Well, when he has a moment or two during "training", any chance he could have a chat to Genia, you know, as coaches do, and just quietly suggest Genia puts his fucking box kick in the fucking bin?
Just one place he could start. There are a few others, but hey, baby steps, right?
Very valid daz. Genia's consistently poor box kicking for the Reds (I'd estimate that, over the 2010-13 Reds period, his rate of genuinely effective and well-placed box kicks would be 15-20% of total at the most generous) has been a negative feature of Reds play.
Yet clearly being told by endless media outlets that 'he's the world's best no 9' has led Genia to assess his various competencies in this area as far greater than any objective analysis would show.
It's an absolutely reasonable expectation that his national coach would sternly warn him off a tactic he's consistently and recklessly so erratic in delivering.
The relatively low levels of individual player development and growth was unfortunately a hallmark of Link's post-triumph Reds period, when the Reds began a slow deterioration in the calibre of their play (which culminated in the abysmal QF display vs the Crusaders this year). I wondered then as now if Link had fallen into the dangerous habit of indulging not adequately critiquing his players, and I think his time as national coach may possibly be showing this attribute. And just to be clear: dropping players and then re-instating them is not at all necessarily the same as mentoring them through to
sustained improvements through detailed constructive critique in one-on-one sessions with the coach(es).
We'll know much more at the end of the EOYT which I've argued is the right moment to properly assess Link's quality as a national coach and selector of a high quality coaching team (though the omens are not at all good to date).