Comments on: A good big man will always beat a good small man

By: Russell Bussian

Russell Bussian — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:58:20 +0000

Players are super fit and the idea that this year with 2 refs all these small guys would be zipping around tired defenders is a myth. This year has been the lowest scoring this millenium. If you don’t like working just back unders in total points with TAB each week. Tries seem to mainly come from kicks or well worked set plays. .

By: Steve Kaless

Steve Kaless — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:40:28 +0000

Greg,

For what it is worth, I’d have Mickinnon at fullback, Jones at half, Hohaia at 5/8, Henderson at Hooker and one of Fien or Moon on the bench. Maybe you are spolit for choice, but that would be my call.

Siren’s call,

I certainly did those players firing, my point was that while those guys are certainly special talents who’d make it in any era we haven’t seen a influx of tiny fast players, only those with above average talent.

Westy,

I wasn’t ciriticisng Campbell’s defence. Although he is certainly targeted, probably more to tire him out, although he does seem to have the energizer bunny gene.

Enjoy your footy boys.

By: westy

westy — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:11:45 +0000

Actually on my observation the smaller players like Campbell, Bowen , Benji are more alive this year. I saw the penrith game against the Titans and i thought the smaller players for Penrith like Sammut/ Coote and Jennings were outstanding.
There has been achange for the better. the next step is to reduce the interchange to 4 and once you go off you cannot come back on.
By the way anyone who questions Campbell’s defence is not watching very closely.

By: oikee

oikee — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:48:47 +0000

Maybe after a season or 2 when the coaches work out how to utilise the smaller men we might see a slight shift. At the momnet you are right, the big men are doing extras to play longer minutes in the game, maybe the coaches need to work them over more before we see a shift.
Watching the dragons, Roosters game on the weekend i seen the little man (Soward) totally carve to peices the larger forwards of the Roosters. Thats a warning sign right their, i bet you it was not lost on Wayne Bennett.
Good post greg, lucky devil , living in the land of the long white cloud. I have already backed the Warriors to win the premiership this year. Cheers.

By: Siren's Call

Siren's Call — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:26:56 +0000

You mst have missed last week’s NRL action Steve. Marshall, Soward, Thurston all had match winning performances.

By: Greg Russell

Greg Russell — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:19:10 +0000

Steve, I am a transplanted Sydney-sider living in Christchurch. I can tell you that a lot of the talk in New Zealand this year, especially in recent weeks, has been over how Ivan Cleary can best use all his little men in the Warriors, viz. Stacey Jones, Nathan Fien, Ian Henderson, Lance Hohaia and Joel Moon. Of course Moon is not really a “little man”, but Cleary seems determined to play him at 6, a “little man’s position”, rather than the centers, so in this argument he has to be counted as a little man. It’s a real puzzle to work out how to fit all these players into a 17, especially now that Wade McKinnon is back, and Hohaia has to cede to him as starting FB (although even this is a moot point – in many ways Hohaia has been the more impressive FB this year).

So my question to Steve, in view of his article, is how he thinks all these players are best fitted together at the Warriors. I admit I don’t know. The fortunes of the Warriors this year most likely hinge on this puzzle being well solved.

(Incidentally, I am not really a Warriors fan, but after living in this country for 15 years, one certainly develops an empathy for them!)