Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 3:50 pm  

morleys_deckchair wrote:

i dont know why i even bothered.

I apologise md, I hit submit before I'd finished.
its quite difficult this site lately on a android hand device, there are so many pop up adds and I end up hitting buttons I hadn't meant too.

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 4:27 pm  

Like i said ive not seen the Hull game - but judging what i saw in the Salford game (and the Hull KR Friendly) in comparison to the 2 dragon games - our attacking structure (with O Brien & Myler) was more threatening against Salford.

This is, in my opinion, down to having Ratchfords skill set available within the attacking structure - the half backs have more options when they go out wide and the backs have more space to exploit.

Moving Ratchford to HB would negate this as Russell / Penny cannot bring the same skills to the attacking structure as Ratchford

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 5:00 pm  

Ratchford is the best fullback at the club, it's that simple.

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 5:06 pm  

I completely agree that Ratchford is our best fullback as Bridge is our best centre.
They are also our hb pairing.

Some balance may be the answer.
Perhaps GOB and Bridge with Ratchford at fb is it...?

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 5:21 pm  

But surely,if Bridge is our best centre he should play in the centre with Ratchford at either loose forward or full back & maybe O'Brien & Myler at halfbacks ,especially if they get some field kicking practice in.

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 5:53 pm  

the flying biscuit wrote:

Kelly Shelford...crikey.....if the internet was around when he was playing.

what an awesome player he was ..........when he could be bothered.........

I'd imagine someone somewhere would sing your just a fat Rangi Chase....

Must admit I was pushing it a bit when I included Shelford, as he was indeed very infuriating with regard to the effort he would sometimes put into a match - However, when he did bother to put a stint in, he was a class act, certainly head and shoulders above Myler or O'Brien.

By the way, the poster above you wrote the words 'O'Brien' and 'World-class' in the same sentence - I'd suggest he's been on the same stuff that Shelford used to fill up with before a matchday.....

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 5:57 pm  

My point is 9A that we ought to have our best players closest to the ball.
Ratchford at loose and Bridge at centre goes against that grain.

The most important positions of footballing craft is a 6 and 7.

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Tue Mar 03, 2015 6:31 pm  

Tbh we have no issues getting the ball around via our halfbacks. It was the lack of the 3rd pivot with Ratch out that was the issue, and even with him in the side our centres aren't the best at putting their wingers away.

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:36 pm  

I've read many posts especially this week over everybody's concern over our poor kicking game.
Under the current hb combinations we've had this season a good kicking game has become our achillies heel.
However, I still believe if we are to put our best to players with ball in hand then I think we can be a little less reliant on a good kicking game.

In the super league show Tanya asked Nobby is FB Ratchford's best position.
Nobbys chose not to answer that question directly, he said exactly what I have been saying... "He needs to be a position where he can put his hands on the ball"

It isn't rocket science were talking about.

Re: 7 Ratchford & 6 Bridge. Lessons Need To Be Learnt. : Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:14 pm  

This fixture v Leeds last season saw us play with Ratchford and Bridge in the half's and absolutely trounce Leeds against all the pundits predictions.

I had a big pay day too as I had lumped on us big time.