But isn't that the point of a very good FB? He plays everywhere, and has the vision and instincts to be in the right place at the right time, separate to any specific strategy which may have had Kahu playing in any one position on the field
Wallace has impressed me. He looked well out of his depth last season but this time around he is having a very good impact.
Yeah but he wasn't there because he was popping up like a good fullback. He was there because that's where he was positioned at the time. And again, it's not criticising, because he made it look easy when in fact the positioning, timing and execution needs to be millimetre perfect. But it's more a response to the concerns that Boyd is coming back in at fullback regardless of how Kahu goes. Because that being so, he can still be very good elsewhere. IIRC coming up he was considered a fullback/centre like Beale.
Hmm, I am unsure that there is a difference. For mine he was "popping up" like a good FB. The point is he was the extra man in the line and unlike say Hoffman who also did "pop up" in either of his 2 roles last year, Kahu was "Jordie on the spot", and moved the ball at the right moment. In any case, the point I am making is that he is looking to be exactly what we need until Boyd returns and 2nd, he will be wasted on the wing yet, better to have him in the backline wherever he plays than anyone else at this stage.
I am looking forward to see how he handles and SJ and Tomkins.
But he didn't pop up or be an extra man. He was there, where he's supposed to be, at centre.
Point taken about the technicalities.
I'll choose my words more carefully. He was there, where he was supposed to be, in position to create or score tries ... something we haven't had in a FB for a long long time.
He scored his try as a FB.But he didn't pop up or be an extra man. He was there, where he's supposed to be, at centre.
Yeah, I get your point. I was getting close to sounding like 1910 wasn't I?
He scored his try as a FB.
Regardless of those two assists, where he was technically a centre, he showed he can play the modern fullback game by passing when need be (and he's got skillz), or running the ball as he did when he scored his try. He also has a very underestimated kicking game, which will hopefully make an appearance soon, as he continues to gain confidence...
I also like the quick dummy half play from Niko which started it all. Now that is a whole other story ...
Classic Bennett really, if there's one thing he doesn't lack, it's confidence. He always seems absolutely sure of himself and the direction he's taking, which I think rubs off on the team because they all feel that confidence in them.
I'm seriously glad Bennett is back, for a long time it's felt like we've just been playing football but not really moving in any positive direction, I now believe we're a club on the rise and that's a great feeling to have as a fan. Having a coach that is brutally honest about our flaws, that is willing to speak to the media, and that has a clear vision and direction for where he wants the club to be this year and in a few years is wonderfully refreshing.
Griffin was our coach for a few years, but I never really got the impression he had a long term plan for the club, I also never got the impression he realised his flaws and tried to fix them, all his major moves seems reactionary (Barba to 5/8, Thaiday/Parker to prop, the co-captaincy), whereas Bennett knew exactly what he wanted from the get go, he knew it was one captain, who he wanted to play in the spine, which players would be playing where, quickly with no fuss let go of those he didn't want and quickly made some signings for players who he did want.
Bennett is not a tactical genius, but he has a few very strong attributes, he's a great man manager, he understands the fundamentals really well, and he has pulling power so we're less likely to lose players we want to keep and vice versa. All that ensures that while he's coaching us, we'll always be a competitive team. Choosing the right support staff (I'm hoping Walters in particular can be that) is crucial to us taking that next step to being a great team.
Bennett will never win us a premiership on his own, but he has arguably the most important attributes a coach needs, that with the right support staff we can be a genuinely great team again.
It finally feels good to be a Broncos fan again. I just hope the classic Bennett post origin slump doesn't make a return this year.
Maranta's stats very inflated of course by his run coast to coast.Good stats from J Wallace. 26min. 14runs (125m). 1 Tackle break and 1 offload. 25 tackles.
and fan favorite:
Lachlan Maranta 14 runs (198m). 5 Tackle breaks. 3 line breaks and 2 tries.