Rooster Cogburn.
Bench
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There has been a lot of debate and conjecture lately on one of the most important aspects of our great game, defence.
As anyone associated with rugby league will tell you, defence has been the cornerstone of any team which has had dreams of winning the game’s holy grail.
Without a great defence, opposition teams are in a position to exploit even the slightest lapse.
The 9 weeks leading up to and including the grand final in 2002 was some of the most relentless tackling ever seen on a footy field. It wasn’t just the defence however but also the tremendous speed at which the Roosters’ tacklers greeted the opponents advantage line. It seemed that the millisecond a play the ball was effected there was 3 and 4 Roosters there to shut any possible attacking movement down. For teams who played a flat line of attack, such as the Sharks, the tactic proved too much for them to handle.
The team who seemed to be able to cope with it the best was the Broncos who are also renowned for their tackling prowess. The Qualifying final in 2002 between the two clubs was a classic and many felt that it should have been the grand final.
The fact that Easts were able to win the premiership so convincingly in the end is proof that a great defence will win the spoils most of the time. It seems that Ricky Stuart has been given all the credit for introducing this style of defense to the Roosters who in the past have been painted as a soft defensive team. It is true that Stuart transformed the Roosters into a feared unit but it would be unfair and also wrong to ignore the feats of coaches from other clubs and eras.
The great St George team from the 50’s and 60’s were renowned for their tremendous tackling. Provan, Ryan, Clay and Raper are names that spring to mind when discussing great defence. Of course the game was unlimited tackle in those days so to do well a solid defense was a necessity. Saints used to smash opposing teams into submission thus enabling their brilliant backs to finish the job.
The Souths team of the late 60’s and early 70’s were another great defensive team with a pack who certainly took no prisoners. McCarthy, O’Neill, Sait and Coote would often leave an opponent sore and sorry after a bruising piledriver.
Jack Gibson’s brilliant Easts team from the 70’s were superb in every department but it was their defence which made them such a great side. The same can be said of the winning teams from Manly, Parramatta and of course Canterbury.
A look at the statistics of any premiership winning team will reveal one bon fide fact and that is that the winner invariably boasted either the best defensive record or the 2nd best. They say that forwards win matches and anyone will tell you that the most important ingredient of any great pack is it’s ability to do the tough stuff up the middle.
As anyone associated with rugby league will tell you, defence has been the cornerstone of any team which has had dreams of winning the game’s holy grail.
Without a great defence, opposition teams are in a position to exploit even the slightest lapse.
The 9 weeks leading up to and including the grand final in 2002 was some of the most relentless tackling ever seen on a footy field. It wasn’t just the defence however but also the tremendous speed at which the Roosters’ tacklers greeted the opponents advantage line. It seemed that the millisecond a play the ball was effected there was 3 and 4 Roosters there to shut any possible attacking movement down. For teams who played a flat line of attack, such as the Sharks, the tactic proved too much for them to handle.
The team who seemed to be able to cope with it the best was the Broncos who are also renowned for their tackling prowess. The Qualifying final in 2002 between the two clubs was a classic and many felt that it should have been the grand final.
The fact that Easts were able to win the premiership so convincingly in the end is proof that a great defence will win the spoils most of the time. It seems that Ricky Stuart has been given all the credit for introducing this style of defense to the Roosters who in the past have been painted as a soft defensive team. It is true that Stuart transformed the Roosters into a feared unit but it would be unfair and also wrong to ignore the feats of coaches from other clubs and eras.
The great St George team from the 50’s and 60’s were renowned for their tremendous tackling. Provan, Ryan, Clay and Raper are names that spring to mind when discussing great defence. Of course the game was unlimited tackle in those days so to do well a solid defense was a necessity. Saints used to smash opposing teams into submission thus enabling their brilliant backs to finish the job.
The Souths team of the late 60’s and early 70’s were another great defensive team with a pack who certainly took no prisoners. McCarthy, O’Neill, Sait and Coote would often leave an opponent sore and sorry after a bruising piledriver.
Jack Gibson’s brilliant Easts team from the 70’s were superb in every department but it was their defence which made them such a great side. The same can be said of the winning teams from Manly, Parramatta and of course Canterbury.
A look at the statistics of any premiership winning team will reveal one bon fide fact and that is that the winner invariably boasted either the best defensive record or the 2nd best. They say that forwards win matches and anyone will tell you that the most important ingredient of any great pack is it’s ability to do the tough stuff up the middle.
