I think you're right - it comes down to laziness and lack of urgency.Totally agree, he should never play in the backline in 1st grade. ever again. Why people think he is a winger or centre is beyond me.
He is everything you mentioned, slow, poor defence, prone to errors, looks lazy or not interested, all on display in the KOA game on the weekend!
The talent is there - he was just about our best player during the preseason, and even over the first 2-3 weeks he had built a case for his position in the team, but form dropped off the edge of a cliff. He didn't make any one position his own.
Then again, it didn't help that he had played second row, centre, winger, and utility in the space of as many weeks though either.