Thanks Girds, I have been trying to put my finger on what it is about Critta that makes me think he is really good, but overrated. As a centre, his defence must be close to the best in the the NRL, but....
Work Ethic. He is a bit on the lazy side. What's frustrating is that, let's be honest, I love Dylan Edwards as well but he has nothing like the talent, or physical gifts that Critta has. Critta is so athletic he really is an elite athlete. If he could improve his work ethic he would be one of the best players in the world.
But he is what he is. He isn't suddenly going to start working harder. He goes missing in the centres, so he won't be turning into a perpetual motion machine if he plays fullback. I hope he proves me wrong and goes missing less and less as his career progresses. In any case, he brings different strengths to the fullback position and he has a high ceiling, if he can be arsed to climb a few rungs on the ladder to reach it.
Dylan, on the other hand, is no silky smooth elite athlete moving like a graceful Leopard chasing prey. He is like the roadrunner, just a relentless whirring of legs and arms. Ugly to watch, ungainly even, yet the metre counter keeps ticking. 10m, 20m, 30m, 40m.....you get the point. A work ethic of 11 out of 10. The Raider's Klonstadt is the only other fullback in the same stratosphere when it comes to work ethic. Gutho coming in at third.
We are so lucky to have both players. We could have had Neil Baker and Paul Franze as a fullback-centre combination. A fullback who couldn't catch a tennis ball wearing a velcro suit, let alone a Steeden, and a centre with tunnel vision who made Momoroski look like Cliffy Lyons when it came to passing. Just thinking about those two brings me out in a cold sweat.
