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We are now five rounds into season 2011, and it would seem that is more than enough time for fans patience to have already run thin with their underperforming teams. Whilst it’s still early days, the following individuals already find themselves in the NRL’s hot seat:
John Cartwright
The Gold Coast Titans starting the season with just one win and four losses would certainly not have been in coach John Cartwright’s plans, and next week’s game versus the Tigers looms as a vital clash for the boys from The Strip.
If they should go down once again in round six, Cartwright will have some serious work to do.
Apart from the obvious repercussions of being at the wrong end of the ladder, and needing to make up four games just to get back to a 50% strike rate, Cartwright will also need to manage the mental state of his players very carefully.
Losing doesn’t travel alone. It brings with it, amongst other things: self doubt, loss of confidence and internal bickering. Those are not qualities that are conducive to winning games of rugby league.
Cartwright will need to keep his troops upbeat, and ensure losing doesn’t become a habit, because once the rut sets in, it can be near on impossible to stop.
Jarryd Hayne
Superstars have many qualities, but one obvious one: they lead their teams to victories. Jarryd Hayne is a superstar, but at present, he’s not delivering many wins for the Eels.
Before you say it’s harsh to solely blame Hayne for Parramatta’s woes, I agree with you. It is. Rugby league is a team sport, and everyone needs to pull their weight.
But by the same token, we all fondly remember the back-end of the season in 2009, when Hayne carried Parramatta all the way to the grand final, almost single-handedly.
It was an amazing 10 to 12 week period, with some of the most breathtaking play we’ve seen from one individual in a very long time.
That’s what Hayne is capable of.
And now that he has set the bar so high for himself, he’s become a victim of his own high standards, and needs to deliver against them.
The Hayne Plane is late, overdue, and needs to arrive at Parramatta airport soon.
Brian Smith
The Roosters need to get Braith Anasta more involved in attack.
Todd Carney is the reigning Dally M medallist, and there is no question he should play five eight. But I fail to see the logic in playing Anasta in the second row. Nate Myles is currently playing lock, and whilst you could argue that it’s merely a number on a jersey and makes no real difference, I think Myles should play 11, and Anasta at 13.
Regardless of positions or jersey numbers, the underlying point is that Anasta needs to have the ball in his hands more, because when he does, good things happen for the Roosters.
It’s a waste of Anasta’s considerable talents to have him merely hitting the ball up or running out wide.
Not many teams have three quality ball handlers in their team, and the Roosters would be better served by capitisling on that unique situation, instead of neutering Anasta’s skill set.
Considering they could only manage 12 points against the Warriors, after they regularly lit up the scoreboard last year, it’s up to coach Smith to make an adjustment in attack and get Anasta more involved.
The Chookpen is getting a little restless.
Matt Orford
The experienced halfback was signed with much fanfare in the nation’s capital. With a formidable forward pack and Orford directing a potent backline, Canberra fans were justifiably excited about season 2011.
The addition of Orford was meant to add some poise to their attack (or so I claimed!), but instead, Orford has made some costly errors at crucial times, and appears to have left his kicking game back in the UK.
He was a touch better on the weekend, but the pressure is rapidly building on him to raise his level of play, especially with gun rookie, and first round man-of-the-match, Sam Williams breathing down his neck to take the number 7 jersey off him.
Russell Crowe
Funnily enough, after Souths slow start to the season, coach John Lang is under less pressure than their high profile owner.
Everybody already knows that Lang won’t be the coach next year, so the pressure on him is substantially lower than it is on the Hollywood star.
Crowe desperately needs to bring in a quality coach next season to help him finally receive some return on his considerable investment in Souths.
With Wayne Bennett passing on the Brisbane job, it is said to be a two horse race between Newcastle and Souths to sign the legendary coach.
The pressure is on Crowe to do all he can to persuade Bennett that he should be calling Redfern home next season.
Should Bennett sign with the Knights, Crowe needs to help CEO Shane Richardson find another experienced, successful coach to take the reins of the Rabbitiohs, and help guide them to their first premiership since 1971.
Queensland State of Origin selectors:
Queensland have won five series in a row, and will be the favourites to win again in 2011. So why would their selectors be in the hot seat, rather than the Blue’s selectors?
Because I can’t work out if the Queensland State of Origin selectors have the easiest job in the world, or the hardest job in the world.
How about this squad to chose from: Ben Hannant, Dave Shillington, Matthew Scott, Petero Civoniceva, Cameron Smith, Matt Ballin, Shaun Berrigan, Dave Taylor, Ashley Harrison, Nate Myles, Dallas Johnson, David Stagg, Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday, Michael Crocker, Neville Costigan, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Darren Lockyer, Scott Prince, Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges, Willie Tonga, Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Lote Tugiri, Ben Barba, Matt Bowen. The list just goes on.
And can you imagine if Karmichael Hunt, Israel Folau, or the injured Brent Tate were also available for selection? Tough gig, or easy gig?
Ryano’s Rant and Rave on The Roar
After each round I’m going to get up on my soapbox and have one rant and one rave about something that happened on the weekend. Here’s my debut Ryano’s Rant and Rave:
Rant
The first rule when attacking, in almost every sport, is to ‘commit the defence’. Kris Keating played pretty well on Sunday afternoon, but his failure to remember the basics when he made a burst in the second half led to him throwing the game-changing intercept pass that Darius Boyd turned into a try down the other end of the field.
Just as a dummy-pass only works if the defender thinks you’re actually going to pass it, a pass only works if the defender thinks you’re actually going to run the ball. You need to make the defence make a decision, and then punish it.
(I must admit, the reason I’m ranting about this is because I was a Bulldog fan in a sea of Dragons fans at the SCG on Sunday. Not enjoyable!)
Rave
Poor old Matt Elliott. Is it just me or is this guy always under the pump? Despite having less talent than most other teams, the Panthers finished second on the ladder last year. Yet, Elliott gets cut little slack, especially from within his own club.
On Saturday, the Panthers executed Elliott’s game plan to perfection, particularly underrated halves Travis Burns and Luke Walsh. Matt Elliott is a good coach, and can help you win games. Panther’s officials would be wise to let him do just that.