Jumper Numbers

[Thryleon]

That is a problem with any player in a professional sport, once they have a weakness that has been public exposed the opposition will put them in circumstances to exploit it.

It also helps if techniques are given to players to help them avoid this tactic by their managers.

Most managers play their players to their strengths, and eliminate their weaknesses not by just working on them until they are no longer weaknesses, but so that they shelve that part of their game until they absolutely have to do it.  Think kicking on the "wrong" side of your body.  If you are an average left foot kick at best, but call on it sparingly knowing that you can get the footy where you need to on the opposite side, 1 in 5 lets say, then only doing it once, means that the weakness isnt highlighted because you do it sparingly and in situations when its the best option.

The other side of that, is that the strengths are highlighted so frequently that the weakness vanishes.

Russell was prone to ten minutes of disaster footy which would cost games and that to me is a coaching issue not a player issue.