Eels Blogs

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  Poupou Escobar July 18, 2015 at 9:13pm

  I dunno if a more structured game means there is no place for individual brilliance - the structure is there to make space for the creative players.

  The problem is that if the game gets faster, with quicker play-the-balls, it gets a lot easier to shift the ball to target a defensive weakness, even out wide. That makes shithouse defenders like Sandow even more vulnerable, because he is easier to isolate. At least when you slow the opposition's go-forward you can protect Sandow better by moving up quickly.

  Plenty of people think a quicker game (like with fatigue from reduced interchange) will benefit Sandow because it will create more space for him to attack. But it will also make him even more of a defensive liability. That's why no club wants him. Not because he can't 'play structured'.
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  Yobz July 18, 2015 at 9:15pm

  Certainly not really trying to win/not giving a toss, counts you out of the modern game.
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    Poupou Escobar July 18, 2015 at 10:06pm

    One outplayed the other last night.
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    Perpetual Motion July 19, 2015 at 1:00am

    If Newcastle were desperate paying $600k for the incumbent NSW half back then what were we when we paid $1.2m? He is exactly what they needed with lots of young players coming through. I seem to remember him stepping right through our defensive line Friday night.
    Dogs fans were bitching bout how rudderless they were without him the week before.
    I love watching Sandow on his day but we had near zero direction Friday night.If Kelly can follow a game plan then our game plan was stand there like deer in the headlights!
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  slip July 18, 2015 at 10:28pm

  Very true Benedict. Hodkinson is more consistent, but has no flashes of brilliance. 600k for him ain't worth it, but the Knights are desperate I guess.
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  Sticks and Stones July 18, 2015 at 11:20pm

  I dont think the issue with Sandow is the structure of the modern game. In any era if your as weak as he is defensively you will be found out. In attack he can be brilliant but the amount of risk he takes is not fair on the team, he would have been told in the 80s and 90s to pull his head in too.
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  Slippery. July 19, 2015 at 1:46am

  I think the way teams get punished for mistakes hurts him. So many tries scored after teams give away penalties and Sandow still tries shoulder charges. 7 tackle re-starts from kicks going dead and Sandow rolls the ball into the in goal area end over end. 50% of the game is defence and Sandow would miss tackles and be targeted by the oppision. Sandows ball playing and structure whilst in the opponents 20 metre zone is 3rd grade stuff. His vision is so bad, he runs the ball / throws the ball out wide on the last tackle with nothing on at all.
  
  Super League will suit him. NSW Cup would be a good fit for the rest of 2015 if he stays around!