News on Fergo

[ROC181]

Well well...what I predicted about a week or so ago that Fergo might be in the #1 position should RTS not be up to it.

m.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/blake-ferguson-is-back-training-but-roosters-are-yet-to-be-given-the-green-light-for-him-to-return/story-fni3fbgz-1227093017280

I think he could be our Ingliss in 2015.

Sorry if this link doesn't work but I'm using the mobile version of this site so I pasted the url for the DT story.

[Thirteen]

Agree. I have always wanted him at FB. Our potential Inglis.
But you must realise that the tele is not telling us something we didn't already know. It's just the author's opinion.

[Guest]

Robbo toyed with the idea of swapping mini and rts this year with underwhelming results. I am unsure whether this was a tactic or an attempt to give Rts some experience.

The idea of these 2 swapping would be a nightmare for defenses. Both potentially devastating but very different attacking players. Could be very exciting viewing!

[Guest]

If RTS does not play fullback, I'm not sure where he plays. IMO he is too slow for the wing and too small for the centres.

[ism22]

The article says he's been injured the whole time and only just started running again. He can't get the green light to train with the squad until he's fit. I wasn't aware he was injured (or might have forgotten) also sounds like the boys get basically a month off then are back to work full-time. Do all clubs do it that way? Doesn't sound like much downtime...

Anybody know what Fergo's defence is like BTW? I imagine he would be capable of Inglis-style kick returns. However, what's he like under high balls...etc? Also, what's his vision like, will he be able to communicate with RTS/Toops and make sure they're all in position? I remember watching the ~2012 Jets and seeing how much difference Justin Carney made. Ordinary 1st grade player, but he was capable of reading all the reserve-grade plays 2 or 3 tackles ahead and getting the young boys around him in position. IMO this was the kind of role Mini played and was bloody good at.

It's a mixed blessing having so much talent in our backs I reckon!! Bit like our captain situation... there's no 1 clear leader for the job (although there's many talented candidates).

---

BLAKE Ferguson is continuing his rehabilitation in the hope of returning to the NRL next season, with the outcast bad boy recently having a screw removed from his foot and resuming running last week.

Ferguson is aiming to resume full pre-season training with the Sydney Roosters from November 12, subject to the NRL determining he is a fit and proper person to have a contract registered... [followed by a reminder of why he's banned and that there's still no contract]

[davos]

If RTS does not play fullback, I'm not sure where he plays. IMO he is too slow for the wing and too small for the centres.

Not too sure about him being slow. I haven't seen him too many times in open space to be able to verify that. He is not much smaller than Jennings or SKD. I think it's the way that he runs that makes people think he is small. around the 6 ft mark from memory.

I think that his best attack is when he is in the middle third of the park and running onto offloads or sidesteping forwards. FB will suit him.

[Thirteen]

Ism22, I think 4 weeks annual leave it standard for Australian employees. I don't see why professional football players should get any more time off. They have also been off since Sep 26. That's a pretty long break.

[Thirteen]

If Rodger is attacking from fullback I'd like to see him
as a support player and not just as an extra playmaker. He needs to be running off the forwards in the hope of a rare offload.

[Tommy Smith]

Fergo is an outstanding defender and equally good under the high ball.

He's the complete player... with only the odd case of the SKD dropsies letting him down.

[ism22]

Not too sure about him being slow. I haven't seen him too many times in open space to be able to verify that. He is not much smaller than Jennings or SKD. I think it's the way that he runs that makes people think he is small. around the 6 ft mark from memory.

I think that his best attack is when he is in the middle third of the park and running onto offloads or sidesteping forwards. FB will suit him.

Last time I saw him face to face (in Melbourne at the meet and greet) he was about 178cm and nowhere near as chunky/nuggety as Jennings (who is a little taller but not tall... maybe 180-183cm).

Purely an opinion... but I feel him (and Jennings) are both fast over 60m. Short with a high percentage of fast twitch muscle fibres... typical sprinter build until Bolt came along. RTS tends to dance and get line breaks, then tires after ~40 metres.

Probably like Inglis TBH (although he's quite tall and solid... very different body/playing style). Despite his obvious talent, I always think he's MF slow and have watched him get tackled when he's seemingly through for all money. He'll get his line break, make 20m on the opposition then walk the rest. IMO this isn't a big issue because once you've run 40m you've taken your team from a defensive position into an attacking position. They all accellerate quickly too.

I was never an awesome footy player but I was a decent 400m sprinter. My issue was that I was pretty slow off the mark, so didn't get a lot of sneaky line breaks (like RTS/Jennings/GI can)... although I was pretty good at running players down in defence because I kept accellerating through the whole chase. I did some training sessions with the Doggies (they hired my coach and asked to train with his squad). In my experience most of them were good 200m/400m players... wingers/centres were more 60-100m runners. Don't know if this is the case now or was ever a scientific pattern... just what I observed really. So I don't really worry that RTS slows down so long as he breaks the line!!!

Edit: FWIW not trying to be a d!ck or pretend I'm some elite wanka but El Masri comes to mind when I think of RTS. Both are roughly the same height/weight and have blinding speed off the blocks. FWIW at training El Masri

[Cockadoodledoo]

If RTS does not play fullback, I'm not sure where he plays. IMO he is too slow for the wing and too small for the centres.

You obviously slept through the 2013 season when he won Dally M winger of the year and then was close to New Zealand's best player in the World Cup.

[Johnny.]

Edit: FWIW not trying to be a d!ck or pretend I'm some elite wanka but El Masri comes to mind when I think of RTS. Both are roughly the same height/weight and have blinding speed off the blocks. FWIW at training El Masri

Wait, I need closure on that anecdote.

[Guest]

You obviously slept through the 2013 season when he won Dally M winger of the year and then was close to New Zealand's best player in the World Cup.

Obviously.

There were many more highlights in 2013 than there were in 2014. This year it appeared that the opposition had learnt to read his step whereas 2013 they had no idea. Maybe this is just because he wasn't fully fit this year, but I doubt it.

I like RTS. I would have him fullback and Ferguson in the centres as most would. RTS makes his breaks through footwork - not speed. If players have learnt do defend his step on the wing, he hasn't got much scope to make a break in that position. He would be harder to defend against at FB where he can inject himself anywhere and target tired forwards with his footwork.

[ism22]

Wait, I need closure on that anecdote.

Sorry wrote more then decided I was rambling too much (on a mobile device and failed to delete it properly).

Should read...

FWIW at training El Masri was competitive with two international 100m sprinters off the blocks. I suspect RTS might be the same...

Again I know SFA and am just rambling, but I feel that your reaction time/driving speed off the blocks is very important for wingers and fullbacks. A fast reaction to a loose ball/pass + a fast 10m sprint start (including an extra side step) can be important regardless of your 100m speed if it gives you a line break I reckon.

[milanja]

Ism22, I think 4 weeks annual leave it standard for Australian employees. I don't see why professional football players should get any more time off. They have also been off since Sep 26. That's a pretty long break.

Was talking to sticky at my local yesterday, he said raider start pre season Monday week. Almost 2 months. Not bad.