In New Zealand they call him Mullins.

[Yosh]

First off, why can't they call him by his name?

Secondly, he was so good tonight. His mental game has taken another level forward. Great kicking game to keep us in great field position. His defence doesn't get enough priase. He kicked well long and short tonight and his early balls to the backline and Boyd were spot on.

100% aimed at the post.

Amazing... I think he has finally started to find his feet. He is injury free as well (touch wood). NSW are gonna come a calling for sure!!

 

[Apey]

I don't know why everyone complains about Husband. He is f**king hilarious :lol:

 

[Rolla]

Drop him, he doesn't carry us to victory every week, and he isn't halfbacky enough to play 5/8.

 

[Frances the Mute]

Sounded like we had a team full of new players who was Tyre?

 

[Joker's Wild]

lol I'm just happy he didn't pronounce his name Mu'l'leun

 

[perverse]

When the team rest of the team has a dig, he shines. He's not the leader to pick the team up and carry them on his shoulders like Johns was, but when left to his own devices in a machine that is functioning, he is fantastic. It's that simple for mine. It's really all I've had to say on the matter, and all I will say on the matter now. I get baited into way too many stupid discussions on this one.

His haters will wait until he has another bad game, though (usually when the rest of the team doesn't really put in), and we'll have another argument about him all over again. Looking forward to it.

I will say that he's been working on his short kicking all year, and it looks like it's beginning to bare some fruit for us, which is awesome.

 

[Noname36]

Drop him, he doesn't carry us to victory every week, and he isn't halfbacky enough to play 5/8.

:lol:

 

[RABK]

When the team rest of the team has a dig, he shines. He's not the leader to pick the team up and carry them on his shoulders like Johns was, but when left to his own devices in a machine that is functioning, he is fantastic. It's that simple for mine. It's really all I've had to say on the matter, and all I will say on the matter now. I get baited into way too many stupid discussions on this one.

His haters will wait until he has another bad game, though (usually when the rest of the team doesn't really put in), and we'll have another argument about him all over again. Looking forward to it.

I will say that he's been working on his short kicking all year, and it looks like it's beginning to bare some fruit for us, which is awesome.

His kicking game was sublime tonight - he can do that regardless of how busted his teamates are going.

Bottom line is this - Mullen needs an expansive gameplan to shine. A Rick Stone gameplan - which is what we employed after 20 minutes. Mason, Cuthbo, Tets, Taia running decoys and passing out of the ruck giving Mullen and Roberts early ball on the fringes. Until we get a little general at halfback this is quite frankly to best way to get Roberts and Mullen firing - getting out of the middle third grind and using what big bodies we have to use a bit of skill in getting our halves early deep ball. Its a nice chain reaction because then Boyd fires who gets the 4 blokes outside him firing. It was immensely satisfying to watch tonight.

We really need to build on how we played tonight - we just don't have the forwards to play the Bennett grind in 2012. I hope he (Bennett) realised this and the last couple of weeks is a sign of that.

 

[IanG]

Also wish Sky Sports would push their scoreboard graphics to the right of screen a little so that you can still read it if your not watching in widescreen.

 

[perverse]

His kicking game was sublime tonight - he can do that regardless of how busted his teamates are going.

Bottom line is this - Mullen needs an expansive gameplan to shine. A Rick Stone gameplan - which is what we employed after 20 minutes. Mason, Cuthbo, Tets, Taia running decoys and passing out of the ruck giving Mullen and Roberts early ball on the fringes. Until we get a little general at halfback this is quite frankly to best way to get Roberts and Mullen firing - getting out of the middle third grind and using what big bodies we have to use a bit of skill in getting our halves early deep ball. Its a nice chain reaction because then Boyd fires who gets the 4 blokes outside him firing. It was immensely satisfying to watch tonight.

We really need to build on how we played tonight - we just don't have the forwards to play the Bennett grind in 2012. I hope he (Bennett) realised this and the last couple of weeks is a sign of that.

You can dress it up how ever you like, I guess. The difference I see is purely in effort and commitment across the park, and not a lot to do with gameplan at all really. The "Rick Stone" expansive play that you're talking about looks more like good set plays, by skilled players, on the back of genuine commitment and go-forward. Not much more, and I can't imagine Bennett discouraging it. Our goal line defense echos this sentiment. The players are simply putting in now... bringing in guys like Gagai, Willie, Buderus, Tahu... it's all starting to work for us. As Bennett puts it - the players are now buying into it and putting in the hard yards. It's all about commitment for me, and always has been. Yes, we have blokes running decoys and whatnot... but if you're going to try and sit there and tell me the boys have not trained to do that at all in the past as footballers - or this year in general either, then you may as well pull the other one, too. The fact is, they are actually willing to do it now. That's where the difference is for me, it has very little to do with strategy and everything to do with heart and commitment. They've always known the strategy, it's really not that complicated. We were running set plays that looked good as early as round 4 against the Dogs.

So yeah, don't really agree with you much at all to be honest. I don't see our gameplan as any more expansive now... I just see a lot more players doing their jobs at 100%, rather than 70%. We're not spending whole halves of football in our own half any more, and it makes a massive difference. Mullens long kicking game has been excellent most of the year, in fact it's been excellent for several years in general. Looks like his short kicking might be catching up. No arguments about his short kicking, it has always been sub-par. He's been slowly warming into the short kicking all year though, it's been a gradual improvement.

 

[justagamemate]

I dont buy into this Rick Stone game plan. The Dragons fired when Boyd was in form. The same thing is happening here.

 

[perverse]

I dont buy into this Rick Stone game plan. The Dragons fired when Boyd was in form. The same thing is happening here.

I agree with you, Boyd is a massive, massive part of why we look so good with the ball now. Our team has worked out how to work with him and it's playing a massive role in our improvement. Massive.

A lot has to go on around Darius for him to work his magic. There needs to be decoys, a good understanding with the man passing him the ball to get him in the right positions and a good understand with his outside men to position themselves, too. They seem to nearly have it worked out on both sides of the field, and both halves are able to play their role now as well. It can only mean lots of tries for our wingers.

 

[RABK]

I don't give a rats ass if the pair of you don't buy into that we are playing a much more expansive gameplan recently because you'd be dead wrong. We are playing a much more expansive game then we were at any part of the early-mid year.

I call it a rick stoen gameplan not because i think stone has pulled strings - it's simply how he got our backs firing behind such an impotent pack in 2011. I never said why or how we are playing more expansively now - one can only speculate. Perhaps it is only to do with heart and commitment or perhaps Bennett has shifted priorities somewhat.

Either way it is pleasing to witness. And it's a fact no matter way you try and shine it to suit whatever your weeks agenda is - the Knights are playing a much more expansive gameplay with a focus on shifting the ball early which is similar to the way Stone had them playing with success in 2011.

 

[perverse]

To say we were playing more expansive than "hit it up a few times, drop the ball, defend, defend, defend, defend" is a pretty obvious statement, really. We weren't playing expansive because we were barely even playing at times. Sorry, I just see the chagne in effort more than anything. The expansive stuff is just natural after that. All the expansive stuff looks like coached set plays to me for the most part... so I just really don't think much has changed there.

And what do you mean my weeks agenda? Are you suggesting I've ever sung a different tune?

 

[RABK]

I dont buy into this Rick Stone game plan. The Dragons fired when Boyd was in form. The same thing is happening here.

Their left side of Creagh, Boyd, Cooper and Morris got the ball on the 2nd and 3rd tackles numerous times from the short side of the ruck. This is what is known as an expansive gameplan - the willingness to spread the ball across the park early on in sets.

That is when the Dragons 'fired'. Sure they were bloody good at a grind but that's all it was - one out stuff then a soward kick. Boyd fired when the Dragons employed expansive gameplay.

The last couple of weeks we are using a play where we have a forward come from the short side before ball playing behind a decoy runner to Mullen or Roberts who then finds Boyd in a 3 on 3/2 situation. And we are doing it on the 2nd and 3rd tackles.

Tha is why our backline is starting to look so good. Not because Boyd is pulling rabbits out of his ass oppossed to 10 weeks ago. Again for whatever reaosns we are executing a much more expansive game play tonight.

Want proof? Count the amount of receives mullen and roberts had on the outside third of the field compared to receives they had in the middle third. Now compare that to rd 6 or 7 or 8 or 11 or 13 etc etc

 

[perverse]

Look at our completion rate compared to back then. Look at time spent in opposition half since then. Those players have been there to make those plays lately, whereas 10 weeks ago they were bunched behind the ruck not knowing what the f**k is going on, or like they cared either way. It's obvious that we don't have the size to go up the middle all day, perhaps that has changed too... but it wouldn't make a piss of difference if blokes weren't actually doing their jobs, not dropping the ball, working us out of trouble, etc. My point is, that people have been blaming so much on Mullen (pretty much all our woes), and my main conjecture is that when things are working around him, he will shine... and he hasn't really been that bad on an individual level - he's just not the star that's going to grab the team and drag it to success, either. Regardless of how we get there with semantics about our improvement, that is my point.

What is really scary (for other teams) is if Mullen can really kick on and realise a bit of his actual potential, and not just be the guy that plays well when everything else is fine. I'm still confident we can win a premiership with Jarrod Mullen in our #6 jersey. The bloke in the number 7 jersey still has a fuzzy portrait, though.

 

[RABK]

Perverse have to agree to disagree.

I think we were employing a much more conservative game play earlier in the year. You mentioned the Bulldogs win? Correct if im wrongg but i don't think we scored a single try from a set play or ball spread. Was it not a try from a kick and two ruck breaks?

I don't think Bennett is coaching the exact tatics he always has and now the players are suddenly employing it. There is a difference btween training set plays for the 4th and 5th tackle and training set plays for use on the 2nd and 3rd tackle.

One is a conservative one - the other is expansive. Boyd, Mullen, Roberts are thriving at the chance to take the line on early in the sets.

 

[perverse]

Richie scored off some nice ballplaying from Snowden in that match, just off the top of my head. Pretty simple play though, yeah... and in the middle. We were scoring tries through backline movements as early as round 1, but there was just no fluidity in it yet. It's hardly unrealistic to expect a brand new spine (and backline, really) to take half a season to get some composure and whatnot to their plays. I think that's pretty reasonable, actually. If there has been a change there, then so be it... but once again I think it's far more to do with our effort. I put the more expansive play down to our backs actually having and understanding with each other now, and as you watch matches through the season you can actually see it all developing and improving as they go, it's not something that has just switched on like a light. I certainly don't feel that 4 or 5 rounds ago Bennett woke up one day and thought "OK, we're going to spread the ball a lot now".

The biggest difference for me has been in attitude, the rest is coming off the back of that. I'm fine disagreeing with you on it... because the difference I see in their attitude and willingness to put in on the field on a regular basis now is on a completely new level. I think with a big pack of forwards - playing the up the middle gameplan with Mullen would work fine, too... and the criticism he has copped playing that gameplan with the team we have was also unwarranted quite oftentimes, too.

 

[RABK]

I agree the attitude has improved immensly - in the end it's attitude that wins comps. But so has the willingness to give Boyd ball on the 2nd and 3rd tackle. Low and beyold our backline looks deadly.

 

[RABK]

Feel a bit like two guys arguing over why our girlfriends suddenly decided to try anal - who gives a f**k... let's just enjoy it!

(Good analogy?)

Oh somebody stop me.