Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:31 pm  

I think there's a two main things that are impacting the Burgess boys;

1 - They've gotten too big for their boots and stopped putting in the hard yards, they'd 'made it' in 2014 and success has gone to their heads - they seem to be more interested in taking cool selfies with their tops off and their shades on at all the hip places rather than getting their hands dirty and doing the extras in the gym/on the training ground - Props aren't meant to be the cool kids - props are meant to be salt of the earth, workers, battlers - they're too pampered away from the pitch

2 - They've all now flown the nest - they've got wives/girlfriends and more importantly kids. I think they flourished living together, being young single blokes with that natural competitiveness to be the best - you do lose a bit of that when you've a wife and kids (and cool selfies to take).

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:41 pm  

Sam should've rested at the end of last season. The last 3 years must've taken its toll, both mentally and physically

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Wed Mar 29, 2017 5:24 am  

Superted wrote:

I think there's a two main things that are impacting the Burgess boys;

1 - They've gotten too big for their boots and stopped putting in the hard yards, they'd 'made it' in 2014 and success has gone to their heads - they seem to be more interested in taking cool selfies with their tops off and their shades on at all the hip places rather than getting their hands dirty and doing the extras in the gym/on the training ground - Props aren't meant to be the cool kids - props are meant to be salt of the earth, workers, battlers - they're too pampered away from the pitch

2 - They've all now flown the nest - they've got wives/girlfriends and more importantly kids. I think they flourished living together, being young single blokes with that natural competitiveness to be the best - you do lose a bit of that when you've a wife and kids (and cool selfies to take).

you saying they gone all Rocky 3 on us? they became civilised... lost the eye of the tiger?

i agree BTW.

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Wed Mar 29, 2017 6:17 am  

There's an element of that, and also the Maguire issue. He built a side - exceptionally well - based on the players he had at the time. He has seemed to really struggle since the GF win because he hasn't adapted the style of play much even without the same core of exceptional players. Like most GF winning teams they have paid too much to a bunch of players who were average and dragged up by the stars (not to mention huge dollars to get Burgess back), so are also going to find it will take a long time to up the quality across the field.

Overall you'd have to say Maguire and Hasler look like coaches who haven'tworked out a Plan B for when things aren't going well. Hasler's in even worse trouble because he hasn't sorted the deficiencies at halfback which have been there right through his tenure at the Dogs.

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Wed Mar 29, 2017 9:24 am  

BrisbaneRhino wrote:

There's an element of that, and also the Maguire issue. He built a side - exceptionally well - based on the players he had at the time. He has seemed to really struggle since the GF win because he hasn't adapted the style of play much even without the same core of exceptional players. Like most GF winning teams they have paid too much to a bunch of players who were average and dragged up by the stars (not to mention huge dollars to get Burgess back), so are also going to find it will take a long time to up the quality across the field.

Overall you'd have to say Maguire and Hasler look like coaches who haven'tworked out a Plan B for when things aren't going well. Hasler's in even worse trouble because he hasn't sorted the deficiencies at halfback which have been there right through his tenure at the Dogs.

I don't just think it's at H/B where they struggle, I'd be tempted to say they've got the worst spine in the league. Although it looks like they're after Wests' 'Big Four'

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Wed Mar 29, 2017 9:40 am  

Baxendale wrote:

I don't just think it's at H/B where they struggle, I'd be tempted to say they've got the worst spine in the league. Although it looks like they're after Wests' 'Big Four'

Canterbury- Bankstown have a very good Gambian scrum half named Moses Mbye. The current Canterbury-Bankstown hooker, a Lebanese named Michael Lichaa, is not bad, though obviously not as good as the other famous Lebanese hooker, Robert Farah, or the former club hooker Michael Ennis (now retired from playing). Lebanon, the most liberal nation-state in the Middle East, is famous for its hookers. Both Mbye and Lichaa attract fans from their respective ethnic communities, which raises the club's home game gate revenues. But these two players also add something to the team's talent pool.

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Wed Mar 29, 2017 8:06 pm  

JEAN CAPDOUZE wrote:

Canterbury- Bankstown have a very good Gambian scrum half named Moses Mbye. The current Canterbury-Bankstown hooker, a Lebanese named Michael Lichaa, is not bad, though obviously not as good as the other famous Lebanese hooker, Robert Farah, or the former club hooker Michael Ennis (now retired from playing). Lebanon, the most liberal nation-state in the Middle East, is famous for its hookers. Both Mbye and Lichaa attract fans from their respective ethnic communities, which raises the club's home game gate revenues. But these two players also add something to the team's talent pool.

Correct Lichaa is not bad... he's terrible, made a big error getting rid of Cook! Mbye is not a scrum half, he looked ok at standoff alongside Hodgkinson but he needs an organiser alongside him.

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Thu Mar 30, 2017 1:19 am  

Biff Tannen wrote:

you saying they gone all Rocky 3 on us? they became civilised... lost the eye of the tiger?

i agree BTW.

You may have something there! I was hugely disappointed by Sam Burgess at last years 4 nations, he needs his aggression and drive back

IMO they should take his captaincy off him and/or start him on the bench in the first game of the world cup against Aus, just to light a fire under his belly

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Thu Mar 30, 2017 11:40 am  

http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/james- ... 4380525cc6

http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/james- ... 4380525cc6

Re: British players in the NRL: how are they doing? : Sun Apr 02, 2017 8:04 am  

A masterclass from Widdop's boot today.
The thirty yard floating pass to put his winger in wasn't bad either.
Small blemish with the try conceded but the Dragons were never losing that game.