This is my take. I'm no supercoach though - just looking at how I think the Bennetts, Clearys and Bellyache's of this world would do things.
Wayne Bennett is a master of managing his forward rotation; however, he has always had a wealth of depth in this area. I think May is the foundation of the pack do managing him is really about when it is best to get the minutes out of him. I personally think we are one quality prop short; but Benji is probably doing about as well has he can with the cattle we have. Mind you, this is just my opinion of how Wayno would go about setting up his roster and prop rotation. What I would give to sit down for a few hours with him to chat about footy!
Wayno’s approach to footy, from what I understand from a distance, is to simplify the roles of his players so that they do what they do well and can repeat it. We hear much the same of Bellyache and Cleary. Keep it simple, stupid!
Interestingly we have heard that we are simplifying our structures and game plans. So, from that perspective I think Benji is trying to develop himself, and the team, along similar lines. Benji needs to keep his props focused on core duties—line speed, dominant tackles, and hard carries.
When it comes to the game plan Wayno tends to manage his forward pack, as opposed to individual players, to:
- Establish a Power Start. He usually starts a dominant prop to set the tone physically (e.g., Shane Webcke, Sam Burgess). This is where we are short. We don’t have an impact prop to start. We are using Pole in this role but he isn’t the right style of player. This isn’t about footwork at the line or deft skills. This is one of the smash brothers. We could switch it up for Hunt but then we lose the ability to shift momentum if required later in the match. It is a balance and something I’m sure Benji struggles with – I certainly would. We are currently playing Pole to absorb the initial physical exchanges, making sure the we aren’t on the back foot early in attack; this is our biggest weakness in the forward pack. To offset this Benji is backing him up with Twal at lock – but he also doesn’t provide impact. Terrell’s first 20 is more about providing a solid platform to build into the game from.
- Stagger the forward rotations for maximum impact. This is a no brainer, but takes some skill. I think we probably have it about right at the moment. Terrell is the glue that allows us to maintain the go forward for long periods. As per the point above – Terrell really comes into his own after about 20 minutes; where his ball playing skills become more effective. How Terrell is used is linked more to the next point.
- Pair him with a mobile lock/fullback. As a big minute prop we need to take advantage of what he brings from around the 20 minute mark but also provide him support throughout the game. Bennett often pairs big-minute props with a lock who can cover defensively and link in attack (e.g., Cameron Murray at Souths). Benji is using Twal as his defensive support in the first 20 and then Bird – I think this is a good strategy, although stifles our attacking opportunities up the middle in the first 15 or so minutes. The other pairing we need to look at is having Bula sniffing around the ruck and pushing up in support to crack them wide open if the opportunity presents.
- One of Bennett’s keys is to have a momentum swinger. This is Hunt. I think this is the critical player to manage in our current forward roster. Pole may develop into a similar player but he certainly isn’t there yet. Alternatively, we could start him to get that power start, my issue with this is that he is against fresh legs and won’t be as effective.
- The final thing I take out of Bennetts play book is that he plays the long game. He manages his props across the season, ensuring they peak at the right time rather than burning out. I think this is something we need to be mindful of. We need Terrell May to be firing come September (touch wood). He seems to have the ability to go the distance – but we can’t afford him to burn out too early in the season.
I think Benji is doing a pretty good job with what we have at the moment. We have three roster spots available – one of them should be earmarked for an edge, one for a centre and one for a starting prop so we can make better use of Pole’s ability. NAS on a one year deal maybe?
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