“Most Embarrassed I’ve Ever Been!” 🗣️ Craig rages after 6th-straight loss — Storm Press Conference

[0:00] Craig, there are losses, but then there's a 48-6 loss on Anzac Day at home. I imagine this one [0:06] really hurts. Yeah, it does. Probably most embarrassed I've ever been in my footy life, [0:13] to be quite honest. To play like that tonight, you know, and again, there's obviously a few things [0:20] the off-field staff doing wrong and I'm included in that. So obviously it ain't doing my job as [0:26] well as I should be. And I'd say to come up with a performance like that, the opposition [0:32] played really well, but to come up with a performance like that and a lack of effort [0:36] like that on Anzac Day is embarrassing. It's embarrassing. And I can't really say too much [0:47] more than that. How much is this testing you in your coaching career, Craig? How much is this testing [0:53] you as a coach? Like in all of your career, this has never happened. The six losses in a row. I think [1:00] we've lost six and 12 or something like that. But at the end of the day, it's, you know, again, [1:05] you know, there's like some of those losses, you know, probably, you know, four points or whatever. [1:11] Sometimes that's a bit unlucky. But as I say, it was down, downright embarrassing tonight. [1:17] Is this a team that's lacking confidence? You say that the preparation has been spot on though? So is [1:23] it just... I wouldn't say spot on. I don't think you ever get a preparation that's spot on and [1:26] everything, yeah, goes well. But it's, our preparations have been good. The boys have been [1:32] enthusiastic and, you know, sort of stuck to the plan that we've had. But as I said, [1:42] you know, like tonight was just a stand out from our other losses, to be quite honest. [1:50] Where do you think you go from here? Do you think that there will have to be some changes? Or is [1:56] there any, like, where else, where can you see the improvement coming from? [2:00] Yeah, we might have to go downhill a little bit further, to be quite honest. At the end of the day, [2:08] I've stuck with basically the same side the last six weeks. I think it's time to, yeah, [2:15] some changes, yeah. Do you have a lot of depth there that you can call on? Obviously, [2:20] you know, you lost a few players and then, you know, the injury and... No, we haven't really, [2:27] to be quite honest. We haven't got a whole lot of depth there. You know, a first grade experience, [2:32] but we'll find a couple of guys that want to get out there and have a go. So that's what we'll do. [2:37] Harry, how was the playing group? Yeah, well, disappointed, obviously. [2:43] Come here to play footy, compete, win. You know, that's what we strive to do every week. And [2:51] yeah, like Craig said, look, over the last little period, there's been games where we've been right [2:55] in it. Sort of four points, that four points, six points that we've lost by. And in previous years, [3:04] we've probably won those games. And yeah, tonight was just really disappointing. We give them the [3:10] game that they wanted. South Sydney were just up for the contest, but we made it really easy for them. [3:19] Turned over a lot of ball, cheap possession, and just, yeah, didn't fight enough. And that's [3:26] something that we needed. Those players just look into ourselves and keep working hard. [3:32] What's the latest with Jerome here? You look like quite a bit of pain out there. [3:37] Yeah, I think he's done something. I don't know if it was his wrist or his shoulder. [3:41] He's done something too. I haven't heard anything since the end of the game, so we've checked that out. [3:49] Harry, from the playing perspective, as a leader, you have other players within the group [3:55] as leaders as well. What are some of the conversations you'll need to have as a group [4:00] to get things moving back in a positive direction and moving forward to address the [4:05] things that are going wrong at the moment? [4:07] Yeah, well, yeah, rugby league's not an easy game, so we just need to do the hard parts of the game well. [4:13] We really need to attack those and, you know, be committed to those contests, be committed to the [4:21] physicality of the game. But like I said, ultimately, like, hard work digs you out of these positions. [4:27] And, you know, it's unfamiliar. It's unfamiliar to the club, that's for sure. But like I said, [4:34] we know how to work hard, so we've just got to work hard and get ourselves out of that. And I guess [4:42] you can't change what's been, but you can control what's next. And that's the opportunity we have. [4:46] Do you think you've got complete bullying from everyone at the moment? [4:50] Yeah, I think so. I think it's just combination-wise, we probably a little bit of teething sort of early [4:57] in the year and, you know, some bit of player movement in that sense and some injuries. And [5:04] yeah, we just sort of, that's not an excuse. It's just, you know, in moments in games, we've just [5:10] been a little bit off, just a tiny bit off. And, you know, that's all it has to be at this level. And [5:18] the level of consistency across the, you know, teams, everyone can sort of turn up and play a good [5:25] game of footy if, you know, if they've got their mind right. And at the moment, that's what we're [5:31] coming up against every week. And, you know, we just need to find that next gear and, you know, [5:35] really create our own luck and find those moments to, or, you know, compete for those moments to go [5:42] our way. Do you have a sense of people are talking about the way the game's changed a bit this year? [5:53] Do you think your team struggled to adapt to that? Game hasn't changed that much. We've got a problem [6:00] whether it was the same rules last year or whatever. So yeah, no, it's, it's, it's not the rules. [6:06] Further to that, what Harry said, do you think you've got the buy-in from the 17 that were out there? [6:12] That's a good point. I might know that. Yeah, he does. That's a silly question. Like, [6:15] you don't need to ask him that. Like, he's a modest guy and he's probably going to look to himself [6:20] for these results. But at the end of the day, no one works harder than Craig. No one works harder than [6:25] Craig. You come into the club every morning and he's, he's in here working. [6:28] Well, I'd say, I think everyone needs to have a look at what we're doing. Players, [6:34] coaches, you know, everyone. And, and then, you know, I don't know where to start, [6:41] starting again is the right, is the right term. But that's, that's what it feels like at the moment. [6:47] Just cut it back to its bare bones and let's build again. Can you mount a case [6:53] crate for this club being able to dig their way out of this? Can you find that within yourself [6:58] that you could dig them out of this? That's what we're planning to do, go back to the start. [7:04] So whether we might last me that in a month's time, I might be able to answer it. But at the moment, [7:10] probably not. Thanks, guys.