The Melbourne Trio

Although I know its been quite a while since Finch, Lima and Hoffman signed for you guys, I thought some around here might he interested in a some descriptions of your future players and I couldn't find an old thread to resurrect.

Obviously, people have probably already learned a far bit about these guys but I hope I might provide a degree of insight from my time in Melbourne.

Jeff Lima

An excellent signing for Wigan. Counter to what I've heard a number of people say, Lima is probably the best of the three. Where Hoffman and Finch are good players who have probably been flattered to an extent by the players around them in Melbourne, Lima is the opposite, largely unrecognised but a very vital player. Lima is one of the most underrated players in the NRL. Over the past four seasons, Lima has been Melbourne’s dominant prop and also one of the top props in the competition.

A reason for his low profile is the fact that Lima has no single facet of his game that is particularly impressing. Rather, he just does almost everything very well.

A solid and consistent meter-eater, Lima has no fear of hard-work and is almost always found taking the first few hit-ups of a set and really bends the line. A very good defender and a despite having a reputation as a grub, he receives very few penalties and drops very little ball. His style of play is very simple and he hardly ever offloads, preferring to play it safe and look for the quick PTB.

Over the last few years he has improved his fitness base and is capable of playing long minutes (although he often doesn’t).

2010 was a poor year by his own standards but hardly unexpected considering the Storm were playing for nothing. If Maguire can get Lima motivated he will be a massive addition to the forward pack.

Brett Finch

A versatile half who can play at scrum-half, stand-off or as a back-up hooker. He has played much of his career at scrum-half but his best footy has probably been played at stand-off at both Parramatta and Melbourne.

Solid in most aspects of his game, with his passing being a strong point. His ability to put teammates through holes is excellent and he can cause headaches taking on defenders one-on-one. In fact, he has quite a dangerous running game when he plays wider, which IMO he doesn’t utilize often enough.

On the downside, Finch can be prone to bursts of poor decision making. He is a player who needs space to play and can be put off his game when he is playing behind a beaten forward pack or against a fast moving defensive line. Probably his biggest weakness is his tendency to throw heavily telegraphed inside balls and the occasional hospital pass to his forwards.

His form over the last 2-3 years has been very good. The biggest question is how he will adjust to whatever role Maguire wants him to play. Over the last two years at Melbourne, he has flourished with less pressure as Cronk and Smith carry lion’s share of the kicking and organization of the team. This freedom has allowed him to slip under the radar and he has been a real game-breaker on a number of occasions.

Playing in Superleague, with the slower-moving defensive lines Finch should do very well, although I’m not certain he is the man to take over the role that Deacon played for you this year.

Ryan Hoffman

Hoffman is a player who could be a great success next year but it depends heavily on how he fits into the team.

At his best, Hoffman is arguably one of the best hole runners in the world. At club level, over the past 3-4 years, his ability to attack the fringes with clever lines and break open opposition teams off the Cronk short pass is staggering.

He has also shown the ball-skills to suck in defenders and pop on a quick pass or offload to a supporting player. But over the past year or two he has stopped looking for the pass as often and it has probably been to the detriment of his game.

His defense is solid and his discipline is good, although he tends to drop the pill at times.

His biggest weakness, however, is that Hoffman is quite a one-dimensional player. He excels in the Melbourne structure, playing with Cronk, however, his few forays into representative football have been very disappointing.

When he is not playing in a familiar environment he can be a bit wasted and often ends up getting smashed when he is asked to straighten the attack or be used as a battering-ram.

For Hoffman, a move to a new league is ideal; with many NRL teams learning how to counter his run by targeting him with big forwards the second he gets near the ball. With Maguire at the helm, Hoffman should get back to his best.