The Avenger wrote:Full Back is the hardest position on the field defensively!
You are often exposed 1 v 1 with space either side of you for the attacking player to exploit
You are often caught covering across the field at full pace which leaves you vulnerable to being stepped back on the inside
You are often faced with a 2 v 1 putting you in a no win situation unless the ball carrier makes an error
You are often tasked with making an aggressive tackle on a bigger opponent right on your line with not 1 inch to spare behind you
These situations mainly arise due to someone in front of you has made an error, missed a tackle or the defensive line got stripped for numbers by a slick attack
Even then it’s too often seen as your fault if a try gets scored!
It can be a thankless task that mentally wears you down and erodes your confidence.
I tip my hat to those who play that position well

vastman wrote:I agree with all that, but Max wasn’t at FB he was at S/O.

The Avenger wrote:I know but Max often gets criticised for his defence at Full Back especially when in 1v1 situations

Spookisback wrote:does he? often??

I don't recall anyone with any credibility in the sport doing so. Perhaps you would be good enough to point out some examples... I would love to see the context in which they have been espoused.

Trojan Horse wrote:A small few fans do get on his back when he misses the odd tackle which is in reality a very rare occurrence. Not sure why this minority come out of the woodwork....

Spookisback wrote:does he? often??

I don't recall anyone with any credibility in the sport doing so. Perhaps you would be good enough to point out some examples... I would love to see the context in which they have been espoused.

The Avenger wrote:I never mentioned the ‘credibility’ of those criticising him
There’s examples going right back to Ryan Atkins just brushing him away many seasons ago but I wasn’t meaning it to be a criticism of Max rather a defence of all Full Backs who play the position well especially the defensive side of it. It’s a difficult position to get right

Spookisback wrote:does he? often??

I don't recall anyone with any credibility in the sport doing so. Perhaps you would be good enough to point out some examples... I would love to see the context in which they have been espoused.

vastman wrote:E
Not sure what my credibility rating is, but I did mildly criticise his defence a few years back and rightly so imo. However I accepted he was young, and had time to improve and I did one think he has. He’s as good as any British FB currently playing in SL.

I don’t think his tackling will ever be his greatest asset but it’s now fit for purpose. Which means he can now excel at what he does best, game awareness and creativity and become a genuine playmaker, whether at FB or SO, we are lucky to have him.