What makes a winning team? : Sat Dec 04, 2021 9:25 am  

Well for me it’s not big names with big price tags.

For me it’s actually very simple.

One, you need a good coaching staff.

Two, and the one that really does it. You need Imho most of your team to be in good form but that’s really a given. What you really need is three or four senior players to be at their playing peak and a group of youngsters kicking up a storm.

So a hypothetical here.

Fifita
Lino
TJ
Tanginoa

These players have their best season ever.

Batch
Crowther
Jowitt
Whitebread

Really start to mature as players.

Aydin
Bowes
Murphy
Hall

All come from nowhere and make a name for themselves in the games they play.

It’s a perfect storm I know but we are due one eventually, law of averages.

If it did happen and it’s a long shot, that would be a very competitive team. Now let us all pray.

Re: What makes a winning team? : Sat Dec 04, 2021 3:55 pm  

Good luck with injuries and a settled side that doesn't have to change much week in week out.

Re: What makes a winning team? : Sat Dec 04, 2021 7:47 pm  

Sufficient, quality cover in all positions.

Re: What makes a winning team? : Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:14 pm  

For me, it’s a blend of several ingredients with a squad.

Alan Hanson once said about Manchester United, and their young players, you don’t win anything with kids.

To a degree, he was right. However, the energy, passion and enthusiasm that young players bring is fantastic, but then you need older heads around them, to lead and guide them.

I also think, you need quality players in the key positions, in league I would say 1,6,7,9 and 13, with a bit of depth in those, but then you also need some grafters, who just put their hand up and put in a shift, week in week out.

You also need consistency within team selection, and a coach needs to know early on in a season what his first choice side is.

To maintain good levels, also a coach needs to have one eye on the following season, as other clubs strive to improve, your side has to do the same to at least maintain that standard.

Good following on the terraces can also help too.

Re: What makes a winning team? : Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:52 pm  

charlie wrote:

Good luck with injuries and a settled side that doesn't have to change much week in week out.

Thats a big thing , i have no issues with youth coming in but we wouldnt want 5 or 6 at once esp in forwards.

Re: What makes a winning team? : Sun Dec 05, 2021 11:56 am  

A happy squad, willing to give their all for each other. That can make up for many deficiencies.

I read an article this week on the Fox Sports NRL website about the Melbourne Storm, and players said they put the success of the team down to boozing sessions combined with a tough training regime. In summary, they said that as a lot of the players aren't from Melbourne, they rely on each other for company, so all live within a mile of each other and meet up a lot, and drink a lot. They were saying that drinking together is a big part of their culture. The players who turn out for the Sydney clubs, however, tend to be spread all over the city, often never moving house, so they don't bond together in the same way.

In Melbourne, they train hard, they play hard, and they spend time together.

In a similar article, they said that the success of the Roosters is built on a club ethos, where they aim to look after your life beyond rugby. I think the Rhinos have this approach.

[PopTart]

Re: What makes a winning team? : Sun Dec 05, 2021 12:55 pm  

Eastern Wildcat wrote:

For me, it’s a blend of several ingredients with a squad.

Alan Hanson once said about Manchester United, and their young players, you don’t win anything with kids.

To a degree, he was right. However, the energy, passion and enthusiasm that young players bring is fantastic, but then you need older heads around them, to lead and guide them.

I also think, you need quality players in the key positions, in league I would say 1,6,7,9 and 13, with a bit of depth in those, but then you also need some grafters, who just put their hand up and put in a shift, week in week out.

You also need consistency within team selection, and a coach needs to know early on in a season what his first choice side is.

To maintain good levels, also a coach needs to have one eye on the following season, as other clubs strive to improve, your side has to do the same to at least maintain that standard.

Good following on the terraces can also help too.

The winning with kids thing is exactly it for me and is taken out of context.

That team had a few older players leaving and replaced with the young kids who turned out to be superstars.

The thing is they still had a spine of Schmeichel, Irwin and Bruce, Roy Keane and Andy Cole.
With a good spine you can build a young enthusiastic around them.

Jowitt, Miller, Lino, Hood and maybe Pitts are the spine.
Max and Pitts will need to take control of their position to make it work. I think Hood will be a big bonus for us in the spine.
They will allow Dave, TJ, Bill, Lyne and Tanginoa to do their thing.

Re: What makes a winning team? : Sun Dec 05, 2021 1:42 pm  

Fitness, when we had Jeff/Geoff Evans we were always capable of a second half come back.

Re: What makes a winning team? : Mon Dec 06, 2021 1:15 pm  

vastman wrote:

Well for me it’s not big names with big price tags.

For me it’s actually very simple.

One, you need a good coaching staff.

Two, and the one that really does it. You need Imho most of your team to be in good form but that’s really a given. What you really need is three or four senior players to be at their playing peak and a group of youngsters kicking up a storm.

So a hypothetical here.

Fifita
Lino
TJ
Tanginoa

These players have their best season ever.

Batch
Crowther
Jowitt
Whitebread

Really start to mature as players.

Aydin
Bowes
Murphy
Hall

All come from nowhere and make a name for themselves in the games they play.

It’s a perfect storm I know but we are due one eventually, law of averages.


If it did happen and it’s a long shot, that would be a very competitive team. Now let us all pray.

Said that vasty from day one about big names with big price tags ,a good motivational coach and a good tight bunch of lads who are willing to go that extra mile for each other and a never say die attitude goes a long way. Looking at the squad that’s assembled we have a good mix of youth and experience and barring numerous injuries I see us being more than a match for most and see a mid table position easily achievable with a good playoff/cup run as the icing on the cake .

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Re: What makes a winning team? : Mon Dec 06, 2021 1:34 pm  

It's ok saying a good average well motivated team is great, but if you put the right top player in the middle it will be better.