Good rest puts Gillett on the defensive

[Super Freak]

THE Maroons hitman is back. Matt Gillett has got the sting back in his hard-hitting shoulders and is ready to make amends for his Origin I disappointment.

Queensland’s defensive specialist was below his best in Game One, missing six tackles as the Maroons struggled to contain a rampaging Andrew Fifita.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett sensed his Test forward was feeling the pinch of a gruelling season and ordered him to rest.

Gillett bounced back with a bruising 44-tackle effort against the Rabbitohs last week and will be Queensland’s new forwards leader after coach Kevin Walters wielded the selection axe.

Gillett has set his sights on stiffening up Queensland’s leaky defence in Game Two on Wednesday and the Maroons need him to be at his brutal best.

“As a whole team we weren’t happy and I personally wasn’t happy with some of the things I could have done better (in Game One),” Gillett told The Courier Mail.

“Once I get my defence right stuff flows off the back of it. Hopefully I can nail that to start the game with and the rest will flow.

“Our defence has to be key. Hopefully we do enough to slow down their big forwards that we struggled with at the start of the game last time and they got that roll on.”

Gillett, 28, is now the senior figure in Queensland’s new-look pack following the axing of veterans Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday and Jacob Lillyman.

He will make his 17th Origin appearance at ANZ Stadium in a team that will comprise forward debutants Jarrod Wallace, Coen Hess and Tim Glasby along with one-gamer Gavin Cooper.

Only hooker Cameron Smith (40) has played more Origins in the Maroons forward pack.

During his 166-game NRL career Gillett has evolved into one of the game’s most feared tacklers.

There are few better tryline defenders in the NRL, but he is surprisingly ranked third in the league for the most missed tackles (45) this season.

When you average 36 tackles a game you are bound to miss some and Gillett said most of those were when he was trying to make an impact.

“Sometimes I shoot out of the line and get run over and miss a tackle,” Gillett said.

“Hopefully the tackles I have missed aren’t causing us too much dramas whether it’s for Queensland or at the Broncos.

“I need to pick my times. You don’t want to be doing that but hopefully it’s not hurting us.”

Bennett sensed Gillett’s form was wavering in the week’s leading up to Origin I. He wanted to rest some of his stars following the Game One loss but they demanded to play.

Instead, the seven-time premiership coach gave Gillett time away from the training paddock and the Maroons are set to reap the rewards.

“It’s a lot of footy when you come into this time of year,” Gillett said. “You know you’re probably not going to be at your best but hopefully I can do my job and do enough to help out the team.

“We got a bit of a rest (last) week. I sat around at home and put the feet up. A break definitely does make you feel a lot better.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...t/news-story/85143cdfbd95e10e1022a6d0ec2a60c7

 

[Alec]

Feels like he's becoming more of a lock these days. Hits hard when they are running straight at him makes him more suited to the middle, doesn't run particularly good lines often, seems to gravitate towards the middle with his runs too.

 

[rnabokov]

In a way I'm a bit disappointed that the coaching focus with Gillett has been almost exclusively on his defence to it seems, the detriment of his undoubted ball playing and ball running skills. He can also run good lines if the structures are coached for that to happen and the halves set the plays, which is exactly what the Roosters do with Cordner, which is a lot of the reason Cordner runs great lines. Sure, there's the instincts which can't be coached but you can't run good lines without quality ball.

At least Gillett's happy with the defensive role, and I guess at the same time, KNik has given Gillett some good ball of late. If he played in the middle, he'd probably kill it, especially offloading, but I shudder to think of how many points our right hand side would leak. The left is bad enough

 

[Morkel]

Feels like he's becoming more of a lock these days. Hits hard when they are running straight at him makes him more suited to the middle, doesn't run particularly good lines often, seems to gravitate towards the middle with his runs too.

Defending in the middle is easier (positioning-wise) than on the edges, next to halves and where the spacing increases. Leave him where he is, there aren't many players who can hold a fringe like he does.

 

[Big Del]

Feels like he's becoming more of a lock these days. Hits hard when they are running straight at him makes him more suited to the middle, doesn't run particularly good lines often, seems to gravitate towards the middle with his runs too.

Gillete has been spending more time in the middle lately . When the interchanges start take note of where Gillete is playing .

Defending in the middle is easier (positioning-wise) than on the edges, next to halves and where the spacing increases. Leave him where he is, there aren't many players who can hold a fringe like he does.

Agreed . Maybe its because as he tires chasing laterally gets harder . Easier to defend in the middle when fatigued . Let the fresh man chase the halves and centres on the edge = Gillete on the field and more effective for 80 .