Ayshford's try

[Shanghai Charlie]

Matured a lot this year into a very solid first grade centre. Still don't know if centre is his best position...don't see him as a backrower either..

 

[Radical Rat]

Matured a lot this year into a very solid first grade centre. Still don't know if centre is his best position...don't see him as a backrower either..

Not good enough for centre or backrow? So I guess you want to cut him along with Heigho and Fulton as well.

 

[The Rosco]

back in history to Ayshfords try . . .I thought it was a classic "passed just backwards . . .floated just forwards ".
But I loved how Hasler whined, like a schoolgirl that had her pigtails pulled, for about a week in the press.
Then, 2 weeks later, his Hopoate scores off the most blatant forward pass (about 3m forward), yet you don't hear boo from Dessie !

 

[madunit]

I don't understand people's talk about centre not being Ayshfords best position.

He looks like an absolute natural out there. Absolutely menaces his opponents with his upper body strength and leg drive and has enough pace to get through gaps.

If he was a little bit quicker he'd be fantastic, almost a second Lawrence.

I wouldn't shift him from centre at all.

 

[Tigers Tale]

I totally agree about those comments MU. If I have a complaint, he just doesn't seem to get the ball to his winger enough. He is typical of a back rower running out wide, he pins the ears back and has a go. Nothing wrong with that but sometimes that last pass is what is needed.

I have been watching him quite closely and I have noticed lately he is getting into a position, that had he slipped the ball to a fast finishing winger, the wing would have an easy run to the corner. When this skill finally comes and he regularly set up these guys, we will really see a good centre and one we'll be happy to have in the club.

I think his signing an extension, especially if it was cheap(er) was very good foresight and a decision that at the moment appears very good.

 

[Magpie Tragic]

back in history to Ayshfords try . . .I thought it was a classic "passed just backwards . . .floated just forwards ".
But I loved how Hasler whined, like a schoolgirl that had her pigtails pulled, for about a week in the press.
Then, 2 weeks later, his Hopoate scores off the most blatant forward pass (about 3m forward), yet you don't hear boo from Dessie !

Agreed, the pass to ayshford was "probably" forward, but the pass to Hopoate would have been a credit to any NFL Quarterback IMO

 

[Shanghai Charlie]

Not good enough for centre or backrow? So I guess you want to cut him along with Heigho and Fulton as well.

I'm just not sure what position really suits him best. Would love to see him do some speed work and explosive acceleration work over the next couple of off seasons.

Could see him become a kind of Gene Miles centre/backrower.

 

[Tigerm]

TBH, he will do me, with exactly what he is currently doing.

 

[macnaz]

TBH, he will do me, with exactly what he is currently doing.

Im with you TG and leave him where he is... why make him run in the 2nd row into big f**king units and take away his impact ?? , IMO he has been the main guy that has kept this season alive for us when things were down, we were without Lawrence-Lote and a shithouse set of backs an HE was the one that busted games open with solo efforts to help win games . As ive said before with the salary cap we cant have elite players all across the park so if i could have an Ayshford for the perfomance and effort for the bucks he is on id take half a dozen. Also as ive said before in 2005 we had Whatuira and Elford hardly streaks ahead of what Blake does for us, id rate him better actualy.

 

[westie]

The thing that really, really annoys me about Ayshford is the way he'll catch, stop, analyse, run. It's only like a half second thing, but it's the half second that ruins whatever is happening. The good players catch and keep the momentum. The really good ones are beating players before they've even caught it.

 

[Vicious]

If Ayshford ever decides to run the ball as hard as what Lawrence does, he would play for Australia.

 

[madunit]

The thing that really, really annoys me about Ayshford is the way he'll catch, stop, analyse, run. It's only like a half second thing, but it's the half second that ruins whatever is happening. The good players catch and keep the momentum. The really good ones are beating players before they've even caught it.

It something I believe has become less of an issue.

For so long when he first started, he'd receive the ball flat footed and would never get by his man.

He's fixed that now, the hesitations are becoming less and less, and the more confidence the team has in him, and he has in himself, the better he'll get.

As for the hesitations, I'd rather him do them out in the centres then in the back row.

 

[Fordy20]

I totally agree about those comments MU. If I have a complaint, he just doesn't seem to get the ball to his winger enough. He is typical of a back rower running out wide, he pins the ears back and has a go. Nothing wrong with that but sometimes that last pass is what is needed.

I have been watching him quite closely and I have noticed lately he is getting into a position, that had he slipped the ball to a fast finishing winger, the wing would have an easy run to the corner. When this skill finally comes and he regularly set up these guys, we will really see a good centre and one we'll be happy to have in the club.

I think his signing an extension, especially if it was cheap(er) was very good foresight and a decision that at the moment appears very good.

It's no surprise why Ayshford isn't used to passing when you look at the calibre of the wingers he's had outside him. Ryan has been a clown for the most of his career and Utai struggles holding on to the ball at the best of times.

 

[westie]

The other thing that's clicked for me is his desire to run to the corner post. I'm not sure if it's because when Moltzen floats that way he pushes him wide or just that they both have the instinct to just wait for the gap to open for them.

It surely wouldn't hurt him to run an angle back against the defence. It would surely save us watching Moltzen come up with the typical touch/back yard footy response of just flicking it out in hope when the space inevitably runs out.