Is Lachlan Maranta Really That Bad?

[morganmorgan]

He is to slow and weak. Nuff said

 

[Socnorb]

He def tries hard with hit ups and wot not, but there is just the sense that he's a wet towel hitting a brick wall. The type of player opposition would be queuing up to tackle. Maybe they need to bring hook back as a personal fattening coach.

 

[broncos4life]

Quite simply... he's the worst winger in the NRL, by a fair margin too!
He can catch bombs and is relatively solid defensively, which ironically, would make him a better fullback than a few going around.

I dare anyone to show me an example where he shows any spark, ability or attacking instinct. I dare anyone to show me a try he scored with even a slightly higher degree of difficulty than catching the ball and putting it down without opposition.

Sorry BP, that Boyd/McManus/Nightingale style of winger is so far out of his reach, it's not funny.

It is amazingly fitting that this post is directly after abashii, could not have given a more perfect example of what he was talking about if he tried.

He isn't the worst winger in the NRL, as long as guys like O'neill are still running around, that simply can't be true.

 

[Financeguy]

At his very best, he is a solid NRL Winger.

He has very poor pace for his position, he struggles to bend the defence line through lack of power and he doesn't make breaks through footwork.
On the flip side he can catch a high ball, he doesn't give away stupid penalties, is not a grubby player and doesn't seem inujry prone.

At full strength (Copley/Boyd), there should be no spot for Maranta in our 17.

 

[Renegade]

He's average, but I think he's a confidence player too (like most I guess)

When he first came into the grade I remember thinking, this kid's not too bad, I could see him being a fixture if he kept up what was his first few games (safe hands, decent defender, ok finisher).

And then he had a couple of bad games in a row, which is to be expected from young players. and whether it be he never really got his confidence back or the senior personnel lost faith in him, he never seemed to be able to replicate his first few games.

It could be argued his first few games were outliers though.

If he could either develop some more speed, or some more power in his game, he could be of more use to Brisbane, but you don't get a long time in sun at this level and the chances are some young kid 3 years younger than him could usurp him purely due to genetics.

 

[Huge]

Not sure why people write 'at his best'.....isn't that true of everybody ? Is there a player out there ,who when having a shocker is still better than some ? For me, Maranta was very poor a few years ago and must have been just about finished but started the new season with renewed confidence. Since then he has steadily improved, not at a great rate but much more gradually....he must be doing something right, WB put him in first grade and he's a fair judge.

 

[Nashy]

It's amazing how quickly people forget. He's going pretty well this year, and I'm happy to have him in the team. But only months ago, he was fucking useless, and most of the people now saying he's not, very much thought he was useless back then too.

 

[broncos4life]

It's amazing how quickly people forget. He's going pretty well this year, and I'm happy to have him in the team. But only months ago, he was fucking useless, and most of the people now saying he's not, very much thought he was useless back then too.

Well I am basing my opinion on what I have seen from him this year, I have more of an issue with people basing an opinion on what had previously been the case as opposed to what is current

 

[Charmamba]

Plenty of talk about his pace but if the kid is slow, where the **** was his support? Why was he the only Bronco down the other end of the field with 4 cowboys running him down? I think his biggest mistake in that run and you'll see it when he hits the 40m mark is the fact he started looking around and either seeing who was running him down or looking for support. He should have just stayed focused on what was in front of him.

 

[K-Style]

I don't mind if Maranta proves some of us wrong. I actually hope he does.

It would help if we spread the ball wide closer than the opposition tryline. A problem on both wings - most of the metres our wingers make is not on the wing and usually off our own line (ie. hit ups that I would think our forwards should be making). Take the 90m he ran off and he made 100m in hit ups. Same against Cronulla - 100m (Adam Blair made 8m). He's looks lighter and fitter than last year so I am hoping to see more opportunities out wide for him.

Another problem we have is support when someone makes a break. Too often we see someone break through and an opportunity go begging through lack of support.

 

[Porthoz]

It is amazingly fitting that this post is directly after abashii, could not have given a more perfect example of what he was talking about if he tried.

He isn't the worst winger in the NRL, as long as guys like O'neill are still running around, that simply can't be true.

Nothing of what I said is hyperbole. O'Neill may be in a bad patch of form, but he has shown much more in his career than Maranta ever has.

Regardless, if you disagree with my opinion, tell me which part and substantiate it, instead of taking the usual little digs.

 

[Porthoz]

Plenty of talk about his pace but if the kid is slow, where the **** was his support? Why was he the only Bronco down the other end of the field with 4 cowboys running him down? I think his biggest mistake in that run and you'll see it when he hits the 40m mark is the fact he started looking around and either seeing who was running him down or looking for support. He should have just stayed focused on what was in front of him.

Check the start of the video. The support players that should've been there... they are all entangled on the ground.

 

[Cult]

His speed wasn't a myth. I have seen him play in the Q Cup and QLD under 20s and he was quick. That is a fact. I think he's a victim of Hooks fat program and his own nerves. He has certainly slowed down from what I remember.

 

[Big Pete]

He's got enough pace to play wing but he's never been quick for a winger.

Guys like Splinter will point out that the transformation of Maranta on the wing vs fullback was night and day. In fact, that's where he played when he played Queensland 20s. Even then, it wasn't necessarily speed but rather just reading the game and knowing when to push up in support.

The problem is that he's merely a text-book fullback in an era of great fullbacks.

 

[broncos4life]

Nothing of what I said is hyperbole. O'Neill may be in a bad patch of form, but he has shown much more in his career than Maranta ever has.

Regardless, if you disagree with my opinion, tell me which part and substantiate it, instead of taking the usual little digs.

I haven't had a dig, so stop making out like I have just because I don't agree with your opinion.

So that's not hyperbole, you honestly believe that Lachlan Maranta is the worst winger in the NRL by a long way? (I assume that's what you meant when you said 'by a far margin') That's not true.

When it comes to doing freakish tries that some do, I agree he is no where near that, but that doesn't make him the worst winger in the NRL. You can't just degrade all his positives simply because he isn't super fast and can't do freakish finishing.

He has to have some of the safest hands going and yes will always take the safe option, but that isn't the worst thing in the world. Especially where the team is currently, we can't afford to be turning the ball over cheaply and there are plenty of wingers that do that.

I do not disagree that we need a better winger than Maranta and once the squad is full strength he is a depth option only, but I do object to statements like "He is the worse winger in the NRL, and by a fair margin" because that is hyperbole and exaggeration no matter how much you deny it is.

 

[K-Style]

Check the start of the video. The support players that should've been there... they are all entangled on the ground.

Watch again. They're all standing there watching.

 

[cento]

i think the only thing he did wrong on that last step off the left if he didnt do that i think he would been in

 

[Nashy]

Check the start of the video. The support players that should've been there... they are all entangled on the ground.

That's no excuse. They shouldn't hav been on the ground, they should have got up quicker and realised the urgency.