Favourite play of the week – Scissors play cuts Dragons
This next try came after a long delay from a bunker referral so the Raiders had plenty of time to set this up.
After a long shift the magic happens. Whitehead and Wighton execute a ‘scissors’ change in direction which has them slice straight through. Initially Whitehead runs the straight line with Wighton fading behind in the standard block play formation.
Nek minute they both reverse lines – Whitehead fades for the overs line with Wighton straightening.
I’m going to support some of my earlier posts with evidence from the last 2 rounds that these ideas have merit.
Corner Trap & Early Attacking Shifts
I mentioned I saw attacking opportunities for early shifts after being trapped in the corner (my thoughts here). The Titans below reap the rewards.
You could rightly argue that the Bulldogs and Broncos aren’t exactly leading the way in defence at the moment but these opportunities do exist against the top sides. Below are some early tackle photos of the top sides showing as few as 2 defenders covering half the field.
Defending Centre Field Scrums
I’m still perplexed at sides choosing to defend 3 against 4 on the non-feed side of scrums (my thoughts here). In my opinion you are gifting your opponent a great attacking opportunity.
Compare the outcomes above to the West Tigers who opt for 4 on 4 defence against the lethal Souths left edge. The extra defender forces Souths to take them on 2 v 2 – but as it is on the feed side of the scrum Brooks shifts over to help making it an easy tackle for the centre.
Bomb Defusal
When a bomb lands on the goal line there is not much upside for the defending team to try to catch the ball (my thoughts here). The attacking team has all the momentum into the leap – much better in my opinion to punch the ball dead (called ‘spoiling’ in AFL).
In the first video Gutherson stays down – what would have happened if he leaped in and tried to punch it? There’s a good chance even if he fails he makes Martin drop it.
Teams seem happy to concede a line drop out from a good grubber – it should only be a matter of time before we see good bombs given the same respect.
Dane Gagai intercept
I couldn’t let this one go given it is my headline article.
Rugby League Strategy 