Round 7 - Knights vs Broncos - Pre-Match Discussion

[Mister Wright]

Hodges making 10 metres out of dummy half once every couple of sets is fine by me, I don't think McCullough minds that much.. not as much as someone coming on and playing dummy half for 20 minutes.

I dunno. McCullough seemed to look visably frustrated when Hodges took some dummy half runs in the Titans game. One particular incident it seemed McCullough wanted to make the play and Hodges pushed McCullough out of the way.

 

[subsbligh]

Good pick up re: Hodges.

It's obviously having a massive effect on McCullough's running game for Hodges to take the prime dummy half runs when they arise (i.e. one marker, quick play the ball) especially when he's doing the old stand still and shrug off defenders.

Maybe he needs to support McCullough.

Barba needs to know Hodges and McCullough both like the dummy half runs.

 

[Morkel]

Good pick up re: Hodges.

It's obviously having a massive effect on McCullough's running game for Hodges to take the prime dummy half runs when they arise (i.e. one marker, quick play the ball) especially when he's doing the old stand still and shrug off defenders.

Maybe he needs to support McCullough.

Barba needs to know Hodges and McCullough both like the dummy half runs.

The counter argument to that is that rarely does Hodges not get a quick play-the-ball, giving McCullough the perfect platform to make 10-15 metres himself if he scoots, or to send it out wide for an attacking raid on a retreating defence. Secretly, Hodges just about always interferes with the markers too, but don't tell the refs...

 

[Bucking Beads]

The counter argument to that is that rarely does Hodges not get a quick play-the-ball, giving McCullough the perfect platform to make 10-15 metres himself if he scoots, or to send it out wide for an attacking raid on a retreating defence. Secretly, Hodges just about always interferes with the markers too, but don't tell the refs...

He needs to pick his times better. Often he will do his run when we need him to be at right centre for a shot at the opponents line.

 

[broncos4life]

He needs to pick his times better. Often he will do his run when we need him to be at right centre for a shot at the opponents line.

100%

 

[noisetheory]

after my criticism of hodges above i do think some of his efforts are born out of the feeling he has let the team down by being injured and wants to make up for that.

 

[Super Freak]

Well he should stop because he is just fucking things up even more.

I am hoping to see a more improved game against the Knights. We need him at his best. Especially when going up against Leilua..

 

[Harry Sack]

He needs to pick his times better. Often he will do his run when we need him to be at right centre for a shot at the opponents line.

[Like]

It IS one of his greatest strengths and coming out of our own end it's invaluable. But when we get into the attacking 20 he needs to leave the direction up to Macca and Hunt...**** Hoffman though. Failing that, Babs at least needs to be told that if Hodges goes into DH, he needs to back him up.

 

[CaptainHook]

after my criticism of hodges above i do think some of his efforts are born out of the feeling he has let the team down by being injured and wants to make up for that.

I thought so too, noisetheory. Maybe the captaincy as well is affecting him. He might feel the need to be the one to come up with a big play all the time.

 

[GCBRONCO]

I'm going to put the game against the Titan's as one of those games tbh, I expect a far better performance this week from him, going to need it too.

 

[Broncoman]

Just saw the team in the Round 7 thread

Hook has got no guts to make the hard decisions and make changes

 

[winslow_wong]

I thought so too, noisetheory. Maybe the captaincy as well is affecting him. He might feel the need to be the one to come up with a big play all the time.

of course he's feeling pressure to do it all because Hoffman isn't contributing at all. why does a centre have to take so many runs from dummy half. he should out wide hitting holes

 

[Sproj]

Just saw the team in the Round 7 thread

Hook has got no guts to make the hard decisions and make changes

You sound surprised?

 

[Super Freak]

I've watched a little bit of the training. One thing I noticed, Hoffman would dummy right and then pass it to the left. Perhaps we could see a change?

I haven't really watched much training beforehand so I'm not sure if he has been doing that..

 

[Rally Towel]

<accidental post>

 

[Rally Towel]

Just saw the team in the Round 7 thread

Hook has got no guts to make the hard decisions and make changes

Well, we've seen evidence of this before. I can see why he maintains his preference due to lack of options in some positions (ie 5/8) but we have a surplus of backs and forwards he could shuffle.

As far as the game goes, I'm tipping the Knights at this stage. Much like us, a middle of the range team with mixed results thus far.

Backs are fairly even, they have the superior halves, and we edge them in the forwards (on paper). Our forward pack has underperformed as a whole the last couple of weeks, so that advantage is a moot point. Suspect Mullen and Roberts to be the deciding factor.

We're still in with a shot though. Just been out of sorts the last two weeks. Not going to tip us against reasonable competition until we see if our early form was the exception or the rule.

 

[rnabokov]

The best teams have a plan. They have organizers who make it happen, and take the reins when the going gets tough. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

We have a plan. It sucks. We also don't have an organizer. That sucks.

The Knights have 2 halves. We have one. That sucks, and in my view, will prove the difference between these 2 teams on the scoreboard.

I am still however, hoping to be proved wrong, and praying for miracles with Hoffman and Barba

 

[Morkel]

I've watched a little bit of the training. One thing I noticed, Hoffman would dummy right and then pass it to the left. Perhaps we could see a change?

I haven't really watched much training beforehand so I'm not sure if he has been doing that..

I've been thinking for a while now that Hoffman's hogging is strangely similar to Norman last year. Remember when he'd pull off a decent link play and we'd have to point out the 5 occasions where he held the ball and thought he had the speed to get through (blowing an overlap). Hoffman is worse in the hogging stakes, but he's got 5 times more heart.