If it's culture we want TPJ and Vaughn are are bad start. If we are happy with football talent they may be ok

I still think BBO's brothers/cousins are worth looking at. Same DNA same environment,
He is probably the best of them, but how good are the rest?
 There are at least 2 more.

You are mostly talking off field and it is a gamble.

Footy players are not chiorboys, this is the gamble we have to take.
The better options are all locked up at higher placed clubs.. we need a forward pack that can complete.

I agree it sounds stupid. But it’s what he needs as a player to develop his game. 

Agree.
BBO comes on gets a set restart straight up. Knockonbur effs it up asap. Titans score 10 points.
Halftime and BBO is off and Flanno is on and once again proves he is not up to it.
25 minutes later BBO comes on and ignites some sort of attack and scores.

I am losing faith in BAZ.
The depth in attack and one out runs are driving me away from the game.
What do they practice.
To see Jacko just running the old 4th tackle settler FMD. Can't believe I still haven't had to replace the Tele. 

Forget culture with those guys.
These 2 fell in to our hands.
Who would we bolstering the forwards with if these two guys had not have been shown the door?
Is there a secret end of year signing or 2?

Fair enough but I haven't seen him run hard since he came back and will it improve his defence and his footy smarts.

Culture is overrated. Otherwise the Chicken fuckers would never win the comp. South’s wouldn’t have won the comp and the Tigers would be making the finals. It’s just another bullshit word used by people who think they understand management. 

Agreed. All this crap about culture....
It's about being competitive, professional and trying to win comps.

Culture is only needed to keep (good) players together and stay competitive in top 4 or top 8.

Right now, we have culture...
 A fekking bad one.

100% on this post.

There is no way we could gave Api on the team.. Elliott would have a meltdown with the competition.

Where is Wakeham? He was in the team when the fab five went to the pub and is the only one not sighted since.

He was left behind when they moved to QLD.

I don't know if he can be added to the group.

The decision to take Flanno instead seems to be a hopeless gamble that Flanno can come good.

Your understanding of culture is so poor you just described the need for two parts of it, competitive and professional while describing it as crap.

Of course there’s more, accountability, discipline, honesty and more and more, but they’re the things you need to “try and win comps”. 

Culture is basically what you are as a group or at a point in time. It is not necessarily good or bad. Culture does not equate  to perfection.

That's the thing Zef...
You dont look to find culture and realise you have it.... you find players and then culture comes with it.

Its nothing but a bi product of your players ability.

The biggest mistake a club can do when they are entrenched at the bottom of the table is think they need culture before they need a good roster... 

What do they always say about Melb, average players go there and become better players. Easts have absolutely no right to be in the top 8 this year, given injuries, and yet they’re likely to finish Top 4.

Players don’t attract a great culture, culture attracts the great players. 

We have been competitive against good teams when Thompson has played but last night was the absolute nadir....impossible to sugarcoat the truth...Titans are schit ..There is no drawing board to go back to. Vaughan must have some leadership qualities in that he convinced a dozen of his teammates to attend his BBQ when they all would have known it illegal. The end of the season really can't quick enough. 

I agree with your last sentence.
But this focus on culture agead of anything else blinds the true intent of the club to strive for success.

Like I said in my first post. Culture is a bi product of success and only useful if you want to stay on top (Melb, Easts etc).

But that doesn't mean our 2004 team which won the premiership or 2006 team that nearly won the premiership wasnt successful. Neither had a good culture. In fact they had a pretty poor culture. What they DID have was skill that came together more often than not and in big games.

Dont get me wrong, I also want us to be consistently top 4. But what I want more is a premiership and end this 18 year drought. 

Same as Dragons in 2010. And I bet eels fans would much rather a premiership than their constant top 4 finishes.... Neither of these teams had any culture or one that other teams were jealous of. But they were successful.

So you can make culture your #1 priority all you like. But for me it's only relevant if we win a premiership and want to keep winning them.

Right…

So doesn’t that make it relevant, more than relevant.

Crucial.

There are 2 parts.

1. On field culture - critical for winning games.
2. Off field culture - important for sponsors, fans, media image, etc.

Only one of these is critical for winning games.
Ideally I would like bkth, but a great off field image that results in losing each week sooner or later results in panic.

For our on field culture the following things are wrong.

1. It is always built on great defence and working together as a team.
2. It is hard to defend well when the forwards can't match the opposition.
3. Lazy or mistake ridden players need to be dropped.
4. The coach should select the best 17 each week.
5. Only willing this week is important.

I've  got question marks on Baz on 3,4,5.

I know our squad is weak, but I am not sure that the coach is doing enough to set standards.

It is fine to be a a nice guy easy going coach and that is like great off field culture. If the team isn't winning the fans and management soon get restless...

I am restless myself,  I certainly never expected 2007-2021 a period of way more lows than highs.

Kevin Moore showed how a rebuild is done, Baz and Gus need to at least match that.

BBO in the halves this week, good change.

Topine should be playing off the bench instead of Katoa, otherwise not a bad team selection, finally.

I would like to see him at #7 but I suppose it don’t make much difference. I’m convinced he’s a long term solution to a spine position, just not sure which.

Same here, he is more like a traditional 7 than Averillo or Burton.

If BBO steps up Wakeham might be left regretting that night at the pub.

But Wakeham is also a possible 9/14 and I would not be surpised if the switch does work put well.

Assuming BBO stepped up and was at least reasonable in the 7, we are mostly looking for a hooker.

BBO reminds me of Ewan McGrady and Craig Polla-Mounter 2 of my favorite players.

I like BBO at 9 and believe he is more important to the team at 9. That doesn't mean he wouldn't make a good 6 or 7, it's just that I don't think we get enough from JMK at 9 and he makes a significant difference when he comes on, while I think Lewis or Wakeham could adequately fill 7 and Averillo at 6. 

Still, given we are dead last and morals for the spoon, we may as well try him and see what he can do. If he ends up playing alongside Burton in the halves, we absolutely must go after Cheese no matter the price.....

thanks christ Okunbor is gone - never ever to return in my view - he is not a footballer's bootlace

Yeah I must admit I was all in favour of JOK prior to his return from long injury but the last few games he has really played himself out of the team.... it's no mean feat given we have many poor or average performers but he and Flanno have really stood out as exceptionally poor....

I'm glad TB took action. I probably would have preferred Tui Katoa ahead of Manu as the young bloke has no idea how to defend, but hopefully he has learnt from his past mistakes.

He wasn't too bad last season, defence and turning and chasing kicks always a problem.

In the lower grades he played sometimes in tbe forwards and was ok.
I would try him occasionally off the bench as a player who could cover forwards and backs.
Transition him back to being a forward, unless he shows he ca n handle wing.

Baz shouldn't have picked him last gsme, that type of selection doesn't help the player.

I certainly think he could have done with 1 or 2 games of reserve grade but given how bad Manu was on the wing and with Cotric out and team playing badly and no reserve grade to be played, we really needed to have him back asap so I dont blame TB.

The decision to drop him this week is a correct one and I'm sure he'll be better for it and will play firsts again either later this year or sometime next year