I'll move Lockyer, Bennett says
By Wayne Heming
March 17, 2006
BRISBANE coach Wayne Bennett says he has the courage to remove five-eighth Darren Lockyer from the defensive line if the former fullback is unable to solve his tackling problems this NRL season.
One game into the 2006 premiership, and two weeks after declaring he'd never return Lockyer to fullback, Bennett admits he may be forced to make the change to spare Lockyer a weekly pounding that dulls his attacking brilliance.
"I've got to be flexible," Bennett who switched Lockyer to five-eighth in 2004 to give Brisbane more attacking spark, said.
"I wouldn't be afraid to move him if that's what I've got to do."
Bennett cautioned the media about getting ahead of themselves when asked if Karmichael Hunt would be Brisbane's new five-eighth.
"I was asked if I would have the courage to do it ... I said I would, but I didn't say I was moving him," Bennett said.
For Brisbane to be successful, the defence must be in order - which means Lockyer pulling his weight in that department.
"I can't just be committing suicide with the rest of the guys and putting my head in the sand and hoping the problem will go away," Bennett said after Hunt trained a lot at first receiver ahead of the match against the Sharks tomorrow.
"We've either got to get it right or we've got to make another decision."
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Lockyer's defence was questioned 24 times by the Cowboys during their 36-4 win last weekend, and he failed the test on 11 occasions.
He was replaced midway through the second half with an arm injury, and was a spent force after the game.
Other teams have attacked Lockyer, with Parramatta's Nathan Hindmarsh and Manly's Ben Kennedy both targeting the pivot last season in a bid to drain his energy.
Former players, including Laurie Daley, have expressed concerns about Lockyer's health and longevity if he continues to take a battering.
They also believe Lockyer is far more effective for Brisbane when playing fullback, from which position he can use his vision and agility to attack.
"I'm continually in consultation with him about a number of issues and it's not something we are unaware of, not working on or trying to improve," Bennett said of the projected switch.
"You have to muscle-up, get the job done, or you pay the consequences. We paid the consequences last weekend."
Bennett agreed with the perception that Lockyer looked unhappy but said it was a "misconception".
"He's as good as I've seen him the last couple of years," he said.
"The team was struggling last week and no one was happy.
Bennett said Lockyer felt the pressure when the Broncos were struggling.
"That's the type of personality that he is," he said.
"He worries. He worries about the team performance. He worries about his own and he carries that in his body language."