Toovey's stamp on the team.

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swoop

Bencher
Tipping Member
Since Toovey got full control of the team there has been subtle changes that I've noticed in our forwards and it's paying dividends.

Toovey has gone away from having 4 big boppers in the front row. He has gone for smaller more agile type props with a bit of footwork and the best example of that is Lawrence.

Against the rabbits we beat them with brains not brawn. Rather than run straight at an opposing players our forwards, using their footwork, managed to get in between opposing players which gave us momentum with quick play the balls.

Our pack can stop the big boppers like the burgess brothers fairly effectively and slow their play the ball. In the 2nd half we just killed them with quick play the balls and turned their big pack around with deft kicks to the corners from Foz and DCE with a good chase negating inglis.

We were getting out of our end easily and their big boys looked knackered after 10 minutes into the second half. Hence we blew them off the park.

It think that's part of the reason we let George go although he possesses pretty good footwork.

It's even happening in SOO where they are picking agile players in the front row who would normally play in the second row for their club.

Kite and George have been great for us but I think Toovey is looking for players with more agility who could play more minutes.

Our defence has been awesome.

Toovey IMO is getting much better as a coach.

Win, Lose or draw, Toovey is doing a fantastic job.
 
Lawrence was running so hard and fast at the end of that match. He must be a real chance to make the World Cup squad.
He is an awesome, skilful five-eight in a front rower's body.
 
On Saturday night Newcastle went in with, well let's face it, no big boppers and they got belted all over the park. Mason was their biggest player with the "prop rotation" shared between, Mason, Fa'alogo (Formerly a winger), Houston, & Costigan. Their backrow of Smith, Scott & McKinnon were also in that mobile mould.

I for one fear their forward pack. JWH, Moa, FPN, & O'Donnell are big powerful bastards with big motors. I agree we can hold them, but that is all I think we can do. Mind you, just holding them would be enough for our backs to finish them off.
 
Souths were supposed to roll our pack as well...


Loved BJ calling them on towards the end there and then getting laid out- the slow mo replay of the whole exchange is great stuff :s
 
Everyone from the Seaeagles supporters knows Toovey is the ultimate warrior priding himself as a player on competing every tackle of every game, no half measures ever good enough.
This is evident in the current team from 1-17.
What I have enjoyed is he has the vision to see the speed of the game now is absolutely frenetic, so he has gone for a mobile foward pack who can utilise line speed, constant numbers in tackles & great lateral movement to cut off those crisp halves & maintain this for close to the full 80 minutes.
Imo this is why Rose took so long to get back, he will never be a SBW build but has lost enough kegs to get a gig & for a big man - is versatile, I doubt Tooves ever underestimated his ability.
Tooves was simply a footballer...many people now coach atheletes to play football...but its very structured & can look very forced.
Tooves has instilled the faith in the players to play whats in front of them & use their natural ability - not robotic & predictable like most.
This is hard to defend against because Manly has more old school footballers than any other team in the NRL. The structures are in place but these players have a free pass to do what they do best...play football.
Yes...this is the stamp of Toovey & the players love him for it.
 
Think he's finally found out how to get the best of George, which is 20 mins each side of half time. Does he's bit and then the guys with the legs are on the field for the last 20 minutes.

Liking the bench rotation at the moment, shame we will miss Ritchie F this week.
 
Ralphie said:
On Saturday night Newcastle went in with, well let's face it, no big boppers and they got belted all over the park. Mason was their biggest player with the "prop rotation" shared between, Mason, Fa'alogo (Formerly a winger), Houston, & Costigan. Their backrow of Smith, Scott & McKinnon were also in that mobile mould.

I for one fear their forward pack. JWH, Moa, FPN, & O'Donnell are big powerful bastards with big motors. I agree we can hold them, but that is all I think we can do. Mind you, just holding them would be enough for our backs to finish them off.

I can't recall our pack being dominated by any team this year.
 
Pound for pound Toovey is the toughest player I have ever seen.
I bet none of the players would want to let him down. They know the coach has been there and done that.
One of the benefits of having a club legend coach the team. Money can't buy that respect.
 
I would go as far as saying that over the next 5-10 years or so virtually all clubs will be copying Manlys technique of grooming a madly passionate, smart ex-player from its own club as its head coach. Des and Tooves are exhibit A and B on doing it right.

Certainly it's been done before but not nearly as well as Manly have done it over a long period of time. And the league world loves a winning trend.
 
Lord Eagleton said:
I would go as far as saying that over the next 5-10 years or so virtually all clubs will be copying Manlys technique of grooming a madly passionate, smart ex-player from its own club as its head coach. Des and Tooves are exhibit A and B on doing it right.

Certainly it's been done before but not nearly as well as Manly have done it over a long period of time. And the league world loves a winning trend.

You left out Wally O'Connell, Ron Willey, Arko, George Hunter, Ray Ritchie, Frank Stanton and Bozo. All played for Manly. Arko, Ritchie and Stanton were local juniors, just like Tooves. All of them at least got Manly to a GF, if not a premiership. That is possibly a record unique to our Club. Perhaps only Souths have done something similar.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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