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No point ‘buying the shitfight’ as they did in 06, if you end up with a fractured privately owned board room.

Having said that, I reckon the power struggle is a beat up. It just doesn’t seem like something Crowe would allow to happen. He and Pappas are veterans. I doubt they’d let a difference of opinion put the club at risk.

Seems like an opportunistic narrative given the situation.

Though the drawn out announcement today does suggest some robust discussion.
 
Pplspoet said:
If any of that is true, I hope Russell gets his way.

Bennett vs McNamara is a no contest.
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Well this is where it gets interesting and the ability to have a bit of vision and make cluey decisions comes into it.

McNamara could be another Madge or Robinson type of decision.
Plucked from England, under the radar, but goes on to Premiership success.

Do you go that way, or choose a path we've been down before and hope it turns out better second time around?

Dunno, but interesting times ahead.
 
I’m betwixt and between on the whole HC thing.

I like Christian’s analogy around McNamara being a Madge 2.0. I’ve watched a bit of Super League this year and Catalans are playing well, no doubt.
This scenario is about long term success, and I don’t think we’re bothering the scorers next year, with this approach but maybe in ‘26

And then the other part of me wants us to get back to success now. And that’s the Bennett approach. He’ll get the team firing and I think we have the cattle, with a few tweaks to be a premiership threat again.
But, and it’s a big but - unless we do something different this time around (and history is the best judge of future behaviour), we’ll be back here in ‘27.
I just don’t think Sam will have the experience - and more importantly the battle scars - to be parachuted in in 2 years time.

I kind of think McNamara - or that style of coach - is a better long term proposition for us.
 
Wayne’s last stint here wasn’t unsuccessful.

2 prelims and a grand final.

He’s not responsible for what happens after he’s no longer coach. That’s on the club.

When Wayne left we were grand finalists with a good performing roster.

The fact the guy that followed wasn’t up to it is something we learnt the hard way (and that doesn’t mean JD can’t coach, but the environment got the better of him)..

Wayne didn’t punt Adam Reynolds, or choose to not add to the squad in 2023, or hire the performance team that has overseen the worst run of injuries in recent memory at the club, or re-sign Kennar, Milne, Host, etc. He’s not playing Tallis Duncan in reserve grade and he didn’t fail to manage personalities within the club including Sam Burgess.

Wayne is your best chance of winning football games in the next 2 years.

After that, get another coach.

To say McNamara ‘could’ be another Madge, Madge had 3 genuinely successful years out of 6 here.

So even if Macnamara is ‘Madge successful’, you’re talking the possibility of 3 competitive years vs the relative guarantee of 2.

Don’t try to be clever here.

2 seasons of success are on offer, take them.

Remembering we could well be saying goodbye to Cody and Cook in 12 months. That’s a delicate transition.

The fact Wayne got us through Sam, Sutto and GI moving on deserves infinitely more respect than was given at the time.

From 2018-2022 the club had 3 coaches in 5 years. We were a bankable prelim finisher or better.

Take the 2 years on offer, please.

The club needs a big swinging dick who demands respect. Not a new NRL coach that the board, players, and media are going to second guess the whole way to success.

Get 2 successful campaigns under your belt before going there.
 
At the end of the day Madge delivered us a Premiership, Wayne didn't.

For a club as big as we are the benchmark needs to be premierships, not prelims and going close.

If Bennett comes back then my expectations are a premiership, we need to do better if he has a second term.

Going close wasn't good enough.
 
So the rumours make it out like our choices are Bennett, Lam or McNamara.

Lots to think about there.
 
RabbitohReg said:
Wayne Bennett had Richo building the roster before Wayne arrived.

The fact even a reasoned and thoughtful poster like yourself, thinks Bennett can immediately have success in 2025 and 2026, with this roster, where the 'star' players are the same players he had in 2019-2021 (- Burgess, Reynolds, + Wighton), is surprising. And I write 'star', because those guys are either consistently lame, or over the hill now.

The club has not regenerated its roster in 5 seasons. It now has #25-30 type of players from about the 12th best player in the current top 30, and that's generous.

I can't believe that a bloke that over the past decade has been an assistant at a premiership winning team, worked under one of the best coaches in the game, and was the coach of the #1 team this time last year with a full roster, is failing with his X's, and O's and processes.
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Wayne will clean out some dead wood and bring some players in - he did that when he arrived with the likes of Latrell, Benji etc.

Give me Wayne and a top 4/8 finish over our current predicament any day.

We can build from that, lets not worry about life after Wayne and just get back on track.
 
daRque said:
At the end of the day Madge delivered us a Premiership, Wayne didn't.

For a club as big as we are the benchmark needs to be premierships, not prelims and going close.

If Bennett comes back then my expectations are a premiership, we need to do better if he has a second term.

Going close wasn't good enough.
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Agree.

But to win a premiership you need to make the finals. I’ll take the most guaranteed route to that available.
 
RabbitohReg said:
Wayne Bennett had Richo building the roster before Wayne arrived.

The fact even a reasoned and thoughtful poster like yourself, thinks Bennett can immediately have success in 2025 and 2026, with this roster, where the 'star' players are the same players he had in 2019-2021 (- Burgess, Reynolds, + Wighton), is surprising. And I write 'star', because those guys are either consistently lame, or over the hill now.

The club has not regenerated its roster in 5 seasons. It now has #25-30 type of players from about the 12th best player in the current top 30, and that's generous.

I can't believe that a bloke that over the past decade has been an assistant at a premiership winning team, worked under one of the best coaches in the game, and was the coach of the #1 team this time last year with a full roster, is failing with his X's, and O's and processes.
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You’re entitled to your opinion.

Wayne was announced as coach in October 2018. He made roster moves in the offseason and early new year and once the season had started to get a side he wanted. And they built towards the 2021 run over the next two years supplementing the early retirements of GI and Sam.

It’s now May. He has time to get this roster in shape.

On the ‘12th best player’ stuff, our top 10 are pretty easy to single out. I’d say players 11-20 would be:

Johnston, Dodd or Ilias, Gray, Munro, Havili, Host, S Mitchell, Moale, Duncan and Tass.

Under a good coach, I don’t think that’s a bad 11-20.

If you do, then that’s your prerogative.

I agree ideally we make 2 quality first string signings to compliment the supposed Dodd signing for 2025. Along with Bennett. A Burgess replacement and a quality outside back (my kingdom for a Caleb Clarke type).

On the ageing roster, Broncos are having success with Reyno, Manly with DCE. Players don’t become less valuable because you get tired of seeing them in your colours. They’re 18 months removed from a Prelim, 12 months removed from a credible ladder position. This isn’t a Dogs or Wests Tigers squad that has been neglected over 4-5 years.

6 of our current guys played Origin or for England last year. Wighton and Mitchell would have. Tatola and Graham are up there in that quality too. That’s a very strong top 10 players for your roster.

A good coach gets those guys playing like that.

Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.
 
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Pplspoet said:
You’re entitled to your opinion.

Wayne was announced as coach in October 2018. He made roster moves in the offseason and early new year and once the season had started to get a side he wanted. And they built towards the 2021 run over the next two years supplementing the early retirements of GI and Sam.

It’s now May. He has time to get this roster in shape.

On the ‘12th best player’ stuff, our top 10 are pretty easy to single out. I’d say players 11-20 would be:

Johnston, Dodd or Ilias, Gray, Munro, Havili, Host, S Mitchell, Moale, Duncan and Tass.

Under a good coach, I don’t think that’s a bad 11-20.

If you do, then that’s your prerogative.

I agree ideally we make 2 quality first string signings to compliment the supposed Dodd signing for 2025. Along with Bennett. A Burgess replacement and a quality outside back (my kingdom for a Caleb Clarke type).

On the ageing roster, Broncos are having success with Reyno, Manly with DCE. Players don’t become less valuable because you get tired of seeing them in your colours. They’re 18 months removed from a Prelim, 12 months removed from a credible ladder position. This isn’t a Dogs or Wests Tigers squad that has been neglected over 4-5 years.

6 of our current guys played Origin or for England last year. Wighton and Mitchell would have. Tatola and Graham are up there in that quality too. That’s a very strong top 10 players for your roster.

A good coach gets those guys playing like that.

Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.
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Spot on.

We have the makings of a very good team, a decent coach will get this team firing.

A big pre season focused on fitness will also assist greatly too.
 
Pplspoet said:
You’re entitled to your opinion.

Wayne was announced as coach in October 2018. He made roster moves in the offseason and early new year and once the season had started to get a side he wanted. And they built towards the 2021 run over the next two years supplementing the early retirements of GI and Sam.

It’s now May. He has time to get this roster in shape.

On the ‘12th best player’ stuff, our top 10 are pretty easy to single out. I’d say players 11-20 would be:

Johnston, Dodd or Ilias, Gray, Munro, Havili, Host, S Mitchell, Moale, Duncan and Tass.

Under a good coach, I don’t think that’s a bad 11-20.

If you do, then that’s your prerogative.

I agree ideally we make 2 quality first string signings to compliment the supposed Dodd signing for 2025. Along with Bennett. A Burgess replacement and a quality outside back (my kingdom for a Caleb Clarke type).

On the ageing roster, Broncos are having success with Reyno, Manly with DCE. Players don’t become less valuable because you get tired of seeing them in your colours. They’re 18 months removed from a Prelim, 12 months removed from a credible ladder position. This isn’t a Dogs or Wests Tigers squad that has been neglected over 4-5 years.

6 of our current guys played Origin or for England last year. Wighton and Mitchell would have. Tatola and Graham are up there in that quality too. That’s a very strong top 10 players for your roster.

A good coach gets those guys playing like that.

Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
correct©
 
I liked Solly saying one of the mandates will be to get minutes into the up and coming guys.

Being out of contention sucks, but don’t waste the opportunity to get a real good look (at the NRL level) at your gen next. Their development will be invaluable for the next man up.

Moale, Mamouzelos, Munro, Gray, Duncan, even Fletcher and Mellars perhaps by the back end of the year. Expose them, get them some minutes and experience, and strengthen the guys that are going to occupy spots 14-20 of your roster.
 
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