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Centre is a specialist role and should be treated as such

28th April, 2017
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Imagine the entertainment to be found from mid-season transfers. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
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28th April, 2017
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Tautau Moga is a great footballer and athlete. Watching him as part of the wrecking ball that was the Broncos backline as it tore the Panthers to pieces on Thursday summed up how dangerous he can be because of his modern day mix of power, speed and size.

But it also exemplified the range of skills that it takes to become the centre in rugby league, something that is probably over looked often – as can be seen when teams will fill gaps left by injury in the position with an athletic second rower.

The need for specialisation in the role of centre can sometimes be best exemplified by an attacking team simply attacking the player covering the position. Will Chambers was made to look as if he had the speed of a James Roberts against the Warriors when Boden Thompson was sent back to cover a gap caused by the loss of Solomona Kata.

But the lack of attack culminating in wingers doing what wingers do and flying in at the corners is the truest test of the development of the centres in a team.

I’m biased because Corey Oates is part of my Supercoach side this year and he froze to death outside Moga, having to chase the ball inside for scraps of involvement.

James Roberts on the other side of the field is a completely different player and in his way a more complete centre. He is lightning fast and takes the ball into gaps that he sees in the line, and then looks to deliver the ball to the outside.

A lot of the time at the moment he simply goes straight through the line himself and scores. But he is inclined to do what great centres do, create chances for those outside them.

Moga’s first instincts are different, he takes contact and looks to break it and then offload inside or simply keep going forward, the type of thing any second rower would be proud of, a lot of his play looks like some of the young guns who have captured attention this year, Angus Crichton, Coen Hess, or perhaps even a Jason Taumalolo. Great players, great second rowers.

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Rugby league matches necessarily hinge most on players in the halves and the centre of the field, but the teams that take the top-four spots this year will probably also boast centres who can routinely position their wingers to score in the corner.

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