Rob Dragon 1
Juniors
- Messages
- 172
OK folks, after a 2 year break from the forum I've decided to rejoin. I had become so despondent with McGregor and the BOD who were backing him that I felt that after 50 years of loving the Red V that I might be done.
Anyway... I have been watching Norman and Hunt the last few years and trying to get my head around the issues with them and Andrew Johns recently said on a podcast that your halves have to dig into the line and engage the defence before they can ball play. This necessitates that at times your 6 and 7 will get smashed but that is the price to play if you want to lead the team around. Simply put; Hunt has lifted this year because he is digging into the line and asking the defence to make a decision whereas Norman is not. Defending against Norman is pretty simple really. He drift across field and passes laterally before engaging the defence meaning the defence simple slide across with him. It is like the batsmen who starts getting worried about being hit by the short ball. Once this is in your head you are finished. Norman would be a a lethal touch footy player but he is shot because he will not engage the defence. Think Anthony Milford. He simply will not dig into the line. He passes 5 meters before the defensive line and that just lets the defence slide laterally. Think Luke Brooks and also think Mitchell Moses WHEN Parramatta is behind. And why is Kieran Foran so shot now? Because for 6-7 years he fearlessly dug into the defensive line. He is beaten up.
Think about how excited we got when Jayden Sullivan debuted last year as a 19 year old against the Storm. He raced into the line and got smashed a few times but kept engaging. Finally, finally we might have a kid willing to have a go, hit the ball straight and then look to play from there. Watch Munster when he plays...straight into the line and then look to go.
Norman is cooked and not because he is not talented; he is. He is cooked because he has lost the nerve to engage. No real shame in that (except he on on major coin) but it is time to move on right now. Today. Like right now. At 29 years of age he isn't suddenly going to find his courage pills. He is not finished due to a lack of ability, he is finished because he has lost his nerve.
We need young hungry kids who will dig deeply into the line and then look to play. Jayden Sullivan is that hungry kid.
Anyway... I have been watching Norman and Hunt the last few years and trying to get my head around the issues with them and Andrew Johns recently said on a podcast that your halves have to dig into the line and engage the defence before they can ball play. This necessitates that at times your 6 and 7 will get smashed but that is the price to play if you want to lead the team around. Simply put; Hunt has lifted this year because he is digging into the line and asking the defence to make a decision whereas Norman is not. Defending against Norman is pretty simple really. He drift across field and passes laterally before engaging the defence meaning the defence simple slide across with him. It is like the batsmen who starts getting worried about being hit by the short ball. Once this is in your head you are finished. Norman would be a a lethal touch footy player but he is shot because he will not engage the defence. Think Anthony Milford. He simply will not dig into the line. He passes 5 meters before the defensive line and that just lets the defence slide laterally. Think Luke Brooks and also think Mitchell Moses WHEN Parramatta is behind. And why is Kieran Foran so shot now? Because for 6-7 years he fearlessly dug into the defensive line. He is beaten up.
Think about how excited we got when Jayden Sullivan debuted last year as a 19 year old against the Storm. He raced into the line and got smashed a few times but kept engaging. Finally, finally we might have a kid willing to have a go, hit the ball straight and then look to play from there. Watch Munster when he plays...straight into the line and then look to go.
Norman is cooked and not because he is not talented; he is. He is cooked because he has lost the nerve to engage. No real shame in that (except he on on major coin) but it is time to move on right now. Today. Like right now. At 29 years of age he isn't suddenly going to find his courage pills. He is not finished due to a lack of ability, he is finished because he has lost his nerve.
We need young hungry kids who will dig deeply into the line and then look to play. Jayden Sullivan is that hungry kid.