Versatile Gidley has practice run at rake
By ROBERT DILLON March 22, 2013, 10:30 p.m.
BEFORE a ball was kicked this season, Knights coach Wayne Bennett indicated the prospect of switching skipper Kurt Gidley to hooker was very much a last resort.
I think weve all seen Kurt play enough at hooker to know that, if push comes to shove, he can do that job, Bennett told the Newcastle Herald in February.
With veteran Danny Buderus expected to miss the early rounds after back surgery, Bennett felt he had sufficient depth in belated recruit Travis Waddell, Matt Hilder and Chris Adams to cover the dummy-half duties.
His preference was to leave Gidley at halfback alongside Jarrod Mullen.
Weve got to make that work, Bennett said of his preferred playmaking combination.
But just two games into Newcastles campaign, including their 32-0 drubbing from Manly last weekend, it appears the master coach may be wavering.
During yesterdays ball-work session at Mayfield, Gidley trained extensively as hooker.
Mullen was stationed on one side of the ruck, Tyrone Roberts on the other. This represented a significant role reversal.
In Newcastles first two games of the season, Roberts was used off the bench as a relieving rake, a position he has not played before.
The 21-year-old has made a reasonable fist of his new job description, considering he has probably been a halfback since he first pulled on a pair of boots for the Ballina Seagulls.
Gidley, conversely, is unlikely to ever be a natural No.7 in the classical mould, scheming, creating opportunities and dominating a match like Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk or Scott Prince.
He is a different type of player altogether but nonetheless, still one of the most valuable in the competition.
Unlike most halfbacks, Gidley is content to play second fiddle to his five-eighth.
Hence, in two games this season, he has kicked only six times in general play, compared with Mullens 24.
Gidleys game is built on energy and enthusiasm rather than finesse. But his greatest asset has always been his versatility.
He has played every backline position and, on the occasions when he has filled in as hooker at both club and representative level he has not missed a beat.
Indeed, there are some who believe that Gidleys skill set is best suited to dummy-half and if he played there regularly, he would be capable of usurping Robbie Farah in the NSW team.
Whether Bennett is considering such a switch should become clearer on Monday against North Queensland at Hunter Stadium.
That could depend on the fitness of Mullen, who has been nursing a knee injury but seemed to move freely yesterday.
And it may only be a short-term measure anyway, as Buderus has resumed contact training and could be available to make a comeback as early as next week.
But Bennett would no doubt remember a similar dilemma when he was at Brisbane in 2006, when Michael Ennis sustained a season-ending knee injury after only a handful of games.
For several weeks the coach juggled players like Ian Lacey, Casey McGuire and even Neville Costigan at hooker.
Eventually push came to shove. He moved Shaun Berrigan, a similar style of player to Gidley, from centre to dummy-half for the second half of the season.
Brisbane went on to beat Melbourne in the grand final and Berrigan collected the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match.
Not a bad result for a last resort.
Bit late now. Wonder what they put in the water at Brookvale.
