lsz said:
I agree to tinkering but I am interested in who you would like to drop / and who comes in for them
A pet hate of mine is the argument of putting a small back into the hooker role. Sure they would add some spark but who will step up to do all the clean up work ballin does?
Isz I'm not a coach and I'm not trying to pretend to be. But it seems to me that somehow the existing combination is not clicking. Now I'm not in fact making a definitive statement regarding what should happen. That's up to the coach. All I'm trying to do is throw in a few names, a few suggestions, a few ideas.
Sure some of those ideas may not be functional. But if Manly hopes to have a chance this year I suspect they are going to have to come up with more than they are showing at present. Perhaps in the end they dont have the personnel to achieve that but that shouldnt stop them from trying something different.
You mentioned hooker positions. Frankly they are no longer just another forward position since competition for the ball went out of the game. Their primary role is like a second toughened half back, like Luke, Smith and Walters. Good defence but speed and evasiveness off the mark, and quick service from the ruck. I watched Gutherson for example recently in a couple of matches and he was acting like a fullback and roving hooker and doing it very well indeed. Of course I am not suggesting that role for him but maybe Chisholm may be able to share the position with Ballin to get a little variety. Ballins a great defender but he's not one to make many yards up the middle for example. Manly were most effective in the past with Ballin sharing the hooking position with a faster more agile player who set the play in motion.
Taufua has played centre and he is a formidable presence there. Sao has been showing the goods in the NSW Cup, so why not give him a go.
Point I'm trying to make is that the attack looks jaded. It needs spark and sometimes bringing in a player with skill into a side that is becoming predictable , is what is needed. That's why Hopoate was so effective.
But who that is, is not for me to decide. I'm just saying it looks to me like the team needs an input of something different and less predictable.