I find it bizarre that Paul Green’s name isn’t mentioned when the discussion turns to NRL coaches most under pressure.
It’s been almost 600 days since the Cowboys’ 2017 grand final appearance and since then, I’m witnessing a great club and great players in free fall.
North Queensland went into the 2018 season as premiership favourites in the eyes of many, but after a lacklustre start, the hidden cracks were exposed and 12 months on, it appears Green forgot to stop by Bunnings during the off-season to pick up a tube of sealant.
In the sixth year of his tenure, several premiership players have retired or been moved on, with Green’s inability to effectively evolve the side evident.
Some have suggested this is a rebuilding year after the retirement of Johnathan Thurston but the club has been planning for life after JT for a couple of years now and the squad is stacked with representative and premiership players.
Every man, woman and goldfish have had their say on what’s gone wrong with Green’s men and the criticisms have a common theme – poor roster management and his once successful structures have become stale and predictable.
I have serious questions as to whether the young players coming through are being developed properly.
The decision not to include two of the NRL’s most talented young prospects in Jake Clifford and Gideon Gela-Mosby for Round 1 was perplexing. Both were impressive when they were finally given a chance at play NRL at the backend of last season and both impressed during trials.
Clifford is a future representative half and Gela-Mosby should be the Cowboys’ version of Josh Addo-Carr. The likes Mitch Dunn, Corey Jensen, Francis Molo, Shane Wright and Enari Tuala should all be destined for successful careers.
My next question is why certain players’ careers have gone backwards.
Coen Hess burst onto the scene in 2017 with his raw strength, aggression and skill, which earned him an Origin berth.
Since then, he’s been lacklustre.
Coen Hess (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Ben Hampton was recruited from the Melbourne Storm in 2017, has the speed and the skillset to play anywhere in the backline but has seemingly been misused, mismanaged and hasn’t reached his potential.
Hooker Jake Granville and centre Justin O’Neill are still only 30 and 28 respectively, and they are a shadow of the players they were in 2015.
Some older players can age like a fine wine, but for Matt Scott and Gavin Cooper, both 33, perhaps their best days are behind them.
To make a comparison for argument’s sake, Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy has not only developed many young players into superstars of the game, but has the ability to recruit average players and have them consistently perform above their potential.
The Storm boss has managed a high turnover of players to ensure his team are a premiership force year after year. Their system is the envy of not only the rest of the NRL, but other sporting codes as well.
Green should be striving to replicate what Bellamy is able to achieve.
In fairness to the Cowboys, on the eve of Round 1, they were forced to release star recruit Ben Barba and suffered injury setbacks to key players.
Injuries will always cause a reshuffle, but the way Green has reshuffled his backline has raised eyebrows as well.
He’s currently using five-eighth Te Maire Martin as a makeshift fullback, which hasn’t worked. Meanwhile, Hampton and Jordan Kahu – who have fullback experience and have performed well in the position before – are being used in the outside backs.
Persisting with out-of-form players was a costly error of judgement in 2018 and although Green has been willing to drop the fringe players who haven’t performed this season, a few of the mainstays including Hess, Granville and Martin can consider themselves fortunate to continue holding on to their positions.
What I’ve observed in the opening seven rounds is a team struggling with the fundamentals and playing too conservatively.
They’re too structured, too slow, too flat, not enough second-phase play, not enough eyes-up ad-lib footy, and lacking creativity which has resulted in posting 20 points or more only once.
Maybe Green should watch a few old videos of ex-Cowboys trio Johnathan Thurston, Aaron Payne and Matt Bowen carving up opposition defences in 2005 with pure skill, speed and freedom to play what they see.
He has the players capable but they’re a team lacking energy, enthusiasm and confidence to back themselves and take some risks in attack.
Green needs to take the shackles off his players and allow them to play with a little more freedom. Allow Michael Morgan to play both sides of the ruck in the way Thurston played and combine with his five-eighth and fullback.
Whatever the solutions may be, Green needs to figure it out pretty quickly as the finals are still within reach, but they’d need to win 12 from their remaining 17 games to give themselves a chance.
Green is contracted until the end of 2021, but if he fails to make the finals for a second straight season with the quality roster he has, surely he’s under pressure to keep his job.
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
Rob, I couldn't agree more with your assessment. There's just no sugarcoating whats happened and whats going on.
Rob
Guest
Last year many were tipping they would be top 4 because they had 2 million dollars and both Captains returning after making the 2017 GF. That’s not over rating there chances. Green has lost Ponga, Kikau, Brandon Smith, Jahrome Hughes and Reyce Martin and now Lowe is going better at Souths and Tariq Sims is going well for StGeorge. Hess, GGM, have gone nowhere in the last 2 years. Green had no time for Feldt to be honest because he dropped him after 2 games in 2015. Kyle only got a go because Mathew Wright was injured and then suspended before the 2015 finals series? I know who the better winger was but apparently Green didn’t realise until Feldt won the GF. GGM played 4 games in 2018 scoring 6 tries and winning 3 games. He is kicked to Qcup for Bowen and Opacic? Hampton was consistently playing well but every time they lost he was dropped. Scott, Granville and now Cooper can’t get dropped but they are ageing and doing less every game. They convincingly beat StGeorge in round 1. They convincingly beat the Sharks in round 1 last year and then the season was over by round 12 finishing 13th and narrowly missing the spoon. If they don’t improve quickly they will be at the bottom trying to avoid the spoon again. Mushi, i’m not angry at you but I’m pretty annoyed at Green for where my team is now and how we got there after he inherited a team that had played 3 years of finals football before he took over.
mushi
Roar Guru
Also have said he should go if he's no longer meshing with the team as that's likely to happen more often than not.
mushi
Roar Guru
I agree its relative but we seem to swing into binary mode. Going into last year the 'boys were grossly overrated. I do wonder if they will be materially better with a new coach (as most articles only have 4-8 guys "capable " who all have jobs)
Rob
Guest
Mushi, it’s all relative. Players and coach combined make a team successful. The Cowboys played in 2005 GF and the next time was 2015, all 10 years JT was playing? 2017 JT wasn’t playing and they were in the GF. Green brought in some fresh faces and a few ideas that helped them secure the success that had eluded them in previous years. The current team is all Green and the 2 things he is responsible for is developing and selecting players. At present he has preformed badly in those areas over the last 18 months.
mushi
Roar Guru
Apparently Socrates had no clue according to old bottom decile of the special ed class
mushi
Roar Guru
I’m probably approaching it from the other way, I think a lot of those players got rep honours because they played in good teams. I didn’t think Green was a super coach when they won but likewise think we’re harsh now. They’ve clearly phased green out and in reality that’s reason enough to let him go but we’ve basically given the players a free pass. It goes to my EZ logic below . Think about it this way if these players are really all “premiership players” (an odd moniker) how are they so bad now? Are we really saying that the influence of each coach is multiples more than the players? If so why pay the players much at all? The coaches should be get 5-10m a year and the players about 50k if in reality their abilities are completely at the whim of the coaches I wrote last year that the NQ euphoria was exaggerated (though I didn’t predict how far JT had fallen – but anyone that had watched him for the prior season had to have seen a different player) and many of their “guns” were either fading through age and injury or decent players that benefited from playing in a good team.
Insider
Roar Rookie
you Have no cojones so you need not worry
mushi
Roar Guru
The consistency of the log out comment is odd, it was more than 20 hours after the post. If your going to be nonsensical then at least mix it up. Or are you like Kit Harington's character in 7 days of hell and it's all you've got.
mushi
Roar Guru
Is this one I'm supposed to take seriously or not? Glad to see you rolled out of bed though after logging off.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
"Banter is essential". Really? Seems you can't handle a bit of banter as a response to your illogical arguments.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
"So enlighten us"... thats what all people who have no clue want from their discussion opponents. Log out.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Rubbish comments deserve my line of replies. Log out.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Mushi... You have no clue. They were rep players before Green cam along except Morgan and Coops who were always going to be rep players with Green or Blue. Hess he might... might take credit for, but hows he going at the moment under Green? Exactly. Log out.
thomas c
Guest
There are possible complications in recruitment (glamour, lifestyle) but it's a team with potential more than established quality. The forwards are decent as long as JT is present, but a couple are winding down. Te Maire Martin is ok, but the halves are more likely to be defined by clifford (emerging) and Morgan. It's a gamble. And the backs are either injured or can't be relied to be present the following week. It's a mess and I don't see it getting better. I'm assuming next year, they'll probably poach more fringe first graders and see them regress. Relying on the new batch or next year's hires to fix things seems has the danger of treading water. But a new coach is not a dissimilar proposition. You either get top tier (Bennett, Bellamy, Robinson etc), a midlevel guy, a beginner (who has no guarantee of being around in 2 years) or maybe roll the dice with someone from the super league. there's no magical fix.
R N
Roar Rookie
Not sure Kahu and Opacic's recall are proof of an overhaul... I actually think its a backward step. Opacic probably picked to do a defensive job on Peachey and Kahu, as steady and reliable as he is, isn't going to set the world on fire from the back! (hope I am wrong!) Are either going to be an attacking threat? I was really hoping GGM was going to get a start! Agree totally re Baptiste... needs to start. Granville's service from dummy half recently (and historically) has been really poor.... he also needs a haircut IMO!
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
Assuming the reports of him having lost the locker room are false, since they normally are, I think Green has earned time to rebuild. He really has to do something about their attack though and quickly. It’s cringeworthy watching some of those plays.
Insider
Roar Rookie
Griffo had to google that, pure gold ole mate pure gold
Griffo
Guest
He played 5 minutes at full back in a game last year. It was the best 5 minutes of football they played all year.
Griffo
Guest
*Cojones