The I told you so thread

[Disco]

So the tantrums over the last 24 hours have been quite spectator and oh so very entertaining.

There seems to be a very clear division between those, like myself, who saw some real positives yesterday amongst some areas that are in need of improvement. The people, whose view that we are a smokys for the top 8 is undiminished. I'd go as far as say that I feel more positive today about our season prospects than I did Sunday morning.

Then there are the opposite, such as Ralphie, Top End Eagle and Swoop (if you don’t mind me saying) who seem to believe we have not progressed at all from round 1 last year and that we are in for a year of struggle.

I’m not here to call each other names and I fully support and encourage everyone’s opinions and their right to voice them but at the same time both camps cannot be right. One group is level headed and can see reality clearly whilst the other group is either dreamy and wildly optimistic or negative and too quick to drop their bundle

So why don’t we put a line in the sand and then at the end of the season we can sit back and say “I TOLD YOU SO”

Vote in the poll above based on our coaching structure staying as is

I know nothing is black and white but option A represents a belief that this team shows promise, that we can make the top 8 (perhaps finishing 6-10th), that we are progressing. It is in no way a declaration that we are perfect but a thought that this season will be better than the last two

Option B is disheartened after yesterday’s effort. They love Manly as much as the rest of us but unfortunately do not see progress in the team and feel we are in for another season of struggle finishing (12-16th). They would love to be proven wrong but think there are one to many plodders in the team and that our coaching structure is dubious at best.

Who is willing to lay down a marker that can be revisited as seasons end?????

 

[mave]

We will make the 8.
No doubt about it in my mind.

 

[The '47ers]

ooops, my bad, thought from the title my wife had posted it..

 

[Fluffy]

Saw nothing to change my mind, twas just one game, we are 5th - 12th material.

If you want to go purely by week 1 results we are above Newcastle, Warriors, Penrith, Souffs, Titans and the Dogs, fighting Rorters, Dragons, Sharks, Bongos and Scum for 5-8.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Give me a few more weeks. If we're zero or one from five, which isn't exactly out of the question, our "flying start" to the season will be dead and buried (right next to the grave of "Fortress Brookvale") and I might be willing to say I told you so. Right now it's still too early to tell.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I'm A, but didn't vote as don't think we will make the 8.

Definite improvement from 2016, but early days yet as to how we will end up.

Losing Marty / AFB for 2-3 weeks, plus Lussick out for another month is a real killer, could be a real coach killer too!!

 

[pjayz]

I'm A, but didn't vote as don't think we will make the 8.

Definite improvement from 2016, but early days yet as to how we will end up.

Losing Marty / AFB for 2-3 weeks, plus Lussick out for another month is a real killer, could be a real coach killer too!!

According to Baz, Lussick could be back in 2 weeks. Here's hoping.

 

[Ralphie]

Saw nothing to change my mind, 25th game in a row, we are 12th - 16th material and will be until we get a proper coach.

Desperately hope I'm wrong, but the selections of Api, Myles & Brown and the absence of an apparent game plan proves to me nothing has changed from last season.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

@Disco , there are three separate "camps" in my opinion.......the potentially deluded...."we are easily going to make the top 8" crew,......the "middle of the roaders, who want to see more, but don't think we will improve much on 2016" crew, and the equally potentially deluded ....."we are absolute ****, the coach needs to be sacked, everyone needs to be sacked and we will win the wooden spoon" crew.

And I remind you this is after ONE game........its seriously funny stuff.

By the way welcome to Eels troll @LOL@Moanly who gave me a few dislikes, funnys in the game day thread......don't worry mate, you might have the wood on us now but since the last time you won a Premiership I do believe we have won 4, and played in 8 and haven't been near a wooden spoon.......as to the [email protected] that's another story isn't it!!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

According to Baz, Lussick could be back in 2 weeks. Here's hoping.

We'd be unlucky to lose both AFB and Marty, but then again its the NRL isn't it, and what Toddy wants Toddy gets.......and he can't have Manly looking even for one minute like they might be successful could he?

 

[Ralphie]

And I remind you this is after ONE game........its seriously funny stuff.

Mark, please........it's 25 games mate, not one game. Seriously, this is how it has been since round 1, 2016. I simply don't understand this harping on about it being just one game. For 25 games now we have endured the spectre of Myles, Api & Brown amongst others.

 

[Disco]

Mark, please........it's 25 games mate, not one game. Seriously, this is how it has been since round 1, 2016. I simply don't understand this harping on about it being just one game. For 25 games now we have endured the spectre of Myles, Api & Brown amongst others.

I disagree, whole new squad, whole new season.

We are one game in, in my books

 

[swoop]

Then there are the opposite, such as Ralphie, Top End Eagle and Swoop (if you don’t mind me saying) who seem to believe we have not progressed at all from round 1 last year and that we are in for a year of struggle.

No tantrums here but I have 3 main concerns and they are our hooker, forwards and leadership. Firstly you already know my thoughts on Api, my preference would of been to keep Parcell.

Secondly can someone tell me who was in charge out there yesterday? It's time some of our highly paid players take charge and I'm pointing directly at DCE who should be doing what Norman did, what great halfbacks do aka Thurston, Cronk etc.

DCE was QLD's backup halfback two years ago but has slipped below all 3 mentioned above and is also behind Hunt and Milford.

3rdly, our pack needs more punch and letting Vave go (who provided plenty of go forward and offloads) is another mistake. That will change a bit when Lussick returns providing he has a season like 2016.

 

[Disco]

3rdly, our pack needs more punch and letting Vave go (who provided plenty of go forward and offloads) is another mistake. That will change a bit when Lussick returns providing he has a season like 2016.

I agree to an extent on 1 and 2, however not sure I can agree on 3.


I feel our pack has plenty of punch, Taupau had 9 runs for 103m, AFB 8 runs for 94m, Perret 3 runs for 32m (only 16 minutes) means all 3 were going for over 10m per hit up. Nearly all weren’t far off that mark excluding Sironen who had 7 runs for 48m but is a different type of player.


Our issue was ball control and silly penalties, fix that and we do far less tackling, we do less tackling and the pack shows what they can do in attack


Also Vave for mine was over rated, a hilghlights reel player who had a good run of 4-5 games and got a cult following, give me any of our props over him

 

[court83]

def some positives to come from the game... the amount of pressure the line was under the entire second half would have resulted in a 40 point thrashing last year, so very pleased with the defence....

didnt have enough ball to make any sort of judgement on the attack..

having said that, if marty and afb are out next week, we are going to struggle against rabbits, even without reynolds/inglis...

a prop rotation of lawrence, myles and perrett doesnt fill me with any confidence.. im expecting to see turbo shuffled to the front row and brown to get the starting back row, with hastings on the bench.. not a top 8 looking pack imo tho, 9-12 still my prediction

 

[Harvies elbow]

A. Defence was very strong and enthusiastic. The grubs had enough ball to win by 60.
I think Baz will have them working enough on their ball handling this week to fix that.

 

[Pablo]

We spent the majority of the game defending our line and only let 3 tries in.
Positive.

Too many handling errors.
Negative.

Fark all opportunity with the ball and scored 2 tries. (Only 1 less than the opposition who had the ball for most of the game)
Positive.

 

[andyvb]

If last years team played yesterday, parra would have put 3 more tries on the board during all the sets of 6 they had and three players would have been injured. Parra are ear marked as title contenders and we held our own. It's only round 1. I believe round 1 in 2008 we lost by 6 points. That year turned out alright

 

[Mitch]

We spent the majority of the game defending our line and only let 3 tries in.
Positive.

Too many handling errors.
Negative.

Fark all opportunity with the ball and scored 2 tries. (Only 1 less than the opposition who had the ball for most of the game)
Positive.

Spot on with those thoughts @Pablo. The likely suspension of Marty and AFB put a big dent in our chances for the upcoming rounds though which are hugely crucial. As a newly put together team, building momentum and confidence through early season wins is extremely important.

 

[Harvies elbow]

And what about Jorge's Matai'esque hits........
Had my soldiers marching south of the border let me tell ya !!!!!!