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Lachlan Ilias

The team went well in 2022 and half of 23.

Ilias was average bar late 22 and 2 games of 23.

There’s a difference.

And that’s not revisionist. Go find the thread from early 2023 asking how long we can continue with a 7 that contributes what Ilias does.

We would have kept JD as coach using the above logic.
The coach was to blame for the capitulation in the second half of 2023 and first half of 2024, you could tell JD had gone soft on some players and the results on the rest of the squad followed. No one respects weak leaders, the club and supporters wore the impact of the weak as pi$$ approach.

Ilias had plenty of errors in him in 2024 before being dropped then injured, see how he goes at the Dragons under a different coach and our squad goes under Bennett.
 
Illias is not a bad player, besides the odd highlight, he didn't set the world on fire. Time will tell if he just doesn't have it or if it was a case of the wrong type of player at the wrong time for us. I wish him well, but not against us.
 
I think that's a little bit harsh on Rabbits21.

He is privvy to a lot of information as some of us are. Everyone talks and theres only a few degrees of separation.

As for his statement on wayne not wanting illias, that's pretty obvious now lol.
Prior to taking on the job and being appraised of the state of our cap I could certainly see Wayne taking a critical look at options to fix the roster. He’d be acutely aware of where the money isn’t working as well as was needed particularly in the spine. Cookie being on
big dollars and in a form decline was the first move. Ilias not holding down the halfback job was next and that’s exactly what transpired. I reckon he’s now trying to stretch the available money to bolster the holes in the roster without a heavy investment.
 
He was a contracted first string player.

We signed a player to take his spot.

We then (at his managers request) gave him permission to negotiate elsewhere.

We then signed another less experienced player in Humphreys with essentially the same skillset.

We talked with Newcastle’s about a Hastings swap, Ilias said he wanted to stay. Wayne is quoted as saying he told him if he stayed he’d be fighting Dodd for the 7 and possibly needing to play 9. He said sure.

Now he’s gone to the Dragons, and people are trying to say Wayne wanted him at the club?

On some level? Sure. Like, who wouldn’t want an extra 10 players in the squad to fill holes. But there’s a cap.

He was a contracted player who we first replaced as a starter, then brought in a depth piece for the positions he might play, and then let him go elsewhere.

Clearly, the club desperately wanted to keep him.
I dont see that all this really matters too much. We may never know.
Hopefully a win win situation... though as I stated earlier, I still think he will really be up against it at StG as halfback.
Still hope he makes it.
 
Prior to taking on the job and being appraised of the state of our cap I could certainly see Wayne taking a critical look at options to fix the roster. He’d be acutely aware of where the money isn’t working as well as was needed particularly in the spine. Cookie being on
big dollars and in a form decline was the first move. Ilias not holding down the halfback job was next and that’s exactly what transpired. I reckon he’s now trying to stretch the available money to bolster the holes in the roster without a heavy investment.
Yeah, half of our 23/24 spine ... gone.
He doing what he needs to do without using the TrentR strategy.
 
Hmmm, that certainly doesn't sound like a statement from Wayne telling the kid we didn't want him here. Certain people on this forum need to keep their traps shut when quoting others. Especially when it's made up nonsense.
It's fair to assume that the kid who "deserves to play first grade" was not given a pathway for that to happen here by Wayne. I'm sure if Wayne wanted Ilias here, he would be.

I kind of hoped we'd keep him and try another position. Seems a great kid, fit, with a good attitude.
 
It's fair to assume that the kid who "deserves to play first grade" was not given a pathway for that to happen here by Wayne. I'm sure if Wayne wanted Ilias here, he would be.

I kind of hoped we'd keep him and try another position. Seems a great kid, fit, with a good attitude.
Not so sure going by that report. Wayne wanted to try him at 14 or 9. They are both first-grade positions. Illias and his manager probably wanted him playing 7, so he was given the OK to try his luck elsewhere. Nowhere in that statement does it mention Wayne didn't want him here, and that's what a certain poster came on here and told everyone. Anyway, make of it what you want. All I see is a story that was fabricated about what Wayne Bennett said when there was no factual evidence of that being the case. I'm old school and believe that people shouldn't go around quoting others without their consent, especially if it's something they made up themselves. That's my take and I'll let that be my last post on this .
 
Hmmm, that certainly doesn't sound like a statement from Wayne telling the kid we didn't want him here. Certain people on this forum need to keep their traps shut when quoting others. Especially when it's made up nonsense.
Seriously let it go.

Who cares if he stated it as fact or not. It’s been made into too big a deal on here.

Quotes from Wayne don’t prove anything. Surely we have learnt that enough over the years. The telling factor for Ilias was how much he was on. If he were on $300,000 I doubt that Wayne would have let him go.

The fact is he wasn’t going to be first choice halfback or hooker. He would have been battling it out with a couple of others for the 14 spot.

Too many were banking on him making it in a position he has never played before.
 
Hmmm, that certainly doesn't sound like a statement from Wayne telling the kid we didn't want him here. Certain people on this forum need to keep their traps shut when quoting others. Especially when it's made up nonsense.
We someone leaves an organisation your boss choose one of 2 things
1) speak positively about you
2) say nothing

I would read as much into this as I would when a boss says to someone leaving an organisation “ you will be sorely missed….”
 
People…..who the **** cares 💡💡💡🤪
I agree 100.
If WB wanted him but couldn't promise halfback spot ... fair enough Lachie's choice.
If WB sort of manoeuvred him out the door ... well Souths brought WB back to make the tough calls didnt they?
So either way, we need to move forward.
Think many of us fans wish him all the best too.
 

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