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Hodges should play five-eighth for the Broncos

Roar Rookie
17th May, 2014
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Justin Hodges is free to play, an that's good for the game. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)
Roar Rookie
17th May, 2014
13
1017 Reads

Anthony Griffin’s experiment as Josh Hoffman at five-eighth for the Broncos appears to have run its course, without really getting anywhere.

The problem stems from the Broncos signing Ben Barba when they already had a better-than-average fullback in Hoffman, but that’s a story for another day.

Griffin knew all along that he would be starting 2014 with Barba as fullback, but certainly didn’t want to cut Hoffman from the team altogether, so tossed him into the halves.

At the time it wasn’t a bad decision; Hoffman is a class act who has earned his keep in first grade ever since his debut, and it was only human to assume he could cover the now-departed Corey Norman.

But if there’s one thing Ricky Stuart has done right in the last 10 years, it’s been canning his own five-eighth experiment as he removed Jack Wighton from the 6 jersey and sent him out to the centres again. Anthony Griffin should now do the same and relocate Hoffman anywhere in the three-quarter section of the team.

So who then moves into the number 6 role? Who sits outside halfback Ben Hunt to create that crucial link from centre field to the outside backs?

Justin Hodges is the man for the job.

Watching Hodges on Friday night against the Titans all but confirmed previous suspicions I had that he would be good enough to act as a playmaker on the edges.

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Just look at the Broncos’ first try, which Hodges set up for Dale Copley, and tell me it didn’t remind you of Darren Lockyer in the last few years of his career. The way he casually held the ball up long enough to keep the defenders’ eyes on him before delivering a perfectly timed pass to put Copley in the corner for four points would have earned him Lockyer’s nod of approval, along with Wally Lewis’ uncontrolled cheers across the Channel Nine microphones.

Hodges isn’t getting any younger and has been victim of some serious injuries, which have taken a slight edge off his overall speed. But he still has that uncanny ability to play the game at his own speed with the ball in hand, making everything around him appear to be in slow motion.

It’s exactly the kind of cool, calm attitude a team needs from a second receiver and a trait that former great five-eighths of the game possessed.

Even at the end of their careers, it didn’t matter to the likes of Cliff Lyons, Darren Lockyer and Jason Smith if the fastest or strongest players stood in front of them, they would simply go about their business with a nonchalant demeanour. You were almost certain Lyons or Smith were about to casually light a smoke, have a puff and stamp it out before throwing the next pass.

I can certainly see Hodges taking up that role in the Broncos backline; taking the ball right up to the defence each time before drawing multiple defenders and throwing a hard, flat ball to an outside man waiting to dive over in the corner, just like Lockyer used to.

Surely he couldn’t be worse than Hoffman?

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