Disagree. I think we need a new half, competent and dominant. Plus a new coach who takes no **** and owes no player a single thing other than understanding that he will sack them if they do not comply. The current forwards and backs a perfectly capable of playing really good football, individually they're all really talented and capable. It is direction they lack.
Totally disagree half the squad should be in reserve grade.
Not a lot of flexibility going into next year either. We've got Crossland, Musgrove and Saulo that can be offloaded. Every single other player is on contract for at least another year. There's a solid chunk there that can consider themselves lucky because they'd be on the chopping block after how this year has gone.
Problem now is, if you're a forward, why on Gods green Earth would you put in 100% effort. Damage your body, risk injury and endure the pain only to see the bloke next to you let in a soft try 3 tackles later.
I think he’s got to take a bit of blame for my letting standards slip like they have, but I don’t think he’s been given much help by Gardner. His roster this year is crap which hasn’t given him much show, but I still think he needs to be a lot more flexible when things aren’t working.
Forwards definately not the issue not the last few weeks at least .
I'd argue we have a very good Roster. The coaching staff attack and defence are not working.
It's a lifestyle thing, the amount of cocaine, mdma, ketamine etc. getting around in Australian nightclubs, the younger guys who go out for nights on the town will naturally be more exposed to it. And the guys that live a family lifestyle at home and don't really go out are going to be less exposed to it. It's something that every NRL club would struggle with. Joey is from a different time, different playing group, different culture altogether than Houston, Wicks & Mullo, who are all the same differences away from Mann and Ponga. Some of those blokes would never have even met. I simply don't think you can say it's a club problem.
I think we probably don't hear about a lot it. The NRL has a 3 strikes policy for it, if a player gets done for the first time it never gets revealed publicly. Only if they get caught a second time is it made known. Being random tests too, to get caught a second time would be pretty unlucky unless you're doing them all the time. Imagine all the times they're getting away with it. A lot of these party drugs are out of the system quick. Step into a nightclub, for people in their 20s, it's pretty commonplace.
Remember Dylan Phythian got his second strike and sacked from the club and Nathan Brown didn’t even know about the first strike! First positive stays anonymous under NRL rules if it’s still the same as back then.