Recruitment & Retention 2027

[RedV01]

There is nothing to say any of those 3 would do any better than Flanno has done.

What part of being a gamble don't you understand? Flanagan was a gamble that lost big.

 

[RandomDragon]

I feel really our only problem is not having an organising half. The rest of the players are at the bare minimum NRL standard, if you could put an organising NRL quality halfback in it would improve the team 10 fold. Kyle is definitely not the answer but neither is LKT at the moment. Our hands are tied for now until Reed is ready

 

[redv13]

I don't see Shane as a bad coach. He has one major issue and that's his son. If he would make the tough call and fix our halves problem with good recruiting along with a few other positions I think he could be successful however if he doesn't make the call it should be good bye. The club need to step in and force the issue on him if he doesn't comply let him resign however I don't see any outstanding coach's that are actually available.

I could be wrong here and feel free to say so if I am, but I think Flanno is unfortunately struggling to evolve with the game. His bash and barge, big bodies and lack of speed out wide etc is bringing him undone.

It’s 2026, game is always evolving and if you don’t as a coach then you get left behind. I think this is where Shane is falling down. Someone remind him it’s not 2016 anymore, that was 10 years ago. Catch up quick or his career is over more than likely by the end of 2027. He ain’t getting another coaching gig in the nrl if he is sacked. He’s the next Des Hasler unfortunately

 

[RufusRex]

I feel really our only problem is not having an organising half. The rest of the players are at the bare minimum NRL standard, if you could put an organising NRL quality halfback in it would improve the team 10 fold. Kyle is definitely not the answer but neither is LKT at the moment. Our hands are tied for now until Reed is ready

100% ... flano has fashioned a squad that Anderson is unable to recruit into - especially into that 2nd and most important half.
Getting one was ok, tough but not insurmountable as junior could always partner him ... but right now we have no organisation and it tells ..

On top of that game management of both the team on the paddock and the formation from the coaches box is diabolical. Having a middle three of guler/cake/ryan and no ability to shift the ball was catastrophic for us. We played the bloke who trialled on the edge in the middle and our ball playing middle on the edge. Lunacy. If Sele or Stewart are in the middle that last 20 minutes we win. That is on the coach.

Reed or ONeill is a horrible horrible choice ... LKT/Atkinson will be a cluster as both will be waiting for the other to do the job of the halfback ... craziness.


I do tend to agree though, the young forwards an actual half and you might be able to carry that 3/4 line.

 

[Frank Facer]

What part of being a gamble don't you understand? Flanagan was a gamble that lost big.

Flanno is a premiership winning coach, who took over a struggling Cronulla team and had them making the semi every year after his second or 3rd year. He is a proven coach. The only other applicants for the coaching job were Young and Hornby. They would have been bigger gambles. I wouldn't be against Ben Hornby, but he is still unproven.

 

[Frank Facer]

I feel really our only problem is not having an organising half. The rest of the players are at the bare minimum NRL standard, if you could put an organising NRL quality halfback in it would improve the team 10 fold. Kyle is definitely not the answer but neither is LKT at the moment. Our hands are tied for now until Reed is ready

I agree 100%

 

[Frank Facer]

I could be wrong here and feel free to say so if I am, but I think Flanno is unfortunately struggling to evolve with the game. His bash and barge, big bodies and lack of speed out wide etc is bringing him undone.

It’s 2026, game is always evolving and if you don’t as a coach then you get left behind. I think this is where Shane is falling down. Someone remind him it’s not 2016 anymore, that was 10 years ago. Catch up quick or his career is over more than likely by the end of 2027. He ain’t getting another coaching gig in the nrl if he is sacked. He’s the next Des Hasler unfortunately

Josh Hannay has taken over at the Gold Coast. He was considered one of the best up and coming coaches not to have coached first grade. He is currently 0 from 3 games. Do you think it is his fault or doesn't he have the cattle?

 

[Eric]

Josh Hannay has taken over at the Gold Coast. He was considered one of the best up and coming coaches not to have coached first grade. He is currently 0 from 3 games. Do you think it is his fault or doesn't he have the cattle?

If I was a Titans fan and after 2 years and 3 games there had not only been no improvement but signs of going backward, I'd want the coach sacked immediately.

 

[Frank Facer]

What part of being a gamble don't you understand? Flanagan was a gamble that lost big.

I will add that I had no expectations of us winning or making the top 8 in 24 or last year. I knew it was going to take at least 3 or 4 years for things to get better and that was only an "if" and meant we would need a roster overhaul with new quality players. So far Atkinson looks a good signing and Koloamatangi is a top signing. They are the only 2 signings we made who were not released from their clubs while under contract. I didn't expect Flanno to be a miracle worker. If we made the top 8 in 24, it would have been miraculous, but then many fans would have had unrealistic expectations for the following years.

 

[RedV01]

I will add that I had no expectations of us winning or making the top 8 in 24 or last year. I knew it was going to take at least 3 or 4 years for things to get better and that was only an "if" and meant we would need a roster overhaul with new quality players. So far Atkinson looks a good signing and Koloamatangi is a top signing. They are the only 2 signings we made who were not released from their clubs while under contract. I didn't expect Flanno to be a miracle worker. If we made the top 8 in 24, it would have been miraculous, but then many fans would have had unrealistic expectations for the following years.

Are you drunk? Make up your mind. Earlier today you were angling for him getting 5 years.

Your contradictory statements aside, giving up a coach 4 years to build a good team is just the kind of thing a drunken idiot would say. And ......

 

[Frank Facer]

Are you drunk? Make up your mind. Earlier today you were angling for him getting 5 years.

Your contradictory statements aside, giving up a coach 4 years to build a good team is just the kind of thing a drunken idiot would say. And ......

No, I am not drunk. lol I am being realistic and keeping things in perspective. I didn't expect Flanno to perform miracles. I knew we had one of the worst rosters in the comp when he took the job and knew it would take at least 3 or 4 years for him to turn things around and that was dependent on us signing good players and quality youngsters coming through our system. I also knew it wasn't a sure thing. I do believe our roster will be a lot better by next year. We still need to sign some quality outside backs to be a genuine top 8 team next year. We do have a very good crop of young forwards who have come through our system, better than I expected. Flanno has blooded them over the last 2 years. There is a very old saying. A coach is only as good as the cattle he has to work with. That is very applicable to our situation. If a new coach was to take over next year, he would be much better positioned than Flanno was when he took over. That is why I want to give Flanno until next year. If we could sign a top line coach such as Cleary, Bellamy or Webster to take over, I would be for that.

Maguire coached Souths to win a premiership. He then went to Wests and didn't make the top 8 in his 4 years there. In 2022 when he got sacked mid season, they got the spoon. He then went to coach Brisbane and won the comp in his first year there. It is all about having the cattle. Do you think Maguire was a good coach, then became a bad coach, while coaching Wests and then became a good coach again, when he took over at Brisbane?

 

[Eric]

No, I am not drunk. lol I am being realistic and keeping things in perspective. I didn't expect Flanno to perform miracles. I knew we had one of the worst rosters in the comp when he took the job and knew it would take at least 3 or 4 years for him to turn things around and that was dependent on us signing good players and quality youngsters coming through our system. I also knew it wasn't a sure thing. I do believe our roster will be a lot better by next year. We still need to sign some quality outside backs to be a genuine top 8 team next year. We do have a very good crop of young forwards who have come through our system, better than I expected. Flanno has blooded them over the last 2 years. There is a very old saying. A coach is only as good as the cattle he has to work with. That is very applicable to our situation. If a new coach was to take over next year, he would be much better positioned than Flanno was when he took over. That is why I want to give Flanno until next year. If we could sign a top line coach such as Cleary, Bellamy or Webster to take over, I would be for that.

Maguire coached Souths to win a premiership. He then went to Wests and didn't make the top 8 in his 4 years there. In 2022 when he got sacked mid season, they got the spoon. He then went to coach Brisbane and won the comp in his first year there. It is all about having the cattle. Do you think Maguire was a good coach, then became a bad coach, while coaching Wests and then became a good coach again, when he took over at Brisbane?

Aside from some of the more....... inflammatory comments, you would give a coach 4 years to build a good roster? Would you give Benji Marshall that long? Evidently it seems he only needed half that long.

 

[Frank Facer]

Aside from some of the more....... inflammatory comments, you would give a coach 4 years to build a good roster? Would you give Benji Marshall that long? Evidently it seems he only needed half that long.

West's have been very active and aggressive in recruitment since Marshall took over. They signed Luai for 1.2 mil a season, which I considered massive overs. They also signed Taylan May and Terrell May who I think are both very good signings. I would have liked us to have signed Terrell May, but I don't think he was interested in moving to Wollongong and referred to himself as a Westie. They also signed Turvna and with Korosaua have a former Penrith contingent. They did lose Galvin. I have heard/read numerous players I just mentioned all said they wanted to play under Marshall and were big fans of his growing up. They also signed Pearce-Paul this year, who looks like another good signing. They are located at Concord which is an advantage compared to Wollongong. So their recruitment has been good. They also look to be a close knit group who want Marshall as their coach. When it was said he may be sacked last year, a group of players all threatened to leave if he was sacked. Marshall has been a draw card for signing players, even with no coaching success. Samuela Fainu is looking like a very good second rower and young Makasini is looking like a great prospect. So they are building a decent squad.

In saying that Wests finished last in Marshall's first season after taking the job 3 rounds into the season and finished 13th last year, winning one more game than we did. They still have not won anything or made the top 8. Some people are still skeptical if Marshall can coach. Will they make the top 8 this year? I didn't have them making the top 8.

As I have said before. If we were located at Kogarah, instead of Wollongong, we may be more attractive to prospective recruits and even keeping players such as Latu Finua?

Would you like us to have Marshall as our coach?