Shaun Johnson found that other play-making options were few and far between, which was detrimental to the Kiwi's and his own performance in the Four Nations. Photo/Photosport.nz
Shaun Johnson found that other play-making options were few and far between, which was detrimental to the Kiwi's and his own performance in the Four Nations. Photo/Photosport.nz
Any speck of positivism surrounding the Kiwis disintegrated within a dire two-month period under new coach David Kidwell and inexperienced assistants Willie Poching and Justin Morgan.
The Kiwis had evolved from a team of flair without much substance to a tough, winning side which used their disposition for the spectacularwith precision under Stephen Kearney.
But now they are a shade of that. Line breaks and sidesteps are now fleeting, if at all there.
There was always going to be growing pains with a new coach, yet alone one without top-level head coaching experience, but backing Kidwell with two people with even less experience was a recipe for disaster.
Kidwell doesn't understand how to utilise his bench. His gaffe with leaving Dally M Medal joint winner Jason Taumalolo on the bench in his first game could be forgiven if he showed through the Four Nations that he grasped the ability of using the interchange effectively.
Adding Justin Morgan as an assistant coach was oddly never questioned. He was the Warriors defence coach, the third-worst defence in the NRL. Not exactly something you would put at the top of your CV.
Kidwell isn't in the firing line as he signed a two-year deal, but Morgan and Poching are in the firing line and rightly so. For this struggling unit, a coach of Craig Bellamy's or Ivan Cleary's pedigree coming on board would help to no end.
Someone like that would tell Kidwell that using Taumalolo as a battering ram rather than putting him on the edge where he thrives is a waste of a transcendent talent.
They would have told him to play a genuine half who can kick the ball and relieve some of the overwhelming offensive pressure on Shaun Johnson, instead of Tohu Harris who is a great second-rower, not a half.
And as solid on defence as Thomas Leuluai is, his limited game heaped more pressure on the shoulders of Johnson. Issac Luke was a non-factor. Te Maire Martin was hardly used, despite showing he could be a playmaker.
The mistakes weren't confined to the coaches' box though.
The Kiwis were bereft of any ideas on the last tackle. No one besides Johnson showed they could be a playmaker.
Missing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Simon Mannering didn't help and while both excel at making metres, neither will fix the pressing need to have more playmakers.
Northlander Adam Blair performed well throughout the Four Nations, but his efforts were in vain as the Kiwis struggled to make noise. Photo/Photosport.nz
Before the Four Nations, it was unfathomable that a forward pack boasting the likes of Taumalolo, Jesse Bromwich, Kevin Proctor and Northlander Adam Blair (one of the few bright spots on a poor tour) couldn't dominate their opposition.
The Kiwis have barely made it out of their own half in their last five matches. They drew with Scotland, who are essentially a rugby league minnow.
What do people expect Johnson to do? Everyone and their blind dog knows the ball will be in his hands on every single fifth tackle. Defences swarm on him and, despite what the public and pundits expect, he isn't the second coming.
One of the main reasons Australia are so good is their spine of Darius Boyd, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith are all playmakers.
In Jordan Kahu, Harris, Johnson and Luke, the Kiwis have one.
Kiwis great Richie Barnett summed up the Kiwis perfectly in a recent interview.
"Most people saw a Ferrari come out of the garage, but it didn't get out of second gear."
The Kiwis have a great side - on paper. But the combination of a coaching staff without experience or direction and a team deprived of go-forward and options with ball in hand make them decidedly average.
Things could improve in time for next year's World Cup, we have to hope. Kidwell may have the support of the playing group, but his latest Freudian slip doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
