It's definitely the coaching. At no other team does every second hit-up turn out to be a run straight at the markers. Heighington and Fifita are becoming main culprits. It's good and all trying to get a quick play the ball, but when you run straight into the markers and make 3-4m only, the quick play the ball is nullified by the fact the defence hardly has to move back and can stay on the front rather than back foot. The sooner (if ever) Sheens cuts this out of the gameplan, the team will benefit greatly. It's all too common that as soon as we get a few good runs from Ellis, Galloway and Woods which make 8+m, a dud run from someone such as Heighington or Fulton ends up stunting the momentum and it allows the defence to regather.
In regards to Fifita solely, it really is a crying shame because Fifita has got all the talent to be a damaging prop/2nd rower. He's a tremendous athlete with great speed and strength, he's got the offload, he's got the fend but he's being used as a crash dummy into the markers. He's got to play out wider a bit (imo) and hit the line at speed and look for holes rather than players to run into. The way he's wasted now is terrible coach and whether it were a Tigers player or any other, it's just a disappointment that a lot of natural talent is being poorly used in that manner.
