Willie Mason | June 3, 2007
I FEEL really sorry for Clint Newton. There has been a lot of talk about loyalty in the game during the week but, as this case shows, it's gone out the window.
I've known "Newto" since I was 15 and all he wanted to do was play for the Knights.
He's worked his butt off to get there and is one of the most professional guys in the game. Yet suddenly the coach tells him he's not wanted. It must be a bitter experience because he bleeds blue and red.
It raises the question of loyalty. When you're the next big thing and you're off contract, you go in to talk to the club and the officials play the loyalty card. When you're next off contract you expect a bit of loyalty back, but it rarely happens. Clubs now are businesses - they want to win all the time and want the best people available.
Loyalty goes out the window, yet the clubs still want it the other way. If you've been at a club for six or seven years it expects you to re-sign for less money, but if you're not playing the best football in a couple of years . . .
Almost always the players want to stay. Look, for example, at Roy Asotasi. The Bulldogs brought him from New Zealand as a 16-year-old and all he wanted to do was stay at the Doggies. But with the salary cap, having players leave is now part of the game.
The other big issue is the general standard of the game. From a fan's point of view, it has dropped because it's so defence-oriented. A lot of fans tell me they don't like the lack of attacking play and that games can be boring as a result.
Teams are concentrating on their defence and that's taking attacking players out of the game. Not too many teams slide in defence. Everyone comes up and in, and it's taking the flair away. The genuine attackers, the centres, aren't getting quality ball one-on-one as they used to. It's so hard to break the line.
It's all about the wrestle. If you're forcing five-second play-the-balls, you have time to let your defensive line set. No matter how good an attacker you are, it's going to take a really good play to break the line. If there's a dominant tackle, they get to lie all over you.
If you don't dominate the ruck you lose the game. That's why every team has a wrestling coach. We need to look at the play-the-balls, because everyone is playing within themselves and not throwing the ball around as much as they used to. It's OK for the forwards but I bet the outside backs are frustrated.
There's also not as many big hitters any more because it's all about wrestling and what you do on the ground. Our pack, when we're all playing well, want to play that confrontational game. But teams such as Wests Tigers - a team that is well coached and plays smart - won't take you on and let you play that type of game.
There has been a lot of talk about discontent at the the Bulldogs during the week. That type of stuff only galvanises us. The players are fully focused on winning and all the outside stuff will make us stronger. If we get one or two wins we can get on a big roll and string half-a-dozen together. Let's hope it will start today against the Warriors.
Source: The Sun-Herald
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I FEEL really sorry for Clint Newton. There has been a lot of talk about loyalty in the game during the week but, as this case shows, it's gone out the window.
I've known "Newto" since I was 15 and all he wanted to do was play for the Knights.
He's worked his butt off to get there and is one of the most professional guys in the game. Yet suddenly the coach tells him he's not wanted. It must be a bitter experience because he bleeds blue and red.
It raises the question of loyalty. When you're the next big thing and you're off contract, you go in to talk to the club and the officials play the loyalty card. When you're next off contract you expect a bit of loyalty back, but it rarely happens. Clubs now are businesses - they want to win all the time and want the best people available.
Loyalty goes out the window, yet the clubs still want it the other way. If you've been at a club for six or seven years it expects you to re-sign for less money, but if you're not playing the best football in a couple of years . . .
Almost always the players want to stay. Look, for example, at Roy Asotasi. The Bulldogs brought him from New Zealand as a 16-year-old and all he wanted to do was stay at the Doggies. But with the salary cap, having players leave is now part of the game.
The other big issue is the general standard of the game. From a fan's point of view, it has dropped because it's so defence-oriented. A lot of fans tell me they don't like the lack of attacking play and that games can be boring as a result.
Teams are concentrating on their defence and that's taking attacking players out of the game. Not too many teams slide in defence. Everyone comes up and in, and it's taking the flair away. The genuine attackers, the centres, aren't getting quality ball one-on-one as they used to. It's so hard to break the line.
It's all about the wrestle. If you're forcing five-second play-the-balls, you have time to let your defensive line set. No matter how good an attacker you are, it's going to take a really good play to break the line. If there's a dominant tackle, they get to lie all over you.
If you don't dominate the ruck you lose the game. That's why every team has a wrestling coach. We need to look at the play-the-balls, because everyone is playing within themselves and not throwing the ball around as much as they used to. It's OK for the forwards but I bet the outside backs are frustrated.
There's also not as many big hitters any more because it's all about wrestling and what you do on the ground. Our pack, when we're all playing well, want to play that confrontational game. But teams such as Wests Tigers - a team that is well coached and plays smart - won't take you on and let you play that type of game.
There has been a lot of talk about discontent at the the Bulldogs during the week. That type of stuff only galvanises us. The players are fully focused on winning and all the outside stuff will make us stronger. If we get one or two wins we can get on a big roll and string half-a-dozen together. Let's hope it will start today against the Warriors.
Source: The Sun-Herald
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