1. So is Craig Bellamy a good or bad coach?
He is a psychological tactician (and a great coach). But he is operating in an environment which really isn’t that cognitive.
On paper, Bellamy for NSW coach made sense. He was the artist who sculpted the NRL’s most recent dynasty; he new how to reign in talent and get the most out of them; he new the strengths and weaknesses of the core of the QLD side (Inglis, Slater, Folau, Johnson, and Smith) better then anyone; he game planned better then anyone; and if anyone could work out a way to beat the greatest origin side of all time, it was he who could come up with a new wrinkle to throw at them. In theory Bellamy was a no brainer.
In reality however, he is a brainer, and that’s the problem.
He knows the game better then anyone. Bellamy learned the game, first as a player under Tim Sheens and Wayne Bennett, and then as a coach under Wayne Bennett. And as a Bennett disciple he learnt that winning in professional sports means professionalism in approach, constant re-evaluation, and rethinking of the game. Consequently, to a degree unlike anyone else (even more so then Bennett), Bellamy has looked outside rugby league for answers. He was the first to commit to training his players with wrestling coaches; he adopted NFL scouting philosophies; he rethought how to build a team (the moving of Inglis to 6); he took the 2nd man play to new levels; he valued skill and athleticism over size in the forwards; and most importantly, he focused on the art of player management—over the course of a season he manages players egos better then anyone.
He used outside approaches valuing strategic breakdown and extravagant game planning to reinvent the game and stay ahead of the league. Unfortunately, what works over the course of a season, doesn’t work in the short furnace that is origin preparation. The same way Michael Jackson over-thought plastic surgery (What, too soon?), Bellamy over-thought origin.
Origin is what it is. You have the best players for ten days at a time. You isolate them (the camp). You do everything in your power to create some kind of chemistry and establish leaders in the group (QLD doesn’t have more heart then NSW, they just understand the value of chemistry. It’s why they focus so heavily on bonding sessions). And in the end it comes down who has the best players.
It seems like Bellamy focused too much on roles and tactics (In game one, in an attempt to keep Craig Wing fresh he kept him on the bench for far too long in stead of just getting his best players out there; in-between games he took shots through the media at Folau and Meninga; in game 2 he complicated thing too much by mixing up the sets and having players float around the field too much). I think he is a great coach, but in origin you need to keep things simple and that’s just not his style.
(Thoughts on the MJ DEATH: If you are the paramedic who gave him mouth to mouth, are you secretly happy about this? I know he isn’t happy he died but I mean, is he dropping it at parties in 5 years? It was in LA so those guys must get called to famous people’s aid from time-to-time. Do they secretly all dream of one of those calls? Do they tally them like fighter pilots tallied kills in WW2? I feel like I need to know more about this paramedic. I find him/her much more interesting then that pilot, Sully.)
2. Where did NSW go wrong in game 2?
Despite handling the ball worse than the PM has handled Utegate, organization was NSW’s biggest downfall. In defense and even more-so in attack, there wasn’t any direction. I blame the halves.
The forwards played relatively well in attack and wore down an athletically challenged QLD pack. They were able to roll their sets up field with quick-play-the-balls, but because neither of the halves took charge they weren’t able to capitalize on that momentum.
I loved Barrett coming into this game because I thought he would attack the line and create room for support players. That’s what he had been doing for the Sharks but he didn’t show up on Wednesday night. The only memories I have of him are 1) his forearm flying into the side of Inglis’ head, 2) him wandering around the field looking far too happy just to be there, and 3) him staring into the crowd. The only thing about Barrett that screamed savior on Wednesday night was his Baywatch-esque chap-sticked lips.
As for Wallace, his lack of assertiveness is starting to worry me. He was far too happy to let Barrett come into camp and take the reigns. He talks less then Chief Bromden. He isn’t going to the line in attack. And he is kicking poorly. Part of being a half is having the moxie and self confidence to take charge of the team, demand the ball, and deliver orders while on the field. I’m just not sure Wallace has that gene. I think you either have it or you don’t. Johns and Fittler had it. Lockyer, Prince, Orford, and Thurston have it. Wallace, I’m not sure. I think its been the biggest hole in the careers of Anasta and Barrett. They fact that they both look the part of a franchise half is both the best and worst thing that ever happened to them professionally. They look like they should be the coolest guy in a room at any one time, so people assume they have that gene, but they don’t. I would argue Cooper Cronk, Chris Sandow, and Jamie “I need to change my name to Jim or something less girly” Soward have that gene.
3. Since I spent far too long today watching the NBA Draft, would a draft work for the NRL?
Yes and no.
In theory it’s the logical step, now that the Toyota Cup is established. The exposure and marketing opportunities it offers are too good for any league to pass up. Sports league success is built on maintaining your position at the forefront of the social conscience and a draft keeps you relevant during the offseason. It creates interest, which sparks debate, which flares emotion, which engages the fan and promotes irrational activity—such as spending money on a sports league. Sports are emotionally driven and nothing sparks emotion more then debate.
The problem lies in infrastructure. The league, financially, isn’t set up to pay players who haven’t done anything at the top level yet, and they don’t have the support systems set up to nurture young guys who are in a new environment straight out of high school. The Toyota Cup teams are built with players who a regionally based. For instance: the Broncos aren’t getting players from Canberra straight out of high school and moving them north. They get them from Brisbane or Tweed Heads or Redcliff. Culturally, a draft doesn’t work. In America it works because its commonplace for an athlete to go live on campus straight out of school.
Here it’s different.
Polynesian and indigenous players create the biggest issue. Traditionally they come from a culture that emphasizes the family institution and consequently they struggle to live away from that support group. Israel Folau joined the Broncos because he wanted to be closer to his family. Preston Campbell took a reduced deal to stay on the Gold Coast and be closer to his family. Even Justin Hodges, despite years in the league found it difficult to live away from his family, to the point it ruined his career at the Roosters. In America it works because rookies sign multi-million dollar contracts and therefore have the resources to uproot there families. In the NRL, it was only a few years ago a Newcastle player had to ask his boss for work off so he could play in the finals. Eventually I think we will see a draft but there needs to be more money first.
4. Why did that supposedly “HISTORIC” origin game feel less historic than the dump I took this morning?
When you break it down, game 2 had everything you would want; A close score line, history and ego at stake, fights, controversy (the Barrett haymaker and the questionable video ref decisions), a rollercoaster debut (Williams), fast end-to-end action. It seems like it should have been fantastic but I haven’t talked to one person who thinks it will be memorable. My only explanation is sex.
This series, and in particular this game, were built up like people build up sex in their mind. Losing your virginity is really, when you look back on it, not a fun thing. It seems like the pinnacle of all life experiences (In this case the most important game in origin history), but it almost never amounts to what you imagined it to be, so anything less, no matter how great it is, seems terrible. For me it was over really fast and I was too confused to enjoy any of it … wait, what am I talking about here?
5. Was the Fittler incident really that bad?
If this happens three years ago does it attract as much attention? My feeling from everything we have been told is it’s not as bad as was reported.
Sure he knocked on the door but it wasn’t malicious. The media turned shirtless into “half naked”. He shouldn’t have been drinking in the first place but then again what else is there to do in Townsville? Those places are just big country towns. You walk into a bar (one of the few places that would be open) and it’s culturally and socially rude not to order a drink. He is going to have to resign and I think he should, but considering everyone was fine with the selection of Paul Gallen, and Anthony Watmough for origin, I can’t help but feel the media is picking and choosing its spots.
6. Why were there so many dropped balls in game 2?
The answer is two-fold: 1) ego-itis (medical definition: the inflammation of the human ego) is causing players to carry the ball loosely as they try and position themselves for an offensive posterizing (when you bowl over a tackler) and 2) the professionalization of rugby league has lead to a deterioration of fundamentals.
In Malcolm Gladwell’s newest book (Outliers) he talks about how professional hockey players are more likely to be born at certain time of year. He proves that kids born during that period are the oldest of their playing class and consequently, they are bigger and more developed physically and mentally as they have had more time to grow. Those kids tend to do better in junior leagues because they are older, which leads to more playing time and adoration, which develops them further, lands them in development camps and rep teams, and before they know it, the NHL.
It’s not a perfect example of what’s happening in rugby league in Australia because they rely on their skills more (in hockey) but there is some truth to it. Athleticism and girth have been afforded unfair value in today’s modern game. The modern game is win-now and teams don’t have time to develop players; they have to take the guys who fit there system and who can compete athletically and physically.
Physically over developed youth are dominating club and school games, and consequently the players coming out of those systems are more and more lacking in fundamental skills. Why would you practice play-the-balls or traditional tackling styles when you weigh 40kg more then anyone else on the field? I wouldn’t.
The David Williams drops were perfect examples. Both times he knocked on he engaged the tackle with ball loosely out in from of him. Williams had quick rise to success where he went straight into a premiership contending side (Melbourne) and played a test before he played origin. Conversely, Tonga – who forced the mistakes with coffee book low tackles – had a slow obstacle ridden rise to first grade. He wallowed in the depths of the Eels farm system before getting his break with the Bulldogs. He was forced to develop his skills further in order to get his break.
7. Who do you think will win tonight?
I think the Dragons will cruise: Soward is fresh, Farah is the opposite of fresh and the Tigers suck right now. What’s that Tigers fans? You didn’t know you had a short window when all your hopes rested on a guy with no shoulder and who throws his body around like bad over-enthusiastic porn actress.
The Bulldogs will come through in a tight one: the ‘dogs are automatic at home and Thurston will be rusty after drinking too much after origin.
Brisbane Sports Fan
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