Official Craig Fitzgibbon

Gards

Jaws
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What's most disturbing is Thresh produced that imagine with 5 minutes

How long he been holding onto that one ? haha
 

Thresher

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What's most disturbing is Thresh produced that imagine with 5 minutes

How long he been holding onto that one ? haha
Like Shortfin said, some things you can't unsee.

Sorry guys but you will now carry that image to your graves too :ROFLMAO:
 

Thresher

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Who is he?
In 2020, Russell Bawden spoke to NRL.com about his time at Melbourne winning the premiership saying "I wanted it so bad that I swore off the grog for three months – and anyone who knows me knows what a massive sacrifice that was. And my mates didn't help. At the pub, they would dip their fingers in beer and smear it on my lips. I tried not to lick it... not easy."
 

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Ricky Stuart said something the other week about his teams form reversal that I found interesting.

Basically along the lines of when he was being congratulated by some media he said hey yea wadda know we get some players back from injury and we are a different side, winning games again and performing like we know we can and the media are giving us a wrap.

While this may sound an obvious thing it got me thinking. While we don't want player absences as an excuse for losing or playing poorly are we and other clubs fans expecting too much from our boys when they are down on quality troops and regular starters?

We have been so used to in the past depth players coming in, filling that role and doing a good job and it not effecting the way we play or our chances of success too much but is this no longer realistic ? Has the game become so fast, the competition so tight that having some of your best players on the sidelines just cannot be compensated for or replaced? Is it the lack of quality in our depth itself?

BHU, Kennedy and Ramien have been 3 of our strongest and best players week to week in 2022 and their absence is showing big time - is this unavoidable ? Is being a consistent competitive team without some of your best players just a stretch these days, a pipe dream? Or have those players papered over some cracks?

Even the Storm who were without Paps and are one of the best teams at bringing through depth to do a job looked a different team without their regular fullback and got belted as a result. It seems to have an effect on not just structures and execution but attitude and morale.

Brisbane has won without Reynolds but they played 2 poor teams in Manly & Knights

I think Panthers still bring in their depth players and cover for injuries/suspension better than any other club and keep winning (even if they don't look at their best) but it used to be something pre 2019 under Flanno that we were really good at too utlising guys like Paulo, Capewell, Sorenson ect.

Is it coaching, is it the way the modern NRL is changing or both? other factors? are we judging them too harshly?

interested to hear others thoughts on this
 
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Thresher

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I'd reckon that the 'next man up' thing would get easier the longer a coach has been in charge of a team.

Like Fitz and some of the players have said, we're still trying to work out what team, or what type of team, we are.

Once our structures, and alternate or backup structures, are cemented and second nature I think it'd be easier for replacements to slot in.

The Storm are so well drilled that it seems seamless sometimes.
 

Sparkles

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Ricky Stuart said something the other week about his teams form reversal that I found interesting.

Basically along the lines of when he was being congratulated by some media he said hey yea wadda know we get some players back from injury and we are a different side, winning games again and performing like we know we can and the media are giving us a wrap.

While this may sound an obvious thing it got me thinking. While we don't want player absences as an excuse for losing or playing poorly are we and other clubs fans expecting too much from our boys when they are down on quality troops and regular starters?

We have been so used to in the past depth players coming in, filling that role and doing a good job and it not effecting the way we play or our chances of success too much but is this no longer realistic ? Has the game become so fast, the competition so tight that having some of your best players on the sidelines just cannot be compensated for or replaced? Is it the lack of quality in our depth itself?

BHU, Kennedy and Ramien have been 3 of our strongest and best players week to week in 2022 and their absence is showing big time - is this unavoidable ? Is being a consistent competitive team without some of your best players just a stretch these days, a pipe dream? Or have those players papered over some cracks?

Even the Storm who were without Paps and are one of the best teams at bringing through depth to do a job looked a different team without their regular fullback and got belted as a result. It seems to have an effect on not just structures and execution but attitude and morale.

Brisbane has won without Reynolds but they played 2 poor teams in Manly & Knights

I think Panthers still bring in their depth players and cover for injuries/suspension better than any other club and keep winning (even if they don't look at their best) but it used to be something pre 2019 under Flanno that we were really good at too utlising guys like Paulo, Capewell, Sorenson ect.

Is it coaching, is it the way the modern NRL is changing or both? other factors? are we judging them too harshly?

interested to hear others thoughts on this
Stopped reading after "Ricky Stuart said".

But, there are some players you can't 'next man up'. Paps for sure. Nicho for us. But yeah, if you've coached a club a few years then every grades players should know the role they aspire to and have an idea of what they need to do to cause minimal disruption.

And I do think the gap between teams is less now, and when a player is out it can look like it makes a huge difference. A small advantage to the opposition seems to turn into 20 points pretty quickly in todays game
 

apezza

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I agree with above but that shouldn't result in lack of intensity or desire which is what it has looked like at times this year.
 

MrDravid

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Big couple of weeks coming for Fitzy... reportedly fired up in the sheds so will be interesting to see if he responds at the selection table
 

Sparkles

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Big couple of weeks coming for Fitzy... reportedly fired up in the sheds so will be interesting to see if he responds at the selection table
Those wrestling sessions this week are going to be rough
 
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