A STANDOUT change factor in the NRL for me coming into Round 18 of the competition is the confidence some of the less-experienced players are delivering.
And maybe it is also a sign that there is a new breed of brave coaches coming through the ranks of the NRL clubs.
There seems to have been a type of safe playmaking manifesting recently that most TV commentators accept as normal. However, I have to say I find it boring at times.
In contrast, if a player on his own goal line passes the ball under pressure to a teammate, some commentators nearly fall off their perches in the commentary position.
I’m just hoping that some of the newer coaches in the game will continue to encourage their players to be brave in the belief that the ball will always beat the man. Sure, sometimes very risky options are taken that we are told, through the television, are “coach killers”.
I’ve always been of the view that the biggest risk is not to take one. No coach wants his team to lose the ball by being silly. That is not what I’m talking about.
What I love to see is a team playing with a confidence that allows them to use the skills they are capable of.
An example is the term now known as hit-ups. There is a time when hit-ups are required. A player needs to tuck the ball under his arm and gain as much ground as he can.
However, to totally waste opportunities in favour of hit-ups is silly, I think. Back in the day, the term hit-up was called barging. Players who could only barge, without looking to draw in opposition defenders and therefore create chances, usually ended up in reserve grade.
To watch some of the current players playing their first games of NRL is just fantastic because they are playing with what they see in front of them, opportunities.
I congratulate all those coaches who are prepared to let their players use their own imagination.
Because, quite simply, players are not robots. We need them to express themselves and their talent as highly skilled athletes.
