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SMITHY: You don't need superstar halves to play attacking footy

3rd June, 2015
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Cowboys Jake Granville. (AAP Image/Michael Chambers)
Expert
3rd June, 2015
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1485 Reads

Last week some Cowboys fans took exception to my comments on the terrible footy played in that horrible match between North Queensland and the Tigers at Campbelltown.

Jason Taylor must have taken exception too, ringing in to a radio station to set the record straight on what the Tigers are trying to achieve in this rebuild season.

Back to the Cows fans, I stand by what I wrote 100 per cent, but understand those who pointed out they were happy with the win.

It’s been a breakthrough season for the Cowboys where winning away from home, and in Sydney particularly, is happening. I also understand that the Cows were understaffed in the halves, with no Johnathan Thurston, Michael Morgan or Robert Lui.

However the reasons I am sticking to my point about the lack of intent in the attacking play of both teams remain. A modern day rugby league team doesn’t need a superstar at 7 or 6 to play a decent, winning brand of footy.

>>>Read more from Brian Smith on Smithy Speaks.

Example one: Parramatta won a truckload of consecutive games in 2009 to go all the way to the grand final from nowhere, all while playing a non-conventional brand of attack featuring no superstar halves. It was offloads and ‘get it to Jarryd Hayne’ footy.

These are coach-driven tactics to find a way to win, rather than shutting up shop and hoping you can grind your way to victory.

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Example two: the Dogs since Des Hasler has been coaching there. Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson play a secondary role in the way the Dogs attack.

That’s all at a team level. At a match level, or just in sections of matches, there are hundreds of examples of how teams without genius players plan their attack.

I loved the way Parra went about their much-needed win over Panthers last weekend. The way they set out to move the ball right from the outset, even at their own end, was bold. It unsettled their opponents. They found weak spots just by passing – simple, conventional pass and catch from player to player. At times there were five or even six transfers running at half speed, but eventually they found weaknesses.

They really only got into trouble when they made it complex by passing out the back, or when they lost their rhythm a bit and stopped moving the ball.

The best example from the weekend was in yet another Cows match. This match saw two teams trying to win – as opposed to trying not to lose, as was my criticism last week.

Manly play smart, sensible, but still attacking footy, and have done so almost every week for many seasons. They scored some great tries in the match against the Cowboys and were a trifle unlucky to lose.

But I would rather say the Cowboys won. They did it from their own end with the clock almost out. Check it out on replay if you can. It was a classic piece of winning play; it’s a secret between you Roar readers and me, a format that works at every level of footy.

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The Cows strung three or four simple but effective plays together on their right side. It really moved the defence laterally at a time where Manly wanted to contain North Queensland in their own end by moving up fast, tackling hard in multiples to run that clock out.

By moving the ball wide, even without making a break or a lot of ground, the Cowboys created a problem in their opponents’ defence. The little shift play got the outside defenders into the tackle and then at marker. Big middle players hate to go over to the short side, but at the end of the game it’s double tough to get them there.

Jake Granville felt it and read it. He kept the movement going to that short side by running with support. He also ignored the opportunity to pass the ball to the NRL’s greatest go-to man, Thurston. With electric pace, the North Queensland dummy half turned the next play into a speed event when his nearest rivals were undermanned and over tired.

What a pass it was from Granville to Lachlan Coote, and of course by JT to provide the money ball finish for victory.

But the genesis for that magic moment and victory was in those two simple plays. A shift on an early play across the middle of the field to get edge defenders into marker. The dummy half read the ‘keep going to that side’ for a mismatch and play what you see from there!

Junior coaches have 12 and 14-year-olds performing this with some level of expertise.

Meanwhile, head coaches in the NRL are telling gifted dummy halves to pass off the ground – don’t mess about, don’t go down short sides!

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In Jason Taylor’s case, he, like plenty of other coaches, is limiting good attacking players with no-mistake, kick-chase footy and a focus on defence.

The point is the defensive levels they need to perform at are so much higher, because they take nothing out of their opponents in attack.

For Tigers fans out there, JT (‘The original but maybe not the best JT’, as he now calls himself) rang this week to say the Tiges have not only been practising passing this week but catching too.

You gotta have a laugh or you go crazy in coaching you know! No chance of JT going crazy.

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