Sirlee oldman
NRL Player
- Dec 6, 2015
- 1,623
- 2,228
I agree and that’s probably why he will be in Rocky this weekend playing a lot more minutes than the guys in the nines squad.I think improved fitness will also help his defence.
I recall a lot of times the defensive mistakes would come because he'd be running back the ten with his back to the ball or he'd be getting back to the line late (creating a staggered line)... that puts an automatic target on his back for the dummy halves and halves to run at. Being fatigued would also slow his reaction times and have him relying on muscle memory more than reading and reacting.
If his fitness improves he shouldn't have any issues with the back and forth line speed and should become much more consistent.
The only consideration on the edge then comes to his ability to read the play and lateral movement.
He is actually a decent ball player and has a decent pass so I suspect his footy IQ is quite good (despite his apparent inability to bring his aggressiveness into check), which should help him with reading the play.
In terms of lateral movement I'd say he still has a bit to go, but he is quite mobile for a big man. If he can read the play and be free of fatigue he could get himself into position early and not have to rely on lateral movement alone.
We hear about Milf's improved fitness, but I'd be interested to know how TPJ is going as well, because it could be a game changer for him