Over Coaching

Is there such thing as "over coaching?" I've heard this term used a number of times when it comes to high profile players who are out of form and not shining as they usually do.  Recently it has been suggested that players such as Roy Asotasi and Israel Folau have been lacking in form due to over coaching by the staff involved with their respective clubs.  Both cases are extremely different so I will focus on each of the two players individually.

First I will talk about Roy Asotasi.  He is a strong runner of the ball and has always seemed to get over the advantage line, encouraging second phase play with his fantastic off loads and line breaks.  However, recently he has begun adding some footwork into his game, as Gould puts it..he has begun "dancing" in front of the defence before he reaches them.  As a consequence, he has been unable to make strong meters and has come up with an increasing number of loose carries.  I believe that Asotasi has been told to be more "creative" in the way he hits the ball up and as a result, he is failing to make those strong meters that once came so easily.  In other words, he has been over coached.  The Rabbitohs staff have forced him to change his playing style which has affected his overall performance as a player.  They should just allow him to hit the ball up as he pleases and eventually, those line breaks and offloads will come back into his game, hopefully with a few less mistakes.

Folau is a different story.  He is wasted on the wing.  Folau stays on his wing and waits for the ball to come to him.  There is no denying he is an incredible athlete with an instinct for scoring spectacular tries and always seems to be in the right place and the right time.  However, the line he runs has to be fixed.  He needs to be coached to come in and find the ball instead of letting the ball find him.  For example, look at Roosters winger Shaun Kenny Dowall.  He is always coming in field in search of hit ups and opportunities to hit the ball up.  I believe Folau would be a greater asset to his team if he adopted some more creativity into his game, but I believe he is told to stay put on his wing and wait for the ball, yet another example of over coaching.

This could all just be in my head, but I believe that some of the league's great players could be performing on a whole new level, they could be greater than we know...we just have to allow them to do what they do best and not try and control their natural game too much.

state of Origin Game 3 2009: Review

Game 3 - without doubt, the best of the series. It had it all - biff, send offs, concussion, 2 sin bins and an 8 point try...what more could you ask for?

The Blues put in an amazing effort and although Queensland brought themselves back into the game on a few occasions, NSW held out in a gutsy performance. I think the selectors finally got it right this time however I am concerned that this team is not a team of the future, given the age of the halves combination.

There were many exciting moments in this game. Waterhouse's hit on Price, which saw him being stretchered off the field resulted in him being sent off for the game. Creagh and Thaiday both found themselves in the sin bin for 10 for a series of biffs. And when Thurston, aiming for the "ball," "accidently" kicked winger David Williams in the head, Origin saw its first 8 point try awarded, with Gidley getting both conversion attempts.

Apart from some weak defence, especially Morris shooting out of the line creating a large gap for Hodges, NSW played a very good game and were able to limit the number of early points that QLD scored. Watmough was undeniably the best player on the field and Hayne once again had a fantastic game.

NSW definately put some proud back into the Blues camp and this win will definately give them confidence going into next years series, however they still have a lot to work on! Blues half back, Kimmorley said "I think we've got a lot of pride back for New South Wales tonight, especially for any member who was involved with this team this year."

I look forward to see what both teams can come up with next year!

State of Origin Game 3 2009: Preview

In games one and two this year, due to a lack of cohesion and very sloppy goal line defense, QLD have scored early, easy points and despite courageous fight backs in both games, NSW was never able to recover from these early onslaughts of points.  If NSW can start the game strong and come up with the first couple of tries, leaving QLD scoreless in the first 20 minutes of the game, I think NSW has a slight chance of winning the game, as impossible as that sounds. 

However, I am concerned that the team is going to lack cohesion in both offence and defense due to the number of changes made to the side in important positions. Phil Gould made an interesting point on the Sunday Roast last week.  He said that Newcastle coach Brain Smith has a tendency to take on players that most people would disregard and then coaches them into strong ball players.  He went on to say that if Smith chose the team from the beginning, it would be an entirely different outfit of under rated players and those who stay out of the headlines.  I agree with this and believe that NSW should have perhaps focused on those under rated players to be included in the side.

That being said, the team chosen for game 3 has a nice balance to the side and Kimmorley brings both consistency and experience to the team and his kicking game will be welcomed because he has the ability to find the grass on most of his kicks, keeping Billy Slater just that little bit quieter on his kick returns.

Hayne and Watmough have been NSW best players so far in my opinion and both will have to have big games to keep NSW in the contest and perhaps restore a little pride back in the NSW camp.

One Man Teams

Is there such thing as "one man teams?"

There are many teams in the NRL who struggle to win with their key players missing, and some may argue that the team falls apart when these players are absent. These key players include Thurston for the Cowboys, Mullen for the Knights and Soward for the Dragons.  These three players are extremely influential in the way they move the ball and create both long and short distance opportunities and without them, their teams struggle to win games and maintain form.  

In the past this theory of "one man teams" has been proven with the Cowboys lacking form and consistency during the origin period in which Thurston was missing from the team.  However, I do not believe that a team relies on one player.  A win for a team can not be put down to one man, it is a team effort and it is a combination of the efforts of the 17 men who played the field.  

Last night, 3 minutes into the Raiders vs. Knights game, Mullen was injured and the Knights lost their key play maker.  However, they dominated the game and came out on top with a convincing 23 - 4 win.  This simply proves that players don't depend on one man.  

Teams will naturally play better and be more cohesive with their key play makers and best players playing, however I believe games can still be won without them.

Coach, Selectors or Players...whose to blame?

It seems that in todays game we're quick to place the blame when something goes wrong. But who do we blame? Referee's have had their share of critisicm this season and coaches such as Jason Taylor have been critisced for their teams on field performances. Selectors have been blamed for NSW lack of form and players have been criticised for "not trying" and "giving up." It seems that everyone is looking for someone else to blame but I don't think we can point the finger at one particular person. It is a correlation of the above factors that have put the game where it is now, in a sort of "black hole."

Referee's will never get every call correct, we must learn to accept that. Every season we fix one problem and another arises, it will never end and we just have to live with that. However that being said, there are still some consistency improvements that can be made; especially when it comes to being held up in goal and high tackles.

It does not matter how well a coach prepares his team for a big game, if the team doesn't show up with the right attitude and a positive mind frame, they will underperform..which is what is happening with the Rabbitohs at the moment. They have several international players however as a team, they are failing to communicate and work together. The same could be said for the Roosters and the Eels. However, I don't believe that player performance has anything to do with the team giving up on the field, I believe that confidence and psychology has alot to do with the result of a rugby game. Teams like the Dragons, who have literally risen from the dead are much more psychologically prepared and stable than most other teams. They absorb pressure and do not let it get to them. This is also the case with the Queensland Origin Team.

As you can see from what was said above, the finger cannot be pointed at a certain aspect of our game. It is a correlation of these factors that need to be tweaked in order to ensure that the games continue to be consistent and fair, and also to ensure that those teams sitting on the bottom of the ladder have the opportunity to rise to the top.

Origin 3 - NSW team

This is the team NSW should have stuck with from the beginning.  There are only a few changes I would make.  Firstly I believe the selectors are more focused on winning this game than focusing on the future of NSW rugby league...which is not a good thing.  Although Kimmorley is an amazing player and is having a fantastic season for the Bulldogs, he would not have been my first pick simply because of his age. Kimmorley and Barret make the oldest halfs combination in the history of Origin.  I would have gone for Jaimee Soward and Mitchell Pearce, or even Anasta is he was fit to play. I saw Mullen as another option however i believe that he has to work on his consistency.  

The other change I would have made would be replacing Stewart with Tupou.  Tupou is an amazing player who brings experience and creativity off the bench with his offloads and footwork and i believe he was overlooked due to the horrible season the Sharks are having on the field.

Although there are a few changes I would have made, overall, I am pleased with the team chosen and believe that with this team, the Blues at least have a chance of winning; even if it does appear to be very slim.

Role Models

We are constantly shown images of sports stars such as sonny bill williams, ben cousins, barry hall, greg bird, matthew johns and andrew johns in a light that makes us question whether or not they should be role models for younger generations. 

However what about the sports stars that are not involved in any off field incidents? those players that perform and inspire both on and off the field? Although some sports, especially rugby league have their "bad boys" i believe that there are still enough respectful and talented players such as greg inglis to safely say that sports stars make good role models. 

There are many sports stars such as Glen Mcgrathwho use their celebrity status to raise money for charities. Additionally, there are players such as Greg Inglis who has used his status to become an ambassador for Aboriginal Rugby League.