We've clawed back to only being 4 points down but as you said Mdog...unwatchable...well almost!

The quality of the game.  Would be an appropriate game for a wooden spoon play off.

Good to finish with a win, but we were almost as bad as a side coached by Des.

Why Wardell came back into the side is beyond me, surely he can't have incriminating photos of 3 coaches in a row.

Actually Burto was just teasing them for the first 75 mins.

IMO we take over NSW, Parra relocated Siberia for training, and play in Peru.

Souths relocated to PNG.

The Roosters to France.

Mainly to Port Headland.

The Sharks to South Africa.

The Dragons to Bangladesh .

Tigers to Thailand.

And with that the game is international.


, 

Newcastle to Newcastle UK.

Certainly not the entertainers the team has been but with condtions the way they were  not a poor game. I thought we held the ball better than manly in the conditions. Good to see RFM play a very good game. Hope Ciraldo tempers Ado-Carr's tendency to rush in in defence as at the moment he is on the wrong side of a balance between staying on his man and jamming in. Jacko inside and Burton can direct both Shoup and Ado-Carr a bit better to stay tight.At the moment  I think Flanno, Burns and Kiraz are a tighter  trio and are better and judging whether to stay and hold or to come up and in 

You're  right of course. Sometimes it's  a lack of trust, sometimes it's  over enthusiasm. Definitely  needs fixing.

Yeah a poor game to finish the season. Other than the thrill of winning, not much to celebrate.

CC has alot to work on with this team and unfortunately, while I like the idea of us making the top 8 next year, I feel we are let down terribly by our halves still and just don't have the mental brains to be a top 8 team.

Things can change if we sign Ben Hunt and he manages to get a release for '23 but otherwise I feel we are in for a similar (and probably more frustrating year) than this one. 

Ben Hunt is not the answer.

We need someone with brains and footy nous in the halves and ideally with experience.

Our current guys just don't cut it.

Burton might come good with some shared responsibility and Reed Mahoney in the team, but certainly not with Flanagan next to him.

Everyone was quick to stick the boot into Lewis, but he defended better than Flanno and was most certainly better in attack 

There is zero chance the Dragons would release Hunt next year. If they did they would be in a worse position than us. Anyhow could we afford him next year.
By the start of the 24 season he would be 33. Probably still okay, but at an age when ability can drop off very quickly. So a risk for big money.

There are some positions in rugby league where age doesn't really affect your ability as much as I think halfback is one of them.

Very few players in these roles looked very poor when in their final years. I bet they were still better than 50% of the comp players when they retired.

Thurston is an example of one who dropped off but was still probably better than 50% of halfbacks when he retired. It was his relative performance that dropped off.

Of course, that is what you will be paying for and I get that. But if you paid Hunt 800-900k a season for '24 and '25 it would still be around 400-500k of the top earning halves and I doubt he would be playing at less than 60% of their level....

IMO it's still good value even considering the risk.

What is the 40% you don't get? A very confusing equation.

The rain has cleared, the winds dropped so hopefully a good night at the football. Off for a couple of beers at Your Mates Brewery then to the Q cup semi Falcons v Dolphins.

Hve a good night Mdog, wind down from our "massive" season.

Thanks m8

What I was trying to say is that Hunt at 800k is about 60% of a top half at 1.3M yet I don't think at age 34 Hunt would be playing at less than 60% effectiveness as that 1.3M half.

He'd have to be really diabolical to drop below his price tag....and I just dont see it in him.

I really want the NRL to fix up this escort bloody rule.

Unless it is absolutely clear a player changes his line with intent to block a player and not play at the ball in any way, it should NOT be an escort.

The onus should be on the attacker to get to the ball with whatever obstacle is in his way, or could be in his way.

They shouldn't be expected to have a saloon path to the ball. 

So if a defender is smart enough to make it look like he is playing at the ball and manages to impede the attacker, good on him.

Don't penalise him. 

Ben Hunt tearing Brisbane apart.
40-20 to set up Dragons 2nd try and did it all for the 3rd try.

Ben Hunt just won the Dally M with a ripper try saving tackle.

Interesting that Cleary has decided to rest his entire first grade team.

Young Panthers are about to get slaughtered after a decent start. Cows about to run riot.

What is the 40% reduction in effectiveness you are willing to accept. Dollars are not the criteria it is the effectiveness that brings value 

Is this tanking pre game. It could decide where semis are played 

At least and finally saw a Burton hero moment . Took till the last round but the win was gutsy .

The start was a nightmare but we did well to hang in an ice the finish.

I thought that we looked better with Docker-Clay at dummy half.

In reserve grade BBO off with a leg injury after a hip-drop tackle. Wakeham and ZDC steer the team to victory.

Marty Taupau unsigned for next season, might be worth considering.

Josh Reyolds train and trial, getting the band back together Blues Bothers style.

Those car chase scenes in the Blue Bothers a epic, like Dman on an emergency trip to Dan Murphy's.

I reckon ZDC is the halfback within the club that might (and should) get a chance next year.

He has proven he can be the dummy half spark off the bench, even though Reed will likely be expected to play 80mins.

Great win. Great to see Burton ice the game. But he needs help. Hunt is not the answer for big money. We could miss better opportunities and I doubt we get him for less than three seasons. Two is too many. Do we need an experienced half? It didn’t work out that well for Brisbane. Or Saints. Canberra did better with a cheaper option. Cronulla also signed a great half who was playing fullback. Maybe a better option is available and we can’t see it yet. 

He could be. But I prefer Flanno. Maybe BBO. But I would like the coach to decide before next year. That way the halfback trains with the club all offseason. 

I am happy to leave it to the coach.

Hopefully a new coach will have sime new ideas.

All of the top sides have a strong forward pack.
This season is hard to judge we have had 3-4 props out  for various reasons for most of the season, the end result was we lost many yardage and possession battles, that makes it hard for the halfback.
Service from dummy-half also not ideal.

But overall I am not sold on Flanno.