Cronk calls for return to basics
August 01, 2012 13:29:23 UK
Cooper Cronk says the Storm need a "back to basics" approach if they are to arrest their alarming slump.
Melbourne have lost five games in a row, for the first time in a decade. They have slipped from top spot on the ladder, which they had claimed during their nine-game winning streak earlier in the season, and are now in third place. The Storm are 1.80 to win the Grand Final.
All of the very good teams at the moment are doing the basics really well.
Cooper Cronk
Hooker Cronk thinks Storm needed to start doing the little things right, saying: "It's not where it (the defence) needs to be, simple. I'm not going to give it a score, or talk about all the technical things that we've discussed to fix it. The way that I can describe it to you guys is it's the basics.
"It's not about the big hits, or the moving of defensive lines. It's about body positioning and contact, making sure that they're not pushing through the line, and you get the double tap and control the play the ball.
"It's the very basics, so all of the very good teams at the moment are doing the basics really well. And we're not doing that, and it's a key for us moving forward."
Cronk is disappointed at the number of points the Storm have conceded during their defeats. They have lost their last five games by a collective margin of 62 points.
"I think the basis of the way Melbourne Storm play their football is their defence. We get a lot of confidence from our defensive game, and that flows onto our attack," Cronk said.
"Everyone's got a role in the attack, and I understand that there's a few players that have got more important roles, but they'll worry about that when the time comes.
"We've assessed the way that we're playing football, and we've stripped it back to our bare minimum, and I think that our defence is the key, and those will be the areas we will work on in the coming weeks."
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