Chris Sandow will be a very lucky man if he is lining up in first grade next week.
We all had such hopes that Sandow might be the number seven that Parramatta had long hoped for. When he arrived we knew that he lacked something as an organising seven and that he missed a lot of tackles, but we had high hopes that still being relatively young, those parts of his game would get better and he'd grow into a true dominant seven.
On this weekend's game, unless Ricky Stuart is able to hide Chris Sandow, he is simply not capable of defending in the line at NRL level.
Opposition teams know this. The Titans ran most of their attack at him despite Idris being on the other side, and they were consistently rewarded with Sandow culpable on three of the Gold Coast tries.
Let's do a quick de-construction of the Gold Coast tries.
The first try was a result of Ken Sio not committing to either jam in, or stay out on his man. I think our wingers tend to unfairly get the blame for the insider players not numbering up, but this try was just poor defending from Sio. He neither jammed in, to force Idris to pass early or stayed out on his man. Showing too little confidence in Jacob Loko on his inside, he attempted a soft assist that left his oppositions winger unmarked and smart work from Idris converted the opportunity.
The second try showed why teams target Sandow. Parramatta's defensive system is to jam in, however Sandow sits back on his heels as the Titans attempt to use a wrap-around to create an overlap. With Sandow hanging back, they easily achieve this - Toutai is forced to take the insider player and again the winger is left unmarked.
The third try was just lazy. I can't imagine that Ricky Stuart's tip sheet didn't make note that if Jamal Idris goes to dummy half near the line, be on high alert. Luke Kelly at marker doesn't even get a play on Idris and Maitua flatfooted on his line attempts a tackle that had zero chance of stopping Idris. Maitua either had to get hard of his line or once caught there, he had to attempt to stop him by hitting him in he ribs, but instead basically reaches up drags him down to the tryline. This was probably an occasion that Sio could have jammed in, as that would at least have forced Idris to throw a final pass.
Having been at fault for defending on his heels on the second try, on the fourth, Sandow madly rushes in, coming two-players inside to make a tackle he never had a hope of completing. It almost confuses the Titans because they have so many unmarked players they almost don't know who should score.
The next try is Ben Smith's error. With nothing on, Smith chooses to overmark the player his outside man should have covered and leaves a gaping hole on his inside. Kelly has again been slack at marker, and Junior Paulo doesn't have the mobility to close the hole Smith has created.
The next try is Sandow at his absolutely defensive worst. The Titans stack wide with absolutely nothing on. The Eels have numbered up, the pass from dummy half goes behind the first receiver who has to prop and subsequently all of the outside backs are flat footed. However, all the Titans centre does to create the try is accelerate to the outside of Matt Ryan and Sandow leaves his man - Greg Bird - yet doesn't attempt in any way to stop the centre either. Toutai is forced to come in, Bird passes to the unmarked winger and just to put the cherry on top, Sandow makes a weak attempt at covering tackle that Gordon effortlessly slips out of.
I have stated my view on any number of occasions, that Parramatta cannot become competitive, with Sandow defending in the line. I believe Ricky Stuart has two choices - Sandow goes back to fullback in defence, or Sandow is dumped.
It's worth pointing out for all the criticism of Stephen Kearney in 2011, Parramatta's team that year defended pretty well. It couldn't score points but we were competitive in almost all matches. In 2012, the team didn't change that much - but most significantly we replaced Jeff Robson and Kris Keating, who despite being pretty small are both excellent defenders with Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts. Since those changes, Parramatta have been defensively inept. Yes, our attack has at times been more promising but we've seldom been able to keep teams to the two or three tries that the NRL's best teams allow most weeks.
To compete in the NRL you can't cover poor defenders. Whereas in the old days, you'd stick an enforcer next to your small guy, these days every defender needs to be able to be able to hold their own, because every attacker is capable of breaking the line.
Where does that leave Parramatta, who still have a two-year commitment to run on Sandow? I believe next week, in the absence of Hayne, that Sandow should defend at fullback. It's a shame, we don't still have Jason Seage who could have attacked at one, and then moved up to defend in the line. Personally, if it were me, I would do exactly that but with Api Pewhairangi this week. I know fullback is not a position that Pewhairangi has played before, but based on his physical attributes and skills he should be able to adjust to it. He would defend in the halves but attack from fullback.
That's not such a tough decision to make when Hayne is out of the side, but you obviously sacrifice quite a bit if you are to move Hayne into the line. So what about longer-term?
I think Chris Sandow is playing for his NRL career during the representative season. Another defensive performance like he produced against the Titans, and I can't see any NRL team willing to suffer his defensive deficiencies. Sandow can probably be a sensation in the English Super League - he won't be as tested defensively and he'd probably be the best attacking half in that competition. But I just don't think any player can make it in the NRL without being defensively competent. On Sunday, Sandow wasn't - and unfortunately he wasn't on his own either.
Replies
since we have the bye he won't be the only one not lining up for 1st grade.
well said and very well analysed PHIL......... TIME FOR SANDOW to have a much needed rest
It wasn't just Sandow's defence that was poor. He looks like he's playing with either no confidence or no interest. He hardly ran the ball, he knocked on, and bizarrely didn't even try to grab a Hayne kick when it bounced into his chest in the Titans' in goal. Such a far cry from the Sandow that played against the Warriors in Round 1.
It is a massive problem that we have such a highly paid player in such terrible form. He can be dropped for 1 or 2 games to regain confidence but he can't be permanently dropped because he's too highly paid. The only way out for Parra is to negotiate a release to another club or ESL. Which isn't what I want - I want him to start playing like the brilliant player he can be - but no team can carry a $500K 7 who can't tackle, organise or create tries.
To be fair to Sandow he needs at least the forwards to break even and not be dominated on the ground 90% of tackles to create the broken lines that he does excel at getting thru.
Slow play the balls = set defensive lines and not many options for little Chrissy.
Our biggeest issue in attack is the lack of a creative dummy half.
Defence is another story - Sandow is hopeless but we all knew that.
Sandow should pay Sterlo $50K pa to coach him in 'vision' and short kicking game.
I've been saying since Sandow started that we will never win a comp or even make the finals with him in the team.
Look at Souths...best they managed with Sandow was maybe 10th...as soon as he leaves they jump to 3rd...defensive liability...he always has been and he always will be.
Play him 3rd man in from the wing and the backrowers eat him alive, play him 2nd man in and centres destroy him....and he leaves his winger high and dry on the edge.
Play him on the wing? like we did against the roosters and Tupou makes 4 linebreaks and scores the easiest try ever.
Unfortunately we are stuck with him for 2013, because Ben Roberts is marked never to play first grade ever again (and rightly so) and Kelly is hardly a first grade halfback.
Hayne can't switch to the halves because we have no decent fullbacks to replace him...Mullaney is rubbish and can't even stand out for wenty
I've long been a fan of Sandow but its no secret that he gets targetted in defence- and its reaped reward for the opposition. These days its not possible to hide in defence. Teams do so much analysis on weak points and construct plays in such a way as to isolate players. I don't accept that Sandow's size is his problem as evidenced by the defensive efforts of Matt Srama, Nathan Friend and even Kaysa P. I am sure that Sandow's defensive errors are impacting on his confidence in attack.
Its no secret that Loko has problems with his defence as well. I watched some of his one on one tackles on the weekend and its heart in your mouth stuff every time they run at him. There's no doubting his strength but the quicker players are having a field day getting on the outside of him
Sandow's greatest defense attribute was his well known shoulder charges but because this is now banned he has very little to use now in defending which has made it harder fro him but that is still no excuse
As i said at the end of last season sandow will be very lucky to see out this season, he has played all his cards and has nothing.
He tries hard but he lacks all the ingredients most important to a half.
He cant lead or direct a team from number 7
He has no organisational skills
He cant play any sort of structual game
He gets dominated by better halves
He goes missing in the big games
His defence is very poor
His short kicking game is inconsistant
He doesnt have the smarts to play to a game plan
When youve watched enough footy over the years its plain to see he lacks the qualities to make a good number 7 and its not all his fault, he just doesnt have the type of personality or smarts to do it.
Its clear theres no other level to go to, he has shown all his cards.
We are doomed with Chris in the team, he is not a consistant or big game player and he will never be able to direct a team or give anything more than off the cuff style.
He tries hard and i like the guy but he has no future for us, i believe he should be on the bench as a strike weapon, he cant be FB he doesnt have the last line defence, im not even sure where he could be played off the bench.
Sandow was signed by SK, i wonder would Sticky have signed him if he was coach at the time?
I think it was a mistake to let robson go, i would have liked to see robson stay on for another year at least and play him at 5/8 and sandow has a shocker then hook him.
But yeah he was a risk sandow on the money he was on, we paid overs as well. souths knew reynolds was coming along and weren't as upset as they made out in public that he left.
Ricky was everything Chris wasnt on the park, they are just about as opposite as you can get with halfbacks, this will be eating away at ricky already, no pm i dont think Ricky would have signed a player like sandow.
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