Mark Geyer believes the Sharks are a long way from winning the competition with their current roster and feels for coach John Morris for having tough chats with club veterans.
Mark Geyer believes the Sharks are a long way from winning the competition with their current roster and feels for coach John Morris for having tough chats with club veterans.
Morris reportedly told big money star Matt Moylan that he could negotiate with other clubs and Andrew Fifita that he should consider medical retirement in a move that has caused some angst in the squad.
While Geyer can understands the predicament of both the players and the coach he feels they were conversations Morris, who was denied a contract extension beyond 2021, had to have.
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“We keep hearing Shane Flanagan mentioned as someone to take over from John Morris,” Geyer said on Triple M.
“I think it is a bit unfair. He may have been thrust into the job a little bit soon, but he has got them into the finals two years in a row. He has inherited a roster that he didn’t want or it is not his.
“As a coach you want total autonomy because you are either going to live by the sword or die by the sword. I think we saw that with Dean Pay as well.
“It is very hard for a coach who is coaching in first grade and doesn’t have the team he wants.”
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However Geyer understands why the players would be upset about falling out of favour with the club and their future plans, especially with what Fifita has contributed to the Sharks.
“I’ll put my player’s hat on here and say that is a conversation you never want to have,” Geyer said.
“But sometimes the reality is that is a conversation the coach has to have.
“Obviously Andrew Fifita at the peak of his powers is one of the best front-rowers in the competition, but those days are no longer and he is obviously carrying an injury.
“I don’t know whether it is enough to be medically retired and I don’t know he might still love the game a lot, so the players can also dig their heels in and say they are not going anywhere.”
Moylan played just eight games last season and 19 over the last two years, while Fifita could only manage 12 games in 2020.
While Geyer believes the players have every right to be paid their contracts he understands Morris is just doing the right thing by the club and the future of the team to ensure on-field success.
“I know John Morris’ plight and I recognise it,” Geyer said.
“I feel for him because there is nothing more frustrating than having a team list that you basically have no say in.
“But it is not the player’s fault. It is not Fifita’s fault and it is not Moylan’s fault that they have been signed for big money.
“That’s what happens in deals and now that the club doesn’t want them it is hard to hear as a player.
“But going forward they need to clear up some money and find some money for some recruitment.”
The Sharks have scraped into the finals the last two seasons, but Geyer believes they are yet to move on from their maiden 2016 NRL Grand Final and need to regenerate their squad to have a chance of adding a second premiership trophy.
“They are just one of those vanilla teams at the moment,” Geyer said.
“They are a team that I don’t think will ever come last. But they are not a team with this current roster that will ever win the competition either.
“Four years ago they won the competition for the first time ever and that hangover has lasted a good four years.
“Now it is time to shuffle the deck chairs and try and appease the fans somewhat. They are a long way from winning the competition.”
