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Ben Roberts

lingard

Coach
Messages
11,136
LOL, your not sticking your nose in Caylo, I was just trying to avoid any conversation with that other rambling fool.

I agree, you also have to take into account the excellent short and long kicking games each posseses and where best to utilise them. In the 20 it would be better to split and have Hayne playing both sides but outside the 20 I'd prefer they used 1st and 2nd receiver to keep the defence from compressing too much.


You mean, of course, half and five-eight? Poor old five-eight; rumours of his death have been grossly exagerrated.
 

CrazyEel

Bench
Messages
3,680
LOL, Yes, that's exactly what I meant Ivor, however it appears 1st and 2nd receiver is now the politically correct term to be used around these parts. :lol:
 

Pazza

First Grade
Messages
8,501
Ben Roberts says leaving the Bulldogs for the Parramatta Eels will reignite his NRL career


YOU look at the photo and then you have the hide to ask Ben Roberts where it all went wrong?

Seriously, the guy hardly looks like he belongs on the NRL scrapheap.

Yet that is exactly where he was before Parramatta threw him a lifeline after his fall from favour at the Bulldogs.

The Eels' new recruit was sitting back this week, promoting the Niu Warrior Polynesian exhibition on show at the Casula Powerhouse, and piecing together the puzzle that has been his six seasons in the NRL.

At 21, Roberts was an international star on the rise after breaking into the Kiwi Test team in his rookie season. By 25, he was struggling to crack the top grade.

So you get back to the question that so far defines the curious career of one of the most gifted athletes in the game today; Where did it all go wrong?

"Your guess is as good as mine because I obviously don't have a clue what the go was,'' he explains.

"Obviously I fell out of favour with the coach (Kevvie Moore).

"I don't know why to be honest with you and that is something that will always be on my mind.

"I sort of felt like I had done something wrong but I don't know exactly what it was.''

But he hopes playing under Steve Kearney at the Eels in 2012 will re-ignite his career.

"That is exactly the way Steve and I look at it, that is exactly what we sat down and spoke about before I signed,'' he says.

"It's not too late. I could have a stellar year and that could turn everything around.

"Without putting pressure on myself, I think this will be a new chapter in my life.

"I look at myself like I am at my peak now.

"If anything is going to happen, if I am going to make something of my career, it is going to be now or in the very near future.

"Steve has said there are no guarantees but I have made it clear I want to play five-eighth.

"I am not satisfied where I am with my football and neither is he. We have the same outlook and the good thing about it is that we both believe I can do better.''

How much better is the big question?

Roberts admits an unhealthy combination of booze and bad manners cost him early in his career _ but he says attributes rooming with fellow Samoan Nigel Vagana to helping get his career back on track at the 2008 World Cup.

The following season Roberts swore off the drink and the results showed in his game.

Dogs' fans will recall one game against Darren Lockyer's Broncos that year that highlighted his immense talent, setting up four tries and scoring another in a thumping 44-22 victory.

That season Canterbury eventually went down to Parramatta in the grand final qualifier _ but the following season injury struck.

"In 2009 I made a lot of sacrifices to get to where I was,'' he recalls.

"I cut out the partying by not drinking for a whole year and I was lucky enough to be playing outside a bloke like Brett Kimmorley who also had a great season.

"But in 2010 injury put me back a few steps. I was out for a large part of the season with a broken ankle. When I came back I thought I did well to be honest with you but obviously the team wasn't going well and then in 2011, well, like I said, your guess is as good as mine.''

You ask him if the signing of Kris Keating crushed his confidence?

"It did,'' he says.

"It was more a mental thing for me. I thought I did reasonably well considering what I had thrown at me. But that is also one of the big reasons I decided to come to Parramatta.

"With Steve Kearney I thought he could help me realise my potential. To have Steve mentoring me and guiding my career, I feel it will help me re-ignite it.

"Steve hasn't guaranteed me anything.

"But in saying that he is going to mentor me and we both believe there is something I can still offer the game.

"I believe he is the person who is going to help me do that.''

Roberts said he was honoured to be chosen as part of the Niu Warrior exhibition now on display at the Casula Powerhouse.

"I am a proud Samoan and to be a part of this is an honour,'' he says of the promotion which is a follow up to last year's hugely successful Body Pacifica exhibition.

"To me it means everything. Obviously my whole family is from that island. I am not just doing it for myself, I am doing it for my family and every other Samoan out there. To be honest, I am doing it for them rather than myself.

"I was born in Australia, both my parents were born in New Zealand and my grandparents in Samoa. I think growing up and [being] raised by them, it was always important for them to teach their kids the culture and the way of living as a Polynesian. I am glad to have my grand parents their to teach me and my brothers and siblings that Samoan custom.''

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...e-his-nrl-career/story-e6frexq0-1226199167999
 

natheel

Coach
Messages
12,137
i mean roberts is hardly a has been, hes only 26 years old for a half he could still have 5 years till he retires.

hes still young enough to learn new tricks and learn off a new coach

he will go well i think he will be the best signing next year with sandow following closely behind
 
Messages
17,037
Players that are commited driven are better than a players with all the talent in the world. We'll see how Benny goes. What's better is of they have a hint of talent and are driven at the same time they are the great ones.
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
84,182
I reckon Roberts will probably be our backup number 7 next year as well.

Assuming that's the case, would he just jump straight into Sandow's spot with a new 6 (Maitua?) moving into Roberts' spot? This would minimise disruption to the team's structures and patterns.

Or would they flip the team so that our preferred open side (and therefore our 6) was on the right? This would allow Roberts to stay on his preferred kicking side, and would also allow the other kicker to stay on their preferred right side. Would also avoid breaking up the defensive combination on the left.

The downside would be that it would disrupt the attacking roles of our left and right edge players - the left edge would now be playing directly off the halfback, while the right edge would have to get used to playing off the 6.

Or would we just split the halves, obviating the need for distinguishing between them? This would also involve reworking the structure, which would be a disruption to cohesion. But losing your halfback is a hefty disruption anyway.

It would be interesting to see. But here's hoping we don't need to find out, unless Sandow plays Origin.
 
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CrazyEel

Bench
Messages
3,680
I think Roberts will do very well for us this year.

Poupou you sure can make a simple concept seem very complicated, that's quite a gift of obfuscation you have there lad.
 

Tony Bongo

Bench
Messages
3,006
I think the key is that Kearney hasn't promised him anything. Can we take from this that there is no set plan for him at this stage ? I like the fact that he and Kearney both believe he can do better and for all concerned I really hope he does. It's good to see that there are no apparent illusions here though and it's always good to have a player who has a point to prove. I'm warming to having him in our side and even if he doesn't take it up a notch next year he will still be good for depth. As with anyone wearing the Blue and Gold I will be supporting him all the way !
 

Parra Pride

Coach
Messages
19,723
http://m.smh.com.au/rugby-league/le...et-to-fix-an-old-weakness-20111124-1nx0x.html

Good article, I can't copy the article on my iPhone though, if someone else can that's be great :)
I really think Roberts will surprise everyone, pre-season banter of course but the two bonding with each other is a good sign.

Eels' new halves pairing set to fix an old weakness
Michael Chammas
November 25, 2011

ipad-art-wide-Parramatta-20ld-420x0.jpg

Go-to men … Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts are excited about next season. Photo: Steve Christo
IS THIS the pair that will finally lead Parramatta towards the light at the end of the tunnel?

A curse has haunted the club's halves for the past two decades but in recruits Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts, Eels fans have renewed hope that their search for a quality pairing is finally over.

Under three coaches over the past four years, Parramatta have used 20 different halves combinations and 14 different playmakers.

Advertisement: Story continues below
The weight of expectation on the shoulders of Sandow and Roberts is heavy enough to bring down even the most resilient of combatants, but the pair insist the pressure of ending the club's halves drought is far from a burden. ''It's excitement more than pressure, to be honest,'' Sandow told the Herald. ''The halves is a struggle Parramatta have had here for a few years. But I think if me and Benny can just start the year playing good, consistent footy, everything else around us will fall into place.''

So how does a bloke who built a reputation at South Sydney for producing rocks or diamonds join forces with a Kiwi international turned NSW Cup five-eighth to transform the fortunes of the NRL's biggest underachievers of the past decade?

It's probably a question better saved for this time next year.

For now, Roberts just wants to get back in the top grade after a season to forget at Canterbury, where he ended the year in the NSW Cup with just eight NRL appearances to his name.

Despite describing the axing from the Bulldogs as a major setback, Roberts said there was little point kicking stones and was hell-bent on resurrecting his career at the Eels.

''It was a good wake-up call,'' he said. ''If anything, I looked at it as a positive and I believe it's made me a better person off the field just as much as on the field.

''One thing I've learnt is not to take things for granted and I'm going to make sure I do everything I can to take make the most of it.

''Because of my experiences, I'm never going to feel like I have cemented my spot, which is always going to keep me on my toes.''

Coach Stephen Kearney returned to training duties on Wednesday after his unsuccessful Four Nations campaign with New Zealand and, while he hasn't announced any plans for next year, it's almost guaranteed Roberts will wear the No.6 jersey outside Sandow.

The former South Sydney halfback has backed Roberts to start the year at five-eighth and believes the pair have already started to develop a bond off the field that will hold them in good stead when the new season rolls around in March.

For his part, Roberts is excited about the prospect of playing outside Sandow and labelled his new teammate as one of the main reasons he decided to sign with the Eels.

''Obviously, with Chrissy being one of the best halfbacks … in the NRL last year, for myself personally, it was a decision that I made based on that,'' Roberts said. ''Getting the opportunity to play with a great player like him and at a club like Parramatta, I think it's good times ahead.''

Parramatta won't get into intense ball work until after Christmas but Sandow already has a clear message for Eels fans.

''They can expect some exciting football,'' the 22-year-old said. ''Parra is a team that is capable of throwing the footy around, and with me, Jarryd [Hayne] and Benny here there is definitely some exciting footy to be played.''
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...et-to-fix-an-old-weakness-20111124-1nx0x.html

You owe me one Boxy, I'll take your first born son as payment.
 

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