Richie Barnett: Spontaneity missing in finals football

Shaun Johnson of the Warriors. Photo / Getty Images

Last weekend's playoffs games were among the best you would hope to see in finals football.

There was passion, intensity, desperation, drama and even a bit of biff. It was compelling viewing.

People like Graham Lowe have said the game is becoming too robotic and I agree. Everything is highly manufactured as teams deliver exactly the same - the difference between the sides often comes down to just energy levels and execution.

The ad-lib style of football is coached out of players these days because, as the game becomes more professional, kids are all coached the same way from a young age.

I'm saddened by this because I played with some guys who had a real footy brain, guys like Jim Dymock and Jason Smith. They could read a game brilliantly, organise the players around them and play off-the-cuff football. They knew where and when to attack and it was a pleasure to play and watch. It's rare to find players like that now. Players often seek the guidance of a trainer to tell them what to do, what to look for and how to approach the game.

Shaun Johnson is a good example of how the game has developed. Shaun is one of the most naturally gifted footballers to come out of this country. Like Benji Marshall, he comes from a touch football background but for the past three to five years it's all been about learning how to play structured football and how to control a game. Some of that individual brilliance has been coached out of him.

Trying to fit into a league style is quite different and he's had to learn a number of things, like not running across the park too often and squaring up more in the way Joey Johns used to do. It's too easy for sliding defences to contain a player running across the park and Benji is still prone to do it from time to time.

Shaun has the ability to do things off the cuff but, as a halfback, he's in a position that demands him to control a game.

Players who can make decisions for themselves are priceless; players like Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith. Thurston, in particular, is the pinnacle of the sport and could be regarded as the Michael Jordan of league. He's that good.

I really hope this weekend's games are as good as the ones we have seen so far, and I wouldn't mind seeing some more biff. I'm not advocating all-out brawls but I enjoy that aspect of the game and it allows players to keep troublemakers in check.

A player like Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis needs a clip every now and then. He's a real pain, because he has the ability to get into the heads of opposition players.

In years gone by, he would have been knocked around and it's unlikely he would have done anything again. For that reason, biff can be a handy tool and would actually make a referee's job easier.

Things happen on a footy field and testosterone takes over and referees need to give players a little leeway, not sinbin them for striking while leaving others who commit greater crimes on the field to face the judiciary later.