I'm not sure where this obsession with fast halfbacks comes from. Speed comes from using the ball, unless you have real speed like Johnson. If speed were the best measure Cooper Cronk wouldn't even be playing first grade nowadays.

I agree. Many seem to forget that for a chunk of the 2nd half of the 2013 season we had Burrow and Sutcliffe starting in the halves for us and it wasn't like things were massively different.

i agree that half backs do not need to be lightning fast to be successful, but as i eluded to earlier we do lack a half back that can constantly attack and break the defensive line, that is why my choice at stand off would have been travis burns who has been very successful in this role and whilst playing in a mediocre hull kr side despite not being the quickest half back around.

time will tell how good he will be in this role in a top side like saints, but ill bet that their outside backs get a lot more running chances and against a broken first line of defense than our outside backs do this season

i would be happy to see sutty given the chance to play this type of role for us this season but i can't see it happening

You don't need to be lightning fast, but you need to be a threat to the line, and put defenders in two minds as to what you are going to do. At the moment it feels like defenders can ignore McGuire or SInfield running at the lines partly because its unlikely, and partly because when they do you can react to it. McGuire is a much better half back than he was 10 years ago, but I'm not sure that makes him more effective

Speed creates options - it gets the defence in two minds if you look at the two top half backs in the NRL Johnson and Thurston both have an ability to break the line or at least commit a defender. Neither of our half backs have that ability.

Cronk is a kicking machine who fits perfectly with Bellamy's ultra-controlling game plan. It is no surprise that without a creative half back they are now a team in decline.

That is two years ago - time has moved teams have strengthen and our players have aged - even his great fans have to agree Sinfield had a terrible 2014. Maybe the winter off will spark him back into action and his form of 2013 will return.

Agree Watkins is in danger of not fulfilling his potential - the coaches need to work on him to move him to the next level.

IMO there aren’t really any halfbacks out there that have the combination of pace, skill, playmaking ability, good kicking out of the hand and consistency apart from Johnathan Thurston. He has the lot and stands out above anyone else. Cronk is more of a dependable type who can move a side around a field without doing the flashy stuff very often. He is utterly dependable though.

Shaun Johnson has it all apart from the consistency.

Over here there’s nobody that comes close. I think Leeds have lots of options at halfback which puts them in a stronger position than most other SL teams. A lack of pace isn’t a great handicap.

I agree and disagree with that. I agree you don't need fast halves. However I think that speed needs to come from somewhere.

People do seem to have a set idea in their heads of what each position must provide and Speed at half is one they see and I agree with you that isn't necessary.
I do however think that you need speed in the middle of the park, for some it comes from their halves, for some their fullback.

Cronk has played most of his career in front of Billy Slater who is no slouch

I don't think our problem is that we don't have enough speed in the halves it's that we don't have any speed at all in the middle of the park. The number of times i saw Watkins look back on his inside and see nobody last season was silly. Similarly our offloads were rarely on to a player steaming through and far more often to players either stood still or to forwards.

What the team is missing is what everyone dismissed as easy 10 years ago with McGuire. That player who can ghost through a gap, who is away before you know it and is on the shoulder of every ball carrier. I've said before that the thing stopping Hardaker being a world class player isn't his passing, it's his support play.

Indeed. I recall watching Iestyn at the Bulls do the same stuff he used to do for us to open gaps but being unable to get through them. Similarly, McGuire has reached that stage.

It's not essential to have lightening fast halves but when we play McGuire and Sinfield there we're at the other end of the spectrum. One is fine but both pose little threat as runners which makes them easier to defend.

The problem alone isn't that the halves don't have speed, I still think you can be successful with them. Problem comes when you have,
Slow Halfbacks + Workhorse Forwards
Apart from Ablett none of our main forwards are or have ever been really threatening near the line. Look at the tries Sinfield created for Burgess and Westwood in the WC just a little over 12 months ago as well as the one for Watkins in the Semi vs NZ. All done with his lack of pace but good support runs. Someone mentioned earlier that halves could do with speed to create doubt in the defenders minds about what they might do......well if there's a lack of good runs from forwards looking like serious threats/options then regardless of speed you don't have doubt in defenders minds. The lack of tries we get from our forwards, barring Ablett, is very poor.

Agree with that. It's partly why I think we need at least one of Ward or Walters in the team.

I have take the trouble to back up my opinions with stats which are based on facts whereas the best neruda has come up with is a blog to support his opinion!

You have come up with an opinion based on stats, just like the person writing the blog has come up with an opinion. One has some credibility.