Following the Sharks’ shambolic 10-2 loss to the Broncos on Friday night, Shane Flanagan took to the press conference to proclaim that superstar signing Ben Barba simply didn’t touch the ball enough.
Although Barba was far from his brilliant best, to single out a player who did not have an overly horrible game shows that ‘Flanno’ may already be feeling the pressure.
The Sharks came into the season with a new belief after their coach returned from his suspension, as did the players wrapped up in the ASADA investigation.
Without that stigma hanging over their head, players and officials should be free to focus purely on their football.
Unfortunately for long suffering fans in the Shire, the club has dished up two well below par performances in 2015, frustrating fans, and obviously their coach.
Many fans took to social media to blast their coach’s comments, rightfully pointing out that other players were far more at fault for the Sharks’ woes than they’re struggling five-eighth.
Former Kangaroo and Blue Andrew Fifita committed a series of errors that took the sting out of the Sharks attack on Friday night. He was far from the only one to do so.
To make Barba the scapegoat is perhaps a little unfair, especially so early in Barba’s reign in the halves.
Darren Lockyer struggled at first after moving into the halves from the fullback position, and everything worked out pretty well there.
Not to mention the obvious point that it’s hard for a five-eighth to touch the ball when his forwards keep dropping it.
Fans are calling for the usually ‘play it safe’ Flanagan to take a risk with his selection decisions this Tuesday. Calls for young star Valentine Holmes to move to fullback have intensified after the Sharks’ stuttering start to the season in attack.
Jacob Gagan, who is famous for ending the Sharks’ multi-week scoreless run last season, is expected to come into calculation, while youngster Jack Bird must surely be in the frame.
The Sharks, and especially Flanagan, were always going to be under intense scrutiny this season following the goings on of the past two years and we can expect said scrutiny to grow following two straight losses.
I doubt many fans of the black, white and blue would be happy having dropped two home games to sides they’ll need to beat to play finals.
Things certainly aren’t going to get any easier as the Sharks travel to Melbourne next week to play the Storm.
Although Flanagan obviously has strong support from the Sharks board, a third straight loss, especially should he name an unchanged line-up, will certainly see the fan-based pressure grow on both club and coach.
Wildman From Borneo
Guest
Cronulla have not played a style of Rugby League that has had one iota of 'sizzle' since Ettinghausen and Mark McGaw were their centre pairings. They play the most boring forward dominated style of game that has the imagination factor emanating from the playbook of a French Convents' Under 8 team coached by the Sisters of Mercy! And, they've played that way for a very very long time. Carney did offer them some hope during his tenure but his thirst for uniquely flavoured recycled spritzers destroyed any chance of him having an enduring career in the NRL. Barba has proven at the Bronco's that he is not a 5/8th and, he will prove that fact again at the Sharks. Possibly by next week. By the end of the year Barba will have the imagination in attack of Jeff Robson and he will have only the faintest of memories of his achievements which earned him his Dally M medal at Canterbury. By the end of the year Barba will be so beaten down by Cronulla's playing style that he'll be caught asking the guy who marks the field, "What is the purpose of that extra line just before the dead ball line and why do you stick those posts in it?" Cronulla are great at making yardage which, may give them great careers after football in earth moving or landscaping but, on the football field, they are bereft for knowledge of what to do with it once they have attained it.
fishes
Guest
He has done more damage to the club than the positives of making the finals, once. And he is worse at picking a team than the english cricket board
Greg
Guest
"What good has Shane Flanagan ever done for the club?" How about improving the teams position on the ladder every year he has been coach.........Sharks + Flanno = Finals, Sharks - Flanno = wooden spoon. Agree about Barba though, I'd blame that loss on Jeff Robson and his predictable 5th tackle in goal grubber attempts, not once did he put a decent bomb up for Holmes or Feki.
fishes
Guest
Pathetic. But not Barba's fault. It was a stupid move to get rid of carney, for the sake of a 'major sponsor' which wasn't even major sponsor for a whole season. And Holmes, gagan and bird should be playing every match, or they will leave like Tyrone Peachey and Lichaa. They should have been playing first grade for a year longer than they have and they might have stayed. What good has Shane Flanagan ever done for the club?
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Friday night Football at Remondis is seriously awful viewing, there is little atmosphere at the ground and the team play rubbish football. At 2-0 at halftime I had to turn it off. Bolts Hadley with his standard " base over apex " and " Wing three quarter " commentary makes for an ordinary spectacle.
Sunshine
Guest
Awesome
Realist 1975
Guest
Where to start with Cronulla. After last years debacle I was optimistic this year. Silly me. Recruiting for this season has been absolutely awful. Friday nights game was so boring compounded by boring commentator Hadley, that I was more awake watching the 2nd game - as I am based in brissy - between the dogs and eels. Love Gallens commitment but feel he takes it up too much. Barba is not a 5/8 just like Milford. If Barba is not at fullback then I wouldn't select him. I blame recruitment as opposed to Barba. I recall Barba having a go at Tupou for throwing a wayward pass but given the timing I had more issue with the former. Tupou has a good offload and always likes to offload. My team would be: Barba, Feki, Gagan, Holmes, Gordon, Graham, Robson, Tupou, Heighington, Leutele, Gallen, Ennis, A Fafita. Res: Bukuya, tagataese, politoni, bird. Also I would not have had Flanagan back. They should have started with a fresh coach inho.
Dav
Guest
Squid, what the sharks do in the dressing rooms after the game is of no concern to the good people on the roar forum.
Ronald M
Guest
The sharks did make the right call on Carney, they just went about it the wrong way.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Why would you get rid of one of the greatest sharks players of all time?
Birdy
Guest
Maybe Flanno thinks Barba needs a bit of a jab to get him moving. Haha
Don
Roar Rookie
Renegade, bring Luke Lewis back into the side and things should change in attack pretty significantly. He is the kind of guy who can find a gap wider than the ruck area and certainly someone for Barba to follow. The other thing with him is that even under the old rules he had a very quick play the ball. He should get up even faster now and that will see defences on the back foot. Hate him when he plays for NSW but rate him hugely as a player. You may even see him or Wade Graham do some time at 5/8.
Red Rooster
Guest
Shameful effort from both teams. Sharks are a rabble and need a big "penrith style" clean out! Coach and captain first! What odds Carney back this year???
Craig H
Guest
Mistakes and ill-discipline are killing the Sharks. For a team to run 550m more than their opposition and lose tells the tale. Flanno seems to be taking a play it safe type strategy whilst his new combinations click, but this, I think is leading to some frustration, hence the mistakes. Bird to R centre and Gagan (sadly) for Feki will add some punch, whilst A Fifita needs a a quite chat in a small room: Subject- "Hold the pill and stop being a d**k" Also not enough players supporting the ball carrier. Barba will kill it once he gets his groove on. Watch out for the underdone Sharks. I pity the team that faces them when the sizzle comes.
ferret
Guest
I think Carney would have carved the Broncos up on Jack Reed's side. In the first two weeks it's obvious that Reed has difficulty defending anyone with a bit of speed and a bit of a step (a continuation from the last two years). The Sharks' young centre got past him a few times on Friday. Don't know why the Sharks didn't keep going back at him giving the centre time and space. I also don't know why Bennett persists with Reed. Must be he wants some experience to help out the youngsters. But Reed is the greater liability.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Fair point James and you could very well be right. I noticed that Todd Carney has been successful in his unfair dismissal case.... I wrote an article on here at the time questioning whether the Sharks made the right call in getting rid of him. It's highly unlikely but Flanagan could do a lot worse than ask the Sharks to re-instate him - as it seems, he could very well be at another NRL club in the future.
jamesb
Guest
Renegade Towards the end of last season, when interim coach James Shepherd took over, I thought the Sharks played some good football and were good to watch. With a host of players out due to ASADA and injuries, the Sharks nearly defeated the Cowboys in golden point. Under Flanagan, it is back to grinding football. I don't think Flanagan is the answer. If anything, Flanagan, along with other conservative 'boring' coaches, are the epitomy of not bringing out the best in their players, and are too busy worrying about their own coaching careers.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Haha yeah gotta be optimistic ferret, although I did say something similar to your last sentence about both sides at fulltime on Friday night. I actually do think they could match up against any other forward pack.... even in the first round where the side performed pretty poorly as a unit - the pack made plenty of metres and defended well - silly mistakes led to tries similar to what happened in the Broncos game. Gallen made 250 metres on Friday night, 30 tackles, couple offloads and no miss tackles and the rest of the forwards were pretty similar apart from Fifita who made a few errors. Still have Luke Lewis and Sam Tagatese to come into the side... I certainly think the pack is good enough to carry the side to a top 8 spot if the backline could do its job. The backline has potential but they just aren't clicking... there will be enormous pressure on the halves if the sharks don't find form soon because as you say, they are lacking the finish required - and that responsibility sits with the halves. To think that guys like Valentine Holmes (in the first round), Jack Bird and Jacob Gagan can't make the team suggests the outside backs aren't the problem which puts the halves under the microscope even more.
ferret
Guest
Hey Renegade, nice to see you're a "glass-half-full" person. I wouldn't say the Sharks have the best forward pack in the comp, but they were better than the Broncos in making metres up the middle. The Sharks lack someone to finish the attack off once the forwards get them down-field. Their halves at the moment aren't doing it and as Squid points out maybe not getting the best out of Graham's ball skills. Anyway I saw two very ordinary teams at Remondis on Friday night. Watched the Eels v Dogs afterwards and the step up in intensity in that game was very, very clear. Both Sharks and Broncos to miss the 8 if they don't lift significantly.
Renegade
Roar Guru
It's been disappointing but I don't think it's all doom and gloom.... the forward pack is the best in the comp they will get on top of any side, without doubt. The backline definitely isn't clicking, there's certainly one at most two changes required.... but it is round 2. It could be worse, look at the cowboys.