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If the rugby league crystal ball is correct, there will be no room in our game for players under 90 kilograms and 180 centimetres by the year 2024.
That means that we could not fit Clive Churchill into the modern game – he was 175 centimetres and weighed 76 kilos. Johnny Raper would also struggle, and the try-scoring freak Ken Irvine at 173 centmetres and 73 kilos was far too short and light.
The wingman in 2024, according to the NRL, will be just under 100 kilos and 187 centimetres. No more ‘Little Masters’ or ‘Chooks’ or ‘Mongos’.
While the once small halfbacks and five-eighths continue to get bigger and taller, the trusty hooker forward is the only player who will not change, which means he will morph into the game’s smallest player.
The NRL competition and rules committee includes Wayne Bennett, Tim Sheens, John Lang, Trent Robinson, Daniel Anderson, Laurie Daley, Darren Lockyer, Michael Buettner, Mark O’Neill and Tony Archer.
These guys have a monumental responsibility to shape the game for tomorrow and I would have liked to have seen a broader mix of talent like the veteran Panthers head trainer Ron Palmer, a dietitian, some experienced recruitment managers like Peter O’Sullivan and Paul Bunn, and perhaps a scientist would create some incremental value to the discussion. Dare I say it but the great mind of Roy Masters, who is a former coach and arguably our best league journo, would be a huge asset.
Why so many coaches? The coach’s job is to coach to the rules, not to create the rules. Coaches do not care about entertainment or how many people come to the game, they want to win and sometimes that has to be dingo ugly.
The future rules must be created so that we never lose the ‘little guy’ to the game, or the creative wonders like Arthur Beetson who had the nick name ‘George Negus’ because he could only go for 60 minutes.
Recruitment managers today are looking to sign big, tall, athletic forwards who can play long minutes. They will become even more valuable when the interchange rule is reduced. Sonny Bill Williams is your prototype.
Teams will not be able to carry a George Rose, and there are even signs that Des Hasler is looking to move on his giant Sam Kasiano, who at 122 kilograms does not tick the ‘athletic’ box.
It is crucial that the modern game does not come down to bash and barge, then kick a bomb and hope for the best. Quality tactical, short kicks should be rewarded as the long kick is with a 40/20.
The ‘lottery bomb’ is a blight on the game used by halves who have run out of ideas. While it does not reward clever play, it can be effective – the Bulldogs used it to great effect, making it to the grand final when they probably should not have been there. The bomb also became an effective tool for Shaun Johnson and New Zealand in the Four Nations.
Teams will continue to bomb while ever it remains just as valuable as a clever ball-play or brilliant tactics. If our rule makers reduced a try off a bomb inside 20 metres to only three points, then coaches would minimise it.
The Maroons dominated State of Origin this century by using small forwards, a small former track-work jockey fullback and two small halves who each execute brilliant tactical kicks. They lost their first series in eight years because the NSW Blues played ugly defensive, and in doing so the share price on the brand of rugby league fell dramatically after one of the most boring matches in Origin history.
A coach’s job is to win; they must adopt any method to get the job done and Blues coach Laurie Daley is laughing all the way to the bank, but let us all hope that the guys on the NRL committee ensure the game cannot be hijacked like this again.
When I rate a game, the highest weighted factor is the coach, followed by the four spine players. I am a purist and it would be a sad day if the game lost the effectiveness of the Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk or Daly Cherry-Evans.
The Wests Tigers have the most exciting young spine players in the NRL in James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks. These brilliant kids will bring the crowds in, but based on the NRL report they are too small.
Arguably the most exciting young talent in the game is Wayne Bennett’s new Bronco Anthony Milford. His stats, at 1.78 metres and 85 kilos, don’t cut it for the modern day number 6.
Todd Greenberg and his committee should be commended for finding this red flag. That is half the job done; the other half is to ensure it does not get hoisted and the playmakers are not pensioned off.
A major distinction that rugby league has over union is that they actually play footy for 10 minutes more in each match, but the results must be based on talent, not size and strength.
The rules must always encourage coaches to provide players who can create tackle and line-break assists.
The living legend Andrew Johns suggested that all coaches need these days are 16 back rowers and a halfback. The future league player certainly backs up that comment based on the NRL data.
The great coaches will acclimatise based on the rules. Wayne Bennett has been able to re-invent himself as the rules have changed over the years, while Craig Bellamy has enjoyed his success with small working forwards, but in 2015 will field his biggest pack ever.
Des Hasler has made five of the last eight grand finals and he often runs on with five big forwards and keeps four more on the bench. He has enjoyed great success with big forwards hitting the ball up and then putting up a bomb.
There is no argument that Des’ big forwards have been wonderful for him and he has been credited with his own reinvention of the game, but it should be noted that his teams were most dangerous when he had at his disposal Daly Cherry-Evans, Brett Stewart and a sparkling Ben Barba.
Wonder if it was a coincidence that Todd Greenberg did not invite his old Bulldogs coach in for a chat with the other committee members?
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