After last night I could "wax lyrical" about Mitch Moses.....I honestly did not think a single player could make so much difference to that side.
BUT I would like to talk about JAC, he may not be as fast as he once was, but he is quicker than anything we have had for a long time.
BUT No 2, every young winger in Parramatta can learn by his positional judgement. You just cannot believe the type of players we have had on the wing, have had no idea on how to read the situation. Yes JAC will still get caught out but his judgement is very high, he also gives us that polish at the finish that we had from Sivo, albeit in a much different style.
Finally what JAC has, has been pretty well understated to date, but now we have some creative players back in the side, I think we will really reap the benefits of his presence (yes I know about the goalline mistake he made last night....shit happens, but he made up for it 5 minutes later with some extraudinary stuff).
One thing I will say about the side last night is "game awareness" Moses and JAC demonstrated it in "spades", just imagine if Lomax was around to get under some of those kicks.
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As I was watching last night I had a feeling I have not had for years, comfortable with a team shifting the ball wide against us. JAC is in control and Russell just goes with him, no panic, no rushing up just sticking together and tsckling the player on front. No overlaps because we couldn't count numbers. It was refreshing.
Agreed
Well said DanMan, sounds like we need you on here more often.
Well said!
Backline will be:
iongi
JAC
Simmo
Penis
Lomax
What a backline. Fastest and most skilful backline we've had in a very long time. Futures looking bright. Can't wait for Galvin to have this backline to play with
I would still keep Lomax in the centres. Either way, the best backline they have had in a few years,
I thought the ball was going dead when watching on tv. It was a split second decision so really not a big mistake, albeit costly at that stage of the game. I love watching the Fox, I think he brings a lot of energy and confidence that rubs off on other players. I don't think he has lost too much pace either, and he definitely has a few good years left in him. Hopefully we will have a good crop of youngsters coming through by then.
Yes you identified something about speed Ian.
Whilst JAC is a speed machine, he has excelleration and body swerve that is an inherited gift. That absolute speed that he has lost (i agree only marginal) is more than made up by his anticipation and reading of the game (awareness).
He is primarily a footballer with all the skils that make it so!
I would have loved for us to have picked him up after he left Melb for family reasons. When I heard that the Dogs got him for 500k I could not believe we would not have paid more. It is unfortunately another example of no vision, whether it was the coach or R&R I am not sure. We definately have made some misjudgements on us taking a high and mighty character opinion on certain players......(coach refer's to BA back when JAC left Melb and went to the dogs).
Even this year there was a reluctance of many on here not to chase JAC or to do so only on the basis of paying a low price.Face it we got lucky that JAC got caught out and we got him. Christ if every player in the game was disqualified for using cocaine you would not get teams on the field.
As an old money market dealer let me say that when you are buying something, the first question you ask is "how bad do you want it" when you have established that then the price becomes a different issue. i.e. JAC went to the dogs on 500k, some idiot in our R&R says his value is 450k .....their naivette is they don't understand that they don't understand. You cannot put a value on something you want and need when you are talking 10% premium on the value. e.g. JAC to me was a commodity that I would have paid 650/700k back in the Melb days. The price you pay is the "real value".
Another example of reading that type of philosophy wrongly was the stupidity of Newcastle paying 400k more than he was worth. My trading experience would see the two commodities bought (JAC) and sold (DB).
Its how market's work and one day we will have an understanding of how options also can work. But you need to understand the principles first.
Excuse me for my indulgencies but I though the anecdotes fitted the circumstances.
Going back we have gotten Beau Scott through locational circumstances, Walker currently fits the same. We fluked the 4 Canterbury players 25 years ago, some people wanted us to get rid of Semi and of course the Hayne game was legendary. We really have some legendary pieces of misjudgement in our R&R and the fans are no exception when it comes gto getting things wrong.
There's a certain contributor on hear that attacked Beven French, I am to old to attend matches now but one of the last I witnessed French scoring three tries from fullback, just brilliant, Brad Arthur had no idea of how to use him , Arthur had the teams back line running 45 degrees across the field and with French on the wing had no room and that's why he continually being rag dolled over the side line , watching his games in the U K he is man of the match and shines out .
Maybe you need to send some footage of him to the other 45 coaches that have coached NRL since he left. They obviously haven't seen his brilliance and that's why he hasn't been brought back 😜