Carney too Fullback it's a Done Deal

[Cockadoodledoo]

Just my thoughts

But Brisbane already had the best halves pairing in the comp when Lockyer was Fullback, we need someone that can ignite our pedestrian backline.

[Guest]

Fair enough, i thought you couldn't be serious.

But what's this obsession with a ball playing fullback, it's about as useful as an organizing winger. IMO, in attack the fullback just should hit the holes, score the tries and knowing how to pass if necessary. But ball playing is a total waste for a fullback imo. That should be left to the halfs or a forward.



That's why Carney should be in the half's, not fullback.

Totally agree. Why can't we just have a fullback (Mini) playing at fullback, and a 5/8 (Carney) playing 5/8? Why the need to overcomplicate things and talk about switching during the game and Braith goes to here and Aubusson to there and roving commissions and blah blah blah?

In Brian I do trust, and if we were a structured, well drilled, good side then maybe they could start trying to tweak things to get further improvement. But surely, for the wooden spooners, just pick guys in position to start with, get some combinations going, and then work from there.

The more I think about it, the more I think that Braith just doesn't want to play lock

[Pass the Ball]

Players will not be swapping positions all game TOK..

That is just someones idea here...

I don't think Smith will be looking at these boards for inspiration..

Have some faith in the hiring of Brian Smith to have us playing good competitive football..

It would not surprise me to see quite a different line-up from Smith come round 1...

[Guest]

Players will not be swapping positions all game TOK..

That is just someones idea here...

I don't think Smith will be looking at these boards for inspiration..

Have some faith in the hiring of Brian Smith to have us playing good competitive football..

It would not surprise me to see quite a different line-up from Smith come round 1...

You're right, I should have faith in Brian, and I do

I just get worried when I hear him comparing Carney with Gidley...

[Guest]

You're right, I should have faith in Brian, and I do

I just get worried when I hear him comparing Carney with Gidley...

I dont think he was comparing Carney to Gidley at all,rather saying he will play him at fullback in a similar style as he did with Gidley at the knights,as it worked well for the team...

In his biggest decision since quitting the Knights, Smith will give Carney an unrestricted playmaking licence from fullback. "He will be a free agent," Smith said. "He can work within a system but also has that individual flair which can make things happen. He will bob up where he sees fit and it is something Kurt (Gidley) did well for us at Newcastle.

[Chookies74]

I dont think he was comparing Carney to Gidley at all,rather saying he will play him at fullback in a similar style as he did with Gidley at the knights,as it worked well for the team...

This is what I meant.

The game is constantly changing, remember when every side had a ballplaying backrower - now there is only 1 decent 1 in the whole comp -Toupo.
Gun Centres still carve up the 20's, but don't get much room in first grade, as coaches put big, agile, 6/4 monsters out there to shut them down - eg Cooper and King.

Coaches are thus looking for new ways to break open the defence.

The trend for multiskilled fullbacks probably started with Lockyer and will only increase because it's the only position left with the least structure around it.

Gone are the days of catching bombs, cleaning up grubbers and running the ball back. Hence, why I don't think we'll see Sammy at fullback (barring injury).

Just my humble opinion though.

[Rooster_6]

Now that you are an stats expert why don't you take a look at how many kicks the top 5/8th do per game. Try Soward on for size, then just maybe you might realize that 5/8ths, halfs and hookers do the kicking. Hayne only kicks or chips off the cuff, not as a playmaker kicker. We will lose most of Carney's general kicking skills at fullback.

As for Anasta, he has played lock many times for the dogs before and the modern 5/8th plays very similar to modern locks so that is not a big change. Unlike a 5/8th moving to fullback, and one who has never played there in first grade before. Massive difference.

Yeh I agree we would lose some of his kicking skills if he went to fullback but saying Hayne only kicks once or twice a game is a little ignorant as is saying he just 'chip kicks'. Your original concern was losing Carney's 40/20 ability because he plays fullback yet ironically Hayne topped the count of 40/20's this season... he did a lot of long kicking for the Eels this year. All I'm saying is I can see where Smtih is coming from... fullback would suit his game very well offensively just as much as lock would suit Anasta's.

Anasta has proven himself as a ballplayer over the past 3 seasons, people make the assumption that he's a lock because he's a big lad. Not much else... he's been tested and tried there plenty of times but just doesn't make enough tackles. The only other solution I can think of is have Maubs defend at lock and either attack from the second row or centre but then we are asking for a huge effort from one single player, too much imo.

For me it comes down to two things...

who will hold down the position for the longest and make it their own? Carney has time on his side but is a ticking time bomb

Can we win a GF with Braith at 5/8?

[Guest]

Yeh I agree we would lose some of his kicking skills if he went to fullback but saying Hayne only kicks once or twice a game is a little ignorant as is saying he just 'chip kicks'. Your original concern was losing Carney's 40/20 ability because he plays fullback yet ironically Hayne topped the count of 40/20's this season... he did a lot of long kicking for the Eels this year. All I'm saying is I can see where Smtih is coming from... fullback would suit his game very well offensively just as much as lock would suit Anasta's.

Anasta has proven himself as a ballplayer over the past 3 seasons, people make the assumption that he's a lock because he's a big lad. Not much else... he's been tested and tried there plenty of times but just doesn't make enough tackles. The only other solution I can think of is have Maubs defend at lock and either attack from the second row or centre but then we are asking for a huge effort from one single player, too much imo.

For me it comes down to two things...

who will hold down the position for the longest and make it their own? Carney has time on his side but is a ticking time bomb

Can we win a GF with Braith at 5/8?

What Braith has proved over the last 3 seasons is that he's as slow as wet week, and getting slower. A ballplayer yes, but a slow one

People make the assumption that he should go to lock because he's entirely innefective as a 5/8 and there's really nowhere else to put him. Certainly nowhere in the backs

Can we win the GF with Braith at 5/8? If we had an excellent running halfback, some genuine flair outwide, some guys who can make breaks, and about 100 other things, perhaps.

With the side we actually have though? With Braith at 5/8, absolutely no chance

[Guest]

I meant as a ball playing fullback, not as a standard fullback where Slater is outstanding.
Carney's passing and kicking game is way better than Slater's. Bellamy uses Slater as a 2nd ballplayer, not often, but as a variation to get the defence stopping/standing still. I think Smith is trying to do the same with Carney.

Anasta on the blindside, Jnr in the middle, Carney floating in/our/around, wherever. We aren't going to be a gun side, but we'll look 'more likely' to score than we have since early 2008.

It probably has to do with an overall game plan, to exploit the likelihood that 2nd phase play will be a key element of many teams' attack this year.

Teams have been so effiicient at nullifying fast play the balls (or surrenders) by wrestling around the ruck, that teams will be looking to keep the ball alive around the ruck. Playing fullback will allow Carney to turn up on either side of the ruck to accept the offloads and either promote the ball or run it. Hence, the emphasis on ball skills and movement in your pre-season. It will look random and free flowing, but it will be as structured as anything we have seen from Brian Smith.


If nothing else, you're talking about the footy itself.

[Rocky Rhodes]

Yeh I agree we would lose some of his kicking skills if he went to fullback but saying Hayne only kicks once or twice a game is a little ignorant as is saying he just 'chip kicks'. Your original concern was losing Carney's 40/20 ability because he plays fullback yet ironically Hayne topped the count of 40/20's this season... he did a lot of long kicking for the Eels this year. All I'm saying is I can see where Smtih is coming from... fullback would suit his game very well offensively just as much as lock would suit Anasta's.

Anasta has proven himself as a ballplayer over the past 3 seasons, people make the assumption that he's a lock because he's a big lad. Not much else... he's been tested and tried there plenty of times but just doesn't make enough tackles. The only other solution I can think of is have Maubs defend at lock and either attack from the second row or centre but then we are asking for a huge effort from one single player, too much imo.

For me it comes down to two things...

who will hold down the position for the longest and make it their own? Carney has time on his side but is a ticking time bomb

Can we win a GF with Braith at 5/8?

Seriously dude, you have issues if you trying to pick me up on such minor issues as to how many times hayne kicks in a game. Whether it's 2 or 4 who really cares, you are confusing me with someone who gives a shite.

The strange thing is you agree with the core of what I'm trying to say i.e. Carney loses some of his kicking skills at fullback. Shite, what are you like if you totally disagree with me. I reckon you could argue for hours over what cereal you are gonna eat tomorrow.

[Guest]

that's awesome gus, i'm flabbergasted.

No! No! No! No! No! No! No!

[Headless Chook]

Seriously dude, you have issues if you trying to pick me up on such minor issues as to how many times hayne kicks in a game. Whether it's 2 or 4 who really cares, you are confusing me with someone who gives a shite.

The strange thing is you agree with the core of what I'm trying to say i.e. Carney loses some of his kicking skills at fullback. Shite, what are you like if you totally disagree with me. I reckon you could argue for hours over what cereal you are gonna eat tomorrow.

Can somebody tell me why we would lose some of Carney's kicking skills if he was at fullback? Lockyer was Brisbane's main tactical kcker for many years from fullback.

[Rocky Rhodes]

Can somebody tell me why we would lose some of Carney's kicking skills if he was at fullback? Lockyer was Brisbane's main tactical kcker for many years from fullback.

Use your head headless. For starters kicking from the back at fullback usually means the rest of the team is offside so unless they are kicking to themselves then attacking kicks are very limited.

Regarding your other post, Lockyer was never a play-making fullback. You need to get over that idea. He was only a play-maker when at 5/8th. There is no such thing as a play-making fullback.

[Guest]

Use your head headless. For starters kicking from the back at fullback usually means the rest of the team is offside so unless they are kicking to themselves then attacking kicks are very limited.

Regarding your other post, Lockyer was never a play-making fullback. You need to get over that idea. He was only a play-maker when at 5/8th. There is no such thing as a play-making fullback.

Is there something stopping a fullback kicking from the same position a 5/8th or halfback kicks from?

[Guest]

Use your head headless. For starters kicking from the back at fullback usually means the rest of the team is offside so unless they are kicking to themselves then attacking kicks are very limited.

Regarding your other post, Lockyer was never a play-making fullback. You need to get over that idea. He was only a play-maker when at 5/8th. There is no such thing as a play-making fullback.

When a team has the ball, you tend to find the FB is up in the attacking line....not 50m back. I don't agree with your first point

While I'd prefer Mini at FB and Carney at 5/8, Carney can have a kicking role, even if playing FB