Genia makes the right decision, eventually

And to show what a mummers farce the whole situation has become, read Brett Harris in the Australian (not that I think hes any good): Good grief what a debacle

What's happened to the Sydney Grade competition, used to be very strong, where are the players ? The talent is spread thin across the 5 Aussie teams but surely there is player capable of stepping up for the Tahs. Or is it the Tahs inadequate recruiting / development of players that is the issue, maybe all of the above.

worth noting that the Waratahs are looking to NZ for a midfielder to cover midfielder/five-eighth. so much for depth in NSW ranks! http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/6844298/Waratahs-look-to-NZ-development-to-fill-gap

i'd just give them a veto power. so most times they dont get involved but if someone is moving and going to keep another wallaby out of the starting side or out of position then i'd step in.

in a six year period no. 4 final spots from twelve teams gives a one in three chance of making a semi. 2 semis a year for 6 years is 12 total. making only two is one in 6 so not particularly great. though they finished top at least one of those so the semi stats may not be reflective. certainly werent particularly strong overall for that 6 year period though.

''lack of interest / support means no sponsorship means no money means folding.'' The Force have more members than the Tahs are their crowds are quiet good. They support their team and don't hold fans forums to tell their players and coaches how they would like the game to be played. The have a loyal sponsor in Emirates and people tend to forget they are playing in a smaller venue compared to their previous home ground, Subiaco Oval. Not all WA products have made it with the Force or ended up in their starting squads. Adam Wallace Harrison, Zack Holmes and Dane Haylett Petty are from WA but ply their trade elsewhere.

Considering the wealth of talent they had no. Fair better than their current squad. Eales Cockbain Connors Kefu Foley Horan Herbert Tune Little Latham Flately Wilson and did not make a Final with players of that calibre.

Genia's other job on the field is to minimise the incessant kicking, he started doing the aimless box kicks last year and has got into a bad habit. He is a fantastic player with an awesome pass, defence and running game however the box kicks are a flaw he needs needs to iron out. I see where Macca is going regarding a much needed boost had genia signed with the force. It would have been terrific on many levels however as Lordy said, it's the best decision for his game to stay in Qld. The force don't seem to be any closer to turning the corner after 6 seasons. I do hope Pocock stays in Perth however he will need to see a commitment by the Force that they are serious about turning it around. That starts with hiring a quality coach. Look what Jake White has done turning a rabble into play off contenders. As for the Rebels, they need to bolster the forward stocks otherwise JOC and KB are rendered useless. In particular the tight five.

that's the capitalist ethos!!!

A bit off the point but I think Wales Mike Phillips is the best scrum half in the game at the moment. He had been immense for Wales. Will Genia a close second. From an Aussie in the uk. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.

they still have not made the finals. losing to the rebels at all is a sign of a weak team. I am talking about folding in 5 years, I do not see anything getting that much better with the current set up. Tahs have been looking for a good flyhalf since Mark Ella I think! They thought Beale and / or Barnes would be the answer, little did they know. Australia has only had 2 good flyhalves in Larkham and Cooper in the last 15 years. Lealiifano I hope to add to that list if he kicks on for another season. JoC and Giteau and Beale and Barnes (and others) were really inside centres or full backs.

Sam I think Wilson is suggesting that moving forward that it is better for there to be 5 competitive teams. It will allow greater depth for the Wallabies to draw from and more opportunities to give players super experience. I agree with Wilson. No point having one Super team with no stars . How would that benefit Australian rugby?

Sittingbison: "Nice summation harry. In fact when I was driving into work mind in neutral I was thinking that RugbyWA should have got in cahoots with the public schools (seven I think) and catholic schools, popped in some professional coaches, and paid for a couple of sporting scholarships at each school, including eastern states kids, saffas, kiwis and islanders" They're NOT!??! I've seen those kids, they're pretty keen and intent on going places, the AFL have gotten a number of kids out of their programs in the PSA schools, cannot imagine why they're not trying to capitalise on the resources those schools would have around.

very few teenagers play booth League and Union while going through the GPS system, and thats where around 95% of Queenslands rugby talent comes from. Stop making statements as truth if you have nothing to back it up with.

I think we are pretty well served at 9. 10 is a hole other kettle of fish!

you are both right....and wrong. I can't see the Force folding in the short term due to lack of performance, they ARE performing but just not getting over the line, it is a mental thing not helped by having RG at the helm. For all you guys saying how crap they are, they are the highest percentage team of being in front then losing in the last 10. This year alone lost to the wunderkinf Brumbies by 2 point, Rebs by 1 point, Tahrds by 5 points (in front at death). Beaten by the two top teams Chiefs and Stormers by not much, only blowout was against Hurricanes and that was against run of play - admittedly the Canes looked terrific ball in hand and killed Force in counter attacking from broken play, not helped by stupid game plan of RG. They will probably beat the Rebels and Lions in Perth, and dont be surprised if they also do the Brumbies. Oh, and lets not forget they beat the Reds and Tahrds, which seems to be forgotten by certain people on this site who like disparaging them. HOWEVER...the goodwill of the sea of blue will eventually wane, especially if they can't solve the OBVIOUS problems. The Force have never had a genuine 10. Even Gits was not a 10, and his ego experiment was an abject failure that really hurt the developing team. McKay and Pretorious did not play a game, Ripia was a disaster, Stannard not a genuine 10, Harvey for all his endeavour is struggling with the step up. How a team can go for 7 years without filling a known gap beggars belief. And there are certain other areas of obvious problems that are not being addressed. AND yes, the style is now abysmal. We loved the way the Force played the game under Mitchell, full of endeavour and bravery. The game developed under RG is brain dead, mindless drivel. Kick the ball straight back only gaining 10m and losing it immediately with a broken run play. All apparently hoping for a mistake. They have the best line out general in the game, and don't aim for the sidelines! They have a marquee giant fast winger and barely toss him the ball (when he has been on the park after missing last 6 games). And they are not alone!

PK, If the Force & Rebels fold then I doubt I will watch another rugby match. I'm not going to follow a sport that cannibalises itself. Maybe if the players & coaches started thinking less about themselves & more about the game, things might turn around. The easiest way to attract fans, sponsors, media interest & more players to the game, is the way they play the game. And the way the game is being played in Australia at present won't attract more interest. Nor will 50, or 100, or 200 developmen officers. What will they tell the kids - "Come & play rugby, then you too can play crap rugby"?????

I think the main issue here Peter is getting talented players into a higher level of coaching, fitness and skills development. This is the crux of getting a solid pool of players and thus increasing the overall strength of the franchises. I've identified in earlier posts it will take generations for the other states and territories to develop a competition as strong as Premier rugby and Shute Shield. Meantime, players will come from NSW and QLD in the main as this is where the competition and talent currently lay. You know, unlike FOS, I don't have an issue with this. I don't have an issue if another province identifies a Queenslander that becomes the next Quade Cooper, Will Genia or John Eales. Every time that player is ID and taken out of our system, it opens the pathway for another individual and Australian Rugby is stronger as a result. I think we have the cattle, we just need to identify them, get them into some advanced coaching and strengthen the various franchises further. Players will move if they see an impedance to their advancement in a particular franchise...and fair enough too.

It is not just a numbers game. You also have to consider quality. At the moment Australia is very light on in terms of world quality no. 9 & no. 10's. Can hardly get 2 teams with quality halves let alone 5. I am all for developing club rugby further as that should be the engine room for up and coming players. While there is a lot of talk about developing another level between club and S15 we have to remember that they tried that and it was an expensive mistake that is unlikely to get the funding it would need to be successful. Support to clubs is easy to implement given that the infrastructure is already. I think the Test and S15 players are pretty well compensated at the moment, time to look after the grass roots. As for players being cherry picked by league, that is always going to happen and if you have not noticed rugby has a bit of a dip at league players as well.

wilson - agree totally