Flash wrote: ↑Tue May 21, 2024 12:50 pm
Matt Peet has mentioned on several occasions about "playing behind Harry's kicking game" or similar but I doubt that extends to a deliberate policy of not gaining yards on exit sets. The luxury of having a kicker who, as Kev Brown often says, "puts his boot through the ball", especially one with the accuracy of Smith cannot be understated though. It definitely means we are less reliant on early yards although I suspect the coaching staff would prefer both!
On this subject though, our fitness levels seem to be a level above most teams. It helps having the likes of Thompson and Harvard in the forwards of course but, even taking this into consideration, we still seem to have an advantage on most teams.
morley pie eater wrote: ↑Tue May 21, 2024 10:54 am
A question for our tactical experts from a mere spectator . . .
I've noticed that some of best performances come when we seem to spend much time in our own half and rely on Harry's kicking to get down field. WCC and the semi-final being two examples,
Could this be a deliberate tactic? The thinking may be that we preserve energy, especially for the big forwards, by mainly using backs on exit sets. And with Smith's outstanding pinpoint kicks, backed up by a good chase, we can make the yardage without tiring the pack.
Or it could just be that a backs-to-the-wall mentality brings out the best in us?
I'm genuinely interested in your thoughts.
Our line speed is slower than a lot of clubs (therefore conserving energy) but we do maintain a good defensive line which makes it hard for teams to break through. One thing I noticed at Huddersfield is that Faz moved to the right during the second half, I presume that was to coach Junior. Whatever it was it worked as defensively Jr was excellent in the semifinal.
