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New breed of NRL players continue to develop

ScottWoodward.me — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:40:20 +0000

The technical game of rugby league has changed significantly since the millennium as the thinking coaches have developed a new breed of player in keeping with the rules designed to project faster play.

Three of our most important positions on the field – hooker, five-eighth and fullback – have morphed into a much faster, more athletic player than yesteryear.

Clearly the hooker does not actually “hook” anymore, but the modern day number nine must be able to play 80 minutes and virtually have similar offensive skills as his halfback.

Sadly, the Cliff Lyons and Wally Lewis type five-eighth has virtually died out with coaches preferring a running number six.

The most recent change is the fullback.

With the amazing speed of the game now, the fullback is required to cover both sides of the ground and also hit the ball up. If the modern day number one is not superbly fit, fast and athletic, he will be found out.

The good news is the smaller, shorter guys are being preferred, where many coaches in the past have recruited a bigger and taller fullback so that he will be solid in defence and be able to take the high ball bombs.

Rugby league went from the tiny Clive Churchill to the tall Graeme Langlands and then the beefy Graeme Eddy.

The three current international fullbacks are all small guys. Australia has Billy Slater, England Sam Tomkins and the Kiwis have Kevin Locke.

The Storm’s Slater is rated the best ever by many judges but the NRL also has several other brilliant “little fellas” like Matt Bowen (Cowboys), Ben Barba (Bulldogs), Nathan Gardner (Sharks), Will Zillman, Lachlan Coote (Panthers) and Tim Moltzen (Tigers).

New Rooster buy, the diminutive Daniel Mortimer, was unable to get a starting position in the half’s for the Eels, but as a fullback he has impressed everyone at Moore Park and will put pressure on the older and slower Minichiello.

As good as Jarryd Hayne is, his 102 kg frame is not ideally suited to the modern game at fullback. His work rate is just not as good as some of his opposition, but he is a “must have” because of his freakish ability.

The Raiders’ Josh Dugan could be anything but he is tall and gangly and not always the team player.

He would need to improve his speed and work rate if he ever hopes to oust Slater as the national number one.

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ScottWoodward.me — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:49:38 +0000

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ScottWoodward.me — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 20:57:17 +0000

If you are a Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Board member at the moment you would be as nervous as a Turkey the week before Christmas. Members are asking why they did not even consider champion coach Wayne Bennett after he resigned from the Broncos. He eventually signed with the Dragons and led them to last year’s Premiership, [...]

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ScottWoodward.me — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:44:22 +0000

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Passion doesn’t win Origin, champions do

ScottWoodward.me — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:00:42 +0000

Please don’t tell me that Ricky Stuart has instilled pride and passion back into the NSW Blues jumper. How many times did we hear the coach, the players, and even the biased media use that mind numbing word “passion”? Who cares about passion? The French have been passionate for hundreds of years but the only [...]

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It doesn’t matter if you love him or hate him, but if you follow rugby league, Phil Gould has an impact on your life. As a former player he has been associated with Penrith, Newtown, Canterbury and South Sydney, and as a coach he won premierships with Canterbury and Penrith before moving to the Roosters [...]

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NRL Match Review Committee must go

ScottWoodward.me — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:39:20 +0000

We cannot wait for the Independent Commission. The NRL match review committee chairman Greg McCallum and all of his members must go. I am charging them with a Grade 5 Contrary Conduct, Obstructing (Origin III), Detrimental Conduct and Dangerous Conduct. Their sentence is life and never to work anywhere near rugby league ever again. The [...]

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ScottWoodward.me — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 22:20:59 +0000

Speaking with a mate of mine in State of Origin Camp Maroon was enlightening: he didn’t sound as cocky as normal. To be honest, he sounded reserved and a tinge worried. If you have only ever watched the last two State of Origin games between Queensland and NSW and had no knowledge of the history [...]

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NSW can win Origin despite sticky wicket

ScottWoodward.me — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 20:28:11 +0000

We will analyse the 2011 State of Origin series in full after Origin III, but regardless of the result on Wednesday night we have already witnessed some unprofessional decisions that must be addressed by rugby league’s independent commission. How is it possible to appoint a coach who has been sacked from his last three jobs [...]

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Is sticky Ricky Stuart a protected species?

ScottWoodward.me — Sun, 29 May 2011 20:39:21 +0000

I have never studied a professional sports coach who has enjoyed such a rails run as Blues boss Ricky Stuart. He has continued to move on from disaster after disaster yet rarely do we read or hear anything negative (or realistic) about him from any form of the media. Whenever there is a plum job [...]

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Why are the Rooster protecting Anasta and Mini?

ScottWoodward.me — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:48:32 +0000

Sometimes you just have to call it as you see it even if their club cannot make the hard when the logic is clear. Roosters legends Mark Minichiello and club captain Braith Anasta have been passengers for over two years know but continue to be selected without question every week. Fans are asking why? It is [...]

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NSW Blues playmakers overlooked

ScottWoodward.me — Sun, 15 May 2011 07:56:55 +0000

Five of the Blues most talented ball players Jarryd Hayne, Todd Carney, Jarrod Mullen, Jamal Idris and Robbie Farah have been left out of Origin I, as coach Ricky Stuart cements his game plan that will rely on a bomb disposal expert he once sacked. • NSW State of Origin Team 2011 for Game 1: [...]

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Parramatta Eels “Blowin’ in the wind”

ScottWoodward.me — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:30:21 +0000

We can only imagine that Rabbitoh’s high profile owner Russell Crowe was angry when he tweeted to his 200,500 followers: “Chris Sandow to Parramatta at $550k a year.” The Rabbitohs have invested heavily into the future of the likable Sandow and against all advice have constantly selected him as the teams’ key position player at [...]

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Clubs losing millions as referees get it wrong

ScottWoodward.me — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:26:00 +0000

NRL clubs have been living in a false economy for decades, sucking up the massive profits from poker machines. But with the change in tax laws, many clubs are struggling for survival and aren’t creative enough to develop an alternative money stream.

Blues need all the X-factors to beat Maroons

ScottWoodward.me — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 20:14:16 +0000

The New South Wales Blues cannot beat Queensland with an equal bounce of the ball, especially if the team is selected like it has been over the past five years. It is my view that the quality of the coach is not crucial. Fatty Vautin proved that when he won a series with the Maroons [...]

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What about the kids, Todd?

ScottWoodward.me — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:41:34 +0000

What do I tell a ten-year old boy, dressed in a Roosters jersey, signed by Todd Carney, after he had just flown from Cairns to see his idol play against the Dragons on Easter Monday? To have my son here in Sydney with me for Easter will be exciting, but all he could talk about [...]

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