Departing Queensland Reds star Liam Gill says his young teammates must heed the lessons of a horror fortnight or face yet another barren year in Super Rugby.
The Reds were beaten 31-28 by the Melbourne Rebels on Friday night, unable to provide Gill, Greg Holmes and a number of other players who were playing their last game for the club with a winning farewell.
Gill, who was acting as captain in the absence of James Slipper (sternum), slammed Queensland’s first-half performance as the worst 40 minutes of football he’s ever been involved in.
Just like in the 50-5 belting against the Chiefs a week earlier, the Reds were shellshocked after conceding a try in the opening seconds of the match and were so bad defensively, they can count themselves as fortunate to have only gone into the half-time break down 24-7.
While the second half was vastly improved, Gill said those set to take the baton from the stalwarts who are leaving the Reds need to realise they can’t afford to keep playing as they have.
“There’s been a couple of stern lessons in the last two weeks,” said Gill, who has signed for French Top 14 club Toulon.
“We’ve got a lot of young players in the squad so the best thing they can do is learn from it, but not forget what’s happened.
“The last 40 minutes summed up how we want to play.
“Hopefully they figure out how to get there so they can move forward.
“If they don’t it’s going to be another ugly season, but I have faith if they put their head to it and front up, we showed what we can do – we can put points on a good defending team.”
The injection of Taniela Tupou, Campbell Magnay and Lukhan Tui – arguably the three best young players coming through at Ballymore – in the second half helped change the game, which Exeter-bound prop Holmes said was a sign of the calibre of talent the Reds now have at their disposal.
“It hurts, I really wanted to win and the team wanted to finish the season well, but in my bigger scheme of things… that’s the way footy goes,” he said.
“I think the Reds are looking good for years to come.”
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Seem to work for NZ and England...
Dave_S
Guest
Never rains it pours, eh. I'm a Reds fan and huge Gill fan but I can see why Hooper and McMahon have been getting the gig. If only Liam were slightly bigger, he'd be a cracking 8 and settling in for the next RWC.
Comrade Bear
Roar Rookie
Nice!
Squirrel
Guest
Back to the reds elite Academies aye TWAS . They worked a treat. The reds are a basket case which is quite sad as when they had a great premier comp and was helped by the ARU they were one of the great provinces in the world
KTinHK
Roar Pro
Liam Gill let go overseas? What a waste. Can't believe the Wallabies didn't give him a go at 7 when Pocock wasn't available, and can't believe he wasn't the Reds captain. Hooper and McMahon are fabulous attacking players, but won't to do the job a number 7 is supposed to do: create turnovers. This cost the Wallabies big time.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
But that eye for talent didn't result in anywhere near acceptable results. I'd argue that McKenzie had the eye for talent as he picked up players like Samo, Robinson and Adam Wallace-Harrison who were all completely unwanted anywhere else, on the basis he felt they could do a job. Which they certainly did. I could understand if McKenzie took a few seasons to transform the team. But that wasn't the case. They were an immediate finals contender under him. We certainly don't give Andy Friend and Tony Rea the credit for Jake White turning the Brumbies around for example.
Brisbane Boys
Guest
TWAS I always thought Mooney got it a bit rough he assembled the team and has obviously got an eye for Talent. He had to go when Barnes left for he Tahs. I really thought EM brought a bit of polish to the team. He had a great core group and brought in a couple of hard heads Samo, Robinson to give thema bit of punch. IMO EM is a great tactical coach as in he gets a team to play how the opposition least wants them to.
Dave_S
Guest
They may be after Blackadder but if history is any guide they'll sign Baldrick. Which will be a turnip for the books.
Dave_S
Guest
Yes given the Reds STILL haven't announced a new coach I'm not at all surprised Lolo left, especially to go to a side where the bulk of tries are scored through the forwards!
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
So you're saying that Mooney was so terrible that he could only take that squad to 13th, yet the very next year, McKenzie took them to 5th?
Bakkies
Guest
'Ewan McKenzie walked into a squad containing probably the most talent that had been at the Reds in one time maybe ever.' No the 94-2001 Reds had far better squads. Just two Super 10 titles to show for it. Never made a Super 12 Final. Eales, Crowley, Foley, Connors, Wilson, Herbert, Tune, Latho, Damien Smith, Little, Kefu, etc. Then they had quality imports in Kevin Yates, Peter Clohessy, André Vos. Plenty of Queensland talent in the Tarts and Brumbies squads that they passed over or couldn't fit in.
UTB
Guest
Ewan McKenzie walked into a squad containing probably the most talent that had been at the Reds in one time maybe ever. Most of whom had just picked up 1-2 years of super rugby experience the hard way. That side was destined for great things and Phil Mooney never really got any of the credit he deserved for bringing them through. I've got plenty of time for EM but he's no miracle worker (and nobody's fool) and I reckon he wouldn't risk the Reds as they stand. What has he got to gain? My guess is that it'll be Nick Stiles next year as all the big names will give it a wide berth. But given the Richard Graham debacle (although debacle doesn't quite describe the situation in its full bizarre puzzling glory)...............anything could happen. May be they can find another proven unsuccessful coach at another struggling club and bring them in for a 2+ year swing of dire results?
UTB
Guest
As per above - the intent wasn't to have a dig at CM. He was far from the worst player on the Reds side - he was one of the better ones. My issue was that it was symptomatic of poor team and a poor performance. He attacked the line at pace. But typically when the ball arrived at his channel he put his head down and ran at the line from a fair way back regardless of the options outside. I found it depressing. Like the rest of the game.
UTB
Guest
Boz the Younger
Guest
Matwijow was on a short term contract covering Kane Douglas's injury and LF was poached by the Brumbies. I don't blame him for going.
Paul
Guest
Did I see correctly that both Ben Matwijow and Lolo Fakaosilea have being cut loose by the reds?
Not Bothered
Guest
Phill Kearns was great to listen to? Imo he is easily and by far the worst commentator in world rugby. He doesnt know the rules, he is extremely biased, he is always complaining about the correct decisions being made against his team and he is pretty naive when it comes to the wider rugby world. Imo he makes Australian rugby and its people look bad because people from outside Australia, like me, cant understand why you would employ him
Don
Roar Rookie
To be fair, you have a salary cap and a finite number of players you can have on your roster. McMahon was an Aus Schoolboy in 2011 but really didn't see interest from any Super Rugby sides until Michael O'Connor picked him in the Aus sevens side after playing up at Noosa with a Newbie local side (also had Samu Kerevi in it.) He had a couple of years in sevens and club rugby at GPS in Brisbane. Also given QLD won the SR title in 2011. That same year both Liam Gill and Beau Robinson played their FIRST ever games for QLD. They also had Jake Schatz, Scott Higginbotham, Ed Quirk, Radike Samo and Leroy Houston in back row spot battles. The available and future spots for McMahon on a rookie deal were limited. We can look at Sean McMahon now and how he has come on over the past 3 years and say he is better than Schatz, Quirk and Houston - but he just wasn't at the time. In the 2013 QLD Premier Grade GF his GPS side was beaten by Easts and the MOM was an 18 year old Michael Gunn playing at 7. Gunn and Jarrad Butler (now at the Brumbies) played all over McMahon. There is a stack of players we can look back on and wish we'd kept them. When 80% (likely more) of Aus SR players originate from QLD and NSW systems then it isn't going to change either.
Boz the Younger
Guest
Being a pm myself I can attest to that job description applying equally well to that career.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Haha fellow Aussies crack me up at times. Jones spent no time away from the game. It was just outside of Australia. He went from the Reds, to SA, to Saracens, the Suntory then Japan.