Enigma
Reserve Grader
We are going around in ever decreasing circles talking about coaches , injuries , culture and every other possible reason why Manly are low on the table in 2016. I have missed the most important point. Leading up to our recent golden era something went dramatically right with recruitment and continued for many years, along with developing these players. All the unknowns who led us to titles along with the "has beens" who came good. But the recruitment in perhaps the end of the Hasler era into the Toovey spell has unearthed virtually no players who of first grade standard let alone rep quality. So what does Barrett and Bozo see running around in the season before Barrett takes over? Apart from DCE , virtually a whole team of former champions who are done and a whole lot of recruits who are not 1st grade quality. Of course the brothers are the shining lights, but Bozo has recruited some players who do look like they belong in 1st grade and who are potential rep players. Have I missed anyone who has been recruited in the last five years (up to 2015) who is anything like the quality of the previous spell? Toovey would have won a premiership with a couple of emerging stars but everything depended on the older players. Why have we not developed and recruited even one top notch first grader in the five years leading up to 2015? I remember watching the Eagles play Souths in 75 ,I think at the brook and Souths were a bit like us last year, on paper loaded with champions but it was an illusion because they were former champions. We won 56 nil. No wonder disco Des cleared out.