If Jamal Idris is New South Wales’ great hope, then we are staring down the barrel for a sixth straight series loss. While he has put in some powerful NRL performances this season, he is still a very raw talent. This can be highlighted by his defence.
Idris has a tendency to rush up and in, hanging his winger out to dry on the outside. Couple this with a poor tackle technique, where he goes high and you have a large weak link in the defensive line.
These deficiencies, due to a lack of agility, have not been more evident than in the Bulldogs Round 3 clash with the Roosters, where Idris rushed in on Braith Anasta.
The resulting tackle attempt led to a Todd Carney-try in the 17th minute.
Bulldogs fans are becoming frustrated with Idris’ lack of discipline in defence, with a member of Bulldogs forum, The Kennel, saying, “That read in defence, he made against Anasta that led to that try was embarrassing, let alone his attempt at tackle on him.”
Whilst the Blues have tried selecting defensive players, such as Beau Scott, before, to no avail, they cannot afford to have a player who can’t effectively read a backline move in their team.
Slater, Inglis, Hodges, Lockyer and Thurston will punish us mercilessly for that.
In the first eight games of the year, Idris has either missed or been ineffective in 28 tackles.
Whilst he is second in the league for tackle breaks, is this worth the risk of him letting in several tries down his side of the field?
After a poor performance in Origin 1 last year, after which he was dropped, selectors must be wary of introducing him to representative football too early and eroding his confidence, if he turns in another weak game.
Jarrod Mullen is a good example of someone who was pitched into the fires of Origin too early.
After representing his state in 2007 and being dropped, it has taken Mullen four years, to finally recapture the form which saw him selected for New South Wales.
This could happen for Idris if embarrassed by Hodges or Inglis.
Mark Gasnier, Josh Morris, Joel Thompson, Michael Jennings and Beau Champion are Idris’ main rivals for a Centre position in the Blues side.
All five players have performed better in defence than Idris.
Gasnier has only missed or been ineffective 25 times in eight matches, Morris four in three, Thompson 21 in seven, Jennings 25 in eight and Champion 24 in seven.
Champion also has a better try scoring average per game this season and Gasnier is only a try behind.
It may even be worth considering Michael Gordon as a Centre, as he is a very reliable goal-kicker, is the highest-placed back in the NRL for hit-ups, offloads and running metres.
He is fourth in the NRL behind Nathan Gardner, Idris and Akuila Uate for tackle breaks.
There are viable alternatives for the Blues and it is not Idris’ time yet.
Let him further develop his game and he will be ready to dominate the Maroons sooner rather than later.
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