Ben Henry

[aqua_duck]

:lol:

Wow... that has to be one of the dumbest things ive ever seen on this board...

just to inform you clown... RL is actually known as the game that caters for athletes... because of the lack of emphasis on the set piece RL players need to have better cardio and more speed.

i never thought id have to explain that to someone on these forums... :roll:

Exactly. Scrummaging in particular is one of the most technical skills to learn, it's abit like wrestling, size and strength is an advantage but technique will always win out. Look at a lot of the Pacific Islander props, most of them are 6'1 and above and built like tanks, 120kg+ with legs like tree trunks but more often than not you see them get annihilated by a unathletic looking white guy who is 10-15kg smaller

 

[BranVan3000]

Like with any job, you need to specialise, be the best at something. Be the hardest hitter, be the best ball player, have the best step, read the game the best etc. etc. Work hard and develop your skills and become the best at it, natural ability only takes you so far.

Right now a lot of the athletic big guys like Ben Henry represent the jack of all trades, master of none.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Warriors think every young player they have is a superstar.

You people can't differentiate between athletes and footballers. That's why you haven't won any premierships yet despite having an entire country to harvest.

Rugby Union caters to athletes, just being big helps you dominate that game. League needs footballers with footballer dna and a footballers brain. Because Kiwis grow up playing Union many of them just end up flaming out in the NRL. If Benji stayed in NZ he wouldn't have been half the player he was here.

Melbourne and Manly have dominated the modern NRL. Look at their cores. Slater, Smith, Cronk, Foran, DCE, Stewart, Stewart.

There is varying levels of athleticism in that group but they all have elite footballing brains and that's why they took their teams to many premierships.

Clubs should stop just buying the biggest and the fastest, they should actually watch multiple games and look for players with a natural instinct for the game.

This coming from the guy who claimed Omar was the next kiwi sensation when it appeared he might sign with Souths??

 

[grouch]

i never thought id have to explain that to someone on these forums... :roll:

BunniesMan leading with his chin yet again

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Just on the actual topic, out of all the "athletes" to come through I would've thought Ben Henry would be one of the least to fit the mould. When people talk about "athletes" rather than footballers I think of the guys who are big, fast, strong, but repeatedly do dumb or lazy things to cost the team.

Ben Henry is about as far away from that as a player can be. IMO he won't ever be a dominant backrower, but he could certainly be a very useful first grader. For a young kid he's got a mature head on his shoulders and just needs a bit more muscle mass to be able to make the best use of what talent he has.

For me this thread has highlighted two things

1) How quickly players get written off when they don't jump into first grade and dominate. The kids in his first season straight out of NYC. A guy like Matt Robinson of the Panthers is a good example of how much more prepared a player can appear to be when he's had a full year of NSW Cup before being chucked into first grade.

2) Bunniesman is an idiot.

 

[BDR]

BM's definition of athlete seems to be "big person"

 

[BunniesMan]

BM's definition of athlete seems to be "big person"

Athleticism doesn't have to mean fast. Just players that are in some way above the rest physically. Whether it be size or speed. Scouts look for these guys and don't put enough focus on footballing instinct.

That's why we see an Idris every year set the world on fire for 6 months, then gets figured out and flames out. Hurrell is next. Mark my words.

 

[ozbash]

For me this thread has highlighted two things

1) How quickly players get written off when they don't jump into first grade and dominate. The kids in his first season straight out of NYC. A guy like Matt Robinson of the Panthers is a good example of how much more prepared a player can appear to be when he's had a full year of NSW Cup before being chucked into first grade.

2) Bunniesman is an idiot.


Bang on, on both counts.

Wai Koopu ? More like a young Mark Graham for mine...

 

[joel caine number 1 fan]

Just on the actual topic, out of all the "athletes" to come through I would've thought Ben Henry would be one of the least to fit the mould. When people talk about "athletes" rather than footballers I think of the guys who are big, fast, strong, but repeatedly do dumb or lazy things to cost the team.

Ben Henry is about as far away from that as a player can be. IMO he won't ever be a dominant backrower, but he could certainly be a very useful first grader. For a young kid he's got a mature head on his shoulders and just needs a bit more muscle mass to be able to make the best use of what talent he has.

For me this thread has highlighted two things

1) How quickly players get written off when they don't jump into first grade and dominate. The kids in his first season straight out of NYC. A guy like Matt Robinson of the Panthers is a good example of how much more prepared a player can appear to be when he's had a full year of NSW Cup before being chucked into first grade.

2) Bunniesman is an idiot.

100% agree,i dont understand why the avg footballer is coming out of u20s anyways
even the ones that arent ready are being thrown into 1st grade
its like the clubs are getting lazy and dont wanna let the players grow and now its a even bigger step up for the kids out of u20s

 

[Evil_Mush]

Ben Henry did pretty well to stifle the athletically-superior Inglis when we beat Souths 44-22 early in the year. One of his better games for sure.

 

[skeepe]

100% agree,i dont understand why the avg footballer is coming out of u20s anyways
even the ones that arent ready are being thrown into 1st grade
its like the clubs are getting lazy and dont wanna let the players grow and now its a even bigger step up for the kids out of u20s

Shaun Fensom is a great example of how to do it right IMO.

Rather than throw him straight into first grade, he spent a full season in Queensland Cup where he gained crucial experience. I honestly can't remember him ever having a bad game to be honest. Right from his debut he looked like a first grader.

 

[the bondi spy]

Seems to be one of these guys that's 100kgs 6'2, and mobile so coaches think 'he must be a good rugby league player' but really doesn't seem to fit in anywhere.

Plenty of them going around but he seems to stand out for mine.

Are coaches/scouts looking more for body types/athletes as opposed to kids with genuine rugby league skills these days?

Otherwise known as the Brisbane broncos strategy

 

[ramraider275]

Possible Warrior Captain.. though not a centre!

Agree with you there but there's a lot of depth at back row, interesting to see where the next coach will put him...

 

[blain]

He's ok, did a solid job at filling in for centre. But as already said, he isnt naturally massive or fast, to be a good NRL player he needs alot of hard work and experience.

Future star? I dont think so. Solid NRL grafter? Most likely.

 

[Patorick]

Shaun Fensom is a great example of how to do it right IMO.

Rather than throw him straight into first grade, he spent a full season in Queensland Cup where he gained crucial experience. I honestly can't remember him ever having a bad game to be honest. Right from his debut he looked like a first grader.

100%.

Same with Hodkinson and DCE.