Jarrod Mullen officially worst seven in the NRL

[Joker's Wild]

lol it was farcical wasnt it

It actually got to the point where during the 2nd half I was turning my back to the screen on the 4th tackle and saying to the missus "Mullen kicks it high to slater on the full". Not once was I wrong

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

I think the Steve Witt/Dane Campbell combo would have been more potent!

 

[perverse]

it was totally incomprehensible... unbelievable... nonsensical...

 

[billy2]

Mullen was playing the game he was coached to play.

I don't want to take a shot at Stone, but the only time the halves have clicked in the whole time Stone has been here was when Matt Johns was in their ears about keeping it simple.

Stone has done some really good things - decent game plans and coaching playmakers aren't two of them.

 

[perverse]

bullshit. i refuse to believe Stone sat there and said yep, keep bombing it to Billy. i refuse to accept that premise.

in fact, i'm going to go even further and say that if the coach was, in fact, sending that order repeatedly, that a real leader and halfback would have played what was in front of him when it stopped working (well.. actually, it never even started working).

 

[Pika]

Mullen was playing the game he was coached to play.

I don't want to take a shot at Stone, but the only time the halves have clicked in the whole time Stone has been here was when Matt Johns was in their ears about keeping it simple.

Stone has done some really good things - decent game plans and coaching playmakers aren't two of them.

Not true.

There is a massive range of set kicks the team trains for and it is entirely the responsibility of the half to play what is in front of him.

A good half will see variations in a game and adapt his kicking to suit on the run.

Edit - The call went down all day Pervy.

Kicking stratergy from Coaching through the week is limited to where potential weaknesses in the opposition may lie and little else.

Ultimately the decision comes down to the half, and this is as it should be. A half with vision is more dangerous kicking than a half with a 'pre game plan'.

 

[Pika]

bullshit. i refuse to believe Stone sat there and said yep, keep bombing it to Billy. i refuse to accept that premise.

in fact, i'm going to go even further and say that if the coach was, in fact, sending that order repeatedly, that a real leader and halfback would have played what was in front of him when it stopped working (well.. actually, it never even started working).

The pre game plan was not to bomb Slater.

Either Mullen disregarded or his kicks were so misjudged they found him.

The two way was hot with kick instructions for sure Perv.

 

[perverse]

edit - second post answered my questions.

i bet the kick instructions from Stone were a lot different from the ones being executed. i didn't see too many deep kicks to the corners, or grubbers. something tells me that these coaches favourites would have been a feature on the walkies for sure. mind you, we didn't even give our selves too many chances to grubber, given we didn't earn enough field position...

fair dinkum delusional to try and pin what happened yesterday off Mullos boot on Stone.

 

[B-dos]

well thats even more damning for mullen

 

[perverse]

Mullen shouldn't need a coach to hold his hand all game and tell him which kicks to do when. by now, if he were a halfback, this would be developing into a second nature for him... but that couldn't be further from reality. you couldn't say much about his attacking kicking game other than it's getting worse.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

Me and Tim have only been saying that for 26 weeks.

I've been saying it for 3 years.

 

[RHCP]

He has more than the bomb...he also has the cross field kick to the corner which lands 15 metres out from the opposition try line, or behind where he kicked it.

 

[billy2]

I've been saying it for 3 years.

I've been saying for that long that the Knights should retire the 7 jumper in respect for all the players who's careers have died in it.

 

[Spot On]

What kind of a halfback would think bombing Slater continually would actually work?

And yet, and I could be wrong here, with all the "high' balls put to Slater did we have anyone contest and apply much pressure to him?? We dead set are so far behind other teams in this area that there is absolutely no point in using that kick if players are going to stand and watch the opposition fullback take it uncontested.

Melbourne contest every high ball Cronk puts up - every high ball, in fact every kick that is used within chasing distance is chased relentlessly, usually by Slater, which puts continual pressure on opposition fullbacks. They must always know Slater is there ready to pounce all the time. We must improve in this area at the end of sets ten fold next season. Untold riches and possession await teams who can master and use this very basic tactic.

 

[Rudderriffic]

And yet, and I could be wrong here, with all the "high' balls put to Slater did we have anyone contest and apply much pressure to him?? We dead set are so far behind other teams in this area that there is absolutely no point in using that kick if players are going to stand and watch the opposition fullback take it uncontested.

Melbourne contest every high ball Cronk puts up - every high ball, in fact every kick that is used within chasing distance is chased relentlessly, usually by Slater, which puts continual pressure on opposition fullbacks. They must always know Slater is there ready to pounce all the time. We must improve in this area at the end of sets ten fold next season. Untold riches and possession await teams who can master and use this very basic tactic.

While you're right, our kick chase wasn't the high standard you expect of the successful NRL teams this time of year, the cause of this wasn't purely the chasers, but Mullen's positioning of the kick. At times the chase seemed lazy on Sunday, but at others the kick gave the chase no chance to mount pressure.

I don't particularly want to join the chorus of fans calling Mullen in the halves a hopeless prospect, but as was said above by a number of posters, the high ball wasn't working (for whatever reason), a game winning halfback would make adjustments.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

Billy is the best fullback i have seen and he is the most assured player under the high ball i have ever witnessed and that is saying a lot. Not once did i think billy would spill the pill as he is poetry in motion when getting air. I bet every player watching the game was shaking their heads at the tactic.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

He has more than the bomb...he also has the cross field kick to the corner which lands 15 metres out from the opposition try line, or behind where he kicked it.

He put 2 on Slaters chest in the in goal, it was like a pro wrestling move it looked that practised.

 

[randy chicken]

once again you so called knights supporters want to bag your halves...

get over it people JOEY HAS RETIRED......even joey could not have played consistently well over the last three years with the forwards we have had....it an old stoy but so true.......no half can perform well is his forwards dont lay a platform and newcastle forwards have been shite for a long time.....at times when our forwards have gone well we have won and the halves have shone no matter what combo was playing.....stop bagging all the time and show some SUPPORT for your team......any player of our great game who plays even one game of first grade must be a decent player to get there so show some respect and support them.

 

[Jobdog]

Knights halfback Jarrod Mullen may need off-season shoulder surgery

BY BRETT KEEBLE
13 Sep, 2011 04:00 AM

KNIGHTS halfback Jarrod Mullen could need off-season surgery on both shoulders after partially dislocating his left shoulder in the opening minutes of Newcastle’s season-ending 18-8 loss to Melbourne at AAMI Park on Sunday.

Mullen suffered the injury tackling former Knights teammate Todd Lowrie in the 11th minute of the qualifying final against the Storm but, despite favouring that arm, finished the game.

He will have an MRI scan this week then consult with Knights sports physician Neil Halpin and a shoulder specialist, either Des Bokor or Mark Perko, to discuss his options.

The 24-year-old playmaker was already facing the possibility of surgery on his right shoulder this off-season after partially dislocating it and tearing the rotator cuff in Newcastle’s 26-6 loss to Brisbane three weeks ago.

Mullen has a history of shoulder injuries during his 121-game career, but hoped he could sidestep the surgeon’s scalpel and allow the joints to heal with rest and a rehabilitation and strengthening program.

He was not selected yesterday in the train-on squad for the Australian Kangaroos and Prime Minister’s XIII, and his next game will be in pre-season trials in February.

‘‘I’ll go in for an MRI some time this week and see how bad it is but I definitely don’t want to be getting an operation,’’ Mullen said.

‘‘I’ve got the off-season now to rest it so I’ll see how it goes.’’

Mullen had reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder in 2007, which ended that season in July. He has partially dislocated his right shoulder several times since his NRL debut in 2005, and missed four games earlier this season when he tore a pectoral muscle near his right shoulder.

Though pleased with the way the Knights fought back in the second half on Sunday, Mullen said it was frustrating to concede three early tries and be on the back foot trailing 16-0 at half-time.

‘‘We did show plenty of fight in that second half. We could have easily laid down, and usually the Storm blow sides away in the second half, so that was pleasing that we hung in there to the end, but we weren’t quite good enough to get the chocolates,’’ he said.

Determined to make his mark on the finals, Mullen was unable to provide the spark the Knights needed against Melbourne because Newcastle made too many handling errors and conceded too many penalties for him and halves partner Ryan Stig to build any pressure.

Their kicking games were nowhere near as effective as Cooper Cronk or Cameron Smith for the Storm.

‘‘The back end of our year wasn’t very pleasing. We had an opportunity to finish as high as fifth or sixth but we let it slip away and only just snuck in there, so that’s something we’ve got to look at,’’ he said.

‘‘Now we just have to look forward to a bit of a break and a good off-season and take it from there."

LINK

Well, that certainly wouldn't have helped ...

 

[Joker's Wild]

Thing is you'd think that would have hindered his defence more than anything but he was actually tackling well on Sunday. I guess playing in pain could effect your decision making and clarity of mind.

Explains that very poor missed tackle on Glenn in the Brissy game though