Hodges

[Fluffy]

Hodges is consistently one of the top NSW cup players but has yet to make the transition to NRL and may never will. He is still young at 21 but with 2 signings, Ballin and Brown as well you would have to think he will be cut loose.

In his defence his first 25 mins were pretty good but I think he got tired, 80 minutes was too much of an ask. The most games in a row of NRL he has played is just 2 as well so no time to get match fit at that level.

Parcell does look promising.

 

[jbb/james]

Dont really want yo rag on the kids, but he just lacks the compusre to play hooker. He never seems to have a plan. Providing service to the pigs in the number one requirement for a hooker, then selective scoots and a kicking game. He is just all over the shop. Its great to keep the opposition guessing but not your own team. I wish him well but wont miss him. He is brave and works hard but i just keep thinking someone is going to snap him in half while he defends

 

[Loobs]

Hodges has average service out of dummy half. That is unacceptable for a first grade hooker. Ballin may be slow and a non entity as a runner but his service is probably top 3 in the league.

You could handle a slight decrease in passing ability out of DH but not to the level of Hodges. Leary in the wet is about as good as him.

Hopefully the two guys next year give us the best of both worlds. Speed out of DH and crisp passing.

Maybe Mateo should teach guys how to pass.

 

[pjayz]

Easy to have a crack at Hodges who was thrown in against a team that ripped us apart, Matty B would not have made much difference tonight, we were pedestrian and they were so fast and strong. To be honest we were light years away from them and that is the standard we need to aspire too. We need a dummy half who has a go at the line and wins penalties for us.

I think it was more a point at how terrible his passing out of dummy half is. He regularly throws grubbers or over the shoulder passes, and that is his primary function. He just isn't first grade standard.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

In ten years time who knows, he might have a playing reputation similar to Cliff Lyons. He certainly has some ability. Just needs further harnessing.

 

[Loobs]

I think it was more a point at how terrible his passing out of dummy half is. He regularly throws grubbers or over the shoulder passes, and that is his primary function. He just isn't first grade standard.

I'm sure our forwards love to reach up for a ball just as the defensive line is about to nail them...

 

[Fluffy]

The NSW cup forwards seem to be able to handle it well.....

 

[The Screaming Eagles]

Easy to have a crack at Hodges who was thrown in against a team that ripped us apart, Matty B would not have made much difference tonight, we were pedestrian and they were so fast and strong. To be honest we were light years away from them and that is the standard we need to aspire too. We need a dummy half who has a go at the line and wins penalties for us.

if that was a one off game for him then your right but he's been terrible every time he's run on to the field

 

[Sheikheagle]

In ten years time who knows, he might have a playing reputation similar to Cliff Lyons. He certainly has some ability. Just needs further harnessing.

lollol

 

[Bird Up]

You're both right @maxta and @jbb/james in regards to Hodges' flaws! I've seen all that ur saying all season watching the NSW Cup boys play!
He does lack direction, doesn't look to have a plan and his service to his 2nd receivers is mediocre to say the least. It seems that every time he positions himself as dummy half, all he has in his mind is to pick and run but then he hears the halves calling the play, and then he sees another attacking option on top of what he wants to do and what his halves want him to do, so as soon as he picks up the ball he's constantly in 3 minds of what he should do! So for the majority of the time its inevitable that no matter what he decides to do, his execution suffers! Passes to receivers are too high, too low or even at their feet which put the receiver under unnecessary pressure to catch the ball and not make an error!
He is also predictable when he scoots out of dummy half too! He naturally scoots right out of dummy half and 99% of the time if he does change it up and scoot left, then straight after getting past the markers he will constantly dart back to the right!
What also frustrates me is that whenever the boys are within the 30m line of scoring a try, he hogs the ball and really has no ears to plays called and does only what he wants to do! Yes he has serviced some great grubber kicks for his team mates like Reardon to dive on and pinched some try's of his own but more often than not it doesn't wk, while at the same time stuffing up the set play the team have set up for meaning the whole team are left to adlib their attack, all because he chose to be greedy!

Don't get me wrong the kid has the talent but he needs a coach that he listens to and that can coach out his bad habits and refine his skills! Maybe then he could be a quality first grade rake!

The NSW Cup team looked more settled and controlled in attack last week against Newcastle, especially when Lathem shifted into hooker, and I am hoping for the NSW Cup teams sake, Hodges doesn't play!

As for last week's game vs the Roosters, even though Hodges wasn't absolutely terrible, the game did show he was simply just out of his depth! And the longer the game went on the more of his natural bad habits crept in! Like passing to Fozs feet out of dummy half on half time, trying to pinch a try on the line against a massive defense which was never an option and then holding onto a leg in a tackle with DCE and giving an unnecessary penalty, to which DCE showed how filthy he was at him for it!

 

[Bird Up]

Now don't get ur knickers in a knot and gill me over my next opinion but I believe there is a gap when our fringe players get promoted into FG, why I'm not sure but this is why I think it could possibly be.....

I believe that the NSW Cup boys are average when they're promoted to FG because even though they train full time with FG all week, when it comes to field opposing sessions, these back up boys are not properly intergrated into playing side by side with the first grade guys! They're simply just the extras to practice set plays ect against!
Coaches that put in the effort to properly integrate and coach their fringe players into the first grade team, are the teams that have debutants who not only play well on debut but they also look to fit seemlessly into the side like they've play in the side all year!

Take Tom T, Gutho and Jake T for example, before last preseason even started the hype at the club about these boys and how they will play FG sooner rather than later (and duely hyped mind you) but they were obviously intergrated during preseason and during the season to play as part of the starting 17. And this showed when they did play FG because they looked to seemlessly fit into the side on game day!
Now take other fringe players like Williame, Satini even JLJ; when they played FG they didn't look to 'fit' seemlessly into the side and looked out of sorts or even average!

Some may not agree with my 'intergration' opinion but hey that's how I see it and it'd be great to hear others opinions on this!

 

[Dan]

You're both right @maxta and @jbb/james in regards to Hodges' flaws! I've seen all that ur saying all season watching the NSW Cup boys play!
He does lack direction, doesn't look to have a plan and his service to his 2nd receivers is mediocre to say the least. It seems that every time he positions himself as dummy half, all he has in his mind is to pick and run but then he hears the halves calling the play, and then he sees another attacking option on top of what he wants to do and what his halves want him to do, so as soon as he picks up the ball he's constantly in 3 minds of what he should do! So for the majority of the time its inevitable that no matter what he decides to do, his execution suffers! Passes to receivers are too high, too low or even at their feet which put the receiver under unnecessary pressure to catch the ball and not make an error!
He is also predictable when he scoots out of dummy half too! He naturally scoots right out of dummy half and 99% of the time if he does change it up and scoot left, then straight after getting past the markers he will constantly dart back to the right!
What also frustrates me is that whenever the boys are within the 30m line of scoring a try, he hogs the ball and really has no ears to plays called and does only what he wants to do! Yes he has serviced some great grubber kicks for his team mates like Reardon to dive on and pinched some try's of his own but more often than not it doesn't wk, while at the same time stuffing up the set play the team have set up for meaning the whole team are left to adlib their attack, all because he chose to be greedy!

Don't get me wrong the kid has the talent but he needs a coach that he listens to and that can coach out his bad habits and refine his skills! Maybe then he could be a quality first grade rake!

The NSW Cup team looked more settled and controlled in attack last week against Newcastle, especially when Lathem shifted into hooker, and I am hoping for the NSW Cup teams sake, Hodges doesn't play!

As for last week's game vs the Roosters, even though Hodges wasn't absolutely terrible, the game did show he was simply just out of his depth! And the longer the game went on the more of his natural bad habits crept in! Like passing to Fozs feet out of dummy half on half time, trying to pinch a try on the line against a massive defense which was never an option and then holding onto a leg in a tackle with DCE and giving an unnecessary penalty, to which DCE showed how filthy he was at him for it!

He is also slow when he scoots out of dummy half, he runs wide of the ruck then tries to straighten which gets him nowhere but further in field

 

[HoldenV8]

I wouldn't put him in the scrums obviously (someone like Leary can pack in at hooker), but if I were Tooves I would seriously think about using DCE at dummy half this weekend against the Sharks, Foran to HB, Killer to 5/8 (if fit), Hiku to the centres and Tommy on the wing.

Hodges is good at times running out of dummy half, but his service and defence are nothing on Matty Ballin's. And we all know DCE's skill set and he's no slouch off the mark either. He has also trained there with the Qld Origin team so its not like he'll be a fish out of water.

However, I don't think we'll see anything different this weekend. Hodges will probably be the hooker and everyone else will remain in their usual positions.