BY DAN

Hello and welcome to our offseason series. In this we’ll take a look at what is likely to be another challenging year. Sometimes it won’t be fun but occasionally it will, because life sucks and we deserve a little peace and a promise of sunshine. Part I on Ethan Strange is here. Part II on the edge depth is here. Part III on Morgan Smithies’ role is here.

In the ongoing search for *someone else*, the Canberra Raiders search for a new hooker has looked at all options. Overseas (Danny Walker), overpaid (Jayden Brailey), overlooked (Cory Paix) options have all been canvassed and, so far, come a cropper. Is there another way?

Manufacturing a nine from thin air is one such approach that has come up a lot across the Raidersphere. You can understand the appeal. It used to be quite common to see players move in behind the ruck. Think Des Hasler moving seven to nine. Or Andrew Johns casually shifting into hooker as needed. Ben Hunt at rep level now. Lachlan Croker, Phoenix Crossland and Connor Watson are all players who’ve done versions of it recently in club footy. Shit the Raiders have used Aidan Sezer, Matt Frawley, and even Adam Elliott as options in the spot in recent years. So it’s not unusual.

Nor is the Raiders manufacturing supply where demand was not being met. Simi Sasagi was an outside back signed to play centre. He made it to first grade on occasion last season literal months into learning his new role. Jack Wighton wasn’t a six until he was, and you could even argue that two of the best front rowers in club history were fix-up jobs. Canberra have a history of making lemonade by painting apples gold.

That it’s been done before, and that the club may have a willingness to do it, is not evidence that it is either doable or desirable today. There’s a host of reasons that shifting players around is hard, and manufacturing rakes is particularly problematic. The rare mix of physical demands and technical skill required make the change demanding.

The key thing to look at from my perspective is the defensive load. Teams are always looking for an advantage. Whoever the small guy is, is going to be target one for anyone looking for a quick ruck. Tom Starling made more than 50 tackles in three games on the trot last year, then cracked 48 and 49 in the next two games. That’s a big ask for someone not used to the load. Even regular hookers tire from the effort. Last season we often noted the propensity for teams to demolish Canberra’s middle by making Danny Levi make multiple tackles in a set. It’s a real and pervasive challenge.

For someone just shifting in meeting that challenge is huge. Adam Cook are the options most often bandied about to shift into nine for the Milk. Neither has ever defended in the middle, let alone been asked to make that sheer number of defensive plays in a game. While I would not have doubts about each individual making it through a set, or maybe a stint if needed, the issue is the effort upon effort. We saw how teams target Levi mercilessly when they saw him tire. That’s what makes the job near impossible. It’s why hookers are always secretly one of the fittest people at the club.

That’s the body bit, but the mind has to be willing and able too. More and more the modern hooker is asked to not just provide quick service, but also be a critical determinant in the style of footy the team can play. They touch the ball more than anyone – slow the play at the ruck and the team slows. Not have a strong passing game and the attack narrows it’s focus. Zero creativity in the ruck limits the opportunities for something interesting to happen. In teams with ball dominant sevens the balance allows for a less involvement. But that if you don’t have a Cleary or a DCE running things, then you can’t half ass the position.

At their best and most expansive they think like a halfback. Once upon a time a hooker just waited for the call from their colleague at first receiver. But Cam Smith and others changed that, and now we’ve seen that role expand to having equal influence in the direction of the attack. it’s not enough to shuffle it a person wide and let the halfback do the rest. The best now have the power to spot a weakness and the capability to exploit it. A 20 metre pass that can shift the point of attack like a monkey knife fight. A changed stance can disguise a whole movement. This responsibility, combined with the defensive load makes it the hardest, most complex job in the game.

It’s not something you can fake. It takes a body built for it, and a set of skills that take years to master. Kaeo might look good running in a messy ruck, but he can equally do that from fullback. Adam Cook might have aspects of the passing game (not the ground game though!) to be creative around the ruck. But tell me how he’d feel getting run over by Payne Haas four times in a row. My guess is not good. Tell me if they can spot the B defender is gassed, and work out how to work him over through five tackles as well as Josh Hodgson used to? It’s tougher than just shuffling the ball to decisions already made.

In short, it’s a professional job that takes a professional skillset. DIYing a rake should be an in-season last resort, not your starting point. That it’s come to the point that this is a conversation is an indictment on the club. There are rakes out there. They should get a proper one. That the commentariat are resorting to trying to put square pegs into oval holes shows the desperation of the situation.

Manufacturing a hooker is another way. It’s just not a good one. It underestimates the expertise and specialisation of the position. It overestimates the ability of ‘surplus’ skill players to fill that role. It’s a poor solution, only making sense in the chaos of Canberra’s inability to find a certifiable starter. I hope the Raiders have a better way.

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