It really made me laugh when I picked up the papers last Thursday/Friday morning. Yet another example of sensationalist journalism with the revelation that there was a new wrestling technique doing the rounds.
The tackle which was referred to as the seatbelt has been in practice for nearly the last decade. The technique which we call in the clubs, putting a player in the seat, is used against the big men who get side-on or back into the defensive line looking for a quick play the ball. The prime example of players who do this are the Cowboys James Tamou and Penrith’s Brett Kite who both look to back in, then spin out of the collision onto their fronts meaning a quick play the ball. Players are taught to catch first,bring them in tight to their body then sit them onto the ground.
What this technique does do is put the attacker into a potential crusher position every time. I have to agree with Neil Henry, who for me hit it on the head, when saying the ways of being able to make a tackle have become too limited and too scrutinised.
The idealist talk about eliminating the wrestle, those same ones are the people who consistently rubbish the NYC competition for its lack of defence. The main reason for the lack of defence is the speed of the game due to the lack of wrestling in the ruck. The comeback to that will be that defence is better at junior level than the NYC, but we have to remember that a lot of these kids are now more powerful and agile due to 2-3 seasons of weights under there belts. That changes the whole dynamics from being a 16-year-old developing kid to one that is as strong as the more seasoned first grader.
Sure you can say technique as well and that is true, but the main reason is the speed of the game, meaning attacking more against an unstructured and moving defensive line rather than a set one.
I have said it before and will again, traditional tackle technique is a thing of the past. It equates into ruck speed and also with the athleticism and power of the modern day footballer it manifests injury. Any late footwork at the line and all of a sudden the perfect starting position for the tackle ends up being a direct whack to the head.
All this talk about wrestle and the impact it has on our game would go from a talking discussion to crisis point if we ever went back to one referee, as some influential people in the game are calling for. This would dead-set nearly be the end of the game. The best way way to combat what is a blight on the game, yet necessary evil, is having the ruck presence the pocket referee now provides. You only have to listen to the coms around it and when there are direct coms to players they move and when there aren't they don't. Taking away that referee would be a disaster, we would become like rugby union through the speed of the game and the amount of penalties that would have to be blown in order to try to get compliance. At the moment rugby league averages 14 penalties per game compared to rugby union’s 21 and that doesn't include short arm penalties.
Our game is open and free flowing even with the wrestle as long as the 10m is set at the appropriate distance and then policed correctly.
I came away after last night’s 60-minute romp by the Rabbitohs in which they played some breathtaking football with mixed emotions on what to take from it. Firstly, Manly did not look at the races and their internal problems are starting to transpire onto the field. At times last night they looked like they didn't want to be out there with some of their other teammates. Their culture has always been able to sift through the off-field issues and once they cross the white stripe have been able to put it all behind them. I think for the first time though, last night it took its toll. You can make a case for them in league terms, particularly the fact that they never had any good ball in the first half and once they got down there in the second half they did convert. But that would be just putting a band aid on a problem which has probably reached it's breaking point.
The other factor is that their only points they scored were when Sam Burgess left the field. This again rams home he is the Rabbits most important player. His ability to hit a hole, carry defenders out of yardage and take the tough carry are universally recognised. What isn't though, is the impact he has in defence, his work rate and mopping up goes unnoticed until he isn't there to do so. Switching him to the middle rather than defending on a edge has proven a very astute move. His one weakness when first arriving on these shores was sinking in on an edge and therefore creating space for the games best halves to take advantage of. He is a complete player that will be sorely missed when he heads back home to England.
Cheers until next week,
Andrew