Technical Coach
Bencher
Too many of our forwards don't run hard and straight consistently enough including Taupau.If I were targeting anyone for lack of straight running it would be kapow. Runs too many sideways runs and forgets the impact his size could have. Kapow consistently ran sideways to look for Blake Austin all game. He still played well but pick him out on your line to the ball and hit him head on not skipping sideways at him
Manly need to play more short and flat off the dummy half through the middle at pace with direct simple uncomplicated go forward.
DCE needs to ease off/balance playing as the second man deep floating option and draw the line in the sand positioned flat in relation to the dummy half as if to say "i'm not giving up these metres and my forwards need to back me".
Being overly reliant on the back three penetrating on the early kick return tackles and the occasional hard running straight moments that the centres offer hitting hard behind the ruck is not going to offer consistent punch through the middle.
Once you start to rely on spreads and edge corridor go forward you make the next middle hit up predictable, slow and dominated in the tackle as it is telegraphed. Punching fast and short through the middle corridor keeps your attacking options open on both sides, gives your dummy half options either side, promotes direct straightness and brings both halves into play.
At the moment if the back three don't offer punch at the start of the sets and if our offloads are controlled we look predictable and second rate.
The team is improving and there is skill in the squad but we are still lacking hard running straight depth in the forwards.
The Dragons play very simple, predictable, fast hard running and direct at the moment and are able to maintain the intensity long enough to break teams down----nothing special nothing complicated but it has moved the Dragons up the ladder big time.(Their attacking structures are nothing to write home about but good enough off the back of the direct go forward)