All the talk this week about rugby league becoming boring has raised some valid issues, but there have been some key points ignored as well.
Do you think supporters of the Storm, the Broncos, the Sharks, the Cowboys or even the Bulldogs think their teams have been playing boring football?
The Storm has reinvented the way they play their football. A few years ago there was no way that a team would be silly enough to get in an arm wrestle with the Storm, as they would suffocate the life out of you and wait for you to make the mistake before pouncing.
This was achieved through frustrating defence involving wrestling tactics aimed at slowing down the ruck.
Coaches of the other 15 clubs realised that they had to fight fire with fire so a similar approach was adopted. Manly overtook the Storm in this department. As clubs began to nullify these tactics, and with the Storm losing key players, coach Bellamy had to reinvent the way they played their football.
On the back of last year the Storm have taken their play to another level through attacking set plays involving all players (not just the big three). The execution and timing they display in games is only achieved through repetition and persistence on the training paddock.
The Broncos have one of the youngest squads in the NRL and yet their consistency and enthusiasm is only matched by the Storm. This year has seen the emergence of Corey Norman, who isn’t afraid to take the line on, and Peter Wallace, who is relishing being the head chief in a team minus a future immortal.
The Broncos are now reaping the benefits of the time and effort they put into the majority of young players who were earmarked to be key figures in their first-grade squad. Coach Griffin is playing to his side’s strengths in young, strong and skilful backrowers who aren’t afraid to try things in games in order to get results.
The Sharks have finally found the consistency required to be a force in this competition on the back of their inspirational captain Paul Gallen.
With a tough forward pack and skilful five-eight, the Sharks are no longer the team capable of causing an upset on their day, but the team expected to win the majority of their contests.
This has been achieved through coach Flanagan playing to his strengths on the edges and not mimicking a game plan expected of a team without the big names.
They have threats on either side of the field and keep sides guessing about what plays they will conjure up.
The Cowboys have attacking brilliance in the form of Thurston and Bowen, however in previous years sides knew that wherever these two were, chances were the ball would be coming as well.
This year coach Henry has devised a plan to take pressure off Thurston by allocating more responsibility to Ray Thompson. Thurston still is their general, but giving Thompson more responsibility has enabled the team to get some unpredictability back in their attack and keep defences honest.
The Bulldogs have been the surprise packets this year and this can largely be contributed to the signing of coach Des Hasler. A side that doesn’t boast the big names of other clubs, they rely on forwards that tip the ball on in order to get across the advantage line.
The Round 7 game against the Storm was one of the best attacking and defensive games of the season and yet the score line read 12-6. It was a tough game that had all the elements that prove why people fell in love with league and will continue to do so in future.
The Bulldogs peppered the Storm line for 40 minutes in the second half but the Storm defence held, creating numerous edge-of-the-seat moments for fans to enjoy.
The common denominator among all these sides is that they all have positive point differentials. They have all found a way to consistently score points against sides focused on defending their way to victory.
These are the sides that are playing to their strengths and keeping flexibility in their attacks so that they can adjust to the different challenges each new side they come up against throws at them.
These are the sides that understand that you need to beat your opponent, not just stop them. These are also the sides that it can be argued worked hardest in the offseason to perfect their games in order to get those positive results.
Do you think coach Bennett and former coach Fulton would have complained about the game being boring if Newcastle and Manly were sitting higher up on the ladder?
Boomshanka
Guest
Round 15 the Storm play Manly in Sydney. Considering we have an inform Melbourne team playing last years premiers in a game that last year was explosive to say the least and Channel Nine have gone and picked St George vs Bulldogs Brisbane vs Cowboys. With rugby league now being shown across the country (including bolshevik Melbourne) they obviously don't understand the game nor the value of the rights they hold. Nine don't deserve to have any further part in the game.
bbt
Guest
Spot on!!! Channel 9 are a disgrace.
yewonk
Guest
no free to air cronulla or melbourne games to teams playing relly well also adds to the appearance of boring football games.
warren
Guest
I agree in general in this article but on the weekend's City v Country game I saw a much different game. Whether it was to do with the limited coaching or not but the game was faster there did not seem to be as many wrestling matches. Maybe the refs got onto this a bit earlier or had a talk to both coaches before the game who knows. I was for one pleasently surprised by the great standard of this match which was fast and had some great tries in it. Not sure what everyone else thinks
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Id like to see a reduction in the last tackle bombs to the wingers, Occasionaly u get a good catch but i find that in general boring.
Matt F
Roar Guru
As a Dogs fan I'd agree with that last statement as well. Well, apart from the result obviously!
Matt F
Roar Guru
Good points. Of course the fans of the teams at the top aren't complaining so much. They're winning! I'd much rather see my team win ugly than play a good style but lose. Certainly as a Dogs fan I'm quite happy so far! That doesn't mean that the style of game isn't quite average at present. There are still good games out here, but there do appear to be quite a lot of average/ugly ones as well. More then usual at least.
bbt
Guest
Great article in this morning's Sydney Morning Herald by Roy Masters that addresses the same issue . BTW - I am a Storm fan and agree that the Bulldogs vs Storm game was one of the best for a long time. Real white knuckle stuff.
Will Sinclair
Guest
Lovely post, Eagle Jack. "Why people can’t put club ties behind them and simply listen to two very well informed and respected men of the game in Bennett and Fulton is beyond me. The game is in a dire state. Fact. I know that. You deep down know that. And Fulton, Bennett and a host of others know that." Hit. Nail. Head. Well done.
Sammy
Guest
That is true, losers whinge and in this case it is most definately correct. But most of the footy has been dire. The biggest issue is that every team basically plays the same because there is really only one way to play the game. The penalty for dropping the ball early in the tackle count is so harsh that conservatism rules
eagleJack
Guest
Djcooper, while I appreciate what you are saying, and you have analysed the teams mentioned well, it still doesn't hide the fact that the quality of the games this year have been average. The game is more robotic than ever. We have simplified a simple game to breaking point. Win the ruck and you win the game. And the players have been simplified. We couldn't possibly put a left centre on the right edge. Paul Gallen has said his game is simpler now as he only has to look after the middle 3rd of the ground. Of the 56 games played this year I'd say only a half dozen have reached any sort of potential. And Im not a fan of the argument that the team's complaining are doing so because of their place on the ladder. Manly are in 8th (with a positive points differential). Bulldogs are 2 points higher in 5th. Manly have had a shocking start to the year but aren't far behind one of the teams that supposedly worked "harder" in the off-season. Why people can't put club ties behind them and simply listen to two very well informed and respected men of the game in Bennett and Fulton is beyond me. The game is in a dire state. Fact. I know that. You deep down know that. And Fulton, Bennett and a host of others know that.