Thinking outside the box can mean outside positional norms

 
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By 2020, 31 May 2009 2020 is a Roar Rookie

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This article picks up the point made by Ozxile with regard to looking beyond the traditional limitations of a player’s usual role and expands on the idea.

Picking natural No 6’s at lock at Super Rugby level is one thing, but expecting them to compete there against the world’s best in Test rugby is underestimating the demands of the position.

Ben Alexander is too good a footballer, especially with the ball in hand, to have chilling on the sideline. Playing Alexander at lock would amplify his attacking ability by virtue of the extra yard of width the position offers that of a prop.

At the scrum, he’d give perfect low, powerful drive behind the front row, and defensively he’ll be harder to beat than most lanky locks. At the lineout, it’s business as usual for him.

But what about the forfeit of lineout height? Read on.

With a view to the longer term, I believe Rocky Elsom provides a Kefu-like presence plus the considerable bonus of being a lineout jumper. Therefore, Deans would retain three jumpers in Sharpe, Horwell and Alexander at lock, Mumm, McMeniman at No 6 and Elsom at No 8.

With regard to Robbie’s intimation that having on-ballers will be vital, I’d have both Smith and Pocock on the pitch together as, what I call, flanker-backs. Unlike Greg Martin’s suggestion of having one of them play halfback, I’d like to see them play in tandem, with the first man committing to the tackle/breakdown and his mate deciding whether to take up a typical halfback roll or also commit to gaining possession.

If both players are committed, the next player to the ruck, whether a forward or a back, either picks and drives, or lets hope, fires a pass to Giteau. This sounds a lot like what one would assume happens with a typical halfback. It does not.

So often halfbacks are impediments to the flow of the game with hesitation and delayed passing, or lateral instead of straight movement, causing congestion of the outside runners. We cannot afford to stifle the power and pace we possess out wide, as the Waratahs discovered too late in the season.

Lightweight halfbacks standing waiting for forwards to arrive to the breakdown so they can simply pass a ball to an outside man, who now faces a set defense due to the slow deliver, is amateurish. I believe pressure will be applied much more forcefully to the scrambling defense if we have two tyros ripping in.

Are the passing skills of our other players, as suggested by Mark Ella, so poor, that only a little halfback can keep the ball moving? Surely not. We have the foundation of a very good backline.

Unless we have an absolutely brilliant halfback, we don’t need or want him to hesitate or run cross field.

Let Smith or Pocock pick and drive or ping the pass. No rugby league lolly-pop pass here. Test level execution.

These men ARE capable of it.

So, my team (of available players which sees Brown as the current third lineout jumber): Robinson, Moore, Baxter, Sharpe, Alexander, Mumm, Smith/Pocock, Brown, Smith/Pocock, Giteau; Turner, Barnes, Mortlock, Hynes, O’Connor. Res: Cowan, Polota-Nau, Horwill, Mowen, Toomua, Nasiginyavi, Cooper.

Obviously there are players both abroad and out with injury who would present realistic claims for inclusion if available. However, the point of this exercise is to continue Ozxile’s established debate about the relative merits of considering players out of position.

With quality players, the possibilities are worth exploring.

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