Yesterday, TIGER penned an article that described an interesting passage of play involving Latrell Mitchell as an attacker being tackled by James Tedesco.
After reading it I was motivated to write my own scenario. I admit that I’m a sceptic and a critical observer by nature, so you’ll understand the detail and tone of my game description is somewhat different.
With apologies to TIGER, I will take up his 2020 fantasy game when Mitchell is tackled by Tedesco.
Mitchell stands like a young colossus in the tackle with Tedesco gamely holding on, Isaac Liu and now Jared Waerea-Hargreaves come to his assistance and they’re all over him, finally wrestling him to the ground.
Foghorn Ben Cummins yells ‘Held! Held! Held!’ and Waerea-Hargreaves, suddenly suffering from old age, gets off with all the speed of a geriatric, then Liu decides it’s his turn and pretends to fall forward, taking a little longer than necessary to get away.
Now Tedesco, crawling over Mitchell, looks around to see if his defensive line is in place. Meanwhile, Cummins doesn’t blow the whistle because a try is very likely in the next few tackles and he was pilloried in the press for too many penalties last game.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
So he tells Tedesco to get away, satisfied that he has at least appeared to have asserted his authority. All this time the Souths fans have been screaming for the defenders to get off their new hero, asserting that the Roosters have been holding on all game and the ref hasn’t done jack about it, calling out things like “I know you don’t mean to, but please don’t take quite that long to get away from the tackled player” or words to that effect.
Tedesco, now satisfied that he won’t get penalised, takes a last furtive glance around. Everything is honky dory and he gets off Mitchell with all the innocence of a newborn, but not forgetting to leave his hand on the ball.
After interfering in the play the ball, Tedesco raises both arms in the air, hoping this will prove to everyone that he was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, back with the ball carrier, Mitchell doesn’t want to get pinged for trying to play the ball too quickly and mucking it up, so he just tells Tedesco to get lost and waits for the defensive triumvirate to get away in their own good time.
He secures the ball carefully just before he starts the play the ball, knowing that his old mate Tedesco will have his hand on it and if he drops the ball, he’ll probably get pinged, rather than Tedesco.
Everyone knows that you have to hold onto the ball strongly enough as you play it so that the interfering hand in the ruck doesn’t bring you undone. Also, the refs don’t police interference unless it’s so obvious that blind Freddy sitting at the back of the grandstand could spot it in a heavy fog.
Mitchell plays the ball. The well-coached professionals have finished stuffing the game.
Now, as the game continues, we can hope for some of that awesome brilliance, attacking or defensive, that we’ve come to watch.
Rob
Guest
Actually you touched on a rule breach that Ryan and the bulldogs perfected to limit their opponents attacking ability. It’s a tactic that predates the gang tackle and the now evolution of holding players up and slowly wrestling them to the ground deliberately hindering momentum. If the dogs were penalised for hindering support players behind the man carrying the ball similar to blocking players do in kicks the umbrella defence would never have become acceptable? Basically if you make contact with a support player without the ball it’s illegal?
mushi
Roar Guru
Never realised I was prominent? But what other game has people making up a scenario and then whingeing about it.. and then blaming other people.
Zak
Roar Rookie
FootyFan, I’m a Raiders fan and I agree with your observations. Back in the 1980’s Wok Ryan started the gang tackle with Canterbury in 1984 where the Bulldogs tacklers took an age to “peel” off the tackle like you peel the layers off an onion
Rob
Guest
From what i’ve witnessed over the years plenty of players from all clubs have taken advantage of not so sportman like techniques to win the tackle. When you say getting numbers in the tackle (gang style) is acceptable you are actually admitting manipulation of a one armed attacker into a position of submission by several defenders? For mine it’s always been dangerous to the man carrying the ball. Some of the worst exponents of second man reckless endangerment have been Andrew Farrar( Head slam) Beau Scott ( everything), Cayless, Prior (prowling) T. Williams (Spear) who have all made Rep teams on tough bully reputations? The crocodile roll to tear Bowen’s ankle and knee ligaments by Matai, the wish bone by Tigers on Luke O’Donnell and last year Fainu (Manly) on Jordan McLean.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
In the two games the Sea Eagles played against Souths in 2019 they held the Rabbitohs players down, held their legs during their attempts to gain their feet and had their hand on the ball right up until the play the ball. It might be just me but some would say there was a clear pattern there. Still others might call that pareidolia. ;-)
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
You are showing your feathers and true tri-colours now Footy Fan. I guess my suspicions have been confirmed.
Coastyboi
Guest
The Morris Twins?
Pickett
Roar Rookie
RowdE, Your new name is 'Son of Papi'. Or should that be 'Lil' Pap'?
Footy Fan
Guest
No. Dominating the tackle with energetic defenders is not just legal, it's the agreed objective of defence. The ref grants time advantage to defence as a result. Holding down with twists, pulls and falls after 'held' is illegal as are wrestling holds. The chooks pioneered the first of these under Sticky (energetic defence in numbers), but didnt do the latter two that as a rule. And certainly not wrestling - that was totally a Bellamy-ball innovation, with chicken-wings, grapple holdscand the rest. Cheers
Insider
Roar Rookie
I would agree with that statement, I’d also suggest that if your disciplined enough to turn for a honest 80mins against the Chooks you will trouble them, I’d also like to add it helps when you receive rub of the green, let’s face it you did get plenty of that, all things considered deserving Premiership
Footy Fan
Guest
The Chooks dont wrestle in tackles remotely like the Storm. And they certainly dont play-act the falling-over routine, go the leg pull, yada yada. Have you been following the game? Robbo has taken over entire press conferences on more than one occasion to describe how he hates that aspect of the game and will not stand his players illegally holding men down or playing the goat after the 'held' call.
TIGER
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the nod RowiE. Enjoyed your post.
TIGER
Roar Rookie
I know this is not an original thought, but thinking about the 'gang tackling' - 3 sometimes 4 in the wrestle - aspect of the game, leaving 9 or 10 defenders getting set, and considering the field is the original size, the advanced physical conditioning of the players and now add the interchange factor, what would having only 11 players create ? You do the maths. It might just solve a few problems.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
"We’re the worst fan base in sports" It's good to have a prominent Roosters supporter on record for the chooks with that comment. Cheers mushi. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
RowiE
Roar Rookie
Yes Nat, I think that coaches such as Bellamy, Bennett, Stewart, Hasler etc are not only very good tactically but they or whoever they employ are masters at first identifying ways to gain advantages. They don’t care if it stuffs the game for fans, which is the case for most of their defensive ideas.
Insider
Roar Rookie
Well after watching nearly 50 years of Rugby League I can’t honestly say the sports improved, not like the AFL has,
Rob
Guest
I think the author has pretty much pinned 2 of the League’s best slow the ball culprits. It’s been around since League started and if you ask Rabbits and Roosters supporters they are the ones that started the game. Actually Roosters were the major instigators and beneficiaries in the early 2000’s with gang tackle, turtle on the back followed by a slow choreographed release it was a feature off their success. I remember Phil Gould actually being concerned for Martin Lang’s safety because he ran so hard between defenders? Hard running at gaps was not something the upright grabbers (wrestling) teams could be effective against. Having unlimited interchange ( another Gould initiative) also ensured the defence sustained the wrestle numbers and limited the off loads which greatly effected the wrestlers tactics. The gang tackling was some what off set by a combination of limiting the interchange and those teams that choose to promote the football to edge players with speed and strength. The Storm perfected the wrestle but they also perfected smart ball distribution when required to score points on the edges with strong, fast finishers. I wish my team was as consistently efficient as the Storm in so many areas.
RowiE
Roar Rookie
Hi 3 Bags, I was just continuing TIGER’s story line. I am not anti anyone I just thought the idea was a good one. I was thinking of including a time warp fantasy game where Peter Stirling was dummy half and dived between Latrell’s legs to score. Would it be a 3 point or 4 point try? Too hard, so I deleted it. Sad. Thanks for the comment. RowiE
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
RowiE you basically described the Roosters 2018/2019 defensive pattern and a big reason why they won the #sixagain #Roosters trainer for MVP GF last year. Great job. Very insightful. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: #Make Rugby League Great Again
gaz
Guest
Is that you Rusty Not South's "Poor me Syndrome" again give it a rest thanks