Our next head coach

Who should be the head coach in 2026?

  • Blake Green

    Votes: 5 5.9%

  • Brian McDermott

    Votes: 14 16.5%

  • Brad Arthur

    Votes: 13 15.3%

  • Willie Peters

    Votes: 40 47.1%

  • John Morris

    Votes: 18 21.2%

  • Justin Holbrook

    Votes: 42 49.4%

  • Des Hasler

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Sam Burgess

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Billy Slater

    Votes: 6 7.1%

  • Other (name below)

    Votes: 1 1.2%
  • Total voters
    85
Wicket said:
I agree on the clean slate for the entire coaching department

In saying that, I wouldn’t blame McDermott for the drop off in defence, the players clearly have given up a few weeks ago
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Thats just not good enough. No shot at you, and it is clear they have given up.

But other sides have nothing at all to play for and turn up. Parra today had nothing to play for and smashed us. We had the spoon to avoid, saying goodbye to AOB etc. Player on debut. We had every reason to put in a good effort. They keep talking about the town, the fans they represent and this is the effort we get from them.

Jsaf before the game speaking about sending AOB off with a win, Gags after the game saying Hopwood didn't deserve that debut. It's all just words with nothing behind them.

Mental midgets, the wind blows a little and we fold.

It is correct to say a new coach isn't going to magic fix everything that is wrong with this club. This club needs a gould style going over and cleaning out. But, as far as driving the standards of what is acceptable from the club performances, player performances, the head coach, and the assistants have the biggest impact on that.

AOB came here from successful systems that just worked, because those clubs have learned effort on top of effort is the way to get it done, plus they had handy rosters to help. Here, AOB has none of that, and what he thought he could bring didn't work here because we are not Melbourne or the Roosters. Things don't automatically fall in to place from muscle memory of winning here.

And he had no answer when it didn't just work.

Whoever the new coach is, they have a hell of a job getting satisfactory standards from this place!
 
It is hard to find anything positive to say about the club. The recruitment of players and coaches hasn't worked, I read yesterday that KPP was on over $800 K and if that is true it's beyond belief as was AOB's unrealistic contract. The loss of players in our system to other clubs where they go on to play better and even REP level football. Everyone you talk to has no real faith in this changing any time soon. The Dolphins started from scratch a couple of years ago and they look way more professional than our club. I can't imagine what the ex players must think of what is going on.
 
sherpa said:
It is hard to find anything positive to say about the club. The recruitment of players and coaches hasn't worked, I read yesterday that KPP was on over $800 K and if that is true it's beyond belief as was AOB's unrealistic contract. The loss of players in our system to other clubs where they go on to play better and even REP level football. Everyone you talk to has no real faith in this changing any time soon. The Dolphins started from scratch a couple of years ago and they look way more professional than our club. I can't imagine what the ex players must think of what is going on.
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Depends on what your definition of “soon” is.

I think the club is heading in the right direction, looking more inner than trying to go for overrated players that they can grab in-house, McEwen, ESL, Manulelua, Hopwood, De Coursey etc are all coming through and look like gems, the recruitment got McEwen, Manulelua and De Coursey right.

Croker and Jones as backups, Saulo and Hola coming in to get more depth at prop.

We have rep players across the park, KP, Lucas, Sharpe, Best, Frizell, Gagai, Crossland and JSAF, we need a good coach that knows how to make a game plan around them all, something AOB really couldn’t do as he had no clue so he reverted to super safe percentage football that teams worked out and smacked us around.

Hopwood looks like he could be ready by round 1 next year for a bench spot, Crouch as well, it’s starting to come together.

Realistically we have actually went from almost no props next year to Mooney, Saulo, Hola, Hopwood and Crouch, not to mention lower grade props that might make NSW cup and add depth.

Now we just need a halfback, hooker and coach, personally with Arthur, Graham, Crossland and Davis, I’d be thinking about promoting Davis as a depth option and back him to improve as he is already pretty good and is 20-21 I believe.

We really need to nail this next coach someone that can get the best out of the talent on the park and can handle the glaring weak points like Marzhew at full potential I think we have one of the most devastating backlines in the comp at full fitness, something they proved in that 10 game winning run
 
KPGreatness said:
Realistically we have actually went from almost no props next year to Mooney, Saulo, Hola, Hopwood and Crouch, not to mention lower grade props that might make NSW cup and add depth.
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This is a big thing. I think we have the same total amount of forward depth next year as this, but how many of them are guys you want returning a kick off in an NRL game? J Saf and Leo pretty much. Tyson can do it but he's not a play 1 front rower.

Even just a Daniel Suluka-Fifita type, even if he's only got 15-20 minutes and 5-6 carries in him, those early game carries are important. Hola is kind of like him.

It's not that I expect heaps from Hola, it's that having him on the roster means we aren't *completely* ****ed the next time J Saf does his knee getting out of the shower. Look at the Dolphins roster, they have a long depth chart of forwards that are kind of not that good when Gilbert and Flegler have been injured. But the key thing is that guys like Molo, Kerr and Nicholls are the right kind of forwards to cover those losses. Mid players but you are getting hard carries out of them.
 
Wanted to draw comparison with Marzhew and To’o. Both similar builds. Yes To’o is all round safer than Marz. But he’s not a great leaper. So the coach needs to work on not only Marz but how to protect him.

Major part of the problem is the ease and time the opposition half has at putting the ball on the spot on his wing.

The other, field position. The opposition easily gets to within our 40 meter line to put in that mid range bomb far too often.

The more we can avoid that, it will make a big difference. So that’s comes down to our defence and keeping the opposition in there own 40 max when they kick.
 
Kurriboy said:
Thats just not good enough. No shot at you, and it is clear they have given up.

But other sides have nothing at all to play for and turn up. Parra today had nothing to play for and smashed us. We had the spoon to avoid, saying goodbye to AOB etc. Player on debut. We had every reason to put in a good effort. They keep talking about the town, the fans they represent and this is the effort we get from them.

Jsaf before the game speaking about sending AOB off with a win, Gags after the game saying Hopwood didn't deserve that debut. It's all just words with nothing behind them.

Mental midgets, the wind blows a little and we fold.

It is correct to say a new coach isn't going to magic fix everything that is wrong with this club. This club needs a gould style going over and cleaning out. But, as far as driving the standards of what is acceptable from the club performances, player performances, the head coach, and the assistants have the biggest impact on that.

AOB came here from successful systems that just worked, because those clubs have learned effort on top of effort is the way to get it done, plus they had handy rosters to help. Here, AOB has none of that, and what he thought he could bring didn't work here because we are not Melbourne or the Roosters. Things don't automatically fall in to place from muscle memory of winning here.

And he had no answer when it didn't just work.

Whoever the new coach is, they have a hell of a job getting satisfactory standards from this place!
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Oh I 100% agree with everything you have said. I certainly wasn’t disagreeing with you

My defending McDermott was based on the players not giving a damn about anything, which I can’t blame McDermott for. You can take a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink analogy, is what I meant

But obviously if they won’t listen to him or Green now, then they never will again when the going gets hard.

Mental midgets describes the majority of the playing group. Any sign of adversity and they’ll use it to give up. Sometimes it feels like they go looking for some adversity so they can give up

We all know defence is an attitude thing. We all saw yesterday what their attitude was like. They couldn’t care less if they got the spoon and they played like it

Whoever the new coach is has a hell of a job getting these guys to buy into working hard and playing hard to achieve success. The first thing I’d do is make the whole team/squad sit down and watch that game again, review it and tear them all a new one for lack of effort etc to set the new standards that should, which should have already been in place

If the poor little darlings get their noses out of joint, then show them the door

I’d even make every player go work in a labouring job full time for a month at the start of training, so they can appreciate how good they currently have it and how hard it is for the general public, who spend their own hard earned money supporting these guys
 
New coach should just go to the board and tell them to get rid of everyone , players staff , management the works. Rip it up and start again

Wasn’t just this last game , entire back end of season just stunk (I know some injured and some put in). Failure of standards and leadership at the club

They just need to clear the stench of this playing group and everyone that had enabled them over the years , otherwise same old is just going to keep happening
 
Burn the COE down then salt the earth so nothing will ever grow there again.

Call Vlad the Impaler and ask for advice as to what to do with the playing group.

Steal a nuke from Israel and detonate it inside NRL HQ.

Steal the Infinity Gems from Thandos and use them to snap away everything in existence.

March up to God himself and **** on his face.

Then have a nice beer.
 
Not how it works, the coach picks the team. If Holbrook makes the case better that he deserves the job, POS isn't dictating his team sheets, just like the call to play Sharpe at 6 and keep him there is 100% AOB. I'm still reasonably convinced the club looking at half/hooker utility types rather than pure hookers actually does mean something.
 
Who actually decided that Brown was coming in as 7 or did we all think it due to Sharp being our 6?
No doubt those interviewed will be asked how they feel about the Brown/Sharpe idea and they no doubt will say ok, we will give it our best shot as they want the Coaching job and that feeling might be gone by Rd1. So I don’t see how it matters as long as they make any selection work
 
Newcastle need to think logically about this. Smith wants to be a 7 and will most likely go to a team that wants him as a 7, not a 9.
 
Kurriboy said:
Well this has turned dark and I'm here for it!

Enough of this walk softly ****.

I say we take off and nuke McDonald Jones Stadium from orbit, it's the only way to be sure!
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Crack the whole flamin' planet in half down the halfway line of McDonald Jones and jettison it off into the solar system in two different directions! Only way to be sure things change!!!
 
(this is cope from me) considering hkr had the derby, are going well and peters is considered for the kangaroos assistant job I’m not surprised he “pulled out” of the race at the time he did.
Would rock up at a similar time as brown does if he does get that assistant role with green and McDermott taking care of everything until then.
 
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