Steven Old

For once, I agree with everyone, Old is not up to it, drop lochead back, hes a fullback not a wide player.

He's played pretty well over the past few weeks, but he wasn't as clinical as he has been in previous games last night, which he'll probably be the first to admit.

But he's a young guy who thrives on confidence, and anyone who's ever watched him move through age grade football can tell you that. He's at his best when he's got a little moxey going on.

This season, however, he seems to be short a positive thought or two, and when you don't have experience to fall back on, that really really hampers your performance. I still think he's worth the time and effort, because he has shown glimpses of what he's capable of when he's in his zone, but for the intents and purposes of this season he might be better left on the bench.

He's played pretty well over the past few weeks, but he wasn't as clinical as he has been in previous games last night, which he'll probably be the first to admit. But he's a young guy who thrives on confidence, and anyone who's ever watched him move through age grade football can tell you that. He's at his best when he's got a little moxey going on.This season, however, he seems to be short a positive thought or two, and when you don't have experience to fall back on, that really really hampers your performance. I still think he's worth the time and effort, because he has shown glimpses of what he's capable of when he's in his zone, but for the intents and purposes of this season he might be better left on the bench.

hi Michael, can you pse help this old fella out?

"moxey" ??

I tried wikipedia and dictionary dot com, and my teenager's not here so I'm stuck

does it mean 'aggro'' (ancient term for "niggle/scrapping") or is it more like mojo/confidence??

He Cant Even Kick A Small Little Soccer Ball Into The Crowd Thats How Bad He Is

  I cant believe O'Dor isnt starting in the back 3.   

I cant believe O'Dor isnt starting in the back 3.   

Yep, the latter. It's typically used in conjunction with "youthful" (i.e. "youthful moxey"), but "mojo" sums it up pretty nicely too.

Another thing I worry about is the "sink or swim" attitude that's lumped on players Old's age at any high level of sport. Forgive me for mentioning the egg-chasing game, but Old's situation is freakishly similar to that of Isaia Toeava, the young buck identified by Graham Henry and his cartel as being a superstar in waiting at the tender age of 19, and thrust into the AB's #13 jersey during the 2006 Tri-Nations.

Now, this kid had torn up every age-grade team he'd been selected in; he was likened to a pacific island version of Christian Cullen, and the good oil pointed towards him being something unlike anything NZ rugby had seen in a very, very long time.

So what happened? He was overwhelmed, forgot all the basic fundamentals of playing rugby and fell apart at the seams. His confidence was shot completely, and he was understandably dropped from the 2006 end of year tour. However, in this year's Super 14, he was slick, he was classy and he was beginning to churn potential into results. He's still not talking the talk completely at AB level (did someone say rotation?), but his growth in the last twelve months has been tremendous.

What the 'Nix have with Old is a guy who's still stuck trying to convert potential into performance. Even though he's young, he's aware of the time and effort that's been put into him from an early age, and simply as a human being with goals and aspirations he knows what he wants and what he wants to achieve, and most importantly, what he has to do to do all that. It's that old cliche about the top two inches making all the difference, and therein lies the secret to Steven Old. His mistakes last night were mental mistakes, that's all. But as we all know, when the pressure's on and you're stuck in a bit of a rut, it's incredibly easy to make those mistakes over and over -- especially when you're trying your damndest not to repeat them.

So, here's the problem: Riki Herbert's investment, one S. Old, isn't returning the dividends it should. There isn't some economic slight of hand at play here; anyone with a pair of eyes can tell you what Old's doing wrong and what needs to happen to fix it. If the answer lies upstairs, then it's obvious what the guy needs is a mentor. PROBLEM! The Phoenix's defence is, well, sh*te, and would you feel at all comfortable with one of Elrich, Dodd or Rees as a mentor? Exactly.

The solution? For the love of all god, Riki, buy a top-class defender. Someone who's at the peak of their game, and has been around the track a few times. Pair this guy with Old -- not so much as a babysitter -- but as a guide, someone to look up to, someone to feed off and someone to emulate. Have them train together, play together -- hell, even have them share a hotel room together on away games. The young buck will pick up on a few things, and his game and the Phoenix defence as a whole will be much better for it. The investment could very well turn into a "two for the price of one" deal, and that's worth it's weight in (g)old.