Unthreatening backs

H

hadds75

New member
Since Lawrence has been gone, for 4 weeks our outside backs have really offered absolutely nothing. There is absolutely nothing doing any time we go to them. Having Ayshford and Brown in the centres is as unpoitent as really any combination going around. Theres no footwork, no great pass from either of them, no speed and no razzle at all. The thing is I believe this was a story weve had for a while, just hidden by the fact Lawrence is so good.

For a while people have argued that Ayshford was up there with the best centres in the comp while others would disagree completely and thought our attack was too reliant on the Lawrence side. Ayshford is a good player but nothing more than a solid centre. Then throw in Beau Ryan on one wing who offers the same, and Moltzen whose just a support player and its a very unthreatening backline. Utai is exempt as he runs harder than anyone in the side.

Look at Brisbanes back five, or the Roosters back five who tore us up three weeks ago, or the Dragons back 5 who did the same in the semi final last year. These guys can start a set on the 10 metre line and within three tackles they have there side up to at least the 40 if not the halfway. Guys like Brown, Moltzen, Ayshford etc might not be slow but theres also match speed and ability to run hard and fast with the ball and we really lack that.

Any time the broncos outside backs had the ball I thought here we go. When our guys had the ball I never saw anything look like happening
 
Hodges didn't do a lot either. I think we are just crying out for someone to run straight and hard off our halves. Dwyer and Fulton both did it once in the second half and we almost cut them open.
 
agree. the loss of both lawrence and lote is becoming more evident each week. they are both rep quality players and it gives our left edge great strike power. whilst ayshford is coming along nicely he is still no lawrence!
 
Obviously we are misssing Lawrence and Tuquiri on our strong side . But our forwards are not getting in attacking possitions for them to cause any damage . And why aren't our forwards getting good field position Because our sub standard kicking game can't keep pressure on oppositions and they usually sitting on our tryline by tackle 5 and we are trying just to ruck it out of our own 20 most sets of 6 . still think we are better off getting Moltzen (who probably has longest kicking game ) to kick the ball dead and try to defend them from a controlled situation which we seem to cope with better .
 
@Balmain Bug said:
They are not coached well.
Click to expand...

Haha ^^

… Well injuries will do that to you fellas, Moltzen is a bit of a softy imo. Always looks like he's about to burst into tears. Not sure what is going on in his mind at the moment but he wow, he is a weak link. Didn't even attempt to jump for the bombs that lead to tries.
 
Brown for mine is not a centre. Beau would not make the wing in any good side. I haven't watched any reserve grade this year, do we have any good outside backs in that grade that should get a run?

Having watched the 20's a few times i think the winger Finau would do better than Ryan on the wing. For mine the stand out player every time I watch the 20's is Curtis Sironen, I think he is too young but I wonder if he has every played centre?

We really need Lote and Lawrence back ASAP.
 
Heres another question for you though. Even with Lawrence back in the side, is Ayshford really the guy for the other side of the field? I know It doesnt help he has Ryan outside of him (although hopefully with Tuquiri back we could safely say Utai would be the other winger)…

But even still even last year I think it was quite costly as if we wanted any big play in attack we had to go to the Lawrence side. I know alot of people have very high expectations and views of Ayshford (i think some of the rep football calls a bit far fetched), but even with that all our strike comes from the left side. A quality outside back is needed on the other side, i think more of a priority than a prop who we have one two many of. To know the real difference in the quality all you have to do is look at some of our slick backline movements where a prop takes it to the line, gives it to Marshall or Lui whose wrapping behind and a watch us spin it wide and see the difference between a high quality centre like Lawrence running onto it at pace and the difference between watching him to do it and say an Ayshford or a Brown.

Thats not to say Ayshford shouldnt find a spot somewhere in the side.
 
I am not convinced that Ayshford is a great centre. Defensively this year he has been good and that is a huge part of the game. The thing is we can't have a team full of great players. If he is a rock defensively than we have to run with him.

Ryan is close to being a first grader but those mistakes he can come up with kill us.
 
The biggest problem is sheens chopping and changing.

Ayshford has played in first grade for 2 years as a right center. We lose our best back in our left center and instead of putting a new center there he disrupts 2 positions and moves Blake to the left. Playing left and right is completely different. You tackle with a different shoulder, you step off a different foot, you hold the ball in another hand, palm with another had etc. I was never an ayshford fan early but at the end of last year he started to become a very good center.

Now to compumd matters sheena has moved Utai, who had played right wing his WHOLE career to the left. This is obviously so beau can play right wing and lote can slot back into the left when he gets back. HOWEVER it's obvious to eveyone that Ryan is a reserve grader and when we are fully fit Utai and brown are a million times better options then him.

Then there is of course the moltzen to fullback debacle which we don't need to go into in this thread aswell.

Our injuries are bad enough however the coach is compounding them with his ridiculous moving people around for the sake of it. Most teams get an injury, bring a bloke ip to replace him. We lose a fullback and sheens picks a halfback, then moves a center, moves a winger, picks a secondrower, moves a hooker etc etc
 
Also as was said it's really high lighted lawrences worth to the team. IMO he is the most complete center in the competition. Outside of farah and benji he is the most important player in our team.

Nearly every set move we have results in Lawrence either scoring or setting up lote to score. The flat hole running that Lawrence does is bloody hard to do. You have to be big, strong, fast and ready to put your body on the line. Alot of the time you will get smashed and you have to be prepared for it. There are probably half a dozen current centers or so that do it well. Lawrences advantage is that he also has enough skill to set up his winger for a try.
 
mind you, but from what our forwards offered last night you can add unthreatening forwards which gives you an unthreatening team
 
well mr magpiecol who would you pick? Nothing wrong with Ayshford and as for Ryan it is his first game back this year, maybe you need to wake up?
 
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