A lot of us on here are disillusioned with the football department , the way we're playing our footy verse the way we want to play our footy and that type of footballs effectiveness in the modern game.
Who at the club is recognising the trends that creep into the game . The ones that prove successful that eventually all clubs try to emulate .
The Storm with the wrestle , the way players revolutionise their positions , block plays , sweep plays ect ect
The clubs which we aren't one of who are at the forefront of these innovations win premierships while the rest play catch up.
Rugby leagues a simple game and the basics remain , gain momentum and play off the back of it.
The days of traditional front rowers seem to be coming to an end with the speed of the game continually accelerated by the powers that be and the ball in play longer than it's been in decades the front rowers role is about to change.
Unless your big and mobile like a Payne Haas who for a big man has good acceleration the plodding front rower with limited lateral movement is becoming a thing of the past.
Forwards who just do hitups will be gone , ball skills will be paramount for your middles.
Clubs will start opting for smaller middles in your Rueben Cotter , Jake Trbojevic , Hopgood type mould where your bigger forwards will be your edge backrowers .
Backrowers who are damaging but aren't required to do as much work in the middle, Fifita , Olakalatu, Crichton and Kikau.
The emphasis will be on ball movement , moving defences around not allowing rushing defence or gang tackles resulting in more fatigue through the middle .
Theres talk of getting rid of the kickoff, why does a front rower have to run into the teeth of the defence , what if you went two passes wider and Brian To'o took the hit up.
Which scenario statistically would give your more momentum.
The onus will be on defence in the new era as it is now but it'll be seen as easier to defend your line then anywhere else.
Its harder to promote the ball quickly from 5 metres out and teams with strong defences will recognise it and linespeed off your line will be far quicker and stifling.
The game is getting more and more like touch and players are recognising if they can get it wider then the shooters out of the line you gain momentum.
Its all about speed, the habit of running into a solid defensive line of large forwards is changing , teams are looking at getting at the smaller halves on the first tackle inside their own 20 or going around condensed defences and getting the results.
Youll start to see more trick plays especially with impromptu kicks early in sets even straight off a kick off with teams attempting 20/40's which hasn't caught on yet but will.
The Walker brothers were ahead of their time, with the NRL seeing themselves as being in the entertainment industry this type of football sells the game with endless highlight reels so they'll look to promote it.
Momentum based statistics will takeover , what part of the defensive line of the opposition leaks the most metres and points , regardless if it's tackle one that's where you attack.
Warren Ryan's conservative brand of football no chip kicks in your own half is long gone, pressure creates momentum and the tackle number or field position is becoming irrelevant.
Rugby League as you used to know it has already changed and the Parramatta Eels haven't yet caught on.
So what are we going to do to innovate and be proactive in shaping the way the games to be played in the next decade or are we waiting to see what everyone else does and stay a few years behind because we're playing pre 2020 successful football at the moment and it's obsolete.
Replies
Those top three defensive teams all have one thing in common , a connected defensive line that moves up and slides as one.
Forwards who laterally aren't caught out defensively and fullbacks who understand the flow of an attack who count numbers quickly.
I think BA had a plan and it's now unraveling.
He looks to me as though he's now grasping.
If you thought Blaize was a long term fullback he plays fullback or wing in grade or otherwise, let him develop.
Without much experience in the centres Russell gets a crack in the centres in grade. Even though I think that's his position evolve in NSW cup first.
Simonsson is all over the place. Hes playing for a contract and your not giving him an opportunity to settle and we wonder why our defence out wide is rubbish.
Players aren't playing with the same bloke inside and out each week.
BAs use of our dummy halves confuses me the most, Lussick doesn't bring players on to the ball , engage markers or run the ball unless 5 metres out.
When your trying to play a forward dominated style of football it starts with your hooker, with us it's contributing to our lack of go forward yet he refuses to budge.
BAs style is no longer working but his continued refusal to evolve should be enough for the board to make changes but they're the same as BA.
Build game around the talents you have not around the coach
We have some great offloaders which is our strength and a pity we don't capitalize on that.I remember Artie Beeston and how well he was used.
I think the biggest change is in the back 3. If the outside backs do the hard yards and early hit ups well, the forwards have more energy in the defensive line. They don't need to cover as much ground when switching from defence to attack if the backs make the metres. Good wingers and centres also spot if forwards are fatigued and go infield looking for hit ups when required. Penrith and Cronulla outside backs do so much work it makes it easier for their middles to defend but when was the last time you saw Sivo or Russell come infield for a tough carry.
The back 3 are so important in field position and managing workloads in the forwards but Parra are so far behind here with lazy outside backs ranked last for metres gained.
We also don't have any outside backs attacking tired forwards with speed and footwork late in each half. Look what Trae fuller at the dolphins has been doing. Moses and Dylan have the speed and skills to do this but Moses is to busy organising the team and Dylan waits out on the left edge.
If BA used his bench to share minutes with tiring forwards, our outside backs did more hit ups and our halves ran through the middle late in each half there wouldn't be any talk of our forwards being to old, slow or outdated.
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