The Dummy Half Question

Parramatta will enter the 2016 season with 5 players capable of playing dummy half. Which player makes it their own will be of great interest to many fans. As a key part of the "spine", a top shelf dummy half will help to dictate a team's fortunes as they handle the ball more than any other player in the team, making split second decisions about the direction of the play. Here's how our options line up:1. IDG - underrated by many fans but not the coaching staff. He's tough, defensively aggressive, leads the line speed and asks questions of the opposition. He's in the twilight of his career but not playing like it.2. Peats - similar to IDG in his defence and aggression. He needs to ask more questions of the opposition and he knows this. He had a conversation (with Forty and Ham I believe) at the Ken Thornett Medal and stated that he was making his work with the ball a goal for 2016. With injury disruptions and a contract up for renewal, I'm sure he'll be looking to step up next year.3. Pritchard - long regarded as the heir apparent to the first grade role, Pritchard is highly regarded by those who matter. The question mark has never been about his ability but rather his body's response to the rigours of footy. It's seemed like one injury after another for this bloke but he's never let it deter him or his positive attitude around the squad. At the final after match function of the year, BA saw Pritchard amongst the audience (a number of the extended squad were) and motioned to him to join them on stage. He's in the plans.4. Cameron King - this is a timely recruitment of a player with undoubted talent. As a junior rep player he was viewed as a future star. His early career didnt change this perception. Fast forward a couple of years and injury and lack of opportunity have stalled his career but not his desire. He also has some positional versatility. Parra might just have picked up the bargain buy of 2016.5. Cody Nelson - Cody is often the forgotten man, but it was only the cap issues which prevented more NRL time for him last year. He took a little while to settle in to his new club last year but demonstrated his ability in his first grade debut. Cody is primarily a back rower, but his versatility makes him a good candidate for a bench spot. He wouldn't let anyone down.What a competition we have for this position next year! One things for certain, I doubt that we'll be likely to retain all of them for 2017 as I believe that they are all worthy first graders.

I think the most important thing that we have with our dummy half options is that 4/5 are fantastic defensively, the only one I'm not too sure on defence is Cam King. They're all aggressive in line speed and despite their size are willing to take on the larger players in the NRL. With that it makes them versatile in that we can just put them out there and have them defend in the middle if we need to. Now that we have that sorted you can begin working on their attack and if we want to, the combination that will work best in first grade or whether we need a combination of them in first grade.

Peats wants to be an 80 minute player so of course that's going to take away from his attacking game and we won't see him running out of dummy half as much as Jake Granville or James Segeyaro as they tend to play between 50-60 minutes allowing them to expend more energy in attack rather than having to spread it out over the full 80 minutes. Another thing that allows Granville to run so much out of dummy half is that in attack the Cows forward pack gets on top of the opposition and whilst we were good at limiting team's metres gained this season we also didn't generate much ruck speed so that limits the amount of opportunities that our dummy halves get to run from dummy half.

With everything in mind I'd like to see us going with a single dummy half system next year. I'm happy with Peats/IDG playing the full 80. There are certainly positives for a dual dummy half system too, more starting players will have to be 80 minute players so that allows you to bring on a player who is able to scoot out of dummy half and with our dummy halves they're good in defence so you won't be disadvantaging yourself there. But I believe between Wicks, Moeroa, Alvaro and Edwards it would make more sense for us to work on winning the ruck over the entire 80 and keeping momentum that way.

Replies

Ricky October 25, 2015 at 10:52am

Can't remember the last time we had five capable, quality hookers at our disposal for first-grade.
Obviously Peats/IDG is the way to go at the start, but Pritchard & King will push all the way for a spot.

If Pritchard can stay healthy - same goes for King as well, to be honest - they can be anything and really propel Wenty further, as it's likely that's where they both start.

Certainly blessed with depth in the dummy half department.
- sixtiesboy > Ricky October 25, 2015 at 11:10am
  
  Ricky, Pritchard was fit towards the end of last season and was training strongly. We weren't going to risk him. The coaching staff really rate him.
GRUNTA - Death of a Salesman October 25, 2015 at 11:00am

LOL Ron whatever happened to Nathan Smith?
Ham Sammich October 25, 2015 at 11:08am

I think the most important thing that we have with our dummy half options is that 4/5 are fantastic defensively, the only one I'm not too sure on defence is Cam King. They're all aggressive in line speed and despite their size are willing to take on the larger players in the NRL. With that it makes them versatile in that we can just put them out there and have them defend in the middle if we need to. Now that we have that sorted you can begin working on their attack and if we want to, the combination that will work best in first grade or whether we need a combination of them in first grade.

Peats wants to be an 80 minute player so of course that's going to take away from his attacking game and we won't see him running out of dummy half as much as Jake Granville or James Segeyaro as they tend to play between 50-60 minutes allowing them to expend more energy in attack rather than having to spread it out over the full 80 minutes. Another thing that allows Granville to run so much out of dummy half is that in attack the Cows forward pack gets on top of the opposition and whilst we were good at limiting team's metres gained this season we also didn't generate much ruck speed so that limits the amount of opportunities that our dummy halves get to run from dummy half.

With everything in mind I'd like to see us going with a single dummy half system next year. I'm happy with Peats/IDG playing the full 80. There are certainly positives for a dual dummy half system too, more starting players will have to be 80 minute players so that allows you to bring on a player who is able to scoot out of dummy half and with our dummy halves they're good in defence so you won't be disadvantaging yourself there. But I believe between Wicks, Moeroa, Alvaro and Edwards it would make more sense for us to work on winning the ruck over the entire 80 and keeping momentum that way.
- sixtiesboy > Ham Sammich October 25, 2015 at 11:51am
  
  Good analysis Ham. I think that our forward dominance can be enhanced by a dummy half who takes them forward through method of delivery. By that I mean delivering the pass whilst moving forward rather than delivering to forwards who are well behind the line. IDG does that well. Kingston did that well in 2009.
sixtiesboy October 25, 2015 at 11:08am

I've never understood coaches who couldn't prioritise this position. We had some great dummy halves during Brian Smith's era (Aaron Raper, Brad Drew, PJ Marsh) but even he never retained them.
Ricky October 25, 2015 at 11:13am

I know he was and that's exactly what we need from him. To just stay fit, healthy and train strongly, and keep pressure on the players in first-grade.
sixtiesboy October 25, 2015 at 11:15am

Ron, I regarded Keating as a lock playing dummy half. Never questioned his toughness or dedication to training but his skill set wasn't what a dummy half needed to have.
This reply was deleted.
- BE STONE COLD October 25, 2015 at 7:24pm
  
  Excuse me mammojo? Did you say second best player behind Hayne??? Umm Chris Sandow won the Ken Thornett Medal that year did he not.... Yet another embarrassing blunder for the NRL when Sandow proved to be a better player than a bloke who they awarded the Dally M Medal to by taking out Parra's best and fairest award,
rozay October 25, 2015 at 11:24am

Where is Matt Keating these days I didn't see him in the qld cup

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This reply was deleted.

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