Agree, no one is asking him to be Cooper or JT, but to be a “running” half and just not run the ball is criminal. All I saw him do today was pass pass pass and kick poorly. His back up play for the try and goal kicking his highlights, we need more than that from the kid.
I wouldn’t say it’s “criminal”. He’s confused about his role and is lacking confidence.
His” strength” is running the ball …but he doesn’t run the ball, what’s there to be confused about? I get he’s a not a natural halfback, but he doesn’t do what comes naturally to him. That’s bad for him and bad for the team.
The problem with all of our halves is that they dont dig into the line. It was painfully obvious yesterday. We were passing a long way before the line and not engaging any defenders. You could see the difference a class player like Johnson made. He goes to the line and then makes a decision. I feel like our halves have already made a decision before they catch the ball.
100%!! He has speed and footwork to suck defenders. As you said he should be running to the line getting defenders in two minds then make a decision to show and go or draw and pass out the back. He’s to robotic. I feel like I’m watching mini league with the catch and pass.
This is why Flanagan got dumped, never did it. Jake did at first but has now regressed and is just crabbing sideways looking to linkup with our non existent runners. This will continue to be an issue until Baz scraps the system or recruits a genuine top tier halfback.
As much as I’ve disliked Pearce I think his experience and game management will be so good for our young boys to develop. Doesn’t matter his age either if people think it’s an issue. Roosters signed Cronk in his mid 30s. I know Pearce isn’t Cronk but he’s played rep footy. He’s always been at the top of 7a in the game he knows what it takes to win.
Have a look at biondi when he came on , he has a little Robbie Farah in him where he engages the ruck defenders and plays off that . That takes the gang tackle out of the equation and allows our forwards to get over the advantage line . It’s no coincidence that we got a roll on when he came on
I don't think Pearce will help that much with development as it hasn't really worked out that way in Newcastle from what I can see. I do think he can play that he can play that on the ball style of halfback that Baz wants and improve the team short-term though. Injuries are becoming an issue with him and he's another potential recruit with questionable history so there's also that to consider.
