Palu keen to repay Waratahs

Agreed Johhno: and the Wallabies despite some dud centres have elusive and silky threats dotted around the backline that can make hay in the rubble caused by the rampaging bulls should they stop being blocked at Super level. It's ok to have a couple of flamingos like JOC and Cooper if you have vast bulls like the Timanis to smash out significant acreage in which they can prance. The first few matches of the year should be very interesting if these bulls get even a sniff of some Super action first in order to warm the horns for international level.

I agree KPM they are raw and need a chance, and they are all 20 or over except L,Timani i think, so now they are fully fledged adults work them and treat them like adults, Rugby goes for 80 minutes use that explosion for 50-55 minutes. the rest at half time, and in the course of the match there are so many breaks in rugby, tries scored, penaltykicks , fake injureis before a scrum is packed to catch a breather, kick offs, walking to lineouts, the rest at half time , they only have to go on for 10 minutes after that rest. They will be fine, get the explosion out straight away, You need that balance KPM if there all workers they all endue just being back-pedalled, as attack will take over good defence, if the defence offers nothing in attack. At least with Pat Mcabe i like him as he does make yards over the advantage line , not anywhere near a smooch as Jamie roberts or Ma Nonu or SBW or Kahui but we got know one else at 12 yet, Taps is injured and not the answer, nor is JOC, and no way is Tom Carter. We need these explosive players coming out the blocks from the start. I know KPM having played rugby i am far more worried at the start seeing big players than the last quarter of the game when despite being tired, you are mentally more in the game and have overcome the fear of getting hurt and the aggression gets taken out of the match the longer it goes on the last quarter of a rugby game is about which team holds there nerve and can make 1 big play rather than endless big hits, and laying a physical platform. The AB'S laid that platform in the 1st half in the semi final vs the wallabies last year, the wallabies were shot and the AB'S were able to play in cruise control the rest of the 2nd half the damage and Impact had been done in the 1st half. Explosion is key that is why i would start TPN over steve Moore. Keep steve Moore for the the whole 2nd half or last 30 .

Johnno dead right: the Wallabies problems for the last few years, aside from a shortfall of general playing quality, have revolved around a lack of power partly in the backs but most seriously in the forwards. The AB pack and SA pack have simply blitzed the worker bee Wallabies outfit, and their highwork rate has been rendered useless because they spend most of the time as backpedalling wreckage. If the Wallabies can only provide some forward momentum then the stars in the backs can win the day as they did once because of a powerful Samo performance last year. Finally some possible bulls have emerged this year in the Timanis, Vaea, Kuridrani, but they are being held back by conservative stereotyping!!!!

I agree KPM it is funny that , that some players think brute strengthis somehow a weakness in toehr areas, eg cardio eor muscular endurance , total nonsense. Jonah lomu,Tana Umaga, Ma Nonu, Jamie roberts, area all big as is Kaino, Palu, the french No 8, the georgian player who was top 14 french rugby comp player of the year. explosion is good as you get momentum early and lay a try on or build pressure. And once you score it is ahrd to comeback you bring on the workers at the end when players are tired anyway . Rugby for mine the match is won in most cases after 60 minutes, the team behind after 60 minutes will almost certainy lose so pick your best players for that 50-60 minute mark. And the explosive players get 15 minutes off at half time anyway to recharge, so dont need to worry about this rest BS. a match only goes for 80 minutes you will play 50 minutes of it if you are explosive plus a rest at halftime. The exlposive player will be fine if only more coaches knew that. Ben Mcelman and richard brown types do not win you tests or build any pressure at the elite level they just work tackle basically and that is about it.

Johnno and PeterK as I wrote a while back it's deeply disturbing that Foley is holding back the development of these young bulls in order to worship at the altar of sacred cows Elsom/Mumm. If both Timanis were given a run of starts (or had been given one), they would probably be ready for inclusion in the Wales tour and could allow the Wallabies to field the biggest and most fearsome pack in years. For all that his coaching has been excellent, even Jake White I think succumbs to the stereotype that powerhouses are only good for impact, and hence the unbridled bulk of Vaea and Kuridrani is now to be found only on the bench. In both those cases I think they could be Wallabies contenders this year if they were given some starts. If Robbie Deans had Palu, TPN, both Timanis and Vaea to choose from, all with a full Super season behind them, he would have serious firewpower in the forwards and the ABs and SAs would not be able to simply roll over the Wallabies pack as they have looked forward to doing for so long. It would also have been nice to see what Kuridrani could have done as well as Tomane, but again stereotyping gets in the way.

agree. It is better to have power and intimidation for 60 mins than 20 mins. The sort of team I would pick with the current available players would be 01 Robinson 02 TPN 03 Kepu 04 S.Timani 05 L.Timani 06 Dennis 07 Alcock 08 Palu 09 Pretorious 10 Foley 11 Kingston 12 Horne 13 AAC 14 Betham 15 Barnes (having a F/B that kicks a lot is better than a flyhalf who does, need him for goal kicking)

KPM agreed. You have so much raw power in that waratah forwad pack, heck it coul dmatch the ALL BLACKS for power maybe stronger now that Thorn has gone and kaino. Heck if Dan Vickerman was fit you could throw in KPM another big 6'8 machine full of aggression. How is this for a Forwad pack at full strength for the tahs 8-Palu 7)Jono Jenkins the other 2 are injured 6)L Timani (dave dennis has been great but he is a worker bring him on later the team wont lose anything of 45 minutes of timani 5)S Timani 4) Dan Vickerman that is 2 6'8 locks KPM 3) Kepu 2) TPN 1) Ben Robinson Reserves: Dennis,Elsom who is 6'6. Dean mumm, 1 prop. 1 lousy hooker But what a starting forwad pack and dennis and elsom off the bench That starting forwad pack would scare any team in world rugby including the AB'S you have 5 hard physical men in that starting team 2X Timanis 1Palu 1 VICKERMAN 1 TPN what a team

Johnno and PeterK Foley is so woolly in the way he chooses players: he loves the experienced but past-it players such as Elsom, Mumm and AAC, ignoring the brilliant claims of youth. He could put the most powerful pack in the world on the field with both Timanis at lock as PeterK says, with Palu and TPN elsewhere, but he prefers a namby-pamby combination of Elsom and Mumm. I would take issue too with the idea that powerful players are only good for impact off the bench. It would perhaps make more sense to start these powerful bulls, and then bring on the high-workrate grafters late on to wear down the tired opposition with their relentless ruck-hitting and pace. Besides it's a silly stereotype that because a player is powerful, he can't last long. Look at Kaino.

agree, and foley wont start him. I would start him at 6 or start both Timanis at lock. What is the best Mumm gets returned against Bulls.

L.Timani has some real potential he is raw, but this kid could be anything. Palu himself admits L.Timani has more power than him, he says at training everyone avoids him in contact training drills as he hits so hard and goes full on. And Palu meant. What that says if a bloke like Palu is shaken up by LTimani a young raw kid from Tonga like Palu of Tongan heritage, he must have something. He L.timani has really impressed me he has that natural agressive attitude, he is far more agressive than his taller older borth S.Timani senior. He is shorter at about 6'4 but is full of young aggression who seems to just relish the contact. And you have ot be born that way it can't be coached like pat mcabe , you can't coach natural courage, you got it or you don't and most players dont have that real raw natural courage of a Mcabe, or dussatoir, or geroge smith, or Mcaw, or Henrich Brussow you gotta be born with it.

Palu has outplayed Brown / McCalman when he played the force. He outplayed Fotu and Mowen in the game against Brumbies. Palu led the forward domination by the tahs against the brumbies, lets not forget it was the backs who were inept. He has not played the reds yet, he was out injured from memory. No doubt he is the best no 8 we have. The rest are journeymen except for Fotu but he went missing badly on the weekend, and Samo who looks like age has caught up with him. The Wallabies lack size, power and mongrel. We dont need more high work rate grafters who dont make an impact, so I dont care if he only lasts 60 mins. Sure he isnt the fastest BUT the other contenders at 8 are lacking a lot more. Brown / Mcalman are the classic high work rate grafters who just dont cut it at the next level as has been proven. 29 is not old for an 8 who relies on power. A one year signing is great, maybe by then someone like L. Timani has stepped up proving he gets to start!

Agree, he peaked early and stagnated. he seems to be lacking of pace/ tank at international level. And maybe as well a bit of mongrel and desperation. I actually think its more psychological than physical. A good coach/captain could press the right buttons

Palu was just about the most feared forwad in world rugby in 2007-9. WHne he came back in rugby world cup the wallabies looked better when he was on the field compare to Samo. But then Palu got injured and i am convinced that was the beggining of the end of our world cup campaign. Samo is explosive but was too old for world cup tournament elite rugby.

Sharminator 'he was super consistent in the Hong Kong Bledisloe and following spring tour' rewatch the sequence of matches if you don't believe/agree/remember. He was absolutely dominant then. But he is certainly injury prone. Sadly for him on that spring tour he had finally hit the consistency of impact he had been looking for all his career, and then he got injured. Great talent though. Great player if he stays fit.

Never been convinced by Palu .. for NSW or the Wallabies. He seems to be there because there is no one else ... He dosnt deliver week in week out ... seems to get injured a lot .. and isnt an 80 minute player. He has nowhere near the impact of many other number 8s running around .. and I doubt any other provinces would be interested in signing him. The NSW rejoicing over by Foley over his re-signing seems to be spin, to take away from the negatives of recent losses, rather than anything else.

And yet so many tight forwards play Test rugby into their 30s... Leonard, Rowntree, Clohessy, McBryde, Thompson, Hore, Mealamu, Smit, Regan, West, Hayes, White, Vickery, Garforth, Mas, Shaw, Nallet, Benazzi, Corry, Galwey, Llewellyn, Johns, Grewcock, Matfield, Sharpe...

That's true, the closer to 1 they get from 15 the shorter the time they seem to last.

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RK that makes sense-it has been odd to see him fit for more than a few games at a time. Same goes for TPN.

Sailosi 29 but you're right that it's tough for players above 30 to make continued impact at the highest level, with the exception Brad Thorn style players.