Three things....... : Mon Nov 21, 2011 8:17 pm
What three things would you put in place to start the process of catching up?How do we make that jump from where we are, to where we need to be. What is stopping us producing enough players to win those games?
So what next? What do we do to move forward from this point and not only match, but beat the Aussies?
A couple of things I see, Firstly: Sports Science, the Australians are miles ahead in this, and it seems an obvious way to me, where we can catch up. I think the RFL should have heavy links with our premier sporting universities (like Loughbrough and Leeds Met), working with their sports science departments, but also other sporting establishments like the NFL, UK athletics etc, so that we are at the very forefront of everything that happens here. I would also create a 'department of sports science' whose job it is to go around and learn everything there is to know about every aspect of sports science, from the physical and nutritional to the pyschological and disseminate that information to anybody in RL who wants it. No competition, no secrecy, a tool for everyone to use from the national team and SL coaches to youth coaches and amateur players.
Secondly: Coaching, there is no reason Sam Tomkins cant be the best RL fullback in the world, he has all the natural ability but what he struggles with are the things which should have been drilled into him, and would have been drilled into him in Aus. Nothing highlights this more than Saturday night. Tomkins struggled disastrously with Lockyers kicking, but to be fair to him, how often has he faced kicking of anything like that quality? How is Tomkins supposed to learn how to defend against kicking like that when nobody within 10'000miles can kick a ball like that? How are Tomkins coaches supposed to teach him to defend kicks like that when there isnt a coach in this code, in this country who could kick a ball like that in a month of sundays? Add to that who is Sinfield or Mcguire or Brough, Lomax or Gaskell or any other halves you want to name supposed learn how to kick a ball like that from? Lockyer didnt just appear from nowhere with these skills, he learned them. We need to be providing our young players with the best possible coaches, and we need to improve on two levels, 1) we need more, better coaches at youth level. I dont mean for SL academies, I mean at our amateur clubs. Most people coaching youngsters at amateur level are well meaning parents, and I salute the job they do but it is too easy for them to pick the biggest kids, teach them the basics and let the rest get involved when they can. We need good coaches, teaching kids the basics of passing, of defending set players, of sliding defences, of tackle technique, kicking so that when the big kids hit 14/15/16/17/18/19 and their size starts becoming less of a benefit, then we have kids who already know how to unlock tight defences through passing plays, or intelligent kicking, and we are already passed the give it to the big kid and let him run bit. For that we need more development officers, and more, better coaching courses.
2) we do need better coaches at Academy level, we need specialist skills coaches, We need the very best to be teaching our youngsters. I think the RFL should go out, speak to Alfie Langer, Andrew Johns, Lockyer now he has retired, Renuef, Maninga, Pearce, Elias etc, and get them to come over and work with our young players. It doesnt have to be a full time thing, but get them out on the field with the kids and get them learning the tricks of the trade.
Thats the three i would go for.
