Just to be clear I have no axe to grind with JC. He has been an awesome player for the club and prior to his knee injury he was a mightily effective player. The reason I say he doesn't make yards carrying is because when I watch him carry the ball he doesn't make yards. I don't think I am biased against him but honestly, I don't think he is an effective ball carrier, certainly not as good as Waldrom.Cardiff Tig wrote:I think Crane had a good game today, as good as Waldrom at least. He didn't always go to ground, there were a couple of offloads by him - one of which would have sent Parling through had Parling not over-ran it slightly so the pass was slightly forward. He tackled very well and cleared out well, better than Waldrom did. He's never going to set the world alight in the opposition 22 like Waldrom can but Crane is much more effective when Tigers are in their own 22. To say he doesn't make yards is just blatant bias against him.
I don't see why posters try and compare the two players - they have completly different strengths to add to a game. And with out a decent 7 (wasn't that impressed with Thorpe in the Sale game myself) I have no problem with picking Waldrom at 7. To be fair up until this afternoons game it was Mafi who I thought was the weakest pick of the back row, don't think he has showed any of last seasons form until today.
Further, I am not saying he doesn't do other things, many of which are pretty much unseen to most fans including myself, the clearouts, the tackles, the effort applied in the maul, better than Waldrom.
The reason for all this debate is 1. His current selection at 8 in front of Waldrom which inevitably leads to comparisons. 2. The current imbalance of the back row which I suspect even RC would concede is sub-optimal in Salvi's (and Newby and Woods) absence.
I want my blind side to do the dirty work, unseen and largely unappreciated. My 7 to hunt the ball down, create turnovers and make tackles in wider channels. I want my 8 to be a dynamic ball carrier with good handling skills to link with the 9. One of them, at least, must be a lineout option.
My opinion, for whatever it is worth (not much probably) is that a back row of Mafi/Thorpe/Waldrom gives us better balance, more pace, better ball winning skills, hence a more rounded skill set than Mafi/Waldrom/Crane.