Is Lachlan Maranta Really That Bad?

[Big Pete]

One of the big talking points that emerged from Friday's game was the performance by Lachlan Maranta. If you ask some fans, it was one of the best, if not THE best performance of his career and for others that's the problem.

I know we had a big discussion about it in basically every Round 3 related thread but once and for all I'd like to get everybody's stance on Maranta.

 

[Super Freak]

I don't think he is a bad player. I just don't think he is a good winger.

 

[Splinter]

NO

 

[Sproj]

I rate him. I'm not opposed to replacing him eventually but he improves every game and is still young enough to get a lot better. Isn't improvement every game what we want from our players? My opinion is he has more than enough skill, but absolutely not enough confidence.

 

[BroncosAlways]

I don't rate him as a first grade player, but if he somehow gets better and finds some form ill eat my words with pleasure. It's just so hard to believe we don't have a better winger coming up through our system, and the amount of times I've heard "give him a chance" or "when he has a great game then you'll see !" FFS.

 

[broncos4life]

Maranta is a solid winger. His best position is fullback and from the small amount I have seen him there I think he is actually quite good.

On the wing he will never be a super star but he is no where near as bad as some people make out. I am far from his biggest fan and my posts previously back that up, but the way some of you carry on about him you would swear he was dropping the ball, giving away penalties and costing us games. Lachlan will most likely never win us a game, however he sure as hell will never cost us one.

When we have a bona fide speedy winger that is safe and proven at NRL level and Lachlan is holding that guy out of a spot, I will join the chorus of maranta bashers, but until that time some of you need to wake up and stop bashing him for the sake of it

 

[Danoz Direct]

I rate him all he needs is to back himself and then he could become a quality winger.

 

[Big Pete]

Personally I'm in the same camp as Alec and others who don't necessarily rate him but genuinely feel sorry for him and wish him well.

I honestly don't think he's as bad as some people make him out to be. If you read social media or posts over on LU, you'd swear he's the root cause of all the Broncos problems when at best he's just a contributing factor.

I don't think he'll ever be anything more than a depth option and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Every club needs depth - the Rabbitohs have Reddy & Goodwin, Melbourne are pretty skinny in places, Penrith have a weak front row and the Roosters have...well okay not every team needs depth but most do.

The problem is the Broncos are a proud club that was founded on it's razzle dazzle style of football with the likes of Kilroy, Hancock, Carne & Sailor. Ever since Sailor and Tuqiri signed with Union, there's been a lot of disappointment surrounding our wingers since they used to epitomise our club in a lot of ways.

To go from a player who is so full of himself in Sailor to Maranta is just so hard for people to get their heads around it.

However the biggest problem was 2013. After losing Beale, Gagai, Copley & Yow Yeh the Broncos were well down on troops and really the only option the club had was Maranta. At first, fans were behind him but when he turned in some shocking performances, fans were quick to turn and it only got worse particularly in that infamous Melbourne in Melbourne clash where he must have bombed at least five opportunities.

I'd be surprised if a winger has produced a worst performance for the club.

Ever since then he's been OK with the occasional good performance and the occasional bad performance but he's yet to really make it up to the fans and so he's yet to be forgiven. Friday night was the perfect opportunity for him to really smash it out of the park and while he still put in a good performance, it could have been better.

I'm not ruling out that Friday night may have been a turning point and Lachlan may go onto become a Boyd/McManus/Nightingale style winger but I must admit I'll be very surprised if it turns out to be the case.

 

[abashii]

No, but the internet is like talkback radio or a current affairs show. A moderate opinion is rarely popular, hyperbole is the default mode of communication and the occasional sensible post will get covered in a mountain of over the top horse shit posts mixed in with axe-grinding, agenda-pushing and key-point-triplicating.

I mean it's accurate to say he's an average winger on his day, safe under the high ball (unless Hodgo gets stuck into him) but unable to pull off the incredible finishes that we now take for granted in an NRL winger, but far more fun to say he's slower than a week of wet Sundays and is a worse finisher than Daniel Vidot with his hands covered in soap then tied to his ankles.

Personally I'd say he's got until Boyd gets fit to show why he should nail down a long term first grade spot and he hasn't come close to it yet. He would have been a solid NRL player ten or more years back but look at the crazy young wingers other clubs seem to keep pumping out, I haven't seen anything to make me think Lachie can match that. If he has the potential he'd best show it soon or it'll be back to ISC after origin. I wish him the best of luck though, even though I don't think he'll make it. There's just something likeable about the guy and we sure could use a fast, great finishing winger.

 

[Porthoz]

Quite simply... he's the worst winger in the NRL, by a fair margin too!
He can catch bombs and is relatively solid defensively, which ironically, would make him a better fullback than a few going around.

I dare anyone to show me an example where he shows any spark, ability or attacking instinct. I dare anyone to show me a try he scored with even a slightly higher degree of difficulty than catching the ball and putting it down without opposition.

Sorry BP, that Boyd/McManus/Nightingale style of winger is so far out of his reach, it's not funny.

 

[BroncosAlways]

In saying what I said about him, at least he isn't a showboating prick like Nightingale. That guy is the most annoying try scorer I have ever witnessed.

 

[K-Style]

Here's the line break:



1:04

 

[Unbreakable]

He's honestly not as bad as most people make out, he's just not as flashy as most modern day wingers, I still think we need to upgrade the wing spot asap, but he's alright as a stop-gap option until we find one.

 

[Foordy]

He is nothing more than a back up option.

He is safe under the high ball, but that is all he offers, and to be an NRL winger, you need more than that.

He doesn't have the strength to make big meters out of our own end.

He lacks the pace to finish off long range tries.

He lacks the instinct and athletic ability to be able to find the try line when he actually gas some work to do.

He really is just keeping the seat warm until Boyd returns from injury. Kahu is too good to leave out of the 17. Boyd will come back at fullback, so Kahu should be moved to the wing.

Reed should be dropped, Copley to center and Maranta and Vidot fighting it out for the final wing spot.

 

[Danoz Direct]

He really is just keeping the seat warm until Boyd returns from injury. Kahu is too good to leave out of the 17. Boyd will come back at fullback, so Kahu should be moved to the wing.

Reed should be dropped, Copley to center and Maranta and Vidot fighting it out for the final wing spot.

Where does Oates go?

 

[Painin the Haas]

Reminds me of Luke capewell just couldn't take it up a notch in first grade

It's as if he overthinks too much where the great wingers just know what to do. The fact he has no strength to beat his opposing winger is a serious problem. he is Great for depth but fail to see how he can keep out a proper finishing winger from top grade

if only you can mould maranta with Vidot you'd have a great winger or even better a Yow Yeh

 

[Foordy]

Where does Oates go?

Doh... He takes that wing spot with Vidot and Maranta both remaining in the ISC.

 

[Allo]

I agree with the prevailing opinion of 'solid but unspectacular'. He's really only 50% of a winger. Great bomb-defusal most of the time, but can't do anything outside the (very small in his case) box to finish tries. Like his two on Friday. Kahu and Hunt did all the work, he just had to catch and reach out for the put down. And thankfully he's doing that now without stepping into touch or back inside and getting tackled. Still poor speed for a self-proclaimed sprint champion.

While I haven't watched him at fullback, how often do we see those positions or the players being interchanged now? Perrett now on the wing after FB last year, Mini/RTS constantly switched last year, Lolohea will play FB with Tomkins out, BMoz now FB after years on the wing. Slater got into Origin playing wing from FB, Boyd does now. The fact he can't replicate at least some of the efforts and natural skills needed for FB while on the wing shows he's a stock-standard player with limited talent that does try as hard as he can but will still have an epic fail once in a while.