The signing of Luke Keary to the Roosters was an interesting one for me.
As a die-hard Souths supporter, usually I’m filled with resent, anger and loss of faith any time a rival has pinched one of our boys, particularly Easts (I refuse to call them Sydney).
This time however, I don’t really care.
Maybe it’s because his form hasn’t really warranted my desire to keep him, but Keary just seems like a player the Rabbitohs can go without and move on from. The signing doesn’t have the same gravitas as Ashley Harrison, Craig Wing or Ron Coote way back when.
I firmly believe rookie Cody Walker has already shown more x-factor and game-breaking ability in his dozen or so first grade games than Keary has in the last eighteen months.
Whenever Keary has been tasked to guide the team around in the absence of Reynolds, he’s done so poorly. He has a lot of work to do with his decision making and composure, which was evident in the Rabbitohs game against the Eels where twice he passed the ball out on fifth tackle in Souths’ own half.
It’s rookie errors like that which really put pressure on a team and loses them games.
The only time Keary has been able to lift the team is off the bench, where he’s got able to take advantage of his opponents due to their fatigue. His style of play suits a five-eighth, a little more off the cuff and ad lib, but in order to be an NRL half, you need to have those organisational and pressure building attributes.
While Walker has only played a few games in the NRL, with fewer games at pivot due to his recent switch to fullback, he already looks like a better foil for Adam Reynolds.
His speed off the mark is akin to that of a winger, his awareness and support play is as good as any fullback, his cut out passes are long and pinpoint and his kicking game has come in leaps and bounds since making his NRL debut. I really believe he can turn out to be a long-term five-eighth working off his natural ability.
As for Keary, I don’t think he and Mitchell Pearce will combine well.
Both halves have a very similar skill set and don’t compliment each other at all. They are runners of the ball with a good passing game and play very direct, but are very poor at organising a team, putting pressure on opponents and kicking the ball.
Something that both Rabbitohs and Roosters fans have had to deal with all too much over the past few years are midfield bombs. Both of these blokes are masters at putting up a terrible attacking bomb that land right into the fullback’s arms with no pressure or accuracy at all.
Hopefully for Keary’s sake he can develop a kicking game, which he has shown to have potential a few times.
I have to be sincere and wish Luke Keary the best in the next chapter of his career; I really do. He’s a crafty little playmaker with mongrel and determination, and his step up to first grade was a big reason why the Bunnies won the comp in 2014.
But his lack of composure, organisation and kicking game is something that the Rabbitohs won’t miss and is something the Roosters could dread.
I hope he proves his doubters wrong this Friday night when he lines up at five-eighth as the Bunnies take on an against an exciting Penrith outfit, but I think at the end of the day, he’s a player we can do without.
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