Andrew McCullough - The Great Enigma

[Kimlo]

It's all well and good saying "Sack McCullough" or "send him to ressies for a few weeks" but the problem is there is no hooker banging on the door to unseat him as the starting hooker. He's the best hooker we have at the club, therefore he will start until such time as he's not.

First of all welcome to the forums. I disagree though, there's both Baptise and Granville who are good enough to play but neither are getting a decent chance.

Just in case I haven't been clear, I'm very much in the "send him to ressies for a few weeks" fan club. He's too comfortable in his position and he basically needs a kick up the ass, I don't think he's any better than 100 games ago which is saying something.

 

[Alec]

I've always liked Baptiste. I think he would have been a gun FG hooker if we put the same time into him as in Macca.

 

[rnabokov]

Taking into account our halves are not very quick, it's a massive issue imo!

Look at how much Thurston struggles at the Cows without good service from his hooker, as opposed to the average halves at the Dogs or Souffs, who have much more time to think and execute thanks to their hookers...

I disagree Souths and Dogs have average halves. I rate them as very good, individually, but more that, their team game strategy provides for, if not demands it.

I also disagree it's just about one player in isolation of the team as a team, and working or not working, to a good, or bad game plan.

Hasler coaches disciplined speed as does Maguire, and his halves and dummy halves are coached to play that way as part of the bigger picture - same for their forwards. The idea is to keep the ball, and the forward momentum moving as relentlessly as possible.

We actually did a lot of that against the Warriors albeit with a few serious lapses.

If Wallace and Prince start to gel more, and the team continues to understand and apply the idea that forward momentum is rather central to winning football games, then maybe we will see a change in Macca's game as well, one I felt was not bad at all last week.

If not he will be a fatal bottleneck or on the other hand, the team reverts to the slow boring structures which means no one feels any sense of urgency and we just lose and lose and lose

 

[broncos4life]

So let me get this straight. Maccas greatest criticism is that he lacks consistency, yet most people seem assured that either Baptiste or Granville would be better. This is being judged on a few nrl games from Baptiste (which weren't exactly amazing) and about 30 minutes from Granville. I know they are both guns in q cup but if q cup for translated directly into nrl then luke capewell would have lead us to a premiership in the number 7

 

[rnabokov]

My greatest criticism of Macca is Hook

 

[Coxy]

So let me get this straight. Maccas greatest criticism is that he lacks consistency, yet most people seem assured that either Baptiste or Granville would be better. This is being judged on a few nrl games from Baptiste (which weren't exactly amazing) and about 30 minutes from Granville. I know they are both guns in q cup but if q cup for translated directly into nrl then luke capewell would have lead us to a premiership in the number 7

I don't think people are saying that at all. They're saying they've about reached the end of their tolerance of Macca and so are looking for alternatives. Of course the alternatives don't have consistency in first grade to show for themselves...bit hard when they have barely played first grade!

I do think Macca has the potential to be very good, but I don't think he really wants to work for it.

 

[broncos4life]

I don't think people are saying that at all. They're saying they've about reached the end of their tolerance of Macca and so are looking for alternatives. Of course the alternatives don't have consistency in first grade to show for themselves...bit hard when they have barely played first grade!

I do think Macca has the potential to be very good, but I don't think he really wants to work for it.

I think players have bad patches in form, it happens. Yet when it happens we all jump straight to either "he's shit" or "he's not trying hard enough". As I said earlier in some ways I hope he is dropped for a while cos I think it would be a real eye opener for some people on what he actually brings to the team

 

[Coxy]

He's not having a bad patch of form. He's just not very good and has been playing about the same level for 3 years.

The fact he got player of the year at the Broncos last year is testament more to the underwhelming form of his teammates.

I don't think consistency is Macca's problem. It's mediocrity.

 

[broncos4life]

He's not having a bad patch of form. He's just not very good and has been playing about the same level for 3 years.

The fact he got player of the year at the Broncos last year is testament more to the underwhelming form of his teammates.

I don't think consistency is Macca's problem. It's mediocrity.

I disagree but I'm the only one on this forum that does, so...

 

[Jaggle]

Re: Broncos Player Movements and Rumours 2013

Hey guys,
first post on the page after reading on for a good month now.
I wasn't to sure about Cameron Smith coming to the Broncos when I first heard it however the day after I read about it, was before the Broncos played the Warriors at home, and McCullough was playing second row. He's had other small stints in this position since, obviously a long shot but having the rumour and positional change happen coincidentally maybe they could be trying different positions to provide Smith the number 9.

 

[rnabokov]

I still maintain my view that it's not just Macca

If you put Cam Smith in our team today, he would get the ball at dummy half and look around and say "where the **** is everybody?"

 

[Morkel]

Re: Broncos Player Movements and Rumours 2013

Hey guys,
first post on the page after reading on for a good month now.
I wasn't to sure about Cameron Smith coming to the Broncos when I first heard it however the day after I read about it, was before the Broncos played the Warriors at home, and McCullough was playing second row. He's had other small stints in this position since, obviously a long shot but having the rumour and positional change happen coincidentally maybe they could be trying different positions to provide Smith the number 9.

Welcome to the dark side. If McCullough's performance in the second row is anything to go by, I suspect the #14 jersey is more likely if Smith comes!

 

[Bucking Beads]

Re: Broncos Player Movements and Rumours 2013

For mine Macca would need to bulk up a bit to become a backrower. It could work though

 

[Bucking Beads]

I still maintain my view that it's not just Macca

If you put Cam Smith in our team today, he would get the ball at dummy half and look around and say "where the **** is everybody?"

and you can bet after 1 game Smith would rectify the situation at training the next week.

 

[Morkel]

Re: Broncos Player Movements and Rumours 2013

For mine Macca would need to bulk up a bit to become a backrower. It could work though

Definitely. Defensively he's good in the middle, but when he played back row it was clear that he's too small to be a primary or one-on-one defender. He'll tackle them, but be completely dominated and give their runners momentum.

 

[Coxy]

I think that's the key. Smith would have the authority to say "WTF are you guys doing? You, run here, you run there" etc. Macca doesn't seem to organise his troops at all.

 

[Renegade]

Re: Broncos Player Movements and Rumours 2013

Definitely. Defensively he's good in the middle, but when he played back row it was clear that he's too small to be a primary or one-on-one defender. He'll tackle them, but be completely dominated and give their runners momentum.

This. McCullough would get smashed in the backrow, and he'd be useless in attack.

 

[Mister Wright]

and you can bet after 1 game Smith would rectify the situation at training the next week.

Bit easier for the bloke who is the captain of club, state & country to do so than a bloke who, although as a lot of games under his belt is not the senior member of the team. It's really hard to compare the two at he stages of their careers. However in saying that, he does really need to work on directing the team around. I actually think he's played his best games when hunt & Norman have been in the halves.