Tweet
So, I know this may sound completely absurd and left-field but since Jake Friend will be out for another 6-8 weeks at least with an injury, the Roosters will have to implement another player as an interim hooker.
The usual option would be to throw Victor Radley back into starting hooker but in the last few weeks his service out of dummy-half has been below average and he is better suited to play his preferred position as a Lock Forward and with the run into the finals getting close we need to make sure we win games and start to fine tune ourselves heading into the finals with the best 17 players available on the park. I believe that Sam Verrills would be a better option to play hooker with Radley as the on-field back up but if there is an issue with using Sam Verrills for whatever reason then what about “Joseph Manu” ?
I know that sounds absolutely mental but Manu is just as big as Radley (body size comparison) and in the last few weeks he has built a bit of game mileage with playing at fullback plus he has decent speed and the odd sneaky step here and there so using that speed/skill out of dummy-half whilst attacking may not be a bad option. With that it also leaves the right edge backs of Brett Morris and Ryan Hall intact and the games they have played together in the last two weeks has been quite impressive. Both players are solid and reliable and it would be a shame to lose either Hall or Morris to the bench or Norths (honourable mention to Ikuvalu who has played well for the Roosters as a Winger this year as well).
I know it’s not wise to use/play players out of positions especially if it’s very random but it’s just a thought and Manu played good against the Dogs a few weeks back as part of the spine (fullback) so why not up front instead ? I know it does burn more fuel, require more attention to detail, defend etc but hey we used a legitimate Lock Forward for several games who yes was a former a hooker but surely his dummy-half days are behind him and the Roosters have used a lot of players in various positions this year so far for example (Latrell, Aubbo, Radley, Manu, Morris) so whynot ?
Thoughts ?
The usual option would be to throw Victor Radley back into starting hooker but in the last few weeks his service out of dummy-half has been below average and he is better suited to play his preferred position as a Lock Forward and with the run into the finals getting close we need to make sure we win games and start to fine tune ourselves heading into the finals with the best 17 players available on the park. I believe that Sam Verrills would be a better option to play hooker with Radley as the on-field back up but if there is an issue with using Sam Verrills for whatever reason then what about “Joseph Manu” ?
I know that sounds absolutely mental but Manu is just as big as Radley (body size comparison) and in the last few weeks he has built a bit of game mileage with playing at fullback plus he has decent speed and the odd sneaky step here and there so using that speed/skill out of dummy-half whilst attacking may not be a bad option. With that it also leaves the right edge backs of Brett Morris and Ryan Hall intact and the games they have played together in the last two weeks has been quite impressive. Both players are solid and reliable and it would be a shame to lose either Hall or Morris to the bench or Norths (honourable mention to Ikuvalu who has played well for the Roosters as a Winger this year as well).
I know it’s not wise to use/play players out of positions especially if it’s very random but it’s just a thought and Manu played good against the Dogs a few weeks back as part of the spine (fullback) so why not up front instead ? I know it does burn more fuel, require more attention to detail, defend etc but hey we used a legitimate Lock Forward for several games who yes was a former a hooker but surely his dummy-half days are behind him and the Roosters have used a lot of players in various positions this year so far for example (Latrell, Aubbo, Radley, Manu, Morris) so whynot ?
Thoughts ?
Comment