In a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald new Sydney Roosters coach Chris Anderson bemoaned the fact that the game has become too much of a defensive struggle.
He cites the move by Greg Inglis and Mark Gasnier from the centers and into five-eight for their respective clubs as a sad sign for the game that two great attacking centers need to move infield just to get the ball.
I’m sorry Chris but did your time coaching some 2nd rate rugby union side in Wales fry your brain?
Anyone that has watched Rugby League over the last 12 months will have seen that both Gasnier and Inglis had NO trouble getting the ball and tearing opposition defenses apart.
Anderson also has a whinge about the number of defensive players getting involved in the tackle and what he calls the game becoming “All about the wrestle” as clubs look to slow down the opposition play the ball.
Anderson’s real problem is that he prefers to see a fast play the ball and he likes to see the opposition defense constantly back pedaling. This allows his teams to use the much talked about flat attack, an attacking structure that has been shown to be no good in the modern day game.
Anderson wants to see super fast play the balls, defenses struggling to get back the ten meters and basically having his attacking side running riot over a chaotic opposition defense.
The problem for Anderson though is that…..opposition teams don’t tend to do what you want, even if you ask them really nicely. They tend to like to play well defensively and make you think of more than one way to pry them apart.
But why think of a new game plan when you can whinge about the game to the papers and hope the powers that be might make make slight law changes to the game that are better suited to your out dated style of attack.
Hey Chris….its not 1999 any more. Think up a new game plan or you’ll be out on your arse again looking for another token job with a 5th grade Welsh rugby union side!
