Hamm.0
NRL Captain
- Mar 5, 2008
- 4,671
- 1
Let me start by saying it's no secret on this forum that I love the Storm. They are my 3rd team (although it's pretty hard to like anything about the Cowboys these days) and as soon as Broncos bite the dust, I jump on the Storm wagon. Especially this year minus King, except for White and Hoffman, there isn't a single player I don't like.
Ok now;
Can anyone beat the Storm? After last nights game vs. Roosters, which the Storm didn't even break out of a canter for, I am left wondering is it even possible to beat them?
How would you beat them, if you were a coach of the Broncos? I don't know if the Broncos could beat them, but if they did a few of these, I'm sure they would come closer then every other team has.
The following is my suggestions (the main thing is, these sound simple, but execution is harder then words) from the last few games I've watched them play;
Defence;
- A fight the first scrum or pick a good tackle to start a little altercation. As barbaric as this sounds, I think they do get restless when they are playing a physical team. So I'd be telling a few in the pack to niggle hard in the first 5 minutes, especially when Slater or Hoffman are in a tackle. Obviously don't go out there and punch on, I mean niggle and head butt to try and get them to start a scuffle or better yet, for them to punch first. After 5 minutes, quit all hostility.
-The simple things in defence. Storm love forwards running straight out up the middle third. So we need the ruck defence tight as possible, that doesn't mean 4 in a tackle, that means man on man marking around the ruck.
- The Storms favourite plays are simple ones. Offloads up the middle and then kicks to the flanks. Defending Izzy is a mammoth task. Without leaving holes on the outside, when the kick comes across for Falou, if the winger and fullback could rehearse one leaping to contest and one trying to position himself in front of where Falou will land. The inside centre has to them be in a position to help tackle him when he lands, but be wary of the inside ball. Now this is a nearly impossible thing to control, so the other alternative is to really go after Cronk.
- Whenever Slater even attempts to enter the backline, mark up on him.
That leads me to my attack;
- Ennis has to run it like no tomorrow. Him up the guts and the rest of the pack just keep turning it on the inside early in each half. Forwards running both sides of the ruck every play the ball. So there is the 3 pronged attack up the middle constantly. Just straight up stuff.
- After the first few minutes, or on every 3rd tackle, the backrowers need to run at Cronk and C. Smith. Relentlessly. Cronk needs to be hurting by the 20th minute of each half. Smith is a legend and will more then likely handle it. He went MIA when Manly thumped him early on last week, so there is hope, however Cronk would get very restless being ran at lots. Storm tends to hide Cronk out in the centres in defence, so this may prove hard.
- On the kicks. No grubbers to ourselves (Ennis). Howver, no one will win in the air against the Storm, which means when attacking their line, grubbers behind the line are the only way. Grubbers almost every time when attacking on their tryline.
- That said, every now and then, if we are going to use the high ball, it has to be in the middle of the field, at the goal posts. That is the only place I'd put a high ball against Storm.
- 3/5 mid mid field kicks have to go out. If that means losing some ground it doesn't matter. The majority of kicks down the ground have to go dead, in order to force the scrum and the set defence line. Takes Slater and Storms orsm returns against broken play out of the game.
- This is a little hard to explain, If I had access to imageshack, I could use Paint and explain like a whiteboard.lolz;
Ok, Storm use the umbrella defence, where by the inside centre (two in from wing) & sometimes the outside centre, rushes up and tries to cut off the backline play by forcing pressure onto the oppositions outside backs. The way to combat this is to have Lockyer or Wallace running to the line, our inside centre (Hodges/ Boyd/ Kemp) running a straight line as decoy and the outside centre (Hodges/ Boyd/ Kemp) cutting a line back inside toward the posts, also as a decoy. Lockyer/ Wallace then cut out both players straight to the winger (Hodges/ Boyd/ Kemp) to attempt to dive into the corner. I have thought about this for awhile, Anasta unsuccessfully attempted it last night. Done properly (meaning the winger stays back and times his run, so as to hit the ball flat, I think it would work. Storm would then need to change their defensive style midgame. Would be very unsettling for them. [does that make sense? Someone host a picture for me!!]
Like I said, easier said then done. They are an orsm side, but they are beatable.
Ok now;
Can anyone beat the Storm? After last nights game vs. Roosters, which the Storm didn't even break out of a canter for, I am left wondering is it even possible to beat them?
How would you beat them, if you were a coach of the Broncos? I don't know if the Broncos could beat them, but if they did a few of these, I'm sure they would come closer then every other team has.
The following is my suggestions (the main thing is, these sound simple, but execution is harder then words) from the last few games I've watched them play;
Defence;
- A fight the first scrum or pick a good tackle to start a little altercation. As barbaric as this sounds, I think they do get restless when they are playing a physical team. So I'd be telling a few in the pack to niggle hard in the first 5 minutes, especially when Slater or Hoffman are in a tackle. Obviously don't go out there and punch on, I mean niggle and head butt to try and get them to start a scuffle or better yet, for them to punch first. After 5 minutes, quit all hostility.
-The simple things in defence. Storm love forwards running straight out up the middle third. So we need the ruck defence tight as possible, that doesn't mean 4 in a tackle, that means man on man marking around the ruck.
- The Storms favourite plays are simple ones. Offloads up the middle and then kicks to the flanks. Defending Izzy is a mammoth task. Without leaving holes on the outside, when the kick comes across for Falou, if the winger and fullback could rehearse one leaping to contest and one trying to position himself in front of where Falou will land. The inside centre has to them be in a position to help tackle him when he lands, but be wary of the inside ball. Now this is a nearly impossible thing to control, so the other alternative is to really go after Cronk.
- Whenever Slater even attempts to enter the backline, mark up on him.
That leads me to my attack;
- Ennis has to run it like no tomorrow. Him up the guts and the rest of the pack just keep turning it on the inside early in each half. Forwards running both sides of the ruck every play the ball. So there is the 3 pronged attack up the middle constantly. Just straight up stuff.
- After the first few minutes, or on every 3rd tackle, the backrowers need to run at Cronk and C. Smith. Relentlessly. Cronk needs to be hurting by the 20th minute of each half. Smith is a legend and will more then likely handle it. He went MIA when Manly thumped him early on last week, so there is hope, however Cronk would get very restless being ran at lots. Storm tends to hide Cronk out in the centres in defence, so this may prove hard.
- On the kicks. No grubbers to ourselves (Ennis). Howver, no one will win in the air against the Storm, which means when attacking their line, grubbers behind the line are the only way. Grubbers almost every time when attacking on their tryline.
- That said, every now and then, if we are going to use the high ball, it has to be in the middle of the field, at the goal posts. That is the only place I'd put a high ball against Storm.
- 3/5 mid mid field kicks have to go out. If that means losing some ground it doesn't matter. The majority of kicks down the ground have to go dead, in order to force the scrum and the set defence line. Takes Slater and Storms orsm returns against broken play out of the game.
- This is a little hard to explain, If I had access to imageshack, I could use Paint and explain like a whiteboard.lolz;
Ok, Storm use the umbrella defence, where by the inside centre (two in from wing) & sometimes the outside centre, rushes up and tries to cut off the backline play by forcing pressure onto the oppositions outside backs. The way to combat this is to have Lockyer or Wallace running to the line, our inside centre (Hodges/ Boyd/ Kemp) running a straight line as decoy and the outside centre (Hodges/ Boyd/ Kemp) cutting a line back inside toward the posts, also as a decoy. Lockyer/ Wallace then cut out both players straight to the winger (Hodges/ Boyd/ Kemp) to attempt to dive into the corner. I have thought about this for awhile, Anasta unsuccessfully attempted it last night. Done properly (meaning the winger stays back and times his run, so as to hit the ball flat, I think it would work. Storm would then need to change their defensive style midgame. Would be very unsettling for them. [does that make sense? Someone host a picture for me!!]
Like I said, easier said then done. They are an orsm side, but they are beatable.
