"Hoffy isn't the guy for Fullback" - Hodges

[kingpest]

Stephen Kearney has picked Locke at fullback and left Hoffman out for their quarter finals clash with Scotland

 

[rhino]

Stephen Kearney has picked Locke at fullback and left Hoffman out for their quarter finals clash with Scotland

Good he form warranted to be dropped. RTS should of got the spot over both Locke and Hoffy. Hopefully Hoffy is learning he isn't a fullback.

 

[broncos4life]

Stephen Kearney has picked Locke at fullback and left Hoffman out for their quarter finals clash with Scotland

Witt Locke and RTS there now, barring injury, hoffy will have played his last game at fullback for NZ in my opinion. Hopefully this makes him realise FB isn't his position but he has the chance to be one of the best wingers or centres in the comp

 

[morethanjack]

Stephen Kearney has picked Locke at fullback and left Hoffman out for their quarter finals clash with Scotland

It would have been funny if he moved him to wing.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Not too unexpected. His performance last week was very average.

 

[Old Mate]

I think it's always the same story tho. They are "dieing to just be in the team" and "whatever is best for the team", then they get past that and then they are like I wanna play my preferred position. We have seen it with plenty before.
kemp, Beale both did it and neither will be fullbacks at there club now, kemp got shopped around and is now back struggling to even get a run after being our leading try scorer that last year before he let, has done nothing but be a back up reserve grader at 3 clubs since.
I'd say Beale is heading downt he same path.
Hoffman and barba are very good mates so I doubt he is as cut up as the media is making it seem.
i think he is a good bloke and a team player whom will fit in to our team wherever he is needed.
Of course he wants fullback but if he competes for it but doesn't get it I'm sure he will be happy contributing on the wing.

Kemp was never cut up about playing on the wing, he wanted to stay at the Broncos but was shopped around due to salary cup pressure if I remember right.

 

[broncos4life]

It would have been funny if he moved him to wing.

Funnier if the kept him at fullback but got RTS to take over once they got past the 50

 

[schmix]

I remember when the Broncos were absolutely flush with world class wingers for about a decade - Carne, Hancock, Sailor, Tuqiri, to name a few.

Was I too young at the time to notice, or was there no talk of any of these guys wanting to play in another position? As far as I can remember, a winger in the 90s and early 00s (and probably earlier) was happy to be a winger. Now it's a position in which players seem to be happy to bide their time for a few years before moving into a "real" position like centre, full back or second row.

How did this happen? I feel like the position is considered the lowest of the low in the rugby league world - "you don't need to be tough or skillful, you just need to be able to catch a ball and put it down". No wonder guys like Hoffman want out. The bloke is a true winger, but if that means being looked down upon by everyone else in league, I'd deny it too.

 

[Old Mate]

Wingers never seem to get the same pays as other positions also.

 

[Nashy]

So the "He's the NZ fullback" excuse is up the creek.

 

[Mt Smart]

NZ's structures look better with Hoffman at Fb.

Locke and Johnson are too loose for an International spine paring imo.

Hoffman has an injured shoulder , I would be surprised after all of the game time the Kwis invested in him at Fb if they were to leave him out when fully fit.

I realise people are glad Hoffmans not Fb on the basis of the ramifications for the Broncos make up. But the NZ spine has flourished during the spells Hoffman has played ( even if his own lack of passing has let him down , his running and support play , catching kicks has been far superior to a very poor Kevin Locke ).

Yep they should have given RTS one run at FB to know what they are passing over . Too late for that now , they've made their beds and will have to lie in them.

Too much pressure for young RTS to be thrust into FB in do or die games.

Hoffman aside , Kearney and his team have really lacked imagination when it comes to picking people as depth cover / utility players.

A run at Fb for Nightingale would have made sense early in the tournament after Lockes Horror showing V the C.I. before the tournament proper even started.

Elijah Taylor and his no look...no catch passes should never be let anywhere near the Dummy half.

I'd rather they played Williams at six if Luke went down and shift Foran to hooker....he has all the attributes of a potential gun hooker.....tackles no problem , runs at the line no problem , Kicking game no problem , Generalship......

 

[broncos4life]

I remember when the Broncos were absolutely flush with world class wingers for about a decade - Carne, Hancock, Sailor, Tuqiri, to name a few.

Was I too young at the time to notice, or was there no talk of any of these guys wanting to play in another position? As far as I can remember, a winger in the 90s and early 00s (and probably earlier) was happy to be a winger. Now it's a position in which players seem to be happy to bide their time for a few years before moving into a "real" position like centre, full back or second row.

How did this happen? I feel like the position is considered the lowest of the low in the rugby league world - "you don't need to be tough or skillful, you just need to be able to catch a ball and put it down". No wonder guys like Hoffman want out. The bloke is a true winger, but if that means being looked down upon by everyone else in league, I'd deny it too.

It's odd isn't it. The thing I find very odd is that in eras where people were happy to be a winger, the game was at the stage where for the most part you were just a catch and run type player.

These days wingers are such an important part of the team. They are heavily involved in bringing the ball back, achieving amazing things with a small amount of space and their ability to finish is usually the difference between a team winning and losing, especially tight games. I mean I can't think of a premiership winning teams that have shit wingers.

It's so odd that now wingers are such an important part if the team no one wants to be one

 

[IBA]

NZ's structures look better with Hoffman at Fb.

...

But the NZ spine has flourished during the spells Hoffman has played ( even if his own lack of passing has let him down , his running and support play , catching kicks has been far superior to a very poor Kevin Locke ).

I disagree with the structure bit of this. His defensive work has been great but I thought he looked out of place chiming into the backline and was massively absent in support play.

In that PNG game, NZ must have made 30 offloads, Hoffman should have seen this and been flying up outside SBW every time he took a hitup. He offloaded nearly every time and the team was begging for a fullback to popup on on these kinds of plays. He wasn't there once and it really highlighted his lack of vision. Fantastic ball runner/finisher, great cleaning up kicks and returning but no vision. Sounds like a winger to me...

I don't want to bash him, but he just doesn't have the skill set for that position and I really hope he doesn't let his head get in the way of being a very important member of our team in his best position

 

[noisetheory]

wingers make or break teams these days, the way defense has developed to such a high standard. think of how many bombed tries maranta made in 2013 (and look, i dont mean to pick on the guy).

 

[Painin the Haas]

wingers make or break teams these days, the way defense has developed to such a high standard. think of how many bombed tries maranta made in 2013 (and look, i dont mean to pick on the guy).

Any other winger would score those tries they were handed to him on a platter and still he didn't get over. Only tries he scored is when the defence ended two players in field

 

[Morkel]

It's odd isn't it. The thing I find very odd is that in eras where people were happy to be a winger, the game was at the stage where for the most part you were just a catch and run type player.

These days wingers are such an important part of the team. They are heavily involved in bringing the ball back, achieving amazing things with a small amount of space and their ability to finish is usually the difference between a team winning and losing, especially tight games. I mean I can't think of a premiership winning teams that have shit wingers.

It's so odd that now wingers are such an important part if the team no one wants to be one

I'll chime in on this too. I remember back when I played (using the term loosely), it was forwards, and more notably props, that were considered dime-a-dozen meatheads who had a physically tough yet boringly simple job. Catch ball, run, fall, play ball. If you had any skill you hated to be stuck in such a limited role. I used to play mostly centre because I could put my winger away pretty well, but the few games that I did play wing it was like freedom. You just owned that sideline, used it to throw your opposite over in defence. With the ball you threaded it or used footwork to the same effect as you'd throw a dummy. And that's not even including when you actually scored.

 

[Syklone]

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs pounce on unhappy Brisbane fullback Josh Hoffman
Phil Rothfield
The Daily Telegraph
November 20, 2013 12:00AM

Ben Barba and Josh Hoffman. . The Brisbane Broncos vs the Canterbury Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Pic Peter Wallis
THE Bulldogs are preparing to pounce on disgruntled Broncos fullback Josh Hoffman as payback for stealing their Dally M superstar Ben Barba.

Bulldogs coach Des Hasler is aware the Kiwi World Cup star is unhappy in Brisbane and is working feverishly behind the scenes to get him to Belmore.

Canterbury has four players in the New Zealand tour party - Sam Kasiano, Frank Pritchard, Krisnan Inu and Greg Eastwood - who are quietly encouraging the blockbusting fullback to move to Sydney.

Hoffman has been out of sorts since Barba signed at the Broncos amid speculation he would be shunted to the wing.

"We're aware of Canterbury's interest," said one senior Broncos official.

"They're all over him.

"When you're on tour in another country for so long you build a bond with your team mates and the Canterbury boys have been working on him.


"But at this stage we don't want to release him."


Broncos Training at Red Hill. Justin Hoffman. Pic Mark Calleja
Still, the Broncos based their entire campaign to sign Barba on the fact he was unhappy in Sydney and wanted out from Canterbury.

It would be hard for them to stand in the way of one of their own players who clearly doesn't want to be there, just like Barba at the Bulldogs.

Since the end of the season, the Dogs have tried but failed to lure Parramatta's Jarryd Hayne and William Hopoate to Belmore to replace Barba.

They even went big-time for Wallaby star Israel Folau who eventually decided to stay with the Waratahs.

When those negotiations fell over, Hasler turned his attention to the blockbusting Broncos player.

Working in Canterbury's favour is the fact the Broncos need to free up cash to finalise their record bid for Australia's Test captain Cameron Smith.

Paying Hoffman $400,000-a-season to play on the wing is seen as too much money spread across the salary cap.


Josh Hoffman after Brisbane's loss during the round 24 rugby league game between Penrith and Brisbane at Centrebet Stadium in Penrith, Sydney.
Aside from the Bulldogs, other NRL clubs are aware of Hoffman's situation and have spoken to his agent in recent weeks.

However they don't have as much money as Canterbury have to play with under the salary cap.

Before Barba signed in Brisbane, 25-year-old Hoffman was just beginning talks with the Broncos about extending his contract.

But he has made it clear he wants to wear the No 1 jersey.

Barba can play in the halves but has made his home at fullback in recent seasons from where he became the 2012 Dally M champion.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs pounce on unhappy Brisbane fullback Josh Hoffman | News.com.au

 

[Broncoman]

I feel that Hoffman will take any chance to leave and play his 2nd best position at another club but don't come out crying if he flops. It's his career choice nobody forced him to go.