Api is a 9

[MadMarcus]

Are we too hasty with Hastings and should we be Happy with Api.

We have to pick one after the Fuhrer dismissed Buhrer and did the far sell on Parcell.

 

[Eric Galt]

Graham Lowe never delivered a premiership but Bozo did 🙂

But Lowe certainly helped lay the foundations.

 

[BOZO]

But Lowe certainly helped lay the foundations.

Lowes Foundations ?
Not after Bozos clean up and rebuild
No one builds teams like Bob the Immortal feathered friend

 

[court83]

cant really hang your hat on his grand final winning thing tho... luke did all the work to get them there, then api got the luxury of doing nothing but pass the ball to a rampaging burgess (pick one, george and sammy both played out of their skins that year) and teo... then watch inglis absolutely carve the rest up... i think just about any poster on this site could have filled in at 9 and souths win the gf

 

[Woodsie]

first choice #9 because if Barrett wants a hooker who just passes and doesn't run,

There it is again .... sorry V8 ... but can somebody please tell me how this nonsense became an accepted fact other than a tweet by some numbnut.

 

[HoldenV8]

No need for apologies mate, but I did say "if". Personally I think that if Barrett does want that then he has rocks in his head. It worked for us with Matty Ballin because the quality of his team mates saw little need for a running dummy half. I'm not sure its the right way to go with this group of players though, at least not yet anyway.

Look, here is a fact that I alluded to in a previous post. Dummy half is basically where your attack re-starts after each tackle. If the passes from dummy half are not hitting their mark then that stuffs it up from the start. Too many times in 2016 we saw Api pass behind someone's back or above their heads and too many times that forced the receiver to have to almost stop to gather in the ball which allowed more time for the defenders to rush up on them. For the forwards it meant less oomph in their runs, for DCE it put him under more pressure than needed since defences were rushing to shut him down anyway as he was basically our only play maker.

Api needs to learn to pass from left to right and needs to learn not to grab the ball at its points when he goes to pass it from dummy half (go back an watch some replays, its clear as day what he's doing and I'm surprised the coaching staff haven't seemed to pick up on it). That is a big part of his problem, grabbing the ball at its points gives less control over where the ball will go.

 

[BOZO]

No need for apologies mate, but I did say "if". Personally I think that if Barrett does want that then he has rocks in his head. It worked for us with Matty Ballin because the quality of his team mates saw little need for a running dummy half. I'm not sure its the right way to go with this group of players though, at least not yet anyway.

Look, here is a fact that I alluded to in a previous post. Dummy half is basically where your attack re-starts after each tackle. If the passes from dummy half are not hitting their mark then that stuffs it up from the start. Too many times in 2016 we saw Api pass behind someone's back or above their heads and too many times that forced the receiver to have to almost stop to gather in the ball which allowed more time for the defenders to rush up on them. For the forwards it meant less oomph in their runs, for DCE it put him under more pressure than needed since defences were rushing to shut him down anyway as he was basically our only play maker.

Api needs to learn to pass from left to right and needs to learn not to grab the ball at its points when he goes to pass it from dummy half (go back an watch some replays, its clear as day what he's doing and I'm surprised the coaching staff haven't seemed to pick up on it). That is a big part of his problem, grabbing the ball at its points gives less control over where the ball will go.

Catch that Holden V8 🙂

 

[HoldenV8]

Is that picking up the ball from dummy half? Doesn't look like it.....

 

[Woodsie]

No need for apologies mate, but I did say "if". Personally I think that if Barrett does want that then he has rocks in his head. It worked for us with Matty Ballin because the quality of his team mates saw little need for a running dummy half. I'm not sure its the right way to go with this group of players though, at least not yet anyway.

Look, here is a fact that I alluded to in a previous post. Dummy half is basically where your attack re-starts after each tackle. If the passes from dummy half are not hitting their mark then that stuffs it up from the start. Too many times in 2016 we saw Api pass behind someone's back or above their heads and too many times that forced the receiver to have to almost stop to gather in the ball which allowed more time for the defenders to rush up on them. For the forwards it meant less oomph in their runs, for DCE it put him under more pressure than needed since defences were rushing to shut him down anyway as he was basically our only play maker.

Api needs to learn to pass from left to right and needs to learn not to grab the ball at its points when he goes to pass it from dummy half (go back an watch some replays, its clear as day what he's doing and I'm surprised the coaching staff haven't seemed to pick up on it). That is a big part of his problem, grabbing the ball at its points gives less control over where the ball will go.

Thanks V8, Agree with everything you say about hookers and their role. And know where you got the idea from.

It is just that this is the 4th time I have read that "Baz wants a hooker that doesn't run" based on from what I can tell is only a one line tweet.

V8, Baz will make enough mistakes on his own without us attributing non sensible quotes to him. Just trying to either get it verified or snubbed out before it is said that many times it becomes a "silvertails" fact.

 

[HoldenV8]

It was on the internet @Woodsie , social media no less, so it must be fact 😉 lol

 

[BOZO]

Is that picking up the ball from dummy half? Doesn't look like it.....

One step at a time feathered friend

 

[Smokin Joe]

There it is again .... sorry V8 ... but can somebody please tell me how this nonsense became an accepted fact other than a tweet by some numbnut.

It has been mentioned on zero tackle(yeah I know zero tackle yawn)that his running style of hooker play is more suited to esl than nrl,I guess people just say Baz because he is the coach,they probably just mean Manly as an organization(whoever is making the decisions).A few people on here view the website I guess....They attribute the decision as not wanting a running style hooker to him,whether it is his or not.

 

[Fibro Eagle]

Api goes ok you can't have all the best players in each position. I favoured Parcell over Api but that won't happen now and now we have Hastings so there is competition for the spot still. Our main aim is for Dce and Green to run the team not the hooker as with Ballin ( for which I still wish we had))

 

[jbb/james]

Api is a number 9 by virtue of his size.Too small for about every where else really but ,he is a pretty good player, skilful, tough, has a dig, very scheming type but for a nrl number 9, he has waaaay to many mistakes in his game.As mentioned his passing game often takes the steam out of our attack.

Cherry also has this in his game so we dont have room for 2 of these types in the team. We need to attack with purpose. at times with a plan to build pressure and he is very ad lib.We cant have half the spine leaving the team confused most of the time

I expect green may have troubles getting the ball early when he needs it.

Api often hogs it when a more relaxed, experienced, whatever you want to call it knows when to give it to the players that should get the ball. and while he is tough and at times bruising he is a bit of a liability in the middle of the ruck, especially on the goal line

There is a lot to like about api he has a smart short kicking game, he can make things happen but while rebuilding if its api in the number 9 we will struggle with cohesion.

He can look good with what he does and suits the new version of league where attack and tries are king, as he contributes to both teams scoring points, but to the hard nosed footy fans that know what it takes to win games, especially the tight games, he will come up short on the basics

 

[Fluffy]

a genuine 9 who cannot pass?

Guess we have a team full of genuine goal kickers then so why are people worried who will kick next year?

 

[Woodsie]

Api is a number 9 by virtue of his size.Too small for about every where else really but ,he is a pretty good player, skilful, tough, has a dig, very scheming type but for a nrl number 9, he has waaaay to many mistakes in his game.As mentioned his passing game often takes the steam out of our attack.

Cherry also has this in his game so we dont have room for 2 of these types in the team. We need to attack with purpose. at times with a plan to build pressure and he is very ad lib.We cant have half the spine leaving the team confused most of the time

I expect green may have troubles getting the ball early when he needs it.

Api often hogs it when a more relaxed, experienced, whatever you want to call it knows when to give it to the players that should get the ball. and while he is tough and at times bruising he is a bit of a liability in the middle of the ruck, especially on the goal line

There is a lot to like about api he has a smart short kicking game, he can make things happen but while rebuilding if its api in the number 9 we will struggle with cohesion.

He can look good with what he does and suits the new version of league where attack and tries are king, as he contributes to both teams scoring points, but to the hard nosed footy fans that know what it takes to win games, especially the tight games, he will come up short on the basics

Agree completely with your appraisal of Api, but I believe it is a simple case of no better first rate hookers were/are currently available, and at least he has a go and makes things happen, good and bad.

I think for 2017 we will persist with Api whilst hoping Lussick or Hastings are bolters for the position. If not we will be in the market for a name hooker for 2018.

 

[nightster]

We need to attack with purpose. at times with a plan to build pressure and he is very ad lib.We cant have half the spine leaving the team confused most of the time

... one half spine comprising a Clifford Lyons & Desly Hassler comes to mind
... it can be ok if they also confuse the crap out of the opposition, refs, linesman & ballboys

 

[Smokin Joe]

I agree that he has flaws to his game and is far from a complete hooker,and yeah it is possible that we will look to sign a player if Hastings doesn't step up and Api doesn't make it.But I am comfortable going into the season with him being given a shot at the starting spot,he proved last year that we can win with him,he was our starting hooker when we had our purple patch and were winning games and pushing for the top 8 before even more injuries screwed us further.There are not a lot of big name options for next year unless we get someone who wants to leave their club...the best seem to be Peats who is supposedly in negotiations with the Titans,McCullough who probably won't leave the Broncos particularly as they will lose some veterans over the next year.After that the best real options seem to be Lichaa or Garvey from the Dogs who are just defenders at the dogs and neither has a real kicking game(although before he went to the dogs I remember that Lichaa was a good attacker).After that they are really journeymen or youngsters....

 

[manlyfan76]

... one half spine comprising a Clifford Lyons & Desly Hassler comes to mind
... it can be ok if they also confuse the crap out of the opposition, refs, linesman & ballboys

Paul Shaw, the voice of reason!

 

[Andrew..]

They need to break out Rex Mossop's Pass The Ball competition for Api to get some practice in the offseason.