This deserves a reply. I largely agree with you. I would add the following:julian87 wrote: ↑July 29, 2023, 8:38 pm I’ll admit I turned it off at half time to actually enjoy punting on the last few races of the day.
If I’m being honest I knew it was happening and didn’t have one iota of care.
Across the 17 that represented that represented Canberra today the only players that are genuine first graders are:
Rapana
Timoko
Kris (if he plays centre)
Wighton
Papalii
Tapine
Young
Horsburgh (as a prop)
____________________
Bench players
Guler
Mariota
I like Woolford and he’s a good player on 250k or so but is ultimately a career reserve grader.
Everyone else in the 17 is either a flat out reserve grade standard player or fringe first grade at best.
And this includes Jamal Fogarty. This is the one that is an absolute joke. He’s received thank you threads on this forum because at the age of 30 he learnt how to kick. I mean ducking seriously. Can’t defend. Can’t ball play. Can’t straighten the attack. Can’t game manage. And he gets thank you threads because we’ve beaten bad teams. it will honestly do me. Canberra have the worst attack in the competition and the halfback gets a free pass because he’s started to kick ok. Jesus.
Footnote: this is not on Fogarty. It is on the club and it’s inept coaching, roster management and everything football. If Stuart coaches a Sydney team he’d have already been sacked.
The softness of so many fans and what is deemed ok has just completely alienated me this year to the point where I am apathetic. And that sucks. This year has been the biggest joke of a team I’ve seen since we had the likes of Geoff McNamara on the wing.
- we have largely been injury free. Also a very favourable draw, and playing teams with good players out during SOO. Imagine if we had injuries or an unfavourable draw.
- the attack has been bad since 2019: in previous years we were very reliant on Jack and it doesn't help that our most highly paid player hasn't been playing well for most of the season. There's no shape to our attack.
- not only has Jack been bad, but the situation has been exacerbated by having Kris instead of Savage at fullback - the guy doesn't know how to chime in and link in a backline movement and put defences in doubt like what Savage did. Also last year we didn't have Croker in the team. I noticed in the last two weeks Jack didn't even pass the ball to Croker much.
- Cotric last year was an upgrade on Hoppa.
- we aren't an athletic team but this is on Stuart. We are a lazy team. Our line speed is never good. Today and last week we just let teams roll downfield and get an attacking kick away on tackle 5.
- we knew what we were getting with the Fog - not a superstar. Sezer was inconsistent and frustrating in his years with us. G Williams was also inconsistent but at least had pace.
- this is all on Stuart though. He selects the team and recruits for the team. In the last 3 years, the likes of Tom Dearden when he was at Brisbane, Metcalf when he was at Cronulla, Hammer when he was at Cowboys, Api and Mahoney - were all available. No chance of signing Dylan Brown or Fifita when they were off contract as well. Good players don't want to join us. And Stuart doesn't like playing the flair and risky players such as Savage and Hammer. If Reece Walsh was with us he would still be in NSW Cup.
- we are the worst team in converting points with the amount of possession in the 20 m zone. Also the worst team in playing against 12 men when our opposition has someone in the sin bin. Why is that ? It's all on Stuart.
- Stuart has had enough time. Hodgson gone and retired, Wighton leaving, Croker and Whitehead no longer FG standard, CNK and Joey gone. It's time that he goes as well. He has run out of ideas and there's only so much of trying hard and being in a grinding battle can do for us. It's time for a new voice and new ideas.
