The gap between NRL teams.

[Technical Coach]

Mate, you are well and truly part of said herd. When the dust settles on the 2018 performance review, it will certainly be borne out that there were shortcomings with support for Barrett. No argument there.
But I think he could have handled things better.
As most anti Barrett posters say, the issue is with his ability to coach a football team consistently well. By providing sound game plans to utilise our available squad to the best they can be.
Some of his selections and strategies were nonsense, and if he could not galvanise the team on the field to defend as a unit, then surely he is open to criticism.
Anyway, we all have our views and yearn the same results...being consistently competitive would be a magnificent starting point!

My doubts started kicking in about Barrett when he seemed to imply he wanted DCE to float around more in his first year-----most people here loved the idea and were sick of the term "structure this structure that", i warned at the time this could lead to a bad path if this style of play becomes our working platform.

Second year with Green there was some improvements and more structure on show but there was still signs Manly were over reliant on fast play the balls and off the cuff play, a lack of discipline and science behind our methods.

I still think Barrett has an aura about him and can command attention one on one with players but was rushed way before he was ready for the big time, set himself back 4-5yrs now.

Don't blame Manly for taking on the risk, we don't have the funds to compete for the best, sometimes it works out like Bellamy, Seibold, Hasler etc etc and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[Technical Coach]

What you are forgetting is that the storm are news limited owned, and are crucial to the games presence outside the traditional markets of Sydney and Brisbane. If there is no Melbourne team, the games claim to be a national competition is well and truly tested. So the games owners have a vested interest in the ongoing success of the storm.
How does that vested interest get manifested? Through infrastructure, support, recruitment, scouting, access to the games elite juniors programmes, particularly in Queensland. That is the cornerstone to their success - first dibs on the best juniors, who are then brought into a system where no expense is spare to ensure success.
The best examples of this steady production line of talent are the big 3, or the big 4 when inglis was there. These are once in a generation players, all playing for the same team.
Don't get me wrong - Bellamy has been a very successful and innovative coach. He introduced "wrestle-ball" to league, the pinacle of cynical game management, where the core essence of the game has been exploited and taken to its ultimate conclusion - control the ruck to the detriment of what was once a free flowing game, percentage based field control, etc etc. In Cameron smith, Bellamy was gifted the perfect on field general for this new system.
The fact is the current structure of NRL is based on a massively unlevel playing field, where the games owners finance certain teams who's success is tied to their own. These teams simply cannot and will not be allowed to fail.
The only way that other teams can compete on a consistent basis is by pushing the limits of the salary cap/TPA system (eg roosters) or through the ticking time bomb of back ended contracts (eg Manly).
And don't forget that the storm rise from 03-07 which you seem to admire so much, was built on a massive rorting of the salary cap.

Slater,Cronk and Smith were not really rated and rejected by other clubs, was not a case of "first dibs on the best juniors" and there are many other examples past and present.

Melb's facilities in the early years were below or barely the equal of most other clubs and still performed well.

Yes i agree the NRL has a vested interest in Melb to try and create a national competition, this will never change so no point harping on about this.

Slowing down the ruck has always been around---Melb's professionalism just polished it to achieve repeatable consistency. Melb's decoy runs,running lines, ball handler lines, attacking and defensive structures were light years ahead of "we need a free flowing game and offloads along with tired defensive lines to create opportunities" semi professional era. (Bennett pushed fast play the balls in the 90's to create opportunities for his off the cuff Brisbane teams)

Are you comfortable in believing Melb were the only "massive rorters", i wouldn't be the least surprised other clubs matched and surpassed them.

 

[Pittwater Legend]

Take it this way i rate and respect Melb's rise from 03-07 more than Manly's 04-08 even though i rate both highly----- on the back of developing more talent with less star purchases than Manly.

Holy fark this is a big call. We were lucky to even have a club from 04-08. What we did have was a poorly resourced team which was reintroduced to the comp with scraps. 2003 and 2004 are our worst ever defensive years in our history and our team gave up 50 + points in defence frequently. Cause coming back from the dead ain’t ****ing easy you know. Meanwhile the club you’re comparing us to had News Ltd backing

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I wasn't sure where to post this, and no idea of it's accuracy, however...

http://www.msn.com/en-au/money/pers...d-after-nrl-grand-final/ar-BBNNwaa?ocid=ientp
"What is Billy Slater’s net worth?
Per Net Worth Post, Billy Slater’s net worth is believed to be about $18 million (£13.8m).

How does Billy Slater make his money?
Slater’s wealth is largely the result of his longtime NRL career and lucrative sponsorship deals, having played for the Melbourne Storm from 2003 until his recent retirement after the 2018 NRL Grand Final.

In addition, Slater has reportedly accrued a large number of sponsors, whose deals have earned him almost $1 million (£767,435) per year in additional income as of 2011.

 

[yokahontas]

I'm a fan of Stewart, but being a diabetic has nothing to do with measuring who was a better player.

It is actually a relevant point, when you consider - as most posters have been pointing out - injuries stopped Snake’s career hitting the heights it should have. Diabetes is known to significantly hamper recovery from injuries (and other illnesses) - being diabetic, in itself, would’ve stripped a heap of potential games off Snake’s career tally.

 

[Kevinward777]

Don't forget the storm were massively and systemically rorting the salary cap in this supposedly admirable rise to the top.

I have long believedthat @Technical Coach is a Storm troll... his popularity seems to have taken a hit over the last couple of years but he was held in high esteem on here for quite a time. I suspect he might be Craig Bellamy’s secret man b1tch or Billy Slater’s private masseuse.

 

[HoldenV8]

What you are forgetting is that the storm are news limited owned, and are crucial to the games presence outside the traditional markets of Sydney and Brisbane. If there is no Melbourne team, the games claim to be a national competition is well and truly tested. So the games owners have a vested interest in the ongoing success of the storm.
How does that vested interest get manifested? Through infrastructure, support, recruitment, scouting, access to the games elite juniors programmes, particularly in Queensland. That is the cornerstone to their success - first dibs on the best juniors, who are then brought into a system where no expense is spare to ensure success.
The best examples of this steady production line of talent are the big 3, or the big 4 when inglis was there. These are once in a generation players, all playing for the same team.

The big question I have about the Storm is when are they going to start having junior teams based in Melbourne as a pathway for Melbourne locals to come through their system? In their 21 seasons since they started in 1998 I can only think of 2 Victorians who have come through and played for the Storm at some point. Names escape me, but I know there has been only 2.

A lot of Melbourne's success comes from the fact that they are allowed to have their junior nursery in Queensland rather than having to set up development in Melbourne. And the NRL will be extremely slow in doing anything about it because having a successful team right in the heart of AFL territory is good business for them, not to mention bragging rights with the AFL.

The reality is though that if Melbourne had to rely on their own junior system in Melbourne rather than the Qld Cup, they would be a bottom 4, wooden spoon team, even with a coach like Bellamy. And that isn't good for business.

 

[Technical Coach]

Not for the first time I find myself wondering why or if you are a Manly fan.

Hmm i guess lacking a bias is an issue with some.

I doubt a non fan would spend years adding dribble on a continuous basis to the same part of the web, while at the same time push the boundaries of his limited vocabulary to come across smarter than he really is.

 

[Technical Coach]

I have long believedthat @Technical Coach is a Storm troll... his popularity seems to have taken a hit over the last couple of years but he was held in high esteem on here for quite a time. I suspect he might be Craig Bellamy’s secret man b1tch or Billy Slater’s private masseuse.

Lack of time and posts don't help my like/hate rate, might revert to old-school TC to help this site along into a new era.

 

[eagleron]

If Billy Slater was a Manly player, and Brett Stewart was from the Storm, you wouldn't even remotely consider Brett Stewart on a par with Billy Slater.
Billy is better in every facet of the game except support play, which led to Stewart's higher try scoring rate.
Let alone the fact that Slater is 35 and still at the top of his game, and Stewart is 33 and 2 years retired. I'm a Manly fan (and a Stewart fan) through and through, but I'll call things for what they are, not through some Manly tinted glasses.
Have a poll on any neutral based Rugby League forum, and Billy would get 90% of the vote.

Billy Slater was a grub who tested the limits of illegality for years, he was a good player but the filth in his game makes him one of the dirtiest players ever to lace up a boot, had he been a Manly player he would most certainly have a different reputation than the one he currently enjoys imo.

 

[Technical Coach]

Holy fark this is a big call. We were lucky to even have a club from 04-08. What we did have was a poorly resourced team which was reintroduced to the comp with scraps. 2003 and 2004 are our worst ever defensive years in our history and our team gave up 50 + points in defence frequently. Cause coming back from the dead ain’t ****ing easy you know. Meanwhile the club you’re comparing us to had News Ltd backing

Manly had great backing also during this time, you don't build a team of some of the best young talent in the competition and compliment it with internationals unless you are spending big.

 

[Technical Coach]

It is actually a relevant point, when you consider - as most posters have been pointing out - injuries stopped Snake’s career hitting the heights it should have. Diabetes is known to significantly hamper recovery from injuries (and other illnesses) - being diabetic, in itself, would’ve stripped a heap of potential games off Snake’s career tally.

It's a relevant point in the sense of admiring a player for overcoming big obstacles/disadvantages and still reach near the top but has zero relevance in relation to who is the more complete rounded better player.

 

[HoldenV8]

Billy Slater was a grub who tested the limits of illegality for years, he was a good player but the filth in his game makes him one of the dirtiest players ever to lace up a boot, had he been a Manly player he would most certainly have a different reputation than the one he currently enjoys imo.

Yep, instead of just being hated in NSW (because Melbourne and Qld fans love the guy), he'd be hated everywhere.

 

[Pittwater Legend]

Manly had great backing also during this time, you don't build a team of some of the best young talent in the competition and compliment it with internationals unless you are spending big.

It’s best for you not to mention anything about spending money when the team that you favour got done by 40-0 in a grand final while being $957 000 over the cap at the time

I wouldn’t trade our 2008 finals campaign where we won the grand final 40-0 and scored 110 points while only conceding 12 for any finals campaign by any other club in the history of the game. I wonder why...

And Manly did all of that legally after starting below rock bottom

 

[Technical Coach]

It’s best for you not to mention anything about spending money when the team that you favour got done by 40-0 in a grand final while being $957 000 over the cap at the time

I wouldn’t trade our 2008 finals campaign where we won the grand final 40-0 and scored 110 points while only conceding 12 for any finals campaign by any other club in the history of the game. I wonder why...

And Manly did all of that legally after starting below rock bottom

I'm a Manly fan, just admire the Storm.

I never said Manly's 2008 finals campaign wasn't worth praising or talking up, more referring to the way both teams went about building up their squads over four or so years.

Developing talent and wanting to retain all that hard work by going over the cap---vs--- developing talent and adding to that talent pool with targeted international quality players, i know which one would offer a coach more pride.

Both clubs did an amazing job to push each other on during this period, it was and still is a great time to look back on with pride "for both clubs".

 

[BOZO]

I'm a Manly fan, just admire the Storm.

I never said Manly's 2008 finals campaign wasn't worth praising or talking up, more referring to the way both teams went about building up their squads over four or so years.

Developing talent and wanting to retain all that hard work by going over the cap---vs--- developing talent and adding to that talent pool with targeted international quality players, i know which one would offer a coach more pride.

Both clubs did an amazing job to push each other on during this period, it was and still is a great time to look back on with pride "for both clubs".

I am a Manly fan and I admire the Storm and all other high achievers in sport .
As good as the Storm are they were never as good as the the record breaking 40 nil . No NRL team were
That is just how good we were at the top of our game .

 

[Technical Coach]

Don't be too hard on yourself champ.

All good here---- just playing out what others have posted about my verbose, lacking grammar and punctuation style.

Most trolls with the above communication flaws would not return year after year on the same site, quickly heading off back West where they still stand out from the uneducated crowd.

 

[BOZO]

All good here---- just playing out what others have posted about my verbose, lacking grammar and punctuation style.

Most trolls with the above communication flaws would not return year after year on the same site, quickly heading off back West where they still stand out from the uneducated crowd.

Your grammar and punctuation is much better than mine, if that is any consolation

 

[Technical Coach]

Your grammar and punctuation is much better than mine, if that is any consolation

Greatest coaching mind has no room for communication skills---ah well there goes my coaching career.

Back to Silvertails....

 

[Kevinward777]

Greatest coaching mind has no room for communication skills---ah well there goes my coaching career.

Back to Silvertails....

I can pass you the details of the Cessnock Goannas C grade assistant coach if you’d like. Funnily enough, he is brilliant when it comes to punctuation, sentence structuring and grammar. Maybe you can help each other out.