Joined: Jun 25 2006 Posts: 14140 Location: Forum21
Bobby Digital wrote:Dufty plain and simple on three occasions has chickened out of attempting to catch a high ball.. that’s not a mistake that’s a problem within Dufty himself.. as good as he has been these last few months it doesn’t excuse him for not having the balls to make a decent effort catching the high ball..
He's no Steve Hampson for sure, but what to do with him? Do you drop our most dangerous offensive player?
Wires71 wrote:He's no Steve Hampson for sure, but what to do with him? Do you drop our most dangerous offensive player?
I think not cos he scores/makes more than he let's in but I'm sure he will be being worked on. Some of the tries he has let in have been a bit strange. Who would come in? We might have a similar problem.
Joined: Jun 25 2006 Posts: 14140 Location: Forum21
Smiffy27 wrote:I think not cos he scores/makes more than he let's in but I'm sure he will be being worked on. Some of the tries he has let in have been a bit strange. Who would come in? We might have a similar problem.
Exactly. Thewlis has not looked rock solid in defence or under a high kick recently either and we are trying to move on from Ratchford.
Dufty earns his place for me, he is a dangerous player and entertaining to watch. His deficiencies can be worked on and you cannot coach pace.
Wires71 wrote:He's no Steve Hampson for sure, but what to do with him? Do you drop our most dangerous offensive player?
Hope the coaching staff can install confidence and make sure he at least try’s to attempt a catch.. I’d stick with him, it seems we have no one better. Thewlis has started to look shaky as well, so that rules him out.. fingers crossed that Burgess works on a plan to get the covering defence to work harder at shielding Dufty on the high kicks and not leave him exposed to oncoming attackers
Joined: Feb 10 2012 Posts: 6051 Location: Stuck in 1982
Wires71 wrote:He's no Steve Hampson for sure, but what to do with him? Do you drop our most dangerous offensive player?
In Dufty's case, I think that's the point of the debate, there's no need for over reaction to any criticism.
AFAIC I wouldn't lose his attacking threat if he continues in this season's vein of form, then fine by me. We accept he has flaws and work on strategies to cope with them. He's not suddenly going to become a Hampson or Hodgson, you can't coach that IMO, but we need to protect him a bit better from the chase and try and get the opposition kicking from deeper and apply pressure rather than letting the likes of Abdul kick us to death, which will be an opposition blue print as team's sniff out a perceived weakness.
Joined: Jul 17 2015 Posts: 4682 Location: Sitting on the naughty step
Agreed UR, pressuring the kicker (while not going so far as attempting to charge down every kick as per TS) and giving Dufty “coverage” are the ares to concentrate on. Abdul was given way too much time, we all knew what he was going to do so the players must have, there just didn’t seem to be a plan. I guess Marshall will be working overtime on how to deal with it as every team will see it as a blueprint. Unless we bring Ratchford back in as a specialist to deal with that threat, and to kick goals.
Just my opinions unless it's a FACT, in which case it's a fact.
Joined: Feb 10 2012 Posts: 6051 Location: Stuck in 1982
Captain Hook wrote:Ratchford at centre I mean.
I get that there might be variables such as weather (wind/sun/wet) but you'd think kick pressure and catch protection would be a relatively simple thing to coach?
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