FaithinHook
NRL Player
- Jun 4, 2013
- 1,994
- 2,052
The first player I'd be sorting out if I were Bennet would be Martin Kennedy.
It's clear he can be a weapon. He's the biggest prop in the game and should be bending the line on every run. His issue is all mental, and this is exactly where wayne excels to earn the label of " greatest coach the game has ever seen ".
First thing I'd do, is have a conversation with him. Heart to heart, become a trusted father figure, pin point exactly what it is in his mind causing his insecurities and unlock what's holding him back. . Could be the pressure of a big contact, the pressure of a club like the broncos, or it could have stemmed from the inherent pressure that the club was under last year in general after their "worst season ever" as it was labeled in the news. Or, its a combination of them all.
I'd start by pulling him away from the group, get him in before the rest of the team start their pre-season and get him boxing. Train him with vigorous discipline. Boxing is one of the best mediums for improving mental and physical discipline, and it's what he needs to master. It will harden his body to take stronger hits. Because we all know his problem is hutting the line hard, so stripping back whatever fear he has of doing that at the moment is the key. Boxing is a great place to start in the quest to focus his mind on his body as a whole, and to distract him from the team and club pressures.
I'd then have him running through mud and into through other natural forms which produce strong resistance like maybe the beach, doing a beap test through 450mil deep water or even taking hit ups into wind turbines. Get his legs to start working hard like a machanical beings that can subconciously fight against the resistance of deeper water, which in turn would make them harder to stop in a tackle.
Even doing yoga might help. Moderate his breathing and mental state.
All in all, just keep him away from other players for a while to focus on him. Make him feel confident in himself again. Transform his mentality into being an alpha. We need him ****y. We need him running out onto the paddock determined to prove he's the biggest and strongest no matter what! To defend his honor and reputation. Turn him into a warea-hargraves who will always dominate a field and prove he's the bigger and better man.
Just close your eyes and picture it........................ martin kennedy, walking down the tunnell at suncorp Stadium, 10 on his back, ready to go out and inforce pure energy and strength. The ultimate brute. Hercules.... The look of sheer focus in his eyes. The jersy is his life force, and he will defend it.. He's a bronco.. And no one will ever ride him
Exceptional posting and insights Marty! The amount of football knowledge at BHQ is a wonderful resource for 'laymen' like myself and it's a real credit to subscribers such as yourself that you are willing to share your thoughts on topics such as this.
Again, congratulations on such a thought provoking and articulate post. Hope you stay around for many seasons to come.