First Thing a Fullback Must Do Is Catch the High Ball

[Rob Dragon]

I think Adam Quinlan is a terrific little player; but unless and until he is prepared to attempt to catch the high ball with traffic coming at him he cannot continue as our fullback.

I cannot think of a time watching us play when a fullback has let the ball bounce in our own quarter. Other teams know to bomb him out of existence now. Every video review for team coming up against us will start and end with "bomb Quinlan all night long and don't compete for the ball just wait for it to bounce".

The solution? Gerrard Beale was signed as a fullback and if Dugan is going to stay in the centres I would think about moving Beale back to his preferred position. As an aside it is interesting to see the speed Beale has lost after two ACL injuries when he was run down on Saturday night despite having a 10 metre start.

 

[Minh]

Yes and these things can be taught, Barba used to be horrendous under the high ball when he first arrived in FG, even Brett Morris was very wobbly under the high ball until Bennett arrived.

 

[St Georgio]

Yes and these things can be taught, Barba used to be horrendous under the high ball when he first arrived in FG, even Brett Morris was very wobbly under the high ball until Bennett arrived.

That's why I mentioned in Another thread, Adam is a working progress.
Nightingale,Dugan,Benji,Widdop ,Beale,Morris.. This is premiership winning backline.

 

[giboz71]

Yes and these things can be taught, Barba used to be horrendous under the high ball when he first arrived in FG, even Brett Morris was very wobbly under the high ball until Bennett arrived.

Yes. Spot on.

Regardless of whether he is the long term solution at FB, I'm glad he's playing FG. He definitely belongs there and if he is left languishing in NSW Cup, he'll get snapped up by another team for sure. We've had a very ordinary few years, and we can't afford to be losing good players like Quinlan. And I imagine he wouldn't be on big money.

I'd get rid of Hunt and his $400k long before I'd be letting Quinlan go.

Mary has found a way to keep him in FG and what do you know we've been winning games. No co-incidence there.

 

[Minh]

Yes. Spot on.

Regardless of whether he is the long term solution at FB, I'm glad he's playing FG. He definitely belongs there and if he is left languishing in NSW Cup, he'll get snapped up by another team for sure. We've had a very ordinary few years, and we can't afford to be losing good players like Quinlan. And I imagine he wouldn't be on big money.

I'd get rid of Hunt and his $400k long before I'd be letting Quinlan go.

Mary has found a way to keep him in FG and what do you know we've been winning games. No co-incidence there.

Agree, some players are winners and know how to win games. Quinlan could fall into that mould, he's an awesome little player that get's the team clicking and a dangerous player in his own right. You don't have to be a 100kg monster to be a good player in this game, provided you have the skills.

 

[Jubileeboy]

All of the above are good posts.
Nice work and good observations lads.

 

[Kuro]

Agreed. I would like to think that we would be having him practice the high balls over the next two weeks. Now is as good as time as any.

 

[2010Dragons]

I think it is a one of incident, he won't be doing that again.

Quinlin can catch the high balls, his caught them in rounds 1,2,3 and did a good job. But it was a very windy night and the ball was floating and swirling in the air. I was at the game sitting high up in the stands and it was very windy in the stands.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Yes was particularly noticeable against Melb when Beale took almost every high ball.....still I guess he's a work in progress...not sure what his position will be when Morris and co return to the side

 

[jenninga]

I blame the wind

 

[Minh]

No way!!!

I blame Prior.

 

[GT0007]

I think Adam Quinlan is a terrific little player; but unless and until he is prepared to attempt to catch the high ball with traffic coming at him he cannot continue as our fullback.

I cannot think of a time watching us play when a fullback has let the ball bounce in our own quarter. Other teams know to bomb him out of existence now. Every video review for team coming up against us will start and end with "bomb Quinlan all night long and don't compete for the ball just wait for it to bounce".

The solution? Gerrard Beale was signed as a fullback and if Dugan is going to stay in the centres I would think about moving Beale back to his preferred position. As an aside it is interesting to see the speed Beale has lost after two ACL injuries when he was run down on Saturday night despite having a 10 metre start.

Re: Quinlan. Reasonable opinion based on 2 kicks and 1 game however really not accurate as he has been great under the high ball in the other 9 games. Clearly if you watch the ones he diffused he is as comfortable as anyone else.

In regard to Beale at fullback.......he may be better now who knows but he was very very average in the 6 games he played there when he signed and only made 1 line break in that time. Boyd wasnt great at 1st either so that doesnt mean he cant be a success. However if Quinlan didnt play against the Cowboys we wouldve most likely lost as he was involved in 3 tries. He is very much a playmaker and we are winning games based on scoring points, the notion to move Beale who has not shown any ability at fullback and currently our second top try scorer at centre doesnt make any sense. Again I'm not saying it wouldnt work but Quinlan is a big part of why we are scoring points, the pass he thru to Gypsy shows his ability and wasnt a 1 off as he has delivered several.

BTW we did go thru a faze under Bennet when we let the ball bounce and it was intentional however with the game this week it seemed on the 2 occasions Quinlan didn't know what his other players were going to do and IMO he shouldve taken control and called it himself. On 1 occasion the other players were closer, 1 occasion maybe the wind affected the way the ball was dropping as someone previously suggested and on the other it was Mata'Utia's ball as he was under it.

As a side note, IMO it is irrelevant what position a player was signed to play, the only position they should play is whats best for the team to assist in winning games

 

[charlesv]

If Beale scored would have gone back to video ref to check for possible knock on so better to take the tackle one of my friends picked that up at the game

 

[Minh]

If Beale scored would have gone back to video ref to check for possible knock on so better to take the tackle one of my friends picked that up at the game

Spot on, and if that was his thoughts for not going hard for the try he is a very intelligent player.

 

[GT0007]

If Beale scored would have gone back to video ref to check for possible knock on so better to take the tackle one of my friends picked that up at the game

Very good theory but after watching it again he didnt touch the ball which means he was just run down by a quicker player, no shame in that

 

[Dragon in enemy territory]

I think quinlan is a very very good player. A few mistakes on saturday, but every fullback is entitled to a few mistakes, as long as he learns from those mistakes.

One gripe I have is that when he gets the ball he is always looking to pass, even if no players are next to him. When he runs, he runs fast, and can break the line, but he has only done that twice since he was bought into First Grade.

On the whole, a good performance by the team on Saturday, only problem was we went to sleep for the first 15 minutes of the second half, so that has to improve, but very happy for the win, and now the week off to refresh for the sea eagles at home in 2 weeks.

Go Saints

 

[GT0007]

I think quinlan is a very very good player. A few mistakes on saturday, but every fullback is entitled to a few mistakes, as long as he learns from those mistakes.

One gripe I have is that when he gets the ball he is always looking to pass, even if no players are next to him. When he runs, he runs fast, and can break the line, but he has only done that twice since he was bought into First Grade.

On the whole, a good performance by the team on Saturday, only problem was we went to sleep for the first 15 minutes of the second half, so that has to improve, but very happy for the win, and now the week off to refresh for the sea eagles at home in 2 weeks.

Go Saints

I agree on his kick returns though in the last 2 games he is starting to take the line on and looks very dangerous, passing to the wingers previously is now going to put the defense in 2 minds and as Quinlans confidence improves so does the danger for defenses.

The period we went to sleep was also due to lack of possession (25%) which we brought on ourselves through errors, penalties and leaking tries. In the last 10 mins of the 1st half and the 1st 15mins approx of the 2nd half we had the ball 4 times and only completed twice (Thats a 25min period). On the other side of the coin the Cowgirls had the pill 15 times and completed 13. While I dont think we defended well we probably did well to win the game after that

 

[Divine]

Standing under the ball is most important. Even if you don't choose to leap. Granted the opposition will be climbing all over you but the odds are good you either draw a penalty or a knock-on. And the default result is you catch it.

 

[grouch]

Pretty sure he let a line dropout bounce too, conceding 20-30 metres as a result

 

[GT0007]

Pretty sure he let a line dropout bounce too, conceding 20-30 metres as a result

Yes he did and conceeded 18mtrs. The ball landed just before him but I thought he couldve come forward earlier and maybe taken it on the full however if he knocked on we'd be saying he shouldve let it bounce. Three tackles later he threw the round the corner pass for Gypsy to score so it didnt hurt us too much