By GAVIN BANNERMAN
ARE we seeing the emergence of a new approach to recruitment and retention of players in the NRL?
The so-called “no dickheads policy” has been de rigueur in league clubs for a while now. Borrowing from the Sydney Swans’ approach to attracting players, whereby character traits and a team-first attitude are considered as essential as physical prowess or technical skill level, the practice has become commonplace. When asked for impressions of his time with the Broncos, Benji Marshall reflected that, “there’s not a dickhead in the group.”
A dickhead is in the eye of the beholder but it can be taken to mean a player who places himself above others, blames others and leaves a wide gap between their best and their worst performances.
Without naming names, all players are being assessed by clubs as to where they sit on the “dickhead spectrum.” The adoption of this approach is demonstrated by some of the game’s most consistently successful sides (eg. Melbourne Storm, Queensland Origin side.)
The implementation of this policy has resulted in some players, previously classed as out-and-out superstars, as now bit players in their teams’ game plans. Word like “leadership” and “culture” are foremost in people’s minds. It’s brought light to the Dale Finucanes of this world: hard, honest, robust players.
But in the wake of Angus Crichton’s soon-to-be-official signing with the Roosters, are we seeing a new model? Borrowing a slogan from Apple, I’ll call it “think different.”
Running an eye over the Roosters’ squad, there is a higher than average number of players who do things in a unique or particular way. Cooper Cronk is the rarest of the birds; his wide range of influences, confluence of sinews and deep-thinking ways make him very different from your average player.
Then start to go through the list. In his young career, Crichton has frequently broken the mould: announcing which clubs were chasing him, his candid demeanour, his whiff of union intellectualism.
It goes further still: Luke Keary has a strict take no s**t philosophy, even if that extends to your very famous club owner.
Even James Tedesco gives off the “different vibe.” It has been pointed out previously that his family-owned land around Camden, when developed, will net him far more money that what his footballing exploits will. Money, unlike most other players, is not his main motivation. Roosters players give an impression there’s a lot going on in their lives. They’re not just living from game to game. They even have a player in Eloni Vunakece that elected to keep his garbage bin run while still turning out for the Roosters.
Of all NRL coaches, Trent Robinson is the most likely to cultivate a different breed of players. He drinks wine, speaks French and has publicly lamented how the intensity required to coach probably makes him a less interesting person. Do you think Shane Flanagan has ever pondered how the game may be affecting his dinner party conversation?
If these observations are true and, indeed, the Roosters are developing a team of out-of-box thinkers, the question remains how might this give them a competitive edge?
This year showed us that repetitious block plays and predictable hit ups will no longer cut it in the NRL. To break down highly trained and effective defences, you need to through something different. In days gone by, this would have been the “dickhead” (or “star’s” role): an enigmatic player who could do something out of the ordinary to get across the line.
Game plans now require high completion rates and consistently sound defensive decision-making. It’s getting harder to hide that maverick attacking player who may be a liability without the ball. Fullbacks defend in the line, halves hardly ever defend on the wing any more: everyone is being tested.
So the challenge is how to provide an attacking point of difference while maintaining defensive integrity? You build a team of thinkers.
Not every position may need such traits. If props’ KPIs start to move too far beyond providing go forward, troubles can ensue. But definitely in the hallowed spine, players may need to bring something unique.
Could this methodology have been applied in the case of Mitchell Pearce? He once remarked that the entirety of his reading history consisted of rugby league biographies and autobiographies. As illuminating as these may be, did Robinson think Pearce’s reference points too narrow?
It will be fascinating to see in 2018 whether the Roosters “think different.”
