Wallace has to go

[ningnangnong]

People are giving Norman a lot of shit (and rightly so), but this is only his first proper season playing five-eighth in first grade... Wallace is in his fifth season with us. He's got so much more experience, yet is putting in far too many lacklustre performances.

I know he's never been an out and out creative player, but geez, he's taken it to a new level in the last few weeks. Just looks completely incapable of putting on a threatening play. He's the one of the most experienced players in our backline, he needs to step up and start calling the shots - organise the team, get your backs and forwards running where you want them to and most of all, supply them with some quality ball.

He's always been more of organisational type, but even that's left him lately. Whenever we get inside the opposition's half, we look utterly clueless. There is no plan or direction to our attack. We don't think ahead of the current play - we basically just wing it with each tackle. It's painful to watch.

I don't care who gets the flick, but one of them has to as it's clearly not working out.

 

[Mr Fourex]

I swear half the time McC is looking around at dummy half and saying who wants it?

Where's the leadership and experience from the ex- NSW state of origin player?

.......he's had his chance ffs

over and over again.

It's time to wake up and smell the Brisbane air without the stale after taste of Peter Wallace's mediocrity

 

[Jeba]

There's plenty of doubt......why would you go with the average experienced half, when the only experience he is showing at the moment is just how truly average he is.

I'd rather go with possibilities than never wills.


Norman and Hunt have potential.

Wallace has nothing.

Nup.

I'm all for giving players time to get it right, but Norman has shown me nothing to suggest he will really make a go of it as a first grade 5/8th. He's hopeless.

Wallace has nothing because at the moment he has a piano on his shoulders. He was getting support from his forwards and fullback in the first half of the season, and ended up in the firing line for the Dally M Medal. Not that I hold that in huge regard, but it at least shows that Wallace is capable of week-in-week-out good performances, unlike his current halves partner who is producing week-in-week-out performances of looking like he has no clue. Wait, what am I saying looking like? He DOESN'T have a clue.

Give Wallace good support and he will perform. His assets such as his short kicking game will come into play. Put Hunt in the halves with him and I guarantee he will play better and certainly better than Norman.

I predict Norman will end up like Brett Seymour and go from club to club, start off performing well but will just keep getting punted when his true colors shine.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Norman has to go as well tbh. He is thick and predictable. I just want Hunt in the 7

 

[Big Pete]

Beggars can't be choosers. Both should go but realistically only one can.

That has to be Wallace for mine. Out of the two of them, Wallace was without doubt worse and he's been making some awful decisions lately. For a senior player, you expect so much better but he's been a terrible influence on this side for a number of matches now.

Can't really release any of them though. We're in no position to sign anyone on par or even better. I just get this dreadful feeling that it's going to get worse before it gets any better.

I feel like our Grand Final will be Round 26.

 

[Old Mate]

Nup.

I'm all for giving players time to get it right, but Norman has shown me nothing to suggest he will really make a go of it as a first grade 5/8th. He's hopeless.

Wallace has nothing because at the moment he has a piano on his shoulders. He was getting support from his forwards and fullback in the first half of the season, and ended up in the firing line for the Dally M Medal. Not that I hold that in huge regard, but it at least shows that Wallace is capable of week-in-week-out good performances, unlike his current halves partner who is producing week-in-week-out performances of looking like he has no clue. Wait, what am I saying looking like? He DOE



SN'T have a clue.

Give Wallace good support and he will perform. His assets such as his short kicking game will come into play. Put Hunt in the halves with him and I guarantee he will play better and certainly better than Norman.

I predict Norman will end up like Brett Seymour and go from club to club, start off performing well but will just keep getting punted when his true colors shine.

Absolutely agreed, great post.

 

[OXY-351]

Hunt to 7, Wallace to 6

 

[jarro65]

Hunt to 7, Wallace to 6

Yep i agree with this.

Hunt has to be there as he does seem to play like a proper halfback, with plenty of zip and off the cuff type plays.

We need more X-factor in the halves.

Norman might be a good center down the track ?

 

[IBA]

I think Hunt could go well in the 6. Norman would still go before Wallace for me. If it was based solely on the last 6 weeks, Wallace would be gone. He is playing like absolutely shit. But I just cannot watch Norman stand around in the back line and do absolutely nothing. Wallace has been making some pretty shocking mistakes but his first half of the season gets him his spot over Norman. He had a couple of really nice kicks last night and some relief for him from another half who actually looks like he wants to be on the field would be spectacular.

That said, I don't give a shit who plays as long as they never play like that again. Hunt to 6 or 7 to partner Wallace. Baptiste to the bench to come on for Macca. And beat up forwards upside the head. And maybe some centres in the ****ing centres. Norman can stand around bored in the paddock somewhere. That's all he is doing here.

 

[jarro65]

Wallace just seems too slow and deliberate to be a decent halfback these days.

He could be better suited to 5/8 IMO, he can defend well on the edge and also has a pretty good passing game.

I can remember him putting ballrunners through gaps with some great passes in a past life :001_rolleyes:

Hunt has X-factor written all over him and deserves the top halfback job now.

 

[Kaz]

Norman has to go. He has nothing.

Yes Wallace hasn't been the best & is taking wrong options, but he has to try something as he doesn't have the players that seem to be doing anything.

 

[Steve]

People are giving Norman a lot of shit (and rightly so), but this is only his first proper season playing five-eighth in first grade... Wallace is in his fifth season with us. He's got so much more experience, yet is putting in far too many lacklustre performances.

I know he's never been an out and out creative player, but geez, he's taken it to a new level in the last few weeks. Just looks completely incapable of putting on a threatening play. He's the one of the most experienced players in our backline, he needs to step up and start calling the shots - organise the team, get your backs and forwards running where you want them to and most of all, supply them with some quality ball.

He's always been more of organisational type, but even that's left him lately. Whenever we get inside the opposition's half, we look utterly clueless. There is no plan or direction to our attack. We don't think ahead of the current play - we basically just wing it with each tackle. It's painful to watch.

I don't care who gets the flick, but one of them has to as it's clearly not working out.

Great post. We're definitely not building during our attacking sets of 6. It's deal with the current play and nothing more.

My thoughts are that Griffen will persevere with the current halves as long as he can before we get down to absolutely having to win to stay in the 8. When that moment arrives he'll drop one of them. I'm just not sure who. Either way I think Ben Hunt should be given a spot in the halves next season. He showed some spark in the last quarter last night and he's got a bit of flair which I like.

 

[Alec]

My thoughts are that Griffen will persevere with the current halves as long as he can before we get down to absolutely having to win to stay in the 8.

Which would be insane - "Hey new guy, enjoy the pressure".

 

[Steve]

Yeah he'll back his players but at the same time he's clearly bloody stubborn - maybe to his and to our detriment.

 

[Bull Shark]

Nup.

I'm all for giving players time to get it right, but Norman has shown me nothing to suggest he will really make a go of it as a first grade 5/8th. He's hopeless.

Wallace has nothing because at the moment he has a piano on his shoulders. He was getting support from his forwards and fullback in the first half of the season, and ended up in the firing line for the Dally M Medal. Not that I hold that in huge regard, but it at least shows that Wallace is capable of week-in-week-out good performances, unlike his current halves partner who is producing week-in-week-out performances of looking like he has no clue. Wait, what am I saying looking like? He DOESN'T have a clue.

Give Wallace good support and he will perform. His assets such as his short kicking game will come into play. Put Hunt in the halves with him and I guarantee he will play better and certainly better than Norman.

I predict Norman will end up like Brett Seymour and go from club to club, start off performing well but will just keep getting punted when his true colors shine.

agree .. one of the big reasons Wallace is coming up with errors and clangers atm is because he's having to force his hand and try things that are outside of his strengths .. because there's next to nothing coming from the number 6 ...

Ask yourselves this re Corey Norman, would Des Hasler or Craig Bellamy be picking this bloke week after week as his five eighth ? No way ..

I just don't see / understand what all the fuss is about when it comes to Norman ... besides his very first game in first grade, I've never understood ... just don't rate him ... what does he bring to the table ??

 

[subsbligh]

We can fantasise all we want about the Hook dropping either Norman or Wallace but it won't happen until next year. Coaches should only drop players for lack of effort (or if an understudy is playing out of his skin) and you can hardly say either of those criteria are ticked.

It is also so much easier to critise and bitch than it is to suggest areas for improvement. Easier to knock down a barn than it is to build one, as they say.

So rather than drastic unrealistic changes, what other suggestions can the BHQ mind come up with as to the cause of Wallace and Norman's problems, which, IMO are indicative of the team generally.

I do not think (heaven forbid) that our halves are the sole (or even substantial) cause of our poor performances at the moment.

I genuinely believe you can pin down our current performances vs. earlier in the year almost entirely to injury, fatigue and subsequently players out of position. It's like the team is at pre-season trials, learning their inside and outside man BUT every week it changes.

This is reflecting poorly on the team's performance because it is no longer structured, and especially on the halves as we all look to them to organise and create opportunities.

1. DEFENCE

We leaked 42 points against the worst team in the comp. This is not due to Wallace and Norman.

Your traditional defensive structure (and one that I believe the Broncos stick with generally):

2 -3 - 6 - 11 - 9 - 10 -8 - 13 - 12 - 7 - 4 -5

Last night, we were all over the place.

Due to injuries, both Norman and Wallace are defending outside irregular/injured/out of position players (e.g. last night Gillett at 11 and Thaiday who is carrying a shoulder injury). Gillett was woeful last night. I don't know if it is fatigue or a mental issue but he was mentally sapped by about the 50 minute mark. This is not unexpected, he usually comes off the bench and replaces Thaiday who coincidentally defends outside Parker, who is pretty much our lock and key and sweeper on the right side and allows Gillett to use his "throw out the arms" tackling technique.

On the left, Thaiday is making more ineffective tackles than ever due to his shoulder injury.

We have Glenn and Te'o defending 1 further out than usual in the centres. This allows oppositions centres and opporunity to get outside our second rowers, creating space inside unless Wallace/Norman put the effort in to close the gate inside.

This is causing more pressure to be placed on Wallace and Norman (the constants in the defensive line) to keep pushing in.

I can't remember how many times I've seen Wallace take down forwards one on one this year. OK when you have to do it occasionally, energy sapping when you have to do it once a set.

Possible solution: While we have so many backrowers defending in our backline, push 6 and 7 out one wider. Lock down the extreme edges and force the opposition to go around 6 and 7 and or run their big men one wider. No loss for us because our 4/12 are backrowers used to defneding closer to the ruck.

2. ATTACK

It is trite but if you look after defence, attack will take care of itself.

The Broncos at the moment need to move away from the fast, flat ball at the line structure that worked well because they are too tired and disorganised to effect it properly.

This team has built itself on lockdown defence, basic meterage and percentage play scoring raids (i.e. short balls at forwards on the line, kicks to wingers). We no longer have Yow Yeh or Reed in the air. Gillett and Te'o are currently work horses or playing out of position.

Capewell actually had the energy to run support tonight and looked likely a few times.

In the opposition 20 on the line we always run this play:

X
9
7
6
1-> 8 12
4 5

Critical to this are the decision making of 1 and 6 being in tune.

The obvious issue with Norman in this case is he is running far too much, and my gut instinct watching the way he has developed since last year is that Hook has coached him relentlessly to "if in doubt, run". The problem is, he is always in doubt due to the lack of depth at which he gets the ball. Subsequently, he waits until the last moment before "run" is not an option and then gives it to Hoffy who dies with the ball.

Hoffy should be the one deciding whether to
- Kick early to 5 if the defence has rushed up:
- Go yourself if opposition centre/wing have committed to 4,5
- Throw cut out to 4 if opp. winger has compressed
- Give it to Hodgo if he is 1 on 1 with opposition 6/7

X
9
7
6 (8) (12)

1
4 5

KHunt was the master of it. Hoffy lacks the ability or this season the opportunity to attempt anything other than give it early to Hodgo.

Possible solution - I would like to see Norman running at 1 in this play. Not wearing the number 1 or playing fullback but given the ball with options rather than feeding it to Hoffman or the short ball to the 8 or 12.

I would like to see Hoffy having a go at kicking every once in a while

I would also like to see the Broncs do this at depth.

 

[subsbligh]

PS my diagrams looked better in edit mode.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Coaches should only drop players for lack of effort?? What happens if that player tries hard but is just shit ala Wallace