Sack Adam O’Brien

SportsFan said:
I thought our smaller guys were more physical at times last night, rather than running over the top we were able to get more in the tackle & push them back. I bet Cogger feels like hes been hit by a train this morning.
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Yep if you've got smaller forwards who move across the ground quicker, the only advantage you could possibly have physically is defensive line speed.

Manly have got bigger & stronger forwards, but ones who are lower on lateral mobility, and honestly some of their players are just really old now and they're going to struggle more if you force them to make more high speed efforts.

So if you want to get rolling - stretch the line first, go back the other way and force Brooks or especially DCE into making the first up contact on a back rower or centre. Quick play the ball, then see how committed the defensive line is to sliding the other way and preventing an overlap or mismatch on the other edge. Losing Lehi early in the game, which forced Ben Turbo to mark up on Gagai, gave us a constant mismatch to exploit... but honestly if we kept playing the way we did in the first half, we wouldn't have given Dane any chance to do so.

And then if you start making breaks those same bigger, slower middles have to hustle back in D to defend their line. More gas out of the tank. More disorganisation and disarray in the line. Opportunities.

It's not going to work against everyone, but if you want to know how the Dogs have been one of the better field position sides over the last couple of seasons with a pack full of smaller, lighter forwards (besides Max King & Suluka-Fifita, who only plays 15 minutes a game) and utilities, this is how. They get rolling by attacking the edges, by turning the game into a "track meet" as they say in basketball parlance. And then if you generate time and space and all of a sudden you've got the wrong defender on Stephen Crichton (which is half the defenders in the comp)... good things happen.

It's not a "win every game" cheat code (the Dogs just this year got neutralised by a good defensive game by Brisbane's big outside backs & Payne Haas gapping their little forwards through the middle)... but it's a style of play which aligns with the roster.
 
waynesworld said:
I watched the game again this morning actually thought we were quite expansive in the opening 25 of the game we just kept dropping it. Actually think if we had Best at left centre we might have iced 1 or 2 shifts down the left but instead Schiller was all at sea. Definitely more ball movement than it felt at the time anyway. We go back into our shells towards the end of the half but thought that was probably because of all the errors.
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I'll have to watch it back. I just remember them being killed through the middle but a lot of the game in that half was played coming out of our own 20 & you need a bit more of the field available to play expansively in your own half.
 
Anyone else notice McDermott looked really disappointed at the end? Maybe was hoping for the job and he knows another win will bye AOB some more time.

Or maybe he was disappointed our defence gave up some really soft points. Manly’s last try was especially bad.
 
Can anyone at the ground confirm pre game AOB booing when the coach was announced. That is important information in the context of the half time booing.

Someone said it didn't sound like the AJ stand booing. And on the cameras on TV it sounded more closer to a mic than general stadium booing, which could indicate the eastern stand booing.

They pay the most for their tickets in their sun shielded wonderland. They have more money invested to be booing. 😃
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
On AOB: When they were introducing the team on the big screen, every player got a cheer, and then when they got to the coach, massive boo around the stadium, apparently.

It's possible he was just butthurt about that specifically.

But hey maybe don't coach the team to try to win the ruck by asking 95-100kg back rowers to try to run directly over the top of Bullemor, Sipley and Jake Turbo mate. Maybe Tom Cant is going to struggle to win a collision with Junior Paulo! Is that possible, Adam?
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Can confirm the boo's for Obi
 
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Tim said:
From the press conference also:
"I thought we were good in the first half". Really? I think it's very clear who doesn't know anything about rugby league.
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Man is acting like a comeback win is enough to hide 6 years of mediocre performances, maybe AOB should shut up once in a while, it’s going to look stupid in the next few weeks if we lose.

We got a rested Roosters next week
 
I think AOB spoke purely from emotion, and unfortunately, it came across poorly. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an apology today. That said, I don’t blame him for sticking up for his players—he just didn’t express his message in the most appropriate way.

Yes, I’m in the camp that thinks we may need a coaching change. But I genuinely believe he’s trying his hardest, as are the team.

I also want to offer an alternate perspective.

I work in an industry with a high suicide rate, where online abuse, bullying, and harsh opinions are sadly among the reasons some of my colleagues have taken their own lives. Not just random names—people I’ve actually known. I’ve been slammed online by clients despite having done nothing wrong.

So I can only imagine how hard it must be for players and coaches to read some of what’s written and not have emotional reactions. Booing no doubt would also hurt. Just look at the death threats Schiller received last night, that’s next level fk up. I hope he is getting the support he needs.

It’s a different story if the team wasn’t trying, but clearly they were. It’s just not been clicking. It was great to finally see some attacking play come together and stick.
 
Tackleslikeagirl said:
I think AOB spoke purely from emotion, and unfortunately, it came across poorly. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an apology today. That said, I don’t blame him for sticking up for his players—he just didn’t express his message in the most appropriate way.

Yes, I’m in the camp that thinks we may need a coaching change. But I genuinely believe he’s trying his hardest, as are the team.

I also want to offer an alternate perspective.

I work in an industry with a high suicide rate, where online abuse, bullying, and harsh opinions are sadly among the reasons some of my colleagues have taken their own lives. Not just random names—people I’ve actually known. I’ve been slammed online by clients despite having done nothing wrong.

So I can only imagine how hard it must be for players and coaches to read some of what’s written and not have emotional reactions. Booing no doubt would also hurt. Just look at the death threats Schiller received last night, that’s next level fk up. I hope he is getting the support he needs.

It’s a different story if the team wasn’t trying, but clearly they were. It’s just not been clicking. It was great to finally see some attacking play come together and stick.
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Well said
 
While what Schiller got was abhorrent and disgusting, and I sympathise for those who have lost their lives due to many circumstances.

We cannot allow sporting fans to be quiet, people cheer and they boo it’s what you expect when walking into the job from coaches to players, it’s what makes sport the atmosphere and roar of the crowd, kill that and you kill the game.

Now this is just inside the realm of cheering and booing, I DO NOT condone some of the stuff being tossed around, yes they are humans at the end of the day but they are in a high pressure job and should expect passionate fans will boo if they have had it with the team, if they cannot handle that (and it’s perfectly fine it does get to be a lot) than they really should step away for their own mental health.

I for one am also on the side of not making players actual salaries public, I’ve seen what it has done to football (soccer) it has dehumanised them to the point where if they get a injury they are still put down because of the money they make, and it’s impacted many players mental health and sometimes even physical health.

I am very much in the side of being able to speak freely, so if they want to boo let them, when it comes to racism, gender, religion or other personal items than that’s when it gets to far.

Ps. I hope they find the absolute ****wit who sent death threats to Schiller and throw the book at them
 
You can't accept the adulation, but say but people can't boo. Away team is booed every time they run on. Lodge, Mam get booed every time they touch the ball.

Fans will make their feelings known. But it's in context, AOB knows the struggle this club has had, as do the players. They know 8 scoreless halves, bottom of the ladder again.

AOB knows the talk around his position.

To sit there and not connect the dots that the booing at half time wasn't directed at the young players, or that 1 game of football, 1 half, but a culmination of frustration, well I can't believe a person could be that dumb.

And after those comments, AOB might want to listen up when his name is read out pre game against Roosters.
 
There was nothing wrong with the booing - Apart of the sport.

I also however have no issue with what Obi said, because all he was doing was protecting his team of young players. He's not wrong, our forward pack is ravaged by injuries and suspensions and he's well withi his rights to protect his team. admittedly they are trying, what is going wrong is weird and then its weird it clicks so well in the next 40mins, no shock though that it comes with good ball control and high competing.
 
Tackleslikeagirl said:
I think AOB spoke purely from emotion, and unfortunately, it came across poorly. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an apology today. That said, I don’t blame him for sticking up for his players—he just didn’t express his message in the most appropriate way.

Yes, I’m in the camp that thinks we may need a coaching change. But I genuinely believe he’s trying his hardest, as are the team.

I also want to offer an alternate perspective.

I work in an industry with a high suicide rate, where online abuse, bullying, and harsh opinions are sadly among the reasons some of my colleagues have taken their own lives. Not just random names—people I’ve actually known. I’ve been slammed online by clients despite having done nothing wrong.

So I can only imagine how hard it must be for players and coaches to read some of what’s written and not have emotional reactions. Booing no doubt would also hurt. Just look at the death threats Schiller received last night, that’s next level fk up. I hope he is getting the support he needs.

It’s a different story if the team wasn’t trying, but clearly they were. It’s just not been clicking. It was great to finally see some attacking play come together and stick.
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1000000%. The outrage among the fan base over a pretty benign comment is disproportionate. There's also an expectation among many fans that "I pay for my ticket so I get to hurl abuse and the players and coach can sit there and take it". Well, no actually. They can't not hear it, but they're very entitled to respond as AOB did.
 
Chaister said:
Anyone else notice McDermott looked really disappointed at the end? Maybe was hoping for the job and he knows another win will bye AOB some more time.

Or maybe he was disappointed our defence gave up some really soft points. Manly’s last try was especially bad.
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I did notice that AOB was high fiving and cuddling Blake Green and others. Seemed to look past McDermott. But could of acknowledged him off camera.

Did notice to that in sheds before kick off and the boys do the cuddle and hand shake Friz and Jacko made sure to avoid each other.
 
If thats our full strength team out there at halftime, then its justified. We had 5 players with less than 15 NRL games. Lost Friz early, and he was our only pretend prop!
Due an apology, but I think the dislike for AOB is driving everyones opinions on this.
 
Tackleslikeagirl said:
I think AOB spoke purely from emotion, and unfortunately, it came across poorly. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an apology today. That said, I don’t blame him for sticking up for his players—he just didn’t express his message in the most appropriate way.

Yes, I’m in the camp that thinks we may need a coaching change. But I genuinely believe he’s trying his hardest, as are the team.

I also want to offer an alternate perspective.

I work in an industry with a high suicide rate, where online abuse, bullying, and harsh opinions are sadly among the reasons some of my colleagues have taken their own lives. Not just random names—people I’ve actually known. I’ve been slammed online by clients despite having done nothing wrong.

So I can only imagine how hard it must be for players and coaches to read some of what’s written and not have emotional reactions. Booing no doubt would also hurt. Just look at the death threats Schiller received last night, that’s next level fk up. I hope he is getting the support he needs.

It’s a different story if the team wasn’t trying, but clearly they were. It’s just not been clicking. It was great to finally see some attacking play come together and stick.
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100% with you on this, and actually even running this website there's been times when it's felt like the world is crashing in and I've felt extremely dark about things. It's why I tend to avoid this thread and look for the positives where possible.

Yes AOB said a dumb thing, but as others have said, it came from a place of sticking up for a very young and inexperienced team out there tonight. So I'm not too bothered by it personally.

And as for AOB himself, he's obviously been struggling to get the side firing this year and his job is very much on the line, but at the end of the day we're talking about a guy losing his job pretty much in disgrace. I remember an interview on Toohey's podcast with Garth Brennan where he talked about the shame, humiliation, feeling like you'd let your family down, etc when he got sacked as Titans' coach. They're just human beings at the end of the day.
 
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