Run and stun: Johns urges Croft to challenge the line

[Super Freak]

Run and stun: Johns urges Croft to challenge the line

Joel Gould
NRL.com Reporter
Thursday 16th July, 2020

Anthony Seibold and premiership winner Matthew Johns have urged halfback Brodie Croft to run the football more in Friday's crucial away clash with Wests Tigers.

It is no surprise Seibold and Johns are on the same page with regards to Croft. Last year the Broncos coach asked the Knights great to work with his playmakers and he did a couple of sessions with them in the pre-season.

Croft was still at Melbourne then, but Johns said he may have found the right home at Brisbane.

"I have worked with Brodie a little bit and my advice is run first, pass second," Johns told NRL.com.

"I think he has got real talent. Brisbane could turn out to be a really good fit for him because he has got good forwards who can play the ball quick and he can get on the back of that and really challenge the defensive line.

"At the moment their yardage game is struggling and as a result their attack is a little bit too sideways, but at this point of his career he is a run first, pass second halfback.

"If you look at the good stuff Brodie does it is on the back of his running game and his footwork."

Croft is averaging 53 run metres in 2020 and has scored just one try, which came against the Eels when he took the line on and burst away to score with genuine pace.

"We encourage both our halves to run. When Milly [Anthony Milford] and Crofty take the line on they are dangerous," Seibold said.

"I don’t want Crofty thinking just to shift the footy. We want him taking the line on and playing really direct because that is when he plays his best.

"He has scored some really good tries with the Storm, and we saw him score a cracker against Parramatta, when he took the line on. When he does that he adds not only more of a threat to his own game but also to our team as well."

Seibold, who said Croft's defence had been strong this year, pointed out how he had played with a variety of fullback and hookers since the season started which had proven challenging in terms of combinations.

Now he has a stable spine with Tesi Niu, Milford and Issac Luke getting an extended run together Seibold said Croft would "build further cohesion".

Seibold has asked Milford to do more of the kicking in general play which worked a treat last week in the five-eighth's best kicking display of the year in the win over Canterbury.

That has also taken the heat off Croft being expected to be the sole game manager in the halves.

"Game managers develop. It is not just something that happens overnight or that you develop in your first or second seasons," Johns said.

" It is miles on the clock where you start to dictate the terms and tempo of a contest.

“I thought it took it took Cooper Cronk a long time to manage a contest and he ended up being the best we have seen, but it took time."

Meanwhile, Seibold said lock Pat Carrigan would be the sole captain in the absence of the injured Glenn after he had previously shared the role with Croft.

"I just thought the next step for him was to lead the team by himself and that allows Crofty to concentrate on his own game," Seibold said.

"Patty has won the coach’s award the last few weeks with his efforts and actions on the field.

"Patty is a good choice at this particular time and he has got great support from Darius Boyd as well."

NRL.com

 

[Super Freak]

If they want a halfback that focuses on running and taking on the line then what was the point of getting rid of Kodi?

The whole point of going to market for a halfback was to buy someone that could do the boring stuff, focus on game management, take that pressure off of Milford so he could just focus on his running game and playing direct.

 

[theshed]

If they want a halfback that focuses on running and taking on the line then what was the point of getting rid of Kodi?

The whole point of going to market for a halfback was to buy someone that could do the boring stuff, focus on game management, take that pressure off of Milford so he could just focus on his running game and playing direct.

Because game managers develop because Seibold doesn’t want to admit he signed a dud game manager.

 

[winslow_wong]

Isn’t it part of the half back job description though.. manage the game plan, kick, pass, run if necessary

 

[Kooly87]

If they want a halfback that focuses on running and taking on the line then what was the point of getting rid of Kodi?

The whole point of going to market for a halfback was to buy someone that could do the boring stuff, focus on game management, take that pressure off of Milford so he could just focus on his running game and playing direct.

Good Halves can pick and choose when to do both those thing. Even the really good game managing Halves still run the ball plenty when it's called for. Croft still needs to kick and pass and do the boring stuff but shouldn't be afraid to take the line on too if it's called for.

It's really only Milford that can apparently only do just one or the other but absolutely never both at the same time.

 

[Huge]

Good Halves can pick and choose when to do both those thing. Even the really good game managing Halves still run the ball plenty when it's called for. Croft still needs to kick and pass and do the boring stuff but shouldn't be afraid to take the line on too if it's called for.

It's really only Milford that can apparently only do just one or the other but absolutely never both at the same time.

You'd think for a million you'd get that as standard features! In fact we should be getting full optional extras for that price. Milfords very best game is doubtless better than Croft's but I'd really like Croft to have one absolute blinder to prove to himself he can play a level above what he's always believed. Imagine the haters posts after such an occasion not to mention the elation of an unexpected Broncos victory. Let it be Melbourne no **** that, I'll take a 1 nil there, no let it be Parramatta 50 nil

 

[the_next]

RUN CROFT, RUN

 

[Bongo]

I think our forwards could do this too. Run hard onto the ball.

 

[Locky888]

Croft has been taking the line on, the problem is he runs directly into the defence... opponents are reading him like a porno

 

[Sproj]

Yeah this side needs more one out running.

 

[Footy Fanatic]

This just shows that Croft is not a halfback.

Drop him and put Dearden in.

 

[broncsgoat]

You'd think for a million you'd get that as standard features! In fact we should be getting full optional extras for that price. Milfords very best game is doubtless better than Croft's but I'd really like Croft to have one absolute blinder to prove to himself he can play a level above what he's always believed. Imagine the haters posts after such an occasion not to mention the elation of an unexpected Broncos victory. Let it be Melbourne no **** that, I'll take a 1 nil there, no let it be Parramatta 50 nil

Unfortunately Croft has been rubbish since the restart culminating in a shocker last week.

 

[Huge]

Unfortunately Croft has been rubbish since the restart culminating in a shocker last week.

Troll.

 

[lynx000]

Troll.

I rewatched the game as per Huge's suggestion, carefully watching Croft and Milford. I completely agree with his observations. Anyone suggesting Croft had a shocker in that game is trolling. Both halves were far more involved than they have been. Croft had a lot of very good touches in the first half and was having multiple involvements in most sets. He was also game managing quite well. Second half was a little bit down on his first half, but overally a fair/good game for him.

Further, there were actually signs of some structure in attack throughout the game. I think we are a little bit further away than what Huge thinks, but if they build on that performance tonight, we are on the way back.

 

[Huge]

I rewatched the game as per Huge's suggestion, carefully watching Croft and Milford. I completely agree with his observations. Anyone suggesting Croft had a shocker in that game is trolling. Both halves were far more involved than they have been. Croft had a lot of very good touches in the first half and was having multiple involvements in most sets. He was also game managing quite well. Second half was a little bit down on his first half, but overally a fair/good game for him.

Further, there were actually signs of some structure in attack throughout the game. I think we are a little bit further away than what Huge thinks, but if they build on that performance tonight, we are on the way back.

Wow. It's never been clearer to me how a bias can distort rational thinking. We all knowabout the utter unreliability of eye witness testimony and that even includes a crowd and how it can still be unreliable. I'm glad you rewatched the game and as others have said, so many things are picked up on a second or third viewing.

I'm not free of biases and I think we all them in varying degrees but after the game was over I thought Croft had played reasonably well. Mind you, my bias in rugby league is slanted unfavourably towards Milford. I thought he'd played a better game than the previous week and considered it was an average to good game on first impression. I still thought the same after two replays.

 

[broncsgoat]

Shit kicks, dropping the ball off the kickoff, you blokes are easy markers

 

[Huge]

Shit kicks, dropping the ball off the kickoff, you blokes are easy markers

Yes, like the short grubber for a goal line drop out, the perfectly weighted lob bomb for Coates. Terrible. Worst troll ever.

 

[Huge]

I don’t reckon he’s a troll tbh. Just dim.

Can't believe I actually stood up for him