PLAYER Jock Madden

[Sproj]

The team is in a slump. You have to remember, our team is still really young. We have come in to the season off a short preseason and a stupid trip to the US. This has been coupled with one of the worst injury tolls in the league. We have been missing two of our key spine players for more than half the season.

Our best prop is playing busted and we've lost out best winger for so much of the season. On top of this, our young gun second rower is proving to not yet be ready to handle the whole season and that gamble backfired. Our depth has also been decimated by injury and this has stunted us.

Our key bargain priced recruit in Baker has also proved to be a dud. On top of this, a number of players who were playing above their pay grade last year are not this year like Hetherington, Oates and Walters. The whole team has been playing catch up all season because of the injuries and the disrupted preseason. I also think several players are carrying injuries that are hampering them in Mam, Cobbo, Staggs and Riki on top of Haas.

 

[Big Del]

Mam,Staggs and Riki

What do you reckon is up with them ?

 

[BroncosFever]

Is it fair to say that madden is like a second hand brodie croft?

Yeah he tries hard and you can't fault his efforts and occasionally he does have a good game, but he just doesn't have the composure to repeatedly make the right decision. Always seems like there's a rush of blood or an option with no thought whatsoever.

I've got him ahead of Croft, Croft was more a running half. Madden is the style of player we need, we just don't need him doing it on the 2nd play after we've been defending for a long period. He would have been drilled about that, it really changed the game.

The important thing with any young player is how he bounces back, that will tell us more about him as an individual, we all make mistakes.

 

[Johnny92]

Not sure what Jock is like on the field but it just seems like he's been given the reigns to the team but hasn't grabbed hold of them.
Doesn't quite have that chip on his shoulder to lead the team round the park.
Watching the last 2 games it was like who's team is it out there..
Walsh returning will change this, he's going to take ownership of the team but Madden needs to step up in that regard or give the reigns over to Ezra. There's been a couple games this year for small periods Ezra has took abit of control and things happened.

 

[McHunt]

Ezra has been pathetic these past 2 months. Its really shown that he is a second fiddle half that needs a dominant half to free him up a lot like Dylan Brown. I'm starting to question why we went so fully in on him now since he really hasn't stepped up since Reynolds went down.

There were suggestions from some quarters earlier in the year that Mam was as good as JT was back in his day.....

Pfft......I don't think so. Reality had to kick in sooner or later I guess.

I doubt many remember what JT was like "back in the day" when he was Ezra's age. From my hazy memory, JT was more solid defensively, but Ezra is more of a handful in the open. And what no one remembers is that JT led his team to bottom of table or thereabouts for most of a decade. He retired on a high, but it wasn't all accolades.

I can state with certainty that Ezra is leagues beyond Kevvie at the same age, and many rate him as the best number 6 the club ever had in retrospect. I also think he's slightly overpaid, but he managed to strike at a time his iron was red hot.

Bottom line: it's too early to project future legend or failure on Ezra, after a single breakout season and then not instantly mastering the play making role in Reyno's absence.

 

[McHunt]

The team is in a slump. You have to remember, our team is still really young. We have come in to the season off a short preseason and a stupid trip to the US. This has been coupled with one of the worst injury tolls in the league. We have been missing two of our key spine players for more than half the season.

Our best prop is playing busted and we've lost out best winger for so much of the season. On top of this, our young gun second rower is proving to not yet be ready to handle the whole season and that gamble backfired. Our depth has also been decimated by injury and this has stunted us.

Our key bargain priced recruit in Baker has also proved to be a dud. On top of this, a number of players who were playing above their pay grade last year are not this year like Hetherington, Oates and Walters. The whole team has been playing catch up all season because of the injuries and the disrupted preseason. I also think several players are carrying injuries that are hampering them in Mam, Cobbo, Staggs and Riki on top of Haas.

Number 2 on Kevvie's todo list this season, after improving on the one before, is to find a successor to Adam Reynolds. He's now auditioned 2, maybe 3 if you include Sailor. Before the season started, Madden looked destined to be a placeholder, one who we would inevitably push to the side after a long trial. That trial is underway, and the initial reservations (certainly mine) are starting to look about right. Sailor began the season looking like a wild card who might blossom into anything. Now those who held reservations about his limitations seem to have been on the money.

The spotlight should be on Madden right now. It IS a priority,

 

[winslow_wong]

Our immediate priority should be ball control. Our attacking opportunities in the opposition 20, in the last 5 weeks, have been close to being non existent. Due to the constant turn overs we’ve also had a mountain of defence to endure. Throw in your inevitable 6 agains and now we’re also running on empty.

For a rookie like jock to run the show under these conditions, we’re pretty much screwed.

 

[LittleDavey]

Our immediate priority should be ball control. Our attacking opportunities in the opposition 20, in the last 5 weeks, have been close to being non existent. Due to the constant turn overs we’ve also had a mountain of defence to endure. Throw in your inevitable 6 agains and now we’re also running on empty.

For a rookie like jock to run the show under these conditions, we’re pretty much screwed.

Almost a carbon copy of Ilias and Souths.

Except he had Cody beside him rather than another young bloke in Mam. He did have young Taafe at FB as opposed to Walsh - when he's on the field - otherwise Taafe/Sailor are probably about even. But then he had the very experienced Cook at DH as opposed to Billy/Smoothy combo.

So Ilias had a lot more experience around him than Madden...I think Jock is going ok all things considered. He looks a lot better - as the entire team does - when we have Walsh in. Reyno might be our brains but Reece is our energy and opens gaps for everyone else just with his presence.

 

[Sproj]

Almost a carbon copy of Ilias and Souths.

Except he had Cody beside him rather than another young bloke in Mam. He did have young Taafe at FB as opposed to Walsh - when he's on the field - otherwise Taafe/Sailor are probably about even. But then he had the very experienced Cook at DH as opposed to Billy/Smoothy combo.

So Ilias had a lot more experience around him than Madden...I think Jock is going ok all things considered. He looks a lot better - as the entire team does - when we have Walsh in. Reyno might be our brains but Reece is our energy and opens gaps for everyone else just with his presence.

It would be interesting to know how many game he has actually had with Walsh during this non-Reynolds period, it can't be many.

 

[McHunt]

It would be interesting to know how many game he has actually had with Walsh during this non-Reynolds period, it can't be many.

Madden:

Round 3: Walsh lasted 4 minutes. Lost to Penrith. 34-12.
Round 6. With Walsh. DEF Dolphins 28-14
Round 7. With Walsh. DEF Raiders 34-10
Round 8. With Walsh. DEF Tigers 34-10
Round 11. Cobbo at 1. DEF Manly 13-12 (scored field goal, Mozer in for Walters)
Round 12. With Walsh. Lost to Titans. 36-34.
Round 14. Sailor at 1. Lost to Sharks. 22-12.
Round 15. Sailor at 1. Lost to Souths. 22-12.

Rogers:

Round 10. Rogers at 7, Walsh at 1. DEF Eels 30-14

 

[LittleDavey]

Madden:

Round 3: Walsh lasted 4 minutes. Lost to Penrith. 34-12.
Round 6. With Walsh. DEF Dolphins 28-14
Round 7. With Walsh. DEF Raiders 34-10
Round 8. With Walsh. DEF Tigers 34-10
Round 11. Cobbo at 1. DEF Manly 13-12 (scored field goal, Mozer in for Walters)
Round 12. With Walsh. Lost to Titans. 36-34.
Round 14. Sailor at 1. Lost to Sharks. 22-12.
Round 15. Sailor at 1. Lost to Souths. 22-12.

Rogers:

Round 10. Rogers at 7, Walsh at 1. DEF Eels 30-14

Well that's pretty stark, isn't it.

With Walsh = W, without him almost certainly = L. We're officially a one-player club again!

 

[McHunt]

Well that's pretty stark, isn't it.

With Walsh = W, without him almost certainly = L. We're officially a one-player club again!

Thankfully, we haven't had to see how we'd go without Patty.

 

[Sproj]

Well that's pretty stark, isn't it.

With Walsh = W, without him almost certainly = L. We're officially a one-player club again!

Nice to have a superstar in the spine again to be honest, it’s been a long time

 

[Sproj]

Madden:

Round 3: Walsh lasted 4 minutes. Lost to Penrith. 34-12.
Round 6. With Walsh. DEF Dolphins 28-14
Round 7. With Walsh. DEF Raiders 34-10
Round 8. With Walsh. DEF Tigers 34-10
Round 11. Cobbo at 1. DEF Manly 13-12 (scored field goal, Mozer in for Walters)
Round 12. With Walsh. Lost to Titans. 36-34.
Round 14. Sailor at 1. Lost to Sharks. 22-12.
Round 15. Sailor at 1. Lost to Souths. 22-12.

Rogers:

Round 10. Rogers at 7, Walsh at 1. DEF Eels 30-14

Thanks for that. So to me this shows that Madden can be a decent role player if he has other weapons in the spine, namely Walsh.

Kind of also shows how bad Sailor has been.

 

[winslow_wong]

Thanks for that. So to me this shows that Madden can be a decent role player if he has other weapons in the spine, namely Walsh.

Kind of also shows how bad Sailor has been.

I think sailor has only done well when playing with Reynolds.

 

[McHunt]

I think sailor has only done well when playing with Reynolds.

He was rushed back from injury to cover Walsh, probably too soon. We might be hasty in writing him off at fullback on the basis of his last two games, and the games he played out of position.