05-21-2018, 01:22 AM
(05-21-2018, 12:57 AM)PaulP link Wrote:I'm too wussy to be endorsing tackling to hurt. The game is played by big, strong, fit men, and given the nature of the sport, no amount / absence of malicious intent and no amount of mucking around with the rules will ever change the overtly physical nature of the contest. But I accept I'm in the minority on this one, and so I'll leave it at that. Incidentally, there was a story going around during the Ratten era that at a certain point in his tenure, he was instructing the players to tackle to hurt at training - one player's name was mentioned as objecting to this, and that was Yarran. Make of that what you will.
The rest of what you write may well be true, but what I'm talking about is much bigger than changing captains or making Jones accountable. It's almost as though an invisible, negative force field exists around the club that turns everything to sh1t. I really cannot figure it out.
Yep it does.
We are weak as piss. Literally, and have been for years.
We papered over the cracks with Judd who was as tough as they come.
Now we are going to crucify Cripps in the same way we did Judd.
You are almost correct, the game is WON by big strong fit men.
We have thrown too many kids in at once. They need strong leaders to look after them and show them the way.
Jones is a small part of this. He is 6'5" or bigger, athletically as capable as anyone playing but just doesn't impact the contest enough.
When he does he looks great but if he gets a bag kicked on him every 2-3 weeks its pointless.
They will improve drastically with E Curnow back because he adds toughness, but why not put Kerridge in there to bash and crash. It's not like he has silky skills we need to protect.