end result.

Achieving average results shouldn't require such contracts, if so the clubs are going about the make up of a team and it's recruitment all wrong.

 

[Technical Coach]

Dce was best on field tonight. As much as Storm supporter sorry Technical Coach wants to bang on about it and death ride even victories.
DCE is still a great half and has earned his keep. You can't expect a half to carry an entire team and to be honest at times he has.

Dce will never be an immortal, he just doesn't change the games. But his long and tactical kicking game is pretty rock solid and I still think he has proven time and time again he is worth it.

Perspective on a win is not death riding.

Great club half, not a great half.

DCE's kicking game is like the rest of his game rocks and diamonds, lacking attention to detail for consistent reliable results, but other times works great.

At $10 million i expect more attention to detail and more consistency, but yes when he has his on moments he looks top notch.

 

[frank stokes]

Thurston had around him Matt Scott , Michael Morgan, Taumalolo and Coote. Wouldn't say he was surrounded by champions.

Plus Hannant, Feldt, O'Neil, Tamou, Cooper and Lowe - who have all played Origin at some point...

It was hardly a team of nuff-nuffs...

 

[HK_Eagle]

Plus Hannant, Feldt, O'Neil, Tamou, Cooper and Lowe - who have all played Origin at some point...

It was hardly a team of nuff-nuffs...

There have been plenty of ordinary players make SOO, even Aussie teams in the past. None of those you listed I would count for much TBH

 

[frank stokes]

Perspective on a win is not death riding.

Great club half, not a great half.

DCE's kicking game is like the rest of his game rocks and diamonds, lacking attention to detail for consistent reliable results, but other times works great.

At $10 million i expect more attention to detail and more consistency, but yes when he has his on moments he looks top notch.

The bloke is the Qld and Australian halfback but, yeah, totally just a capable club player... maybe the selectors are just his mates?

DCE is on similar money to most halfbacks in the NRL (the ones that other clubs want at least) and has one of the most consistent performers in what has been a pretty ordinary football team over the last few years (minus 2021)

 

[Dan]

Perspective on a win is not death riding.

Great club half, not a great half.

DCE's kicking game is like the rest of his game rocks and diamonds, lacking attention to detail for consistent reliable results, but other times works great.

At $10 million i expect more attention to detail and more consistency, but yes when he has his on moments he looks top notch.

I mean there's perspective and then there's a constant death ride of everything that happens at manly and a thinly veiled love for the storm