well gus doesnt think it will burst hope hes right
Manly on a roll built on defence
By Phil Gould
April 25, 2005
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The Analyst
The Manly has been put back into Manly.
This is no expanding bubble waiting to burst. It's more like a giant snowball gathering size and speed with every revolution.
Manly's performance yesterday was highly impressive.
Firstly, let's look at their defence.
It may seem strange to suggest a team that wins 48-14 did so with defence. But this is exactly what happened at Brookvale Oval yesterday. Souths were absolutely clueless in trying to make breaks against Manly and this led to their frustration and ultimate demise. They knew a long way from home they could not win the game and it showed in their body language.
Great defence can do that to an opposition. It leaves teams with a feeling of helplessness, and once they get more than 10 points behind they all but give up in their minds.
Back in 1995, '96 and '97, Manly teams coached by Bob Fulton produced some of the most dominant and consistent football I have ever seen from a club side. Much of their success was based on an impregnable defensive pattern expertly employed by a team of great athletes.
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AdvertisementIt was a sliding defence system where defenders compressed their line in the middle of the field creating the illusion there was space to be exploited out wide. Their marker defenders didn't race out looking for more tackles or to bustle their opponents. They merely melted back into the straight line of defence and closed the gaps behind the play- the-ball.
Once faced with a brick wall of defenders, opposition teams were drawn to the empty spaces down the edges of the field. As they threw long passes to outside supports the Manly line would calmly slide across in front of the ball with the patience and expertise of a lepidopterologist looking to catch a butterfly in a net.
No defender tried to sprint out of the line to cut off the long passes or to make a big hit. Rather, the players move in unison like a synchronised swimming team allowing the opposition to flutter their way towards the sidelines and run themselves out of room. The Manly players then move in confidently and catch their targets in their defensive net.
Not that I am suggesting they can't hit. If you dare to run straight at them looking for a collision, they will certainly accommodate you. Just ask players on the end of several specials from veteran back-rower Steve Menzies. There will be bruised ribs in the South Sydney medical room this morning.
Manly chase their kicks with military-style formation and every time Souths fullback Roy Bell fielded the rolling ball yesterday he would see a giant wall of defenders in front of him.
Manly's attack?
The beauty of it is its simplicity.
Coach Des Hasler has this team playing to the strengths of the individuals. In their own half they rarely pass the ball through more than two sets of hands. There is a single-minded attitude among all players to contribute to advancing the ball into good position for a clearing kick. That is all they want to do. They are good at it, too. The occasional dart out of dummy-half is followed up by a bull-like charge from one their forwards. Brent Kite, Daniel Heckenberg and Anthony Watmough were particularly effective in this role.
Watmough is very impressive and elevation to State of Origin football is not beyond him. He is not your tall, sleek swift-moving type back-rower, with an athletic gate and mesmerising footwork. He is more like your human wrecking ball. He is built close the ground with a big barrel chest and an aggressive demeanour.
Once within 30 metres of the opponent's try-line, Manly expand their ball movement and all players support the creative talents of their halves - Michael Monaghan and Michael Witt. Just because Manly don't attack from 100m away doesn't mean they don't have a lot of points in them. They have more than enough scoring potential and if they remain patient, they will grind a lot of teams into the ground.
Add to the mix that they are building an imposing home-ground win percentage and the Manly fans are now flocking to Brookvale, and it is obvious we have new player in the game.
Well done, Manly. Nice to have you back.
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