Some facts

[milanja]

Yes - look at Portugal. If you forget the last few hundred years, you see that they once had a vast global empire. Or how about Carthage? It was one of the longest-lived and largest states in the ancient Mediterranean.

How dare we now compare them unfavourably with current global powers! It's just choosing a date to support one's own theory of which countries are the more successful.

Exactly everybody will choose a date to justify how successful their team is, and people will always debate on when the most significant period should be judged from.

Since the 80s its parra, dogs, raiders and Broncos, Easts from 2000, and unfortunately manly with 8 premierships since the 70's is easily the best record of the modern era.

[Ray Stehr]

But we're not comparing Easts and Manly are we.

[Guest]

Well said Rooster Cogburn, well said.

[roosterproud]

Between 1912 and 1925 there was no semi-final system and a final was only played if two clubs finished level at the conclusion of the Minor Premiership. Souths won the 1909 premiership when Balmain forfeited in protest against the final being played as a preliminary match before a promotional game between the national Rugby League and Rugby Union sides. The 1937 season also featured no finals as the year was disrupted by the Kangaroos tour. Between 1926 and 1953 first played third and second played fourth and winners played off. If the minor premiers were defeated they had a right of challenge, but if they were not defeated there was no true "grand final."

From 1954 a mandatory grand final was introduced in which there was a knockout minor semi-final between third and fourth and a second-chance major semi between first and second. The winner of the major semi went to the grand final and a preliminary final was played between the winner of the minor semi and the loser of the major semi to decide who would meet the winner of the major semi.

In 1973 a final five was devised with the top team going straight into the major semi, the second and third teams playing a major preliminary semi, and the fourth and fifth playing a sudden-death minor preliminary semi. The top team played the winner of the major preliminary semi-final, whilst the winner of the minor preliminary semi played the loser of the major preliminary semi in the minor semi-final (which was played as before under the final four system.


so merge has 15 real grand finals, mandy has 6. souff has7 , parra and canb and the drongos have 5 we have 3.

[milanja]

But we're not comparing Easts and Manly are we.

Well then we may as well be comparing usain bolt to the winner of the 100m para Olympic champion by comparing easts v souths between 1974-2014.

[Ray Stehr]

You sound like a vermin apologist.

[chook 56]

Coggy is positive.
I love it.

All is well with Easts.

[milanja]

You sound like a vermin apologist.

On the contrary, comparing us to them is insignificant, its like beating up on your retarded little cousin, it doesn't count. They have won won title in 40 odd years, but people are going on about them like they are a successful club, and having the need to compare them to us, as if we need to justify how much better we are than them.

[Ray Stehr]

We don't feel the need to compare us to anything, the facts are there for all to see and they are facts. Souffs have been pathetic for the best part of 40 years so 1 premiership means nothing in the greater scheme of things. souffs won't make the top 4 in 2015, the only reason they won this year is because of referee legups.

[Guest]

On the contrary, comparing us to them is insignificant, its like beating up on your retarded little cousin, it doesn't count. They have won won title in 40 odd years, but people are going on about them like they are a successful club, and having the need to compare them to us, as if we need to justify how much better we are than them.

+1. Winners only look back to learn lessons, and only compare for tactical reasons. This is the third time in a bit over decade that we have butchered a premiership opportunity. We can do a lot better than reminisce whilst waving our penises around.


I am personally concerned with the mass exodus of assistant coaches. Playing roster aside, many of you attribute last year's success solely with Robbo. In reality, it was Keegan Smith who got our players into their best physical condition in years, Jason Taylor is more experienced than Robbo, and Paul Green has demonstrated how much he knows about the game. These are massive losses.

[TDK]

We don't feel the need to compare us to anything, the facts are there for all to see and they are facts. Souffs have been pathetic for the best part of 40 years so 1 premiership means nothing in the greater scheme of things. souffs won't make the top 4 in 2015, the only reason they won this year is because of referee legups.

That's what we all said last year lol. I think the teams that will improve greatly will be Parra, Broncos and Tigers. The teams to go backwards will be Manly and Storm while the top four or thereabouts will be a Roosters, Souths, Penrith and Cowboys.

[Ray Stehr]

If an assistant coach gets a chance to coach an NRL side then they are going to take it. The club won't stand in their way. BTW no one is waving anything about just pointing out how much more successful we've been in the last 43 years in comparison to souffs, It's going to take a lot more than 1 gf and 1 premiership for souffs to be regarded higher than a 1 season wonder.

[Ray Stehr]

That's what we all said last year lol. I think the teams that will improve greatly will be Parra, Broncos and Tigers. The teams to go backwards will be Manly and Storm while the top four or thereabouts will be a Roosters, Souths, Penrith and Cowboys.

With the loss of Burgess and Teo I reckon souffs will finish 8-5. also not convinced about Penrith.

[Ray Stehr]

A lot of souffs lovers on here.

[Tommy Smith]

I find it highly unlikely Souffs will repeat next season.

They've lost Sam Burgess and Ben Te'o, and with them they've lost 50% of their power game. On top of that they're still celebrating like they can die happy now.

If we had motivation problems this year (which we did) then I can see Souffs experiencing an even greater motivation drop off.

The Tigers and Eels are still two years away from being a genuine force. The Broncos have a very unbalanced team. And the Storm & Sea Eagles are well and truly o the slide. Manly might not even make the top 8. For the Storm the big 3 are a year older and they've also lost Ryan Hoffman, no way do they get better.

So I see next year as a battle between 3 - Roosters, Cowboys and Panthers. With maybe, as always, the Warriors as the smokey.

It's definitely their for the taking again. Only we should be much more motivated this time around.