Smokin' Joe
QCup Player
- Dec 11, 2013
- 789
- 3,484
See people often make the mistake that lock and prop are interchangeable since they both play in the middle third of the field. Now, here's the distinction, you can make it interchangeable ONLY if the game allows you to. For the sake of mobility, it is possible to discard having big props, instead replacing them with much more mobile and agile lock forwards. We have tried that in recent years, however the current state of the NRL does not permit that, especially when the rest of the teams in the NRL have giant forward packs. Mobility counts for nothing if your up against monsters who can roll straight through your middle third. Now if a few rules in the NRL were tweaked, for example: less interchanges, less wrestle, etc than mobility would become more of a necessary attribute for winning matches as opposed to just pure size. Either way, the NRL has always had a place for big props. They are a necessity in game of rugby league, both in the past, as well as today. Thus, to achieve the best of both worlds, especially in the current game, big props are required as well as mobile back rowers and locks. It is too hard to compete with the other teams otherwise... Every successful team has had big prop forwards.
Great post. Nailed it.