Year End Player Notes....Handre Pollard 7/10

It's not always pretty. Pollard occasionaly shanks kicks and gets run over in the tackle. He is in position to make a lot of crucial tackles....but sometimes fluffs his lines. To me his defence precludes a switch to 12 but he is a crucial player at 10, often as the only cover defender and kick receiver. He plays the field. His own tactical kicking game is fine insofar as it goes, but hardly in the Sexton league. His line kicking is fine, but not dominating and his goal kicking seems to blow hot and cold. He now has prodiguous length off the tee and his technique looks metronomic....the required tweeks seem relatively modest. Pollard has done some nice things on attack, but not systematically. The acceleration into the gap is still there, but the subtlety in passing never really evolved under the supposed genius Mitchell. This is another player who could do with a great backline coach. Pollard is a warrior....he plays to win and he is our best 10 by miles, but one senses there is more there.