Lost art of being a Centre.

[Knight76]

What is the required skillset of a Centre these days?

For mine they appear to have almost completely lost the art of drawing their man and then passing and it drives me barmy.

Game after game I see a backline movement with the ball ending up in the Centre's hands with the D sliding across, there is a bit of a half overlap, a chance on offer. Yet, no sooner has the Centre got the ball than he has passed it straight to the winger.

The winger gets it now immediately under pressure as the D has adjusted and slid across to cover him.

What has happened to Centres?

The Centre should be getting the ball, running straight to the outside shoulder of the defender, or splitting the the opposing Centre/winger to hopefully draw the winger in to the tackle, and then, passing to the winger to get them away down the sideline.

It's a lost art. Drives me mental.

 

[mave]

If Brad Parker isn't doing it, it's not worth doing.

 

[MilkShark]

Lost art of <insert every position of the game here>

 

[mozza91]

Bradman Best > this thread.

 

[ReddFelon]

Centres today are just fat wingers.

Real answer; the halfback is no longer a halfback. The Hooker is now the halfback, the halfback is a 5/8th and the 5/8th is a second playmaker. With three people on field organising everything and setting up plays, the centre has no role outside being a slightly chunkier winger who can make more hitups in the middle of the field or be used for a 3 on 2.

If you turned back the clock to the 9 being in the front row of a contested scrum, with the 7 playing the halfback role and the 5/8th being the playmaker for the backs then centres will become more dynamic because they'll slot into second receiver. So just change pretty much everything about the modern game and you'll get your wish.

 

[nick87]

centre is probably the least important position in the backline... probably the team imo now

There is always value in elite players at every position but most centres are replaceable... we see this in the trend of rep centres being filled by elite wingers/fullbacks.

Its not always what my club does and obviously there is room for movement for elite players, but id sooner pay a top class winger over a centre these days... centres cost more but wings contribute more to the team imo

 

[ayatollah_murdoch]

Defensively there is still an art to being a centre, and the good centers vs. the average centers get caught out very quickly.

In terms of attack, it is true but it's the way the game has become. Very structured. Halfback sticks to one side of the field, five eight to the other. Centers have one corridor to run in.

As much as people dont like rugby union, their backline attack requires more versatility, as centers, wingers and the fly half have to be able to play both sides of the field. This needs to be encouraged more.

 

[Danish]

Centre is about the most important defensive position on the field. No one else makes as many 1 on 1 decisions, and just about every try scored by a winger is the centre’s fault in some way. You can’t hide a weak defensive centre.

The best teams in the comp all have tremendous defensive centres. The worst teams overpay for attacking centres that can’t tackle.

 

[typicalfan]

Centre is about the most important defensive position on the field. No one else makes as many 1 on 1 decisions, and just about every try scored by a winger is the centre’s fault in some way. You can’t hide a weak defensive centre.

The best teams in the comp all have tremendous defensive centres. The worst teams overpay for attacking centres that can’t tackle.

Not just defensively. Look at Corey Oates since he had Boyd and Shibasaki as his centre. No tries in 14 games, normally is close to the leading try scorer. No coincidence.

 

[aqua_duck]

With the slower ptb, set defence and over reliance on block plays in the past 10 years or so has really lessened the impact of centres. When I was a kid I played centre and my favourite player to watch and try and emulate was Mark Gasnier with his classic in and away especially when he was given early ball and abit of space to work he'd beat his man 9/10 times. The way the game had gone really spelled the end of the classical centre and instead produced a generation of hole runners with limited ball skill and vision but in recent weeks with the speed of the game there's a lot more space on the edges and guys like Best, Morris, Jennings, Blake, Crichton, and even Peter Hiku and Zac Lomax have put in some dominant performances.

 

[Danish]

Not just defensively. Look at Corey Oates since he had Boyd and Shibasaki as his centre. No tries in 14 games, normally is close to the leading try scorer. No coincidence.

True, but I’ll take a great defensive over a great attacking centre every day of the week

 

[Welsh RL & RU watcher]

What is the required skillset of a Centre these days?

For mine they appear to have almost completely lost the art of drawing their man and then passing and it drives me barmy.

Game after game I see a backline movement with the ball ending up in the Centre's hands with the D sliding across, there is a bit of a half overlap, a chance on offer. Yet, no sooner has the Centre got the ball than he has passed it straight to the winger.

The winger gets it now immediately under pressure as the D has adjusted and slid across to cover him.

What has happened to Centres?

The Centre should be getting the ball, running straight to the outside shoulder of the defender, or splitting the the opposing Centre/winger to hopefully draw the winger in to the tackle, and then, passing to the winger to get them away down the sideline.

It's a lost art. Drives me mental.

If you had the option of a 7 on 7 play instead of a scrum, maybe centres would be more noticeable in those plays.

 

[Twizzle]

centres dont have to defend, that's what back rowers are for

 

[TheDalek079]

If you want to see classic centre play, then check out Joey Manu. Best centre in the game. Beautiful flick pass, rock solid on defence and can draw and pass.

 

[Vee]

What is the required skillset of a Centre these days?

For mine they appear to have almost completely lost the art of drawing their man and then passing and it drives me barmy.

Game after game I see a backline movement with the ball ending up in the Centre's hands with the D sliding across, there is a bit of a half overlap, a chance on offer. Yet, no sooner has the Centre got the ball than he has passed it straight to the winger.

The winger gets it now immediately under pressure as the D has adjusted and slid across to cover him.

What has happened to Centres?

The Centre should be getting the ball, running straight to the outside shoulder of the defender, or splitting the the opposing Centre/winger to hopefully draw the winger in to the tackle, and then, passing to the winger to get them away down the sideline.

It's a lost art. Drives me mental.

It was only a glimpse but you would have enjoyed Josh Morris and Michael Jennings putting the moves on their opposition last Friday night.

 

[gunpk]

Is there any difference between centres and second rowers these days?
Most skilled centre I've seen in recent times is Jamie Lyon playing for manly

 

[Perth Red]

The full back chiming in as a second 5/8th has also played a part. The centre now is no more than a dummy runner so the full back can get the ball out to the winger.

 

[Knight76]

And I get the game is changed now from back when a Centre was more of an attacking weapon, but there is still a call for the skill to draw a defender and put the winger away.

I frequently see half chances squandered simply because the Centre, as soon as he gets the ball just shovels it to the winger rather than holding it, drawing the opposing winger and then passing.

It's not like these attacking chances don't exist, just accepted that the Centre isn't expected to do anything but pass to winger.

 

[BunniesMan]

The modern game has far less uniqueness between the positons. Props have more agility and hand skill than ever. Backrowers are bigger than ever. There is basically just a hooker and 5 generic forwards.

And in the backline more and more halfbacks and 5/8s are synonymous. And centres and wingers are more or less interchangeable with each other and with fullbacks.

Less flair, more robotic plan following as if players are coded software.

Everyone is bigger, stronger, fitter than 25 years ago. But it hasn't made a better game.

Rugby League peaked in the era of Johns and Lockyer. From the mid 90s to early 00s. The benefits of professionalism before the negatives of over coaching and an excess of resources led to too much fitness and montony and too little creativity.

 

[Knight76]

Like Crighton just then for Penrith. Makes a break and passes way too early rather than commit the defender and make sure the winger is clear.

It amazes me this keeps happening practically every game. Surely coaches can see this and should be addressing it, but it continues week after week.