Some seriously rose tinted glasses in here right now
If you can’t be bothered contributing or a least misrepresenting what I was saying and arguing with that, just put a pipe in your mouth and play the group sage I guess…
Ten or eleven years and not a win post season. How’s your explanation for that?
I mean christ back in the day you could have been forgiven for thinking half of the league was playing rugby the way they were defending. The skills of the average player was so low that players like Daniel would shine.
You need only look at the blooper reels from back then, they were something else. Do you remember bloody Kevin Muscat damn near killing a guy in an attempted tackle? These days we get far less of these comical bloopers because the league is improving significantly in technical skill.
Oh and don't for a second think that I'm ragging on the old days. There was a certain uniqueness to the league before it started to improve. I thought it was uniquely kiwi/aussie and a bit scuffed, it was a fun watch with some occasionally good football. Now a days its far easier to enjoy the good football because there is a lot more of it.
So when you judge between different eras you judge how someone performed at that time, right?
I mean we started Karl Dodd! And he just kicked a guy, Segal style and didn’t get sent off. I understand that.
But within the context of the era, imo, Daniel inspired the fans and his team mates and really, really wanted to win. We scored late goals, we scored second half goals, we won post season games…
I want the club to take a half step towards that era and to really matter, to mean something. I want the players to fight to see the flabby guts of the yellow fever. I want some players who really love the club and the fans on the field, and not a team entirely of guys calculating their next move. They don’t have to have lucky head bandages, but I want to see a bit more of that spirit. CCM had it this season. I want to see a core of senior players who 100% want to be at the club next season and want to win. I’m sick of seeing the team slump 5 games out after it’s clear everyone has packed their bags.
I don’t think it’s an unfair observation that we had more players committed to long term futures with the club when Ricki was coaching. And not all cos of Terry money. Some of it was the story of the club and of the AWs emergence and a good deal of it was lead by the players as a group. There was a palpable excitement just to have and fight to keep having football.
We get bits of that with those big crowds to hate on the snakes or just see Roy in his prime…more!