Brisbane Broncos thread on how to lose a GI and a Lock and a semi final

Ugh. What a question.

No he wasn't responsible for swinging the game in Australia's favour. He was partially responsible for a try that had a knock on in the lead up and should not have been given. It wasn't so much that he was lazy, he just didn't play to the whistle. A mistake yes, but he certainly didn't swing the game in Australia's favour. And NZ were in a position to win it because of some of the things Hoffman did in the first half.

 

I actually think the standard of halves in FG has improved but it's neither here nor there. Split halves has obviously increased the need for fullbacks to improve their basic skill set but I don't believe it necessitates a ball-playing fullback per se. Just one with an adequate passing game. There's one major distinction between a traditional five-eighth and a modern fullback which I don't think is talked about enough on this matter and it's the following. The traditional second receiver did not receive the ball in second man plays anywhere near what modern second receivers do. So I don't think they either need nor can ball play in the same way and thus I don't like to hear people say the fullback in the modern game is the new five-eighth. That's bullshit IMO. The answer to Brisbane's lack of creativity was not to put a defensively inept cunt who can ball-play at fullback. It was get rid of Prince (preferably as I said, not to have bought the cunt in the first place) and/or Wallace, and find a half who actually can do the job. We found that in Hunt and when he and Hoffman came into the side, we were better for it. In the same way that the answer, IMO, to NSW's attacking problems is not to throw Hayne at fullback, it's pick Carney and another half who can create. Subsidising your halves is not the best idea.

You're spot on about Norman's defensive abilities which is why I say too much focus was put on his attacking ability. The whole argument of Hoffman vs Norman revolved around their attack. And it was gravely mistaken IMO. Furthermore, the fact is Norman fucked up countless opportunities this year either by not passing or passing to the wrong man and yet not a peep out of Alec and the anti-Hoffman brigades. That I found to be astonishing. If Hoffman had failed to throw a cut-out with a 3-2 overlap as Norman did against Penrith, they would've been all over him. And there are many other examples.

We had more success just playing Hoffman at fullback and putting Norman in reserve grade.

 

Did you actually read any of what I wrote? I didn't say it was unneeded. I said the need for it was being exaggerated by you and most others. And I also didn't say you didn't want Norman out of the side. I said you wanted him in the side over Hoffman at fullback, which you did. And that the discussion of a comparison between the two revolved entirely around attack, which it did.

Honestly....