We have a problem with clearances atm with kouta being the only reliable in and under player. If we accept that we dont have the players to compete consistently for first use of the ball then perhaps running

French, Bryan, Prendergast

might be a useful option during some (not all) center breaks. It might not have an immediate impact on center clearances but it basically gives us 3 big bodies to smash the opposition's starting midfielders everytime they get the ball - in effect we soften them up to make things easier for us at subsequent center bounces (similar to kouta, pavlich, brown in the middle) - around the grounds I dont think we would be giving too much given that prender (maybe bryan) should be able to cover the grounds adequately. Especially given that there are few set ground possies any more so coverage by teammates should be available to help out to an extent.

thoughts?

nice thinking out of the box......but who is going to bend over and pick the pill off the ground?

You need leg speed along with ball winning ability in the centre square. Imagine if those 3 didnt win the ball; the opposition would run away very easily.

Bryan has shown he is capable - however part of the thinking is that we accept we dont have the personell to win center clearances so its no worse than current. It allows us to minimise the impact of opposition midfield rotations (given that they are sore from the pounding) and hopefully gain an edge when we push kouta/carazzo etc later into the mix later on in the quarter

I think 4th point is to play the man and not the ball on account of the fact we're losing the breaks anyway, so if we can tender up the opposition midfielders it may make the day a litle less longer.

It's a theory I guess, give it a whirl for a few centre bounces, then after that 90 seconds and three subsequent opposition goals maybe scupper the idea.

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exactly, wouldnt be much worse than a few of the center clearances against us in recent times - lose count of the number of times the opposition has kicked a goal within a minute of a bounce down in the past few rounds

That's certainly from left field 4thC! Personally, I can't say I'm a fan of band-aid solutions (which this clearly is)... would much rather play the right personnel (ie. NOT Bear and Prenda) to ensure a long-term solution to our centre square problems. But the idea does have some merit as an occasional form of shock tactic.

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