Christian Lealiifano is a ball player by the way.kingofthehill wrote:Need a ball player in the backline,Stu is not a ball player.
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Christian Lealiifano is a ball player by the way.kingofthehill wrote:Need a ball player in the backline,Stu is not a ball player.
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I agree, Payne would have been very useful this seasonkingofthehill wrote:Need a ball player in the backline,Stu is not a ball player.
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Made himself unavailable for the June test seriesSnipe Watson wrote:Christian Lealiifano is a ball player by the way.kingofthehill wrote:Need a ball player in the backline,Stu is not a ball player.
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He needs a break before the Super knockout stages. Although Brumbies are a long shot for making it out of the groups.Russ wrote:Made himself unavailable for the June test seriesSnipe Watson wrote:Christian Lealiifano is a ball player by the way.kingofthehill wrote:Need a ball player in the backline,Stu is not a ball player.
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The quote is direct from an interview by UR PR posted by UR PRrumncoke wrote:Come on give the guy a break ' Not a ball player "
What he does he does well, but he has never really been asked or expected to be a ball player at Ulster .
He has been used as a first phase ball carrier, not necessarily as first phase first receiver . N.B. if the defence has been given sufficient time to reform across the pitch, whether you are on the first play or 21 first play, you can still be in first phase mode.
The problem then arises the backline play becomes predictable and marked ensuring that the opposition either slow the recycle or force a non release of the ball if Mccloskey fails to get over the gain with support.
Ulster's other problem is that Luke Marshall is also an inside centre who is a ball player but is less effective at getting the ball to the gain line but has the ability to make the backline play less predictable but being an inside centre, when playing outside centre, he has never fully developed the timing of a pass to his wings either to soon or too late. Stockdale has scored trys but few have been scored from a pass made by Luke Marshall.
100%, he is a decent player in certain circumstances and we know there are coaches who have a hard-on for big blundering carriers, usually, a smattering of ball playing talent means that player is valuable. I am convinced Big Stu is coached to take no chances, to simply make his yards and protect and present the ball.kingofthehill wrote:Need a ball player in the backline,Stu is not a ball player.
It's not that long ago that NHL was more than decent inside O'Driscoll for Ireland. I have always thought 12 should be his position, but he would need to rediscover the form he had before the concussions. Could be a confidence thing.BaggyTrousers wrote:100%, he is a decent player in certain circumstances and we know there are coaches who have a hard-on for big blundering carriers, usually, a smattering of ball playing talent means that player is valuable. I am convinced Big Stu is coached to take no chances, to simply make his yards and protect and present the ball.kingofthehill wrote:Need a ball player in the backline,Stu is not a ball player.
As we know that is all well and good if you then have Marcell Coetzee arriving to murder any clown who would think of poaching the ball and carrying it on himself, but sadly we have played the best part of 45 games without him over the last 2 seasons.
I have no absolute dislike of either Big Stu or NHL as players, just as a partnership where they struggle to have a creative bone between them.
I remain convinced that either one of them would fair better with Cave as a partner and in NHL's case that would be Cave at 12 ........for he'd never touch the ball at 13.