Cairnsman wrote:... I watched him closely last year in a few games and he just seemed to stand back a bit while other teammates that were further away would beat him to the ball.
Good point.
Could be a number of reasons, but the one I'd suspect is a lack of confidence... in particular, a lack of confidence in his place/role in the team.
Often young blokes may hang back coz they fear 'getting in the way of' a star team mate...
especially on the forward line. (I mean, taking us as an example, do the blokes up field try to spot-up Roo, or the newbie who is still trying to find his feet in the big time...?)
I remember the (in)famous Dermott B once saying, that despite his trademark swagger, it took him quite a while to feel that he 'deserved' to be/had the 'right' to be... out on the same field as blokes (both team mates and opposition) whom he'd grown up admiring as being stars of the game.
Subsequently, his advice to young blokes was that one has to
forget reputations (again, both team mates and opposition)... if it's your footy to win, then-just-go-for-it.
To that I'd just add, if one is a newbie forward 'sharing' with an all-time champion of the game...
just keep on presenting, whether your positioning is honoured or not...
coz sooner or later it will be...
especially if your team mates are
ever smart enough to work out that you are a beautiful kick,
and your man is leaving you to quintuple-team Roo...
I suspect this may be the issue for Sippa? Thoughts...?
PS: I remember how G-Train in the rooms at half time in that fateful final against nought Power,
implored his team mates
not to kick it to him
all the time as he was being double and triple teamed... and therefore there
had to be other blokes being left unguarded... Seemed pretty logical to me G'.
