Here we go again, everbody jumping on the 'I hate Goldy' bandwagon - its wonder the wheels can stand the weight.
Love him or loathe him the + & -'s are clearly as follows;
Negatives.
1) Hot headed temprement that often leads to needless penalties, sin binnings, sending off's and bans.
2) One on one tackles, and tackling technique in general is often poor.
3) Ability at fielding high kicks is at best mediocre.
4) Has made some needlessly controversial comments in the press, that may or may not have lowered the clubs reputation somewhat.
Positives.
1) Has the ability to create tries for himself and others, especially with the short pass, second only to Rangi in this department.
2) Has extremely good pace, and the ability to beat a defending opponent with footwork.
3) Can be utilised in a number of positions throughout the back line, including 6 & 7 where we have little or no cover.
4) Is not afraid to mix it with teams, if we are being bullied.
5) Has shown loyalty to the club, not leaving when relegated, and working through bad patches of form to regain his place in the team.
6) Does lots of work in the community, especially with junior sides.
So there you have it, yes the guy has his bad points, but also many good ones. Personally I think he has been one of our best attacking players of the season, and yes lately his form has dipped, but if you look at our results and think about our last few performances then he's far from on his own on that one.
I would not some up Goldys effectiveness based on the last few matchs, but rather whats he's done all year, good and bad.
Finally if your idea of good rugby player is only players who play fair, and no one with a darker side on the pitch, then you're ruling out a lot of quality players both past and present.
Just a thought though, suppose it would be easier to say - yeh you're a disgrace Goldy go home, and not have to bother thinking for myself!
I might go read the Daily Star now, to see what else I should be thinking.
