Ando on NRL Tactics

Our good friend Mr. Anderson was on NRL Tactics on Fox last night and here are a few things they discussed for those that missed it:

He said that Luke Burt & Jarryd Hayne were the most skillful & talented players at the club.

They discussed the success of Ben Smith to the forward pack and spoke about the possibility of Eric Grothe moving in to the forwards in future. Ando remarked that Grothey was a reluctant forward and even though the idea was thrown about, he is much more comfortable on the wing and would more than likely stay there.

They talked about the halves combination and the fact that Keating and Mortimer play very similar roles, however Mortimer is very much the long term 7. Ando said he's improving every week and has that mongrel in him & will to succeed, and the finesse will come with experience. Ando has no doubt that Mortimer will be something special in the future.

They also spoke about Feliti's position in the side. He mentioned that he sees Hindmarsh as more of a lock with his defensive workload while Feliti is more of a wide-running backrower. When asked what he thought of Mateo in the 6, Ando said that Feliti is still a little way off being a complete 80 minute player. To have him in the halves would mean disrupting the halves combination in the second half when he was replaced, which is something he obviously doesn't want to do. He also said that he serves the team much better from the back row and keeps the team more balanced.

Finally, towards the end of the interview, when asked if this Parramatta side was a Premiership winning team, he replied without hesitation, "Yes, it is." I liked that part :)

That's all I can remember for now, if anyone has anything else to add, feel free.

Enjoy your Friday everyone, looking forward to the game tomorrow.

Dan

It was a very interesting discussion with coach Anderson. He has confidence that we will seriously challenge for the title this year provided we stay injury free. He also noted Justin Poore's continued improvement, and he seems to genuinely enjoy coaching the Eels. He keeps a pretty calm demeanour with the media, but I am sure he is not afraid to tell a player how it is. He consistently mentioned that he likes to 'tinker' with his team (if required), not make drastic changes. He started the year with what he thought was the best 17, and has made minor changes throughout the year. He noted the biggest and most drastic 'tinkering' decision was to move Robson to hooker, and like me, I think he is pretty happy with how this has gone to date. 3 or 4 changes to him is a drastic change, so I'd be surprised if we saw this type of team change without being forced upon him by injury.

"Maybe JDB is too old to work out how to use Docusign and it's still sitting in his inbox waiting for him to print it off , sign and fax it back to MON. "

Replies

playthedoors May 21, 2010 at 10:55am

It was a very interesting discussion with coach Anderson. He has confidence that we will seriously challenge for the title this year provided we stay injury free. He also noted Justin Poore's continued improvement, and he seems to genuinely enjoy coaching the Eels. He keeps a pretty calm demeanour with the media, but I am sure he is not afraid to tell a player how it is. He consistently mentioned that he likes to 'tinker' with his team (if required), not make drastic changes. He started the year with what he thought was the best 17, and has made minor changes throughout the year. He noted the biggest and most drastic 'tinkering' decision was to move Robson to hooker, and like me, I think he is pretty happy with how this has gone to date. 3 or 4 changes to him is a drastic change, so I'd be surprised if we saw this type of team change without being forced upon him by injury.
GOGOGROTHE May 21, 2010 at 11:20am

Brilliant - thanks for the feedback fellas....

Agree about DA telling it howit is playthedoors.... there's an article today talking about how he got up TT earlier in the year, and how T then credits that rocket to getting him into Origin....

Did DA mention anything about that BS floating around last week about Poore being unhappy at the club and wanting to leave?? Was that all just standard Daily Telegraph BS????

Thanks again guys. In Ando we trust....
- Dan > GOGOGROTHE May 21, 2010 at 11:25am
  
  No, mate. Didn't mention that at all and wasn't asked. Typical Tele stuff.
playthedoors May 21, 2010 at 11:27am

Nothing mentioned last night about reports in the media - he wasn't questioned about it either. He did say something about our prop rotations, and I think it was around how happy he was with the way these guys are playing. He said that Tim Mannah was a 'barrell' (I think), and his development has come about a little quicker than anticipated, a hard man to tackle because of his body shape.
Also, his responses to standard NRL tactics questions best back and best forward not at his club - Inglis and Smith, no hesitation, no doubt in his mind.
Bourbon Man May 21, 2010 at 1:20pm

Thanks Dan and playthedoors for posting this info! My best mate follows the Dogs and he rang me today and mentioned DA on NRL Tactics. He reckons that DA is the most professional coach in handling the media and is thoughtful and deliberate in everything he say - with which I couldn't disagree.

He also reckons the Dogs would be unstoppable if DA was coaching them ;-)
- NZ Eel Fan > Bourbon Man May 21, 2010 at 1:34pm
  
  I think he is the best coach with the media also. He actually says stuff, unlike a lot of other coaches who will talk crap all interview and you come out of listening to it al thinking.......what was that all about. He is clean spoken and really articulate and a great 'face' for the club. It was a really good interview.
- GOGOGROTHE > Bourbon Man May 21, 2010 at 2:40pm
  
  Ha!
  
  Actually I work next to a guy who had him as a science teacher back in the Campbelltown days.... said he was a gun, but a bit weird at times....
- Tinkerbell > Bourbon Man May 21, 2010 at 8:56pm
  
  Well of course you would Tricky - he's not Tom Humble!!
Dan May 21, 2010 at 2:44pm

I reckon he's just extremely intelligent. Most geniuses are a little wierd, I know I am :P
big black guy May 21, 2010 at 3:56pm

DA is, IMO the best coach in world rugby league.