Carney must play in halves for Roosters

 
Alan Nicolea Roar Guru

By Alan Nicolea, 11 Feb 2010 Alan Nicolea is a Roar Guru

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Brian Smith’s pedigree as a first grade coach is to be respected, but his decision to shift Todd Carney into the fullback role this season is a risk not worth taking, especially when you have one of the most solid custodians in Sam Perrett at your disposal.

With three good halves fighting for starting positions at the Bondi-Junction club, Smith has been forced to make one of the more surprising positional switches in NRL history.

Instead of opting to move current five-eighth Braith Anasta to Lock, Smith has opted to move Carney into a position the former Canberra Raiders star has no experience in.

And to shift one of the most solid fullbacks in the game in Perrett out of position is certainly asking for trouble against the majority of NRL teams this season, let alone the premiership candidates.

Disregarding the fact that Perrett has established himself as one of the prime yardage gainers in the NRL at No.1, the 24 year old simply isn’t as effective on the wing due to a lack of height and explosive speed.

Although his try scoring rate playing on the flanks for New Zealand is clinical,(9 tries in 13 Tests), Perrett is a liability in the air , in particular against taller wingers such as Israel Folau, Antonio Winterstein, Taniela Tuiaki and Manu Vatuvei.

Perrett is much more adept defusing a bomb in the middle of the park, and thus has become one of the more reliable fullbacks in the game at the moment.

One only has to look at how far Perrett has come in Anthony Minichiello’s absence to see how much he prefers playing at fullback for the Roosters.

Indeed, Perrett himself will only grow in stature whilst being on the end of the great ball playing service Mitchell Pearce and Carney can offer in the halves.

During his four year reign at the Raiders, Carney was often touted as a future Origin and Kangaroos player thanks to his complete passing, running and kicking game.

Barely into his twenties, Carney had solidified himself as one of the most influential halves in the NRL, known for his ability to constantly produce clinical cut-out passes and kick a 40/20.

Not to mention the 23 year old is also a fine drop goal exponent, winning numerous matches while playing for the Green Machine off his own boot.

Were it not for his off field misdemeanours, it would have only been a matter of time before Carney found himself wearing the Sky Blue for NSW and the Green and Gold for the Kangaroos.

While it may take a few matches for Carney to develop a strong partnership with Pearce, coach Smith needs to realise this combination will pay much more dividends in the future – more than a move to fullback ever will.

With both Pearce and Carney still under 24 years of age, time is on Smith’s side to nurture a halves combination with the potential to dominate the NRL and lead the Roosters to some much needed on field success.

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