Rugby League: Bomb masterclass targets Warriors weakness

By PETER JESSUP

Fullback has been the problem spot for the Warriors since Matthew Ridge retired.

The bomb has been the problem for the fullbacks - too many bombed.

This season there has been a marked improvement, thanks to detailed inspection and coaching from Daniel Anderson, assistant Tony Kemp and Warriors development officer Gary Kemble, a former Kiwi fullback.

This week Anderson sent Justin Murphy back to bomb school after consecutive drops in consecutive games. Neither catch was under particular pressure.

Also undertaking extra work in that department has been the latest fullback recruit, 19-year-old Motu Tony.

Tried at the back when Ridge was suspended or injured then retired have been Carl Doherty, Lee Oudenryn, Clinton Toopi, Cliff Beverley, Joe Galuvao, Ivan Cleary and Murphy. None has been able to make the spot his.

Cleary handled it best, but was injured in game five of last season, Beverley was a five-eighth, Toopi a backrow forward, Galuvao a centre and Oudenryn a wing.

For fans, the opposition bomb has been a horror show throughout the past three seasons. The replacement fullbacks and departed wings Oudenryn, Odell Manuel and Sean Hoppe, as well as newcomers Francis Meli and Henry Fa'afili, have all fumbled kicks.

As a result, opponents frequently target the outside backs.

Kemble, who played 19 tests from 1980-86, said the players were not attacking the ball.

"They lacked timing, didn't have the correct body posture and didn't have the arms positioned correctly."

He now has the Warriors' in-game kickers - Stacey Jones, Nat Wood and Cliff Beverley - raining kicks down on the learners.

The improvement is obvious in the performances of Meli and Fa'afili this season. On Anderson's advice, Meli practiced catching a tennis ball in the off-season with the help of a younger brother batting for him until he had that down pat.

Kemble's tips: Time the jump to hit peak height when the ball arrives so you are above the opponents; keep the elbows angled in a cradle position just above the waist so as to guide the ball into the chest; turn in the jump to ensure the ball is knocked backwards if dropped.

Kick-takers are also taught how to catch the ball when there is no pressure from attackers. Again, they had been doing it incorrectly - planting their feet firmly and then being unable to adjust for a shifty wind and spiral punts.

They also practice taking the ball while going backwards, but the intention is to avoid that.

"If you're going back to get the ball you've already lost metres," Kemble said. "We're trying to get the players to position themselves correctly on the field so they're ready for the kick, which is all about reading the kickers."

The video study undertaken before every game will tell them which foot the opposition playmakers use, which side of the field they favour and how far they kick.

The outside backs need to process that information between the fifth-tackle play-the-ball and the ball getting to first receiver.

Kemble said there was only one way to improve - practice, practice and more practice.