M.B.88
NRL Captain
- Oct 23, 2013
- 3,502
- 3,070
Dont most centres that are in good bracket have good feetwork? Generally quick on their feet?
No.
Dont most centres that are in good bracket have good feetwork? Generally quick on their feet?
That video shows Reed has quite a range of skills but even more than that, as slow as he is, he is quite quick off the mark and over the first 10-20. It is just after that that he seems to hit walls. He has a great late offload and most importantly, he is incredibly aware, regularly pops up in the right place at the right team to help finish off those something out of nothing plays.
The other thing about that video shows just how good a winger Hoffman was and don't get me started on Jharal. :(
I wonder sometimes if Hoffman has the insight,or the odd regretful thought along the lines of `boy how much did I stuff up'? He could have had a settled position on the wing of a highly competitive team with the potential to go deep in the finals, and instead he is stuck on the Gold Coast where he is still not guaranteed to play fullback
And the high probability that he'd play games in the centres due to injury, Origin, etc. Which is where he'll be at the Tit's anyway, by the looks.I wonder sometimes if Hoffman has the insight,or the odd regretful thought along the lines of `boy how much did I stuff up'? He could have had a settled position on the wing of a highly competitive team with the potential to go deep in the finals, and instead he is stuck on the Gold Coast where he is still not guaranteed to play fullback
It comes down to which report you choose to believe.
Whether it was Hoffman being unable to fix his limitations by either improving or adjusting.
Or whether Hook told him one thing, then did another.
There were reports that Hoffman was assured he was going to be the #1 and the only reason he was shifted to the wing was due to the balance of the club. Then the club went and signed Barba which understandably ticked Hoffman off.
I also don't buy into the 5/8 move as a compromise to get Hoffman to stay. Until he did his knee, it was going to be Kahu's position but then what happened happened and Hook wanted to put his inexperienced halfback with a first grader. It was an indictment on the club that they were in that position to begin with, but there was little in the way of alternatives.
So none of that bothers me.
What does bother me about Hoffman is that he never came across as a team player. It's a shame because he could be absolutely incredible in defence and come up with huge plays in his own end of the field, but when the team was in the red-zone, Hoffman would revert to Hoggman (thank you Porthoz) and kill the play dead. His inability to identify and improve on that area of his game was the most frustrating part. In fact, watching some of his old 2010 footage, I believe he went backwards in 2012-15.
I agree with most of this.
If you believe Wallace (bolded part), Hook had form for doing exactly this which if true this could have impacted substantially on team harmony.
Also from the outside looking, I agree with the second bolded part.
DALE Copley has revealed he was left in shock by Brisbane’s decision to dump him.
And premiership coach Trent Robinson predicts the decision will come back to haunt the Broncos.
The Roosters boss says Copley will “show rugby league what he has got” and justify his club’s massive call to punt Test and NSW Origin centre Michael Jennings in favour of the Brisbane discard.
Speaking for the first time since his split with Brisbane, the Roosters recruit opened up about being tapped on the shoulder to make salary cap space for James Roberts.
“It all happened pretty quick. It was obviously a bit of a shock,’’ Copley said. “I didn’t see it coming.
“Obviously I have been pretty hampered with injuries. That is probably the main thing that has held me back.
“But I am looking at the next couple of years here as a real good opportunity.
“Hopefully my injuries have finished and I can really nail down a spot and play consistently.”
Copley was one of the most popular players at Brisbane.
Like Copley, Brisbane players were shocked when told he was leaving.
“It is very disappointing,” Broncos prop Josh McGuire told The Courier-Mail.
“I grew up with Dale. I went to school with him and played junior footy with him.
“He’s a great player already. He doesn’t need any making. I think he’s on the verge of Origin.
“I’m not looking forward to playing against him to be honest.”
It is a view shared by Robinson, who has such faith in Copley’s ability he was prepared to move on Jennings – one of the game’s fastest players who has premiership-winning and representative experience – to make room for a player who spent the bulk of 2015 playing for Brisbane Norths.
“He is a very good athlete. Dynamic, a powerful guy. Really physical,’’ Robinson said.
“The injuries have held him back quite a bit at Brisbane, that kept him in and out of the team.
“But Dale has been one of the bright up-and-coming centres for a couple of years now.
“Obviously it is time for him to own a position. He gets that chance here at the Roosters, to own that centre position and show rugby league what he has got.
“People have that (questions why the Roosters released Jennings to Parramatta to make room for Copley).
“But we are going to have to prove that Dale is the right centre for us.”
It was a roller-coaster ride through summer for Copley.
He was planning a breakout year under coach Wayne Bennett, having just returned from a Broncos-funded trip to Dallas to train under legendary sprint king Michael Johnson.
The landscape shifted under his feet when Dally M centre of the year Roberts walked out on the Titans over a contract-forgery drama.
The next surprise in this off-season of NRL musical chairs came when the Roosters decided to let Jennings move to Parramatta and offered Copley an unexpected lifeline.
“That’s the nature of the beast and James Roberts has come here and fitted in really well,” McGuire said.
“This is a professional sport and like any job, you are never 100 per cent secure.
“The way player movement is these days, you have to have a sense of urgency in case something comes up.
“You only have a small *window to make money so whether it is in the player’s or club’s best interests, it is part of the game.”
Its a shame we had to let him go but hes shocked? When your company hires someone to do your job and who is better at your job than you, can you really be shocked they let you go?
Pretty sure they can't actually do that... :wink:Its a shame we had to let him go but hes shocked? When your company hires someone to do your job and who is better at your job than you, can you really be shocked they let you go?
Its a shame we had to let him go but hes shocked? When your company hires someone to do your job and who is better at your job than you, can you really be shocked they let you go?