We will never win a comp with Jake Friend at hooker !!!

[Guest]

I recall a story about Simon Bonetti spending hours and hours practising passing off the ground. It can be perfected with practise.

He had a wooden target on the wall and would throw 100's of passes at it every week off the ground. It showed, Bonnetti had great service.

I too am baffled at Friend. I'm as guitly as singing his praises as anyone. Has Anasta bitten him on the neck?

Chook.

[Rooster_6]

Hopefully this has the same affect of Friend as BigFella's last thread about our pack being the softest in the comp.

He's definitely in poor form no doubt about it, but he was the best player in our team last year. Short memories....

[Chook Norris]

He has always had slow service. A couple of us on here, including myself, noticed it last year. I guess the difference was we were so deplorable last year that he was a shining light

If Friend wants to succeed at hooker, he needs to lose weight, practice his passing, and cut the crap with his shocking discipline in defence

[Rooster_6]

I also do think the slower rucks and loose rulings on 'markers' has limited the role of the modern day hooker. After Smith there's a massive gap in the quality of dummy halves. There's been a noticeable decline in a player like Farah over the past two years for example who you could argue was one of the best club players.

We definitely can't expect our dummy half to be the creative presence, or strong dummy half runners we've seen in the past. The role has been massively simplified to; quick early service and strong defence... it's a role some coaches and players have refused or struggled to adapt to imo.

[Rooster_6]

He has always had slow service. A couple of us on here, including myself, noticed it last year. I guess the difference was we were so deplorable last year that he was a shining light

If Friend wants to succeed at hooker, he needs to lose weight, practice his passing, and cut the crap with his shocking discipline in defence

His service is slow when he passes of the ground or when he tries to engage the markers? If it's the former I call bullshit, his ability to pass off the ground is fine.

Agreed on his discipline of late, has been poor. Although I'd hardly criticise his fitness, he's constantly one of the top workers in the team and in the competition.

[stsae]

I also do think the slower rucks and loose rulings on 'markers' has limited the role of the modern day hooker. After Smith there's a massive gap in the quality of dummy halves. There's been a noticeable decline in a player like Farah over the past two years for example who you could argue was one of the best club players.

We definitely can't expect our dummy half to be the creative presence, or strong dummy half runners we've seen in the past. The role has been massively simplified to; quick early service and strong defence... it's a role some coaches and players have refused or struggled to adapt to imo.

De Gois, Luke, Payne, Segyaro, Butriss, Rein, Fein, Kingston even Buderus and Mitchell have been very good and creative in attack in recent times IMO. And I'm sure there's some I've missed.

At least they've been better than Friendly.

And to be fair a guy like say Ballin has DCE, Foran and Stewart to do the creative stuff.

Friendly has Pearce and Bwaiff and Mini.

When we had Carntey in 2010 him Friendly and Pearce put some great little attacking plays on that ripped a few teams a new one up the middle.

Maybe we are all being a little harsh. Still doesn't explain his poor discipline, his penalties are worth a few weeks at Pootown alone.

[Chook Norris]

His service is slow when he passes of the ground or when he tries to engage the markers? If it's the former I call bullshit, his ability to pass off the ground is fine.

Agreed on his discipline of late, has been poor. Although I'd hardly criticise his fitness, he's constantly one of the top workers in the team and in the competition.

didnt critcise his fitness. I do think he could add on some speed though. His speed off the mark is hardly something worth noting, and at hooker i'd say that's pretty important

[supermario]

friend really needs to get back on his game, or he will find himself as the back up hooker and Ant Mitchell starting.

i dn't know, did the heat affect him worse or earlier than the others??

He has talent, needs to pull himself out of this funk big time if he wants to stay as Roosters 9

[Guest]

friend really needs to get back on his game, or he will find himself as the back up hooker and Ant Mitchell starting.

i dn't know, did the heat affect him worse or earlier than the others??

He has talent, needs to pull himself out of this funk big time if he wants to stay as Roosters 9

Well you were there Mario how would you have coped in those conditions? He is a little less ample than you I must say. No offence intended.

[Easts75]

Why can't he just fire it out from dummy half without taking a step or standing up?????????????? For f@#$s sake lets give our backs some room to move!!! Especially SKD who needs room to move, is it that hard, two quick ball's, lets give him a chance, the problem starts with Friend!!

[Funky Chicken]

Friend provides pedestrian service to Anasta who then provides pedestrian (and crap service) to the wing and centres so that even my old grandad on his zimmer frame could be up in their face by the time they get the ball.

If players don't get dropped when they consistently play bad, then they get comfortable and guys that deserve a shot miss out. Send Jake back to Newtown for a few weeks and see how we go with Mitchell as starting dummy half, subbed by Mortimer. Captain invisible can also go for a stint till the end of the season as he is just rubbish. This also sends a clear signal to the rest of the team, that if you want to play FG then you have to put your body on the line and earn it.

I can handle us losing, not even the superleaguenewsltdcheat teams win all their games but as long as our guys turn up, put in and have a fair dinkum crack then that is fine. But the rubbish that they dished out last night is simply unacceptable from professional footballers, and some of the worst offenders were some of senior players in the team - even the ever reliable Mitch Aubusson was ten shades of rubbish last night.

I feel really sorry for Jack Bosden and Peni Tagive, I spoke to Jack last week and he and Peni have been busting their butts trying to get into the FG team and then they finally do and the team dishes out tripe like that. What's a bet they are probably the only two that will get dropped. I used to be a Smithy fan but he is quickly losing me as he doesn't appear to have a game plan, plays stupid mind games with the players and doesn't appear to hurt like I and fellow fans do after a loss.

Someone also needs to teach SKD how to tackle, he just refuses to use his shoulders and a results ends up being a turnstyle, he is great in attack, but his defence is about as bad as it gets.

[bondi paul]

and we will never win a comp with the current management either.

[Rooster_6]

De Gois, Luke, Payne, Segyaro, Butriss, Rein, Fein, Kingston even Buderus and Mitchell have been very good and creative in attack in recent times IMO. And I'm sure there's some I've missed.

At least they've been better than Friendly.

And to be fair a guy like say Ballin has DCE, Foran and Stewart to do the creative stuff.

Friendly has Pearce and Bwaiff and Mini.

When we had Carntey in 2010 him Friendly and Pearce put some great little attacking plays on that ripped a few teams a new one up the middle.

Maybe we are all being a little harsh. Still doesn't explain his poor discipline, his penalties are worth a few weeks at Pootown alone.

Most of those players you named have been very very average this season and for a few years now. Butriss & Rein looking half decent just shows how simplistic the role has become; Fien, King & McCilwrick all far more talented players sitting in the lower grades as 2nd/3rd choices.

Bedsey hasn't been able to get his running game back even though it was still evident in England, De Gois struggled massively up at Newcastle and has only really been good when the Sharks big pack dominate for periods of time. Kingston has lost his running game that was so prominent in the Sharks success during '08 and Parra of '09.

This isn't an excuse for Friend, if you want to be a first grader you need to adapt to changes in the game but I think people expect too much of him. His form has been down but criticising him for taking a few steps out of dummy half is ridiculous; a few years ago this was known as engaging the markers and his ability to do it in the back half of 2010 was a MASSIVE reason in our turn around of form and the reason why Carney and Pearce always had so much space. This is obviously something that needs to be changed at training as does the short side plays on last tackle (which even Mitchell is guilty of).

[Thirteen]

It is so hard to criticise Friend cause he is all heart and gives 100% always.
But....he offers zilch in attack.

[Danish]

Lets get one thing straight. Carney was the reason for 2010. It had nothing whatsoever to do with Friend. Carney barked orders at everyone on our team and made sure they were where he wanted them to be. Friend's poor decision making and slow service were hidden because he was never having to decide something for himself, just pass it to whoever Carney told him to and that was his job.

To succeed at hooker in today's game, you have to comfortably be able to cover halfback if the need arose. Does anyone actually believe Friend could wear the no.7 jersey if Pearce were to go down injured during a game? Not a farking chance.

He is slow in every aspect of the game. Passing, decision making, and actual running. The only thing he has got going for him is that he gets involved in a lot of tackles. I say gets involved because he absolutely never makes 1 on 1 tackles, and regularly just jumps up high and gets pushed back till JWH or Kennedy arrive to stop the momentum of the runner.

I used to believe Pearce was the lynch pin stiffling our attack, however when Mitchell has been starting for 2 games, for those 30 minutes Pearce actually looks alive out there. To me that points the problem at Friend.

IMO Friend could be a decent backrower/hooker, coming on to give Mitchell a rest for 15 minutes a half and then maybe staying on and playing lock when Mitchell comes back on.