The idea people want to move on dylan or think adapting and evolving means he needs to go just seems so crazy to me.
The guy was legit our best player in the finals on one leg. The only game he didnt play we lost.... and contrary to what was being said on here about him he was actually really good for the back half of the year and had a number of mom performances.
Yes he has his limitations in terms of passing.
I think theres some pretty easy and clear ways around that.
Right now luai is solely a left side player. Nath plays both sides of the ruck but generally, when nath does go left we are already on the left side of the field (sticks) and nath plays the link man to luai instead of yeo.
This normally only happens when we are in the attacking 10 to 20m zone. Otherwise nath stays on the right. We do this in the red zone because nath is quicker than yeo, has a good running game and defenders can ball watch him and he holds up the defence line more which creates more space for, luai kiks burts too.
When we swing right in attack, especially in the red zone, luai generally doesnt get involved.
It will go api to yeo to cleary to edwards. With edwards playing the final pass role on the right that luai does on the left.
I think a simple fix is just giving luai more of a licence to get involved all over. Especially in the middle of the field around tired props in the red zone.
Id keep things the same when we shift the ball left. But when we swing it right id be getting yeo into 1st reciever, passing to luai who passes to nath who is the final pass guy on the right.
To break it down-
Say api gets it 5m in from touch on the attacking 10m line.
15m pass to yeo. Who can straighten and run or ball play to forward short inside or out. Otherwise he passes the sweep pass out the back to luai whod roughly be centre field.
Luai is than in the best position for him. Middle of the field, most tired forwards and the slowest players and he has the best running game of our players. Here he has the choice to play straight and run at tired big guys. Or he can drift across field like nath does looking to hit someone like martin in a hole.
If martins not on. Luai passes to nath who is the final link man on the right instead of edwards.
At this point nath can either run... or pass to a running fb in edwards on the inside or the centre winger outside him. (Which is essentially what luai does and how its structured for him on the left).
Essentially its just shifting luai into the attack on right in the middle and taking edwards out as a ball player and leaving it to nath whod just be a tad wider and is the best decision maker.
Edwards than can just focus on his strong running game and backing up forwards for offloads etc.
When we are centre field theres no need to change to much. If we go right, api to yeo to nath is about as much space as you have anyway and edwards doesnt generally ball play in those positions as naths the final link man anyway.
Its just the big sweep plays left to right in the red zone where edwards gets caught out a bit cause he gets it with time and space and hes not the best at picking the right option.
Push luai into the link play and it solves that and adds the benefit of hsving our most dangerous runner going at tired props.
www.penrithpanthers.com.au
www.nrl.com
