Ha, too bad the sheep are winning 6-1.

I think we will look back on this idea (that all backs can play anywhere) as another ‘mad’ phase we went through a bit like Eddie and the stats driven team.

Reading Matt Burkes biog. and he talks about this in there. He really only wanted to play fullback.

I have always felt that putting blokes in to unfamiliar positions on the field ‘f’s up their development big time.

I personally like the way he plays 12. Where will he play for the Force next season? Hopefully in his rightful spot at 12. So why pick him at 15. It does nothing but ruin his development at 12, and confuse him with learning 15.

So many good young players have been ruined by being moved around just to fit them in. If he is the next 12, lets wait until Gits moves on (if he is our 12 now), and then slot him into the spot then. Until then, he may be able to cover spots on the bench, but he shouldn’t be started in a different position.

I think this is one of your attempts at simply trying to stir trouble. Simply put i don’t think it has any negative connotation at all. While your definition might be true to the mark, i think it is rather a play on words and an affectionate one at that. If Growden didn’t do it then someone else would have, given our liking for doing this sort of thing as Aussies.

BTW, Giteau should be 12 and needs a good kick up the ass in order to facilitate that. I just hope that with the money he’s getting paid he’s not bigger than the Team. I don’t want to read into what’s necessarily being said in the press or from looking at the photos, but i hope he can suck it up, take the money and still perform.

BTW- I have kiwi friends, including one who’s never left NZ who refer to Deans as ‘Dingo Deans’ so perhaps it did originate there (perhaps even independently). They also call him ‘Aussie Bob’. In my experience both terms are used with affection rather than derision by both Aussies and Kiwis.

D – Do I really have to play NZ again inTokyo
I – I’d rather be the AB coach
N – Not another loss
G – Got to look for a new job soon
O – OK, so I thought it was going to be easy going from Super 14 to internationals

lest, something to that effect.

He is a free agent of mercenary Kiwi intent who can always throw the towel in and return to where he’s not appreciated. I guess he is in a bit of a catch 22 in that respect, since mediocrity and adversity is on offer both sides of the ‘dutch.’

Dingoes are sly, stealthy,very smart, and the do very nasty things to sheep.

Mr Deans has not been very smart in his selections so far, so how he got the nickname is anyones guess.

I assumed this name was given Deans by his exceedingly pissed off country men and women for being a quissling.

I was just thinking that recently too. As a kiwi I didn’t realise there were negative connotations, but I was a bit sus about a kiwi getting a particularly aussie nickname and whether he actually likes it. We may think he is a turn coat bastard but one would hope he still knows where he comes from.

giteau is has been a liability for a while now – but won’t get dropped .. ditto O’Connor the experiment isn’t working – but there’ll be little change in Tokyo – both in personell and end result …

It didn’t work for NZ with Carter/Donald combination. Tho I think the ABs find it hard to anticipate Donald even when he’s playing 10. Seemed to create more confusion than cohesion for the support. Saying that, NZ did abandon this after 1 game (being such a disaster as it was).

Deans does”t have too much choice here – Gits has been ineffectual at 10 this year and he needs both guys on the field.Barnes has looked sharper this year – but I thinks he needs that extra step that will not be afforded him if he stays at 10 and doesn’t interchange during the game.

Perhaps we should refer to him as Aussie Robbie – that’s another stupid expression the media puts on our imported coaching and playing stars (Aussie Kim Clijsters, Aussie Guus Hiddink, Aussie Joe Bugner).