Scott Dureau determined not to change his ways

[Pumba]

Scott Dureau determined not to change his ways
BY BRETT KEEBLE

KNIGHTS halfback Scott Dureau will keep backing himself to make the big plays even if it costs him his job.

After starting in the No.7 jersey in Newcastle's past two wins against Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Dureau has not been named to play the Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night.

Coach Brian Smith selected Ben Rogers at five-eighth and NSW hopeful Jarrod Mullen at halfback, but Dureau will train this week as part of an extended squad and could still find a place on the bench.

Dureau's passes created Newcastle's first two tries against the Titans but he and Mullen kicked out on the full twice each. After his second indiscretion, Dureau was replaced by Rogers for the final 16 minutes.

"I was pretty down on myself after the game but I had a good chat with one of my mates and got my head back on," said Dureau, the NRL's No.2-ranked 40-20 kicker behind Canberra's Terry Campese.

"I did a few good things, but there were a few crucial things, those kicks out on the full, things like that, but it's something I'll learn from and learn how to finish the game off better.

"I'll still keep going for 40-20s. There's always that little risk there that you're going to put it out on the full, like what happened on the weekend when it was out by a metre.

"This week it might be a metre inside the touchline and we get the scrum and score, so I'm not going to stop trying."

Prop Richie Fa'aoso has been cleared of a serious neck injury and will take his place on the bench and centre Adam MacDougall is expected to return from a calf injury.

Herald

 

[Johns Magic]

Hopefully he changes his ways to start playing some decent footy.

 

[Joker's Wild]

He's probably the most hot and cold halfback in the game. He can be awful and then brilliant and often back again in the space of 80min.

If he can find some consistency, even if it is just a solid FG game, I for one will be happy.

 

[aqua_duck]

I think he tries abit too hard, he should try to be the next Cooper Cronk rather than the next Joey.

 

[voltron]

He's probably the most hot and cold halfback in the game. He can be awful and then brilliant and often back again in the space of 80min.

If he can find some consistency, even if it is just a solid FG game, I for one will be happy.

i agree with this sentiment
but then again if rogers can find some consistency he'll be good too

 

[Yosh]

I agree he is very hot and cold. However I disagree with what you've said aqua duck. I think every halfback should aim to be the next Joey becuase you should always aim a little higher then you can probably ever reach. I think Duearu will be twice the halfback Cronk can ever be within the next 3 years. Duearu is still new so he should try this and that and after hopefully around a year he'll have figured out what works, what doesnt and take it from there.

I think Cronk has been shaped into what he is by the coaching staff and he'll never be remembered as a good player after he retires. Duearu I still really believe has the talent and mindset to become a legend. He is not a great halfback now but he sure can be.

 

[keeney]

I think Cronk is setting his aims higher than he'd ever achieve. Cronk is a very capable halfback, just a cog as opposed to an engine. He is the perfect team half.

 

[Karmawave]

If he can find some consistency, even if it is just a solid FG game, I for one will be happy.

Its all one can expect, and it's all most of us have ever asked for.

A long term solution as NRL halfback has it in abundance ( or at least limits the distance between his good footy and bad ), where as some blokes simply don't have consistency, and may never have it at all.

When Dureau is on , he can be good, but when he is bad he can be awful, and the quality NRL players bad days are usually never awful.

That's the exact reason Ben Rogers has changed clubs so frequently. Teams want consistency week in week out.

 

[Adsy]

Scotty doesn't need to change his game. He just needs to f**king pick it up.

 

[roopy]

Scotty doesn't need to change his game. He just needs to f**king pick it up.

That's exactly right.
He is a confidence player, and only getting limited game time is not helping his game at all.
I think Rogers is similar, and if he were benched as much as Scott is he would lose confidence and form too.
Unfortunately Smith can't give them both the time on the field they need.

 

[antonius]

That's exactly right.
He is a confidence player, and only getting limited game time is not helping his game at all.
I think Rogers is similar, and if he were benched as much as Scott is he would lose confidence and form too.
Unfortunately Smith can't give them both the time on the field they need.

I tend to agree here, I think Dureau is trying too hard to impress with the limited time he knows he is going to get on game day. It has affected his game badly. I've been a fan of his right through juniors, but must admit I'm thinking that final step to NRL standard is too much for him. He has the skills, but as everyone here says they are not consistant enough. Wether he can rein in the urge to make every play a match winner, and make the plays when they are on will define his future, have to say though at the moment he is long odds in my book, sad to say it, but that's how how I see it

 

[Liam]

"This week it might be a metre inside the touchline and we get the scrum and score, so I'm not going to stop trying."

I wonder who's playing this weekend.

 

[roopy]

Dureau is the comeback kid.
Some players are shot ducks when they get dropped - like Uate who drops his bundle bigtime the minute he has a setback - but Scotty goes to a new level after he is dropped - and he has been dropped more times than a pass to Faas.

 

[Hanscholo]

Learn your job scott. Without you doing it properly we suffer. Its not about you, its about the side.

 

[aqua_duck]

I think Cronk is setting his aims higher than he'd ever achieve. Cronk is a very capable halfback, just a cog as opposed to an engine. He is the perfect team half.

What I mean is Scotty sometimes tries to do too much rather than just trying to be that cog, when you got a bloke like Mullo outside you it should in theory makes your job alot easier as a halfback.

 

[Johns Magic]

With Walsh extending his contract with Penrith by 2 years today, I really am worried we made the wrong decision.

 

[Jono078]

With Walsh extending his contract with Penrith by 2 years today, I really am worried we made the wrong decision.

Do you think Walsh could have been our quality halfback til 2011?

I don't know. He's going great at Penrith, but it's early days yet, he started on fire with us as well.

 

[Karmawave]

With Walsh extending his contract with Penrith by 2 years today, I really am worried we made the wrong decision.

There always was a reason Walsh signed a 3 year deal here at the Knights on good coin, while his rival at the time signed a 1 year deal.

No one could have forseen the pre season issues that Walsh would have, and the loss of form and confidence that the effects of that had for months after he was playing again. Its not as simple to just say ' ok, your medically cleared , off you go ' and not expect the after effects of a disrupted pre season would have on his short term game - especially given he badly needed to bulk up a bit and gain strength. But regardless, there was always a reason he signed the longer deal of the two at the time.

Most people here just never wanted to recognise why that was...

Possibly now they do.

I guess one way to look at it, would be, if Dureau was available to sign next year, realistically, how many NRL teams do you think would be knocking down his door to sign him to play first grade? ( Especially given, Tim Smith and Todd Carney would both be available )

 

[BG]

The rather odd thing was that Walsh had a sterling off-season this time, bulked up and by all reports trained brilliantly and worked himself back up to our number one halfback in Smith's eyes. This seemed confirmed when he got the starting spot in our first serious trial against Melbourne. Apparently he had a shocker, and that was that. Never got a second chance.

 

[Johns Magic]

I've never had any doubts Walsh is the more talented one.