The performance of Dearden puts less pressure on the next 6 that comes in.
He carried the team last night... and he was a focal point for attack in game 2... on top of when he came in for his debut which was a decider at the last minute.
With Dearden showing his kicking game last night, and Ezra improving his kicking (based on the dogs game) I think a combo of 6. Ezra 7. Dearden really compliments each other.
Ezra has been great this year when Reynolds just gives him early ball... Dearden is improving as a first receiver at an insane rate.
Walker loves getting his hands on the ball and throwing a thousand shots... that could lead to overshadowing Dearden, which he can probably handle, but Dearden is showing that he can be the man in this qld team so Walker could be too many cooks in the kitchen
Even in the dogs game Ezra showed a lot of leadership to basically put the team on his back and get us the win, because Reynolds and Cobbo were terrible.
You could see some evidence of that last year when Reynolds was out as well.
He was really frustrated when he couldn't get the ball, but I dont think he had the skills to put the team on his back last year... he's really levelled up this year and hopefully he continues on this current trajectory he's got
Agree with everything you say, my concern was a little more role-based. Ezra's greatest strength is support play and showing up all over the field and chasing everything to be right place, right time and create opportunities out of nothing... That's also probably the defining hallmark of Dearden's game.
If Mam and Dearden partnered in the halves, and Dearden was playing hands-on first receiver and calling the shots, he'd probably need to be a little more passive with his game - he couldn't be chasing everything like a little bull terrier on 4th tackle if he knew he had to be in place for the 5th tackle kick, he can't be drifting all over the field if he needs to be lurking next to the ruck to setup 1-wide to run an attacking play on the next quick PTB.
Munster was the 6 last night but he's very experienced, took on a lot of the kicking and organisation and was the unquestioned senior, controlling half. With Mam and Dearden it would look a little different and they'd probably need to find some balance to complement each other in service of shaping, controlling and executing the gameplan. Not saying it couldn't work, I'm sure it could, but it would require some adjustment in my opinion.
There's probably arguments for pairing a running half like Dearden / Mam with a more traditional 7 (maybe Walker) to allow the 6 to be free to roam everywhere while the 7 plays conductor. Might overshadow like you say, but might actually free Dearden up to play to his strengths.
1. Walsh
6. Dearden
7. Walker
9. Grant (One day hopefully Mozer if all goes well)
14. Mam
Could be a NSW nightmare.
Definitely agree that at the end of the day, both Mam and Dearden started their first grade careers really exclusively as secondary halves who played as true 6's, but both are maturing and finding their feet as more controlling halves who could be the shot-calling first receiver, or the complementary running pivot.
