Link to the article:

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/31037249/cats-focus-turns-to-gleeson-deal/

To their credit the Wildcats didn't really make any recruiting mistakes this year.

Greenwood's judas move was blessing in disguise too.

Kenny - solid pick up and we really lucked out with him

Prather - the anti-Daniels and the "Ennis-type" we needed last season.

Jawai - X-factor.

The team ended up being balanced quite well, so you can argue that the exact same team next year should be able to get the job done.

Can't see us keeping Jawai though.

"but would caution that other teams will be looking to improve."

Same thing was said last year, and the year before that...and the year before that...

I'm not saying Perth can't ever be beaten. I'm just saying that the same comment gets trotted out every off season. Have a look at the teams with the most titles in the past 7 years, then look at the teams with the most stability. I am putting more value in keeping a strong roster together than teams chopping and changing to try and "improve".

"He doesn't seem the type to be able to work well with a lesser roster though. In fact he would struggle big time and whinge more than humanly possible."

So you're not familiar with his years in Townsville?

"He doesn't seem the type to be able to work well with a lesser roster though. In fact he would struggle big time and whinge more than humanly possible."

Clearly a very uneducated comment. Gleeson won COTY in Townsville and made the playoffs 5 years in a row with a similar budget to what Dennis has. Another thing that often goes unsaid is that Gleeson also managed to better the previous year when he was in Melbourne and that was with very trying circumstances.
He's the best coach in the NBL and clearly Marvin can see that and doesn't want to lose it.

I am a self confessed Gleeson critic. I just don't think he is a great "in game" coach. When things arent working to the game plan or for some reason things aren't going our way he always seems to be a play or 4 too late to call a time out or make a change. I guess though with the talent in the roster multiplied by the large coaching staff behind him scouting etc the game plan is usually on point anyway. Just sometime I feel like he waits to long to make a change or his out of time out plays seem to not hit as often as they miss.

But you can't argue with winning so I guess I will be ok with it and just keep quiet when we get a turnover out of a timeout or are down 10 before making a move.

I don't think you'll find too many Cats fans happy to see him stick around.

@582355 well good on Gleeson for putting a talented team together on a limited budget then. Are you the same poster that continues to compare Bevo to Gleeson? If so, move on.
This isn't a story about Bevo. If he hadn't been so greedy, he could still be here.

The only positive thing I can say is that I thought he coached well in the final few games of the season, then for most of the finals. He was a complete tool in game 2 of the GF - even more than normal.

I would prefer another coach.

I was referring to his time in Townsville, noone can argue that he had much money up there. Cmon. Do your homework.

Bring on matt neilson

Matt and Gleeson have a great working relationship and Matt has himself admitted that he's not ready for a head coaching gig. There's a hell of lot more that goes into coaching a team that what you see on game night and clearly he's very good at his job from what Marvin says. Good luck to him and I think it's great to see him being rewarded for a job well done.

Marvin is a canny operator. Don't mistake euphoric gushes made post championship for him losing his marbles.
But yes, I think its clear it was always Perth's intention to retain Gleeson, and winning cemented that.

Gleeson is a flog.

Annoynomous. That was a decent post. You should get a username to not be confused with other Annoyns.

"Gleeson is a dual championship winning flog"

There, I fixed it for you.

Lol.

No point arguing with tossers.

Everyone knows Gleeson sucks.

#398 where did I say anything remotely close to that?

Nobody is pretending that Gleeson would have won with say Sydney's injuries, or without the squad he has.
But how much more can you ask of your coach than to win the championship?
He's done what no other Cats coach has ever achieved and won two rings in 3 years.
Why on earth would the Cats want to replace him?

The posts by all the Perth Haters above are the definition of pointless.
So Gleeson's a flog, Jawai eats too many cheeseburgers, Wagstaff is dirty, Redhage flops, Dolla aint worth a dime, blah blah blah.
Just so funny how such a shit team, with such a shit coach just won another championship.

Fuck up Dazz. Lol

Every one blames the coach when things are not going the way we want, end of the day he is the the man in charge.

Unless you guys have been pro coaches and I don't mean at your local rec center you have no f##kn idea what you a dribbling.

Call him what you want, he just got another championship ring, so as long as he gets the results, he can stay.

Copter you ban yourself off here

He's still a flog.

I'm not a huge fan of Gleeson I don't like the way he goes about it always whinging (even more so than our Joey) but the guy has won 2 titles in his 3 years with the team.

People used to go on like Bevo was some messiah yet he only won 1 title in his 4 years as coach of the team.

So much butt hurt on this thread.

Dazz - resident Hoops troll feeder haha

Dazz,

Wagstaff is dirty, Redhage flops

The Cats have been a good team for a long time and the key has been stability.

They've become a championship team when they’ve added the right pieces alongside the longstanding core. Knight, Redhage, Wagstaff, Lisch/Beal, Martin. They’ve had that group forever, and became dominant when they added the right pieces alongside them (Ennis in 2014, Prather and Jawai in 2016). They fell short when the pieces didn’t quite fit as well, or weren’t quite good enough (Daniels, 2015) or when they had injuries to core players (Redhage, 2011, Martin 2013. Redhage missed the 2015 playoffs too but it wouldn’t have mattered).

They’ve also had stability in the coaching ranks. They had a brilliant coach for four years. He left and they replaced him with someone who is right for their situation: Gleeson is a good coach under the right circumstances: when he has a mature, professional team who can withstand his hard attitude. Perth is that kind of team.

There’s more to it- eg: I haven’t even mentioned their depth. Depth has been a key to their success to. It helps them sustained pressure across 40 minutes of basketball which fits with their game style. How many NBL teams had had the luxury of having Tom Jervis as the 3rd best Centre on their roster?

But stability has been a major key. So yes, keep Gleeson. The interesting decision will be on Redhage. Knight and Martin are no brainers- both still at their peaks. Both continually a major part of the Cats success.

Redhage might have played there long enough and with success to make the decision with them. Gleeson might say "You're old and won't get much time at all" (or whatever his view might be) and Redhage can decide if that sounds of interest or like a waste of time. They have enough depth at his position to cover any issues.

They'd be silly to change the rest, bar Jawai. For what they're spending, they could probably find someone to play more minutes. Maybe that's where an import comes in - a replacement centre to help them get it

done again.

I don't want to have the same team back next season, I want us to improve and mind you Cairbs 'improved' their roster last season and went backwards.

I don't want to see Redhage return and I want us to chase Ennis hard (I think Dolla with a chip on his shoulder because he is 6th man is what will bring out the best in him). I also think that Perth have a great culture and if that means that other players want to come here, then we'd be silly to not look at them.

Would be fun to have another rookie of the year contender in the squad.

Rhys Vague is a DP and 19, is he going to be a decent player ?

I don't mind Trev but I think he makes a brilliant assistant coach, so if Forde, Nielsen and the other dude give him great insight before he addresses his team during time outs then Trev fits the criteria we need as I think he recruits well and scouts well and seems to encourage a good culture

Every Fan wants to see improvement, I'd just prefer it to be gradual.

If the PPR system is scrapped, then Redhage retires, period. Hopefully he stays fit, so he could come back as injury replacement if needed...

Vague looks promising, but would need to see a lot more of him to really judge.

http://www.hoops.com.au/forum/38616-how-much-longer-can-redhage-play-on/

"a replacement centre to help them get it"

Ekene Ibweke would be nice.

Martin/Kenny
Lisch/Hire
Ennis/Coenraad
Knight/Wagstaff
Ebekwe/Jervis

Dazz is actually spot on!
Redhage should sign a 2 year off the bench contract.
Proud - Cairns improved with Wortho but losing Wilbekin made that move less effective. He made us last season!

Redhage should stay. Every championship team needs that savy bench veteran.

MACDUB, maybe my "done again" replacement-centre joke was too subtle? ;)

Gleeson is still a flog.

ROFLOGcopter

"Have a look at the teams with the most titles in the past 7 years, then look at the teams with the most stability."

This. Perth and NZ are the obvious ones, but the Hawks under McLeod overachieved by keeping a core together. There will always be changes, but if you're onto a good thing stick with it as much as possible.

@ROFL: have you ever met him?

I have met Gleeson. At a Members function after the game, he had a talk to a lot of people (Ive only ever attended 2 because like most people I head into town after the game to get home).

He spoke pretty honestly (it was mid Jan and the game was vs Sydney when Prather scored 27). I saw him in there for about an hour talking to people and the players mixed around with the members. I didnt get to ask him anything, but was certainly listening in on conversations he was having with people. Hes the kinda person who speaks from the heart and probably more often than not lets his passion control him.. I dont mind that. Not every Coach can be cold and calm.

Spot on Matthew.

I know him really well in fact he's on my good mates list & he is an absolute cracker of a bloke!

Whilst working he certainly gets on the refs a bit & his players but he says he has too.

Off the hardwood i love the bloke & look fwd to our next beer.

Oh a haters 2 flags mean he can also coach! Period!!

The fact that Marvin is keen to have Gleeson back for as long as he wants speaks volumes. He obviously sees a lot in him. Haters gonna hate but he's obviously a decent coach.

Any sports administrator with half a brain doesn't say a coach can stay as long as he likes.

No, you don't.

Gleeson is not the single greatest coach to have ever existed. He can be replaced if he leaves. On the other hand, being stuck with him thirty years from now is a potential problem.