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.

Our "runners" are largely non existant so far this season, we try the drop off ball far too many times, but when we've got no kicking game to speak of then we just seem to fall back into Fubar tactics.

I think (for us) it's more to do with the quantity of runners than the quality.

It's usually obvious who the ball is going too giving the defence time to line them up. We need more dummy runners.

He does that very well when it is a simple hit up from a forward, which is when it should be used however when we are trying to get a quick spread on he just needs to deliver a fast pass to first receiver as the square marks don't need to be negated.

I agree with what your saying, it's just that sometimes i think he could do it abit more as sometimes when we even pass out wide it tends to come back insides anyhow.
I was taught to do it throughout my playing days at hooker, and it it really effective if done right. That's why i mentioned it

not sure it would be the right move for us tbh id rather a myler type of 7 but beggars cant be choosers with the lack of halves about atm

Who ever we sign has to be an improvement on what we currently have or it's just a waste of money .

we are years behind the top four!
hope gaskell rumour is true. he is naturally talented player. which you cant coach. just not sure why saints are letting him go ?

hes nothing special yet but he has potential maybe saints don't see that potential they are looking for a top quality scrum half for next year apparently according to the sky pundits and people believe it will be dobson all i know is we need someone with blistering pace and a quality step and great pair of hands someone like myler. no one we have or anyone like we have will do sick of the slow crap we are showing this year and it will get us nowere near the top holdsworth has no pace but is creative we need someone who is quick and takes on the line who will compliment him really well

So saints have no half backs yet don't seem interested in trying gaskell there but we'll pin our 2014 hopes on him. At least he'll fit in with our long list of injury prone half backs. When will we ever learn our lessons?

The reason I was told Gaskell not playing his because he as turned two contract offers down I was told he been offered a lot more elsewhere and saints ain't too happy about it

Could the deal be by hull fc ??

surely not, its not "open season" yet

May 1st, although of course that is an arbitrary date really.

Jake ! Gaskell is quality. what I said there must be something behind the scene why he was dropped. As Saints poster said if true he wouldnt sign new contract or not getting on with coaching staff who knows. But dont kid yourself he is Quality ! and still only very young and more important Far Far better than anything we have on our books.

I've always had a sneaky suspicion that we've got Dobson in the bag... (Don't know why... Just what I thought from when Dobbins made him Captain and he said he's there until end of year at least... Etc)