McDermott will have learned a huge amount from this season, his first in charge at a top club. Name me a coach - any coach - who's remotely likely to have developed their knowledge and abilities as much as he will have done this year.

I have been one of Mcdermotts biggest critics this year, particularly earlier in the season, bemoaning our lack of structure and insistance to throw the ball around before setting a platform. I still stand by that criticism as it was justified at the time, and even now I would suggest certainly our ball retention and to a degree our respect for field position still needs to improve.
What I will give Mcdermott credit for is the improvements over the past few months, this has coincided with a good few matches against 'poorer' opposition which allowed the team to get a bit of a roll on and build the confidence. However, it's no coincidence that since we started rolling our sleeves up and making the hard yards before throwing the ball around, we've got alot better. Mcdermott also has to take credit for the improved performances of Bailey, Burrow (although he was never terrible), and a number of the youngsters.
He has clearly got the team performing for the games that really count, which is definately a positive, although, a big part of me does begrudge paying to see the regular weekly rounds if the team are going to continue putting in careless displays and doing just enough to get them through to the important games.
The team have certainly got better as the season has gone on - this will be a mixture of players returning from injury, and no doubt McD's tactics/gameplan becoming familiar.
With us reaching both finals, he has to be given next year at the top, and hopefully the improvements will continue. I did post a topic earlier in the year when we got to the semi's of the cup asking what people would think of McD if we won the double (which people laughed at me about) - well regardless of the result on Saturday, we've not been far away from it, and as I thought - there has to be some humble pie eaten.
And to be fair, following on from Sinfields comments, I know from conversations I have had with some of the players that generally the players are very happy with McD's methods on the training paddock, and they have a real loyalty towards him, which I suppose speaks volumes.

I apologise to you Mr McDermott. Thanks for the excitement.

The season has been hellish at times, but we have reached the promised land again. The tactics and strange selections of regular season are still in the memory though. I just hope McD has learnt throughout this year and can continue what he has managed to create at the club. He has the players seeming to want to play for him and Sinfield's comments are duly noted.

I have not gone as far as to boo the coaching staff, but I have remained unconvinced right up to Friday night. I am happy with the current coach taking us forward to next year now and just hope we do have some siginings to come in to strengthen the squad.

I'll add my name to the growing list of apologies... I was never convinced by the appointment, especially after he had taken Quins to successively worse end of season standings, and the baffling tactics adopted at the start of the season did little to endear him to me. There have also been some selections that I found fault with (e.g. the non-selection of McShane), and I was disappointed with what happened with Cross and Burgess leaving (with Cross because I felt he hadn't been given a proper chance, and with Burgess because he was playing well and could have been at least retained to the end of the season). With hindsight, the coach probably knew what he was doing here! The main concern was our complete lack of form against the top teams for most of the season (apart from Wigan, who we got close to on several occasions but couldn't beat). This, combined with some dire perfomances against teams we should have beaten (e.g. Catalans away), convinced me that McDermott was taking the team backwards.

Credit to him, the team has turned around since the first 15 minutes at Wembley. I guess the experiences of the past few weeks should warn any set of fans of writing off a new coach until the end of the season. Having watched McNamara ruin Bradford over several years I suppose some of the similarities with his tenure led me to believe that the same would happen to us. Whilst I may have been over-critical of McDermott, I don't think he's suddenly the next Bennett or Bellamy. If anything our success in recent weeks has been down to the wealth of experience in the team and the team's mental toughness to get through knock-out RL. McDermott has to be given some credit for getting them to peak now, but also making the right decisions on some difficult selections and recruitment issues (e.g. centre, throwing the likes of Hardaker in over Smith, letting Lauitiiti go etc).

Anyway, he's definitely done enough to deserve to be in charge next year, and possibly the year after if we get a result on Saturday.

How fickle...

Regarding performances, I hope everyone accepts that the performances for over half the season were unacceptable. I don't have a season ticket (obviously), but I'd be remarkably annoyed to have paid to watch some of the utter garbage played in far too many games. As well as a sport, RL is supposed to be entertaining, and I doubt that word would have sprung to mind too often for over half the season.

I'd also add that we shouldn't underestimate the role of the players throughout this year - both in underperforming early and improvements later on. The squad certainly is in a lot better shape than a lot thought, which makes some performances even more baffling.

Did the coaching staff get this present squad to where it now is..... Or did this present squad get the coaching staff to where it now is ?

On the contrary Brisbane, it was always entertaining, just more often for the away fans as they watched us gurgle down the metophorical plug hole.

I have said for many weeks now that you need to question how much of us being good at knockout football (CC and Playoffs) is down to Brains coaching and how much is down to the players being able to hit somekind of top form in one of winner takes all games.

Such is the lot of a coach/manager in most sports - the players get all the praise and none of the flak when it goes wrong, coaches cop all of the flak (and are usually first to be shown the door) and get none of the praise for getting things right.

I think you will find there is only Danny Buderus that is exempt from flak on this board. Other players, who have brought this club success are not immune and often receive unfair and unwarranted flak.

In much the same way that others (at least one particular high profile poster anyway) enjoys levelling "unfair and unwarranted" criticism at Buderus?

It might be considered hypocritical of someone who has singled ou the contribution of two players in particular this season for "unfair and unwarranted" criticism to attempt to seize the moral high ground on that front.

I can't think of who you mean.

I'll say that my criticisms of Buderus have been reasoned and balanced.

The only occasion they weren't was via a profanity filled text message I sent Friday night, in the heat of the game, fuelled by several pints of lager when Buderus inability to pick up the ball from dummy half without knocking on looked as though it might cost us the game.

... and I told you that when I received it

Told me what, that he almost cost us the game by not being able to pick up a ball from dummy half?

Should have seen me with haurakis play the ball after the morley hit. Went dulally. At my bloodboiling best.

Amazing what comes over you in the heat of the moment of a big game.

Buderus' effort was poor - all his own work too. At least he more than balanced that with a great overall performance. Can't say I noticed Hauraki much except when he stuffed up.

I would suggest this has been a recurring theme of Hauraki's season.

No, that it was neither reasoned, nor balanced, and was a rant.

This is too true.

I siad earlier in the season that both players and coach needed to share blame, but I felt the coaching was the bigger issue at that time. As results with the same players improve, it is only reasonable that I give both the players and the coaching staff credit, but with the larger share of that credit going to the coach.

G1 - dude, I keep telling you, you have to let go and move on.

I think he was pretty solid, but over the last few months has been one of our most improved players

I dont want to overly bash the players at this point in the season given teh huge effort they have all put in, all be it a little later than most fans would have liked.

In the case of Hauraki, its a lot easier to be the most improved when you were starting off from a position of such poor form in the first place. In this case isn't most improved just a way of saying you were sh*t and not your not as sh*t?

My thoughts exactly, and despite the brilliant and unexpected finish to the season, I hope someone at Headingley comes out in the close season with an explanation of why it was so wrong out there on the pitch.

Haven't you been listening to press releases and interviews in the last few weeks?

Several explanations have already been offered. Brian Mac mentioned the impact of having a third of our salary cap sat on the sidelines at the start of the season in McGuire and Peacock (as well as other injuries). He's also suggested that replacing Senior was a massive difficulty. Sinfield spoke about the players having a better idea of their role in the team in the last few months (perhaps alluding to the halves and hooking combinations of late?).

This might not be enough to satisfy you and it is probably be glossing over the real issues, but if you want a frank, no holds-barred in-depth analysis of where things went wrong I doubt you will ever get one. The club will not want to draw attention to its failings and weaknesses, especially when things are getting better (if only for a brief spell).

Hmmmm. We have a 25 man first team squad, and whilst am happy to acknowledge the influence McGuire and Jamie can have on the field, I don't think their absence was responsible for the crazy start we saw to our season. Similarly, Keefy was hardly setting the heather on fire, and by general consensus was adding nothing to the team this season, so I don't really buy that excuse either. I personally think there was a complete lack of communication between BMD and the players as to the team selections and the tactics on the field, with the consequent headless chicken periods in a lot of the matches.

Sinny's interview was more enlightening, and he spoke highly of BMD, which made me wonder if Hetherington has sat them all down in a room early in the season and knocked some heads together. The last few games have been played at an entirely different level, and Saturday is a brilliant and unexpected bonus.

I suppose we'll have to wait for Sinny's book before we get to the bottom of it!

Some senior players have alluded to a change of culture and some fairly big changes to the way the squad goes about things this season. I'm not saying I know that is the answer, but as explanations go it ticks enough boxes. Big cultural changes take time to bed in.

The fact that it was mentioned before we even reached Wembley does something to fend off accusations of revisionism too.

I was skeptical at the time, and I think the proof of the pudding will really be next year, but the end of the season gives some justification for persevering with whatever is being done.

At which point in the game did this inability show itself?

I fear I may have missed it in the enjoyment of watching an entertaining game.

__________



What did Hauraki do wrong when playing the ball after being tackled?



You are suffering from Ganson-syndrome. Despite the advances in medical science I'm afraid there appears to be no known cure.