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Paul Green has shown he knows what he’s doing.
His coaching years in succession Wynnum Manly premiers, Roosters assistant premiers, Cowboys prelims, Cowboys premiers, Cowboys semis then another grand final. He stuck with what was familiar is 2018 and they rarely played to potential.
I blame this mainly on him not realising the present shortcomings in his current squad. His resistance to deviate from a proven and successful formula despite all evidence indicating it was a lost cause worries me greatly.
The Cowboys have lost more topline talent from the ’20s and he has to acknowledge and change this before a Hasler-like quirk becomes the norm. Kalyn Ponga is a glaring loss but J Manu and (the biggest loss in my opinion) B Smith are just the top of the iceberg.
The Cowboys 2017 grand final has clouded his judgement and held him back from making shrewder selections calls. It was a brilliant team effort but LoLo and Michael Morgan carried the bulk of the side as JT and Scott had done in the past.
I think the world of Te Maire Martin but Jake Clifford is the best young half I’ve seen in a long time. He clearly has the cool head of a mature player but lacks subtlety as his ball playing can be robotic. Ash Taylor has all the skills but seems to take the wrong option and stifle play too regularly.
Both are exceptional but I feel Clifford dictates play to a defensive line so naturally. It’s a skill that’s rarely spoken about and difficult to learn let alone master. Players run off him with such ease which coaches drill into halves through structure. He falls in and out of structure effortlessly without the attack looking awkward, easy to say rare to see.
People regularly talk up young halves with Luke Brooks, Mitchell Moses, Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford all proving to be top line players but won’t threaten legend status. Ponga has already shown he doesn’t just belong in first grade he’s going to dominate. B Smith also looks like he’s playing a different game to others at times and Clifford is the same breed. For the Cowboys to lose three players of this calibre by not giving them a chance isn’t good enough. Half a coaches job is building the best squad and Green isn’t doing that.
T Martin played a pivotal part in the three-game finals streak but a full season of coaches scrutinising his play is a much tougher challenge. So Green can play it safe, or bank on building a dynasty. I can’t see a JT hangover because across the park the Cowboys are a far superior team.
Bringing in Jordan Mclean and Nene MacDonald shows Green knows what he’s doing and without the playmaking Ben Barba at the back Martin at 6 wasn’t a terrible move. With Jordan Kahu at the back having a pure ball playing half is crucial and he needs to show faith in the young bloke.
Martin as a utility/back up is a nice luxury to have but I feel if Green plays his cards right, NQ will be in the top four.
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