DeeGan
30-09-05, 01:01 PM
The second half of the Roy v Gus showdown from the SMH (check Gould's effort in this thread)
Roy v Gus: how to win the big one
September 30, 2005
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/09/29/mastersgould_narrowweb__200x218.jpg
Roy Masters and Phil Gould
Photo: Shakespeare
He's one of the game's great thinkers, a strategist who guided St George to the 1985 grand final and who was named as Western Suburbs coach of the century. So, if Roy Masters was coaching Wests Tigers on Sunday, how would he win the big one?
Wests Tigers have been described by one coach as "a pain in the arse team" in the sense they buzz away at you in attack and defence.
They're rugby league's relentless swarm of bees, or a chainsaw with a mind of its own.
Nothing combines the grit of Wests' Tom Raudonikis and the guile of the Tigers' Benny Elias more than Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah, a former halfback.
Everything in the Wests Tigers game plan starts with clever dummy-half play, usually involving Farah. His role at the joint venture club is similar to Danny Buderus at Newcastle.
The Knights' Andrew Johns, like Wests Tigers' Benji Marshall, gets most of the credit but the platform for his brilliant attack comes from the No.9 at the ruck.
ATTACK
Farah must engage the Cowboys' markers. The Townsville team is not disciplined in marker play, underestimating its importance. Some forwards simply go to sleep there. Others, like giant props Paul Rauhihi and Shane Tronc, are understandably slow when moving laterally. Exploit this by Farah forcing their hand, allowing him to slip the ball to someone heading for space behind the ruck. Capitalise on the ground gained from this manoeuvre with a fast play-the-ball. Go to ground quickly. Don't allow the defence to hold you up and dance. The space created by the initial run and the time gained from the fast play-the-ball offers additional dimension to the attack of the halves.
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AdvertisementThe try just before half-time against the Dragons came when Farah, as dummy-half, drew two markers and a line defender and still created an overlap on the short side. It is critical for Farah to get inside Rauhihi and Tronc and attack the middle of the ruck.
Also shift the ball quickly to the Cowboys' three-quarters and get outside them. They are the slowest in the NRL.
Wests Tigers have more scrum plays than any NRL team. A special for Sunday is the move where two decoys run different angles on the left hand side. It's the same move which led to a try against the Dragons, through Mark Gasnier. Cowboys centre Paul Bowman turns in, seeking to wedge the defence. He's not as agile as Gasnier and the ball carrier easily got on the international's outside.
Occasionally use fullback Brett Hodgson as a ball player, freeing up Marshall to run the line on the Cowboys centres. Wests Tigers' hand speed is the best in the NRL. The Cowboys' leg speed in the forwards is the worst. Drive them mad with short balls, decoys and switch passes. The props, therefore, won't be forced to waste energy with five consecutive hit-ups.
Be alert (but not alarmed) to Benji's offloads. He earns respect for his line breaks but deserves even more for his capacity to seize another option if his run is closed down. Keep the ball in play, avoiding touchline kicks. Rauhihi and Tronc will tire, forcing the coach to use early replacements. The Cowboys have a small bench, with only two forwards, meaning premature substitutions will take their size away.
DEFENCE
Don't allow "show and goes" by Cowboys Matt Bowen and Johnathan Thurston. Ignore the ball, get the ball carrier. They prefer to attack Wests Tigers' right hand side. Whoever is standing three in on the right has to be on his game. The player standing two in from Wests Tigers' right wing must not be duped by Thurston or Bowen showing the ball and cutting through on the inside.
The Cowboys usually make 30 metres with their kick returns. But Scott Prince's kicks invariably bounce around between the wing and fullback, allowing the chasers time to position themselves, hold the line and close the flanks down. The Cowboys' back-three combination of winger Ty Williams, Matt Sing and Bowen has the NRL's highest number of line breaks - 56. Half Bowen's total come from kick returns. If the chase is ineffective, they are capable of 60m, even 110m kick returns. Because it is so lethal, the Cowboys lack an alternative exit strategy from their own half.
A good kick-chase will tire Rauhihi and Tronc, slow the Cowboys' play-the-balls and allow Wests Tigers to dominate field position.
Occasionally position Prince as second receiver when he plans to kick, meaning the Cowboys will have moved up well before they have to turn and chase the ball. A NRL spy says referee Tim Mander has been warned to police Wests Tigers' 10 metres. It's skinny under him, anyway, and his "hold" and then "go" calls allow a legitimate rush. Mander called "surrender" against the Dragons last Saturday night and didn't penalise them when they forced a record 25 slow play-the-balls on Wests Tigers. The Dragons knew what to do in defence but stuffed up in attack. Wests Tigers won't.
Roy v Gus: how to win the big one
September 30, 2005
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/09/29/mastersgould_narrowweb__200x218.jpg
Roy Masters and Phil Gould
Photo: Shakespeare
He's one of the game's great thinkers, a strategist who guided St George to the 1985 grand final and who was named as Western Suburbs coach of the century. So, if Roy Masters was coaching Wests Tigers on Sunday, how would he win the big one?
Wests Tigers have been described by one coach as "a pain in the arse team" in the sense they buzz away at you in attack and defence.
They're rugby league's relentless swarm of bees, or a chainsaw with a mind of its own.
Nothing combines the grit of Wests' Tom Raudonikis and the guile of the Tigers' Benny Elias more than Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah, a former halfback.
Everything in the Wests Tigers game plan starts with clever dummy-half play, usually involving Farah. His role at the joint venture club is similar to Danny Buderus at Newcastle.
The Knights' Andrew Johns, like Wests Tigers' Benji Marshall, gets most of the credit but the platform for his brilliant attack comes from the No.9 at the ruck.
ATTACK
Farah must engage the Cowboys' markers. The Townsville team is not disciplined in marker play, underestimating its importance. Some forwards simply go to sleep there. Others, like giant props Paul Rauhihi and Shane Tronc, are understandably slow when moving laterally. Exploit this by Farah forcing their hand, allowing him to slip the ball to someone heading for space behind the ruck. Capitalise on the ground gained from this manoeuvre with a fast play-the-ball. Go to ground quickly. Don't allow the defence to hold you up and dance. The space created by the initial run and the time gained from the fast play-the-ball offers additional dimension to the attack of the halves.
Advertisement
AdvertisementThe try just before half-time against the Dragons came when Farah, as dummy-half, drew two markers and a line defender and still created an overlap on the short side. It is critical for Farah to get inside Rauhihi and Tronc and attack the middle of the ruck.
Also shift the ball quickly to the Cowboys' three-quarters and get outside them. They are the slowest in the NRL.
Wests Tigers have more scrum plays than any NRL team. A special for Sunday is the move where two decoys run different angles on the left hand side. It's the same move which led to a try against the Dragons, through Mark Gasnier. Cowboys centre Paul Bowman turns in, seeking to wedge the defence. He's not as agile as Gasnier and the ball carrier easily got on the international's outside.
Occasionally use fullback Brett Hodgson as a ball player, freeing up Marshall to run the line on the Cowboys centres. Wests Tigers' hand speed is the best in the NRL. The Cowboys' leg speed in the forwards is the worst. Drive them mad with short balls, decoys and switch passes. The props, therefore, won't be forced to waste energy with five consecutive hit-ups.
Be alert (but not alarmed) to Benji's offloads. He earns respect for his line breaks but deserves even more for his capacity to seize another option if his run is closed down. Keep the ball in play, avoiding touchline kicks. Rauhihi and Tronc will tire, forcing the coach to use early replacements. The Cowboys have a small bench, with only two forwards, meaning premature substitutions will take their size away.
DEFENCE
Don't allow "show and goes" by Cowboys Matt Bowen and Johnathan Thurston. Ignore the ball, get the ball carrier. They prefer to attack Wests Tigers' right hand side. Whoever is standing three in on the right has to be on his game. The player standing two in from Wests Tigers' right wing must not be duped by Thurston or Bowen showing the ball and cutting through on the inside.
The Cowboys usually make 30 metres with their kick returns. But Scott Prince's kicks invariably bounce around between the wing and fullback, allowing the chasers time to position themselves, hold the line and close the flanks down. The Cowboys' back-three combination of winger Ty Williams, Matt Sing and Bowen has the NRL's highest number of line breaks - 56. Half Bowen's total come from kick returns. If the chase is ineffective, they are capable of 60m, even 110m kick returns. Because it is so lethal, the Cowboys lack an alternative exit strategy from their own half.
A good kick-chase will tire Rauhihi and Tronc, slow the Cowboys' play-the-balls and allow Wests Tigers to dominate field position.
Occasionally position Prince as second receiver when he plans to kick, meaning the Cowboys will have moved up well before they have to turn and chase the ball. A NRL spy says referee Tim Mander has been warned to police Wests Tigers' 10 metres. It's skinny under him, anyway, and his "hold" and then "go" calls allow a legitimate rush. Mander called "surrender" against the Dragons last Saturday night and didn't penalise them when they forced a record 25 slow play-the-balls on Wests Tigers. The Dragons knew what to do in defence but stuffed up in attack. Wests Tigers won't.