Roosters' Koup moves up the hookers' pecking order

[TheBigFella]

BALL-PLAYING back-rower Nick Kouparitsas has put his hand up to replace sacked hooker Jake Friend at the Roosters.

New coach Brian Smith has had the former Bulldog alternating between hooker and lock at training, with a view to using him in a utility role similar to that played by Craig Wing for Souths at the end of last season.

Released by the Canterbury club mid-contract last year, 25-year-old Kouparitsas has won the respect of Smith, who has encouraged him to use his natural talent. "I've been training at hooker, a bit of lock. Smithy's said just to practise all my skills," the Greek-born utility said.

"He likes to employ some creativity and ball-playing in his players, within reason, and he's encouraged me. He likes that in his players, and you can see that at any club he's been to.

"At training he encourages me to play my natural game, and hopefully it impresses him and I get picked for the season. Hooker and lock are really the two positions I've been working at. I'm not exactly sure what he wants. Now that 'Friendy' is gone he hasn't said anything certain, but it's something I'd like to do if I had the opportunity."

Kouparitsas said assistant coaches Trent Robinson and Rohan Smith had brought more professionalism to training. And he expects that to show on and off the field this year.

"It's been heaps more professional than past years. We're enjoying it," he said.

"We're doing a lot of fitness, whereas in past years, we were doing a lot of running. It's been more game related, which has suited the players."

[stephenj]

so this year they're actually training to play football? what a revelation!about this time jake must be feeling very stupid?

[Guest]

BALL-PLAYING back-rower Nick Kouparitsas has put his hand up to replace sacked hooker Jake Friend at the Roosters.

New coach Brian Smith has had the former Bulldog alternating between hooker and lock at training, with a view to using him in a utility role similar to that played by Craig Wing for Souths at the end of last season.

Released by the Canterbury club mid-contract last year, 25-year-old Kouparitsas has won the respect of Smith, who has encouraged him to use his natural talent. "I've been training at hooker, a bit of lock. Smithy's said just to practise all my skills," the Greek-born utility said.

"He likes to employ some creativity and ball-playing in his players, within reason, and he's encouraged me. He likes that in his players, and you can see that at any club he's been to.

"At training he encourages me to play my natural game, and hopefully it impresses him and I get picked for the season. Hooker and lock are really the two positions I've been working at. I'm not exactly sure what he wants. Now that 'Friendy' is gone he hasn't said anything certain, but it's something I'd like to do if I had the opportunity."

Kouparitsas said assistant coaches Trent Robinson and Rohan Smith had brought more professionalism to training. And he expects that to show on and off the field this year.

"It's been heaps more professional than past years. We're enjoying it," he said.

"We're doing a lot of fitness, whereas in past years, we were doing a lot of running. It's been more game related, which has suited the players."

How does Koups know what has been going on past years

[Guest]

How does Koups know what has been going on past years

i think its his polite way of saying last year the club was shit

[Guest]

Can't see us doing well if Koups is going to be our starting hooker.

[Guest]

Can't see us doing well if Koups is going to be our starting hooker.

Jaubbs is our starting hooker sunshine.
Read the story again...

[Guest]

i think with a good off season under his belt, koops will prove to be a good utility for the club. he was purchased with that role in mind last season, and despite how poorly we performed, i thought he served that purpose quite well. i'm not going to write him off simply because he's a dog.

[melon....]

Koups will go OK. Mark my words.

[Roosterfarian]

There is no doubting he'll go OK monk mun. But what you and I really want is for him to go over and above that.

[Pass the Ball]

I have time for Kouparitsas..

I think he has a lot to offer..

He and Smith are a perfect match..

[Guest]

I see what he wants to do with Kouparitsas, and that is play him in a similar role to what he did with Riley Brown, and of course Stuart Webb and Mick Crocker in the years before, as well as Dean Young at Dragons.

Have a larger, bulkier and more defensive hooker to start the match, send Jorbs in after 20 mins and leave him on for the rest of the game, while Kouparitsas gets a spell. That way, later in the game (particularly in the last 30 minutes where we seemed to fall away), we have a player like Kouparitsas relatively fresh on the bench that can cover hooker, lock and five-eighth pretty well.

I am a fan of this ploy, particularly, even if Koops isn't the ideal player in my mind to pull this off - I do not believe he is as defensively sound as Riley Brown or Dean Young.

The conundrum that this leaves, is the position of Ben Jones. With Phil Graham now here, I do not think Jones is required out in the centres, where his lack of size and experience troubled him. We are all set in the halves as well. I had viewed Jorbs or Friend (before his sacking) as the starting hooker in the Bonetti style, with Jones coming on ala Craig Wing to provide spark and skill, but if Kouparitsas plays at hooker I find it hard to see this happening.

[TheBigFella]

In Jones' defence he did have to work with Soliola & Sa out wide.. Nobody could look good defensively with those 2 turnstyles out there..

[Cockadoodledoo]

I see what he wants to do with Kouparitsas, and that is play him in a similar role to what he did with Riley Brown, and of course Stuart Webb and Mick Crocker in the years before, as well as Dean Young at Dragons.

Have a larger, bulkier and more defensive hooker to start the match, send Jorbs in after 20 mins and leave him on for the rest of the game, while Kouparitsas gets a spell. That way, later in the game (particularly in the last 30 minutes where we seemed to fall away), we have a player like Kouparitsas relatively fresh on the bench that can cover hooker, lock and five-eighth pretty well.

I am a fan of this ploy, particularly, even if Koops isn't the ideal player in my mind to pull this off - I do not believe he is as defensively sound as Riley Brown or Dean Young.

The conundrum that this leaves, is the position of Ben Jones. With Phil Graham now here, I do not think Jones is required out in the centres, where his lack of size and experience troubled him. We are all set in the halves as well. I had viewed Jorbs or Friend (before his sacking) as the starting hooker in the Bonetti style, with Jones coming on ala Craig Wing to provide spark and skill, but if Kouparitsas plays at hooker I find it hard to see this happening.

Mack you are right sort of.. As you mentioned Koops is not really a defensive player, more a backrower who is best running on the fringes and gettting his offloads away..

[Guest]

Mack you are right sort of.. As you mentioned Koops is not really a defensive player, more a backrower who is best running on the fringes and gettting his offloads away..

Agreed. Crocker, Brown, Young, Webb are more defensive-based players, and hence are more suited to the role. The way I have seen Kouparitsas, is more of a poor mans version of Jim Dymock, Nik Kosef, Tawera Nikau etc. A mid-sized lock with ball-playing skills as the trademark of their game, rather than defense.

[Guest]

Koopashitstats is a Flannery clone, all potential no substance!

Chook.