not on every bloody play the ball though!

our attack has been pretty much abysmal this season, other have commented, lack of line/dummy runner etc.

we're as boring to watch as we have ever been, even under Fubar.

What i would like to see more and it's something easy to do.

Houghton when at dummy half he passes the ball straight away (as a hooker should i know, let me finish)
but what i think he should do is just move off a little to take out the square markers. It is effective and it takes the markers out the equation.

I'd rather he improved his passing off the floor (better now than it was) allowing our first receiver to stand wider and take the markers out that way.

But that gives them time to either tackle the dummy half, interfere with the pass, or for the defensive line to move up quicker.

It drives me insane when hookers pass slowly off the mark due to messing around.

I played hooker, and the speed of your attack was always increased by a sharp, quick pass from the floor, as opposed to the hookers who pick it up and pass it. If you think, the defence move up as soon as the foot touches the ball, so if the hooker then has to pick the ball up and engage the markers, the rest of the defence is already up on us

If a hooker is quick enough he can escape both marker and engage with defenders before releasing the ball which helps to create gaps. At times though a quick long pass from dummy half is also effective. What I hate is a drop off back into the ruck. It's a cop out of a play.

Indeed, but it's what we do 70% of the time

Just watching Smith for Melbourne and everything he is does is simple but effective.
You don't have to be the best passer in the world, you just have to roll forward and have options.
He does it brilliantly.

The difference is, as you say, he they execute it well!

Goes with the old saying 'Practice makes Perfect'.

We've been doing it that long we shoild be the best in the world!

I have heard that yours have offered Gaskell a deal for next season

There is a reason why the drop off is used. If you channel your runners into one area, the oppositions defense pulls in, thus allowing for more of an attacking move on the 4th or 5th tackle out wide. Also the drop off is used to get the next PTB where your play maker wants it, ready for a set move. Whether they execute the set move correctly is a different matter.

Im well aware of this but the drop off play still need to be a threatening one to draw in the defence. Which ever player is passing the ball needs an outside option to allow the man coming back on the angle a chance to make ground and just to entice the defence in enough. The way we use the drop off fools noone and doesn't create space out wide.

Then the runners aren't running hard enough. If your runners run hard and threaten an offload then the opposition defense will get drawn in. It's not all about support play, Its also about how hard your runners take the ball in.