It’s fair to say Jordan Petaia’s career has been more hype than substance.
He is undoubtedly a supremely gifted athlete and capable of scoring spectacular tries. He remains one of the only Wallabies backs with an x-factor about him. And his athleticism and ability to burst through the line would have most armchair enthusiasts penning him down for at least the number 23 jersey.
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Yet Petaia has failed to dispel concerns about his handling and technique. To be fair to him, this has been a consistent problem across the board for the Wallabies in the last five years.
Promising performances have been hamstrung by elementary mistakes – lineouts not going straight, conceding cheap penalties, dropping the ball on attack or flinging hail-Mary cutout passes.
Petaia has unfortunately followed this trend, which means he does not garner trust in the crucial centre position. There are parallels to Rieko Ioane for the All Blacks – Ioane is a devastating winger but does not have the presence to dominate in the centres, which may be one of the reasons why Ian Foster has parachuted him back onto the left wing for Bledisloe 1 this weekend at Eden Park in Auckland.
Would Petaia have made this week’s starting XV had Marika Koroibete and the gang not had a collective brain fade? It’s hard to say. On the one hand, against the All Blacks you need to make your moments count, and Petaia is capable of breaking the black wall in a way most Wallabies backs probably are not. However, Koroibete has been Australia’s outstanding back in the last 18-24 months and is arguably the first name on the teamsheet alongside skipper Michael Hooper.
At best, Petaia would have been on the bench in place of utility back Reece Hodge, looking to provide spark in the same way Taniela Tupou would from about the 60-minute mark.
But things happen and here we are: Fillipo Daugunu is out injured, Koroibete is suspended from the team and Petaia joins on the wing. This is arguably his chance to shine: free of the defensive covering responsibilities in the centres, he can concentrate on his contest with Ioane. As coach Dave Rennie said on Thursday, ‘He looks really good and we’re excited for that…We like him as a winger…He’s very good aerially, has a great kicking game and a handful out wide we think.’
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
It’s hard to disagree with Rennie’s assessment. It’s also clear that the coach has, intentionally or otherwise, taken the pressure off Petaia to be the superstar by building his team around young guns Noah Lolesio and Tate McDermott. Lolesio in particular emerged from the France series as Australia’s leader, a calm goal kicker under pressure and a reliable pivot around which the backline can flourish.
The training he is receiving from Quade Cooper – a surprise but welcome addition to the Wallabies camp – will only develop him further but the baton appears to have been handed to him earlier than planned due to James O’Connor’s injury troubles.
McDermott and Hunter Paisami have also grown into their starting positions and look confident in them – Paisami in particular looks to be nailed on in the centres for Australia in the years to come.
All this is to say that the pieces are in place for Petaia to flourish. Against the fearsome All Blacks at fortress Eden Park, there is no middle ground: distinguish yourself or go home with your tail between your legs. That is what Rennie will drum into his players before they walk out onto the Auckland turf on Saturday.
He will know that if Petaia puts his mind to it, he can bring the Bledisloe home for the green and gold.
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
Ah.. you know the posting time is on the comments mate. :-|
ozziedude
Roar Rookie
Haha, clearly you’re the internet trolling champ.. my comment was well before the game started and you’re clearly ignorant of petaia’s tendencies to overplay. Back to the couch, potato.
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
Lol. So brave after a game where he was barely given the ball. Bet you've been sitting on this all day banking on the 50% chance you'd get to win an internet point.
ozziedude
Roar Rookie
youre obviously ignorant & struggling to comprehend the relevance of the point re Petaia’s performances in gold.
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
World record try scorer and world cup winner... Might find a better example because I'd have 1991 Campo any day.
Marlin
Roar Rookie
Thankd Josh, I enjoyed the read. The last paragraph might be going too far, though. I don't want the kid to single-handedly bring home the BC, just do his core duties well, respect the ball and if a bit of room for razzle dazzle presents itself, go for it but stop trying to win the game every time he touches the ball. Good luck to the boys tonight and my prediction is Hooper will be our best player ~ AGAIN.
Guess
Roar Rookie
Maybe it's because of expectations that everyone puts on him?
Guess
Roar Rookie
Really curious to see him as a winger. Makes more sense
Francisco Roldan
Roar Rookie
Hello Joshyuvaraj ...! I like your pragmatic approach to assessing the subject of AUS attack strengths and weaknesses. Petaia like Rieko do not have enough bearing to stand defensively in the center of the court. Both Rieko and Jordan managed to demonstrate during 2020 that it does not matter how much weight you may have in kilograms if you can execute your defensive system or your duel in attack. For that reason, I was not surprised by the lateralisations of the game that Petaia attempted at TriNations 2020, as they offered her better perspectives to execute her escape game in attack. On defense, his performances were nothing short of heroic against the power of the opponent's 12 and 13. I still think that the wing position is the best and it is the one that could allow him to develop a more disruptive game in Rugby Championship.
Morsie
Roar Rookie
Let's also not forget that between Banks, Kellaway, and Petaia we have 3 wing fullback hybrids with some favouring wing and some swinging to the full back side of the spectrum. Very interesting all round back 3, can all kick, catch and run, but can they pass????
Choppies
Roar Rookie
He smashed Samu into touch in one game as well
Double Agent
Guest
It's news to me that AAC lacked pace power and agility. :shocked:
Double Agent
Guest
Oh Obes...I gotta admire your diligence. Scanning the Roar day after day hour after hour just waiting for a chance to throw one of your Hooper barbs. It has all the single mindedness of the best working dogs. :laughing: :shocked:
Rhys
Roar Rookie
I’ve felt Jordan’s best test and super rugby has come on the wing. Simplify the game for him and let him rip I reckon. It’s too early to play him at 13 - yet. What we always do I’m Australia is put massive pressure and expectations on players/teams that are still very raw and developing. I think we all need to listen to Rennie and realise we’re climbing a mountain back to the top and it’s going to take time. Jordan included.
Bodger
Roar Rookie
Kellaway is quick, excellent reader of play as he backs up and covers in defence very well. Also a good kicker. He’s a good all round winger and a good finisher.
Dean
Guest
I'm glad to see Petaia on the wing. He is better suited there. With the ever present danger of being bundled over the sideline, some of his higher risk plays are a more worthwhile option. In the centres holding the ball, absorbing the defence, and recycling, are often preferable for the team. But they are not generally his preference.
Bodger
Roar Rookie
He just needs to be Jordan and go out and play. He’s a immense talent, already shown many times what he’s capable of. He’s only 21 and the biggest talent we have. Anyone that can make Ben Smith look poor has to be pretty decent. He’s also a excellent defender and kicker of the ball. Koroibete is a wonderful player but so often he is the centre of the field creating and then we have no one to finish, Petaia can also create but he will hopefully be finishing plays as well which I think has been missing in the backline.
HiKa
Roar Rookie
In SRAU, when Valetini was running rampant carrying metres after contact against forward tacklers, he took the ball wide against the Reds and Petaia alone tackled Valetini and stopped him in his tracks and landed him on his back. With the possible exception of Marika Koroibete, Petaia is the most powerful back Australia has. He will make tackles that other Aussie wingers would fall off or be bumped out of. And that's before we even consider that he is a better bet under a high ball than any of our other wing options. And that's before we consider how he might go in attack. I like how Andy Muirhead plays, but to go one-on-one against Reiko Ioane or Sevu Reece, I'd pick Petaia ahead of him every time. And next year, Suli Vunivalu will be in this conversation about great one-on-one defence, aerial ability and try scoring potential, and Petaia might be at fullback.
Markus
Roar Rookie
I don't think Ashley-Cooper lacked power at all. Not quite at Mortlock's level but very powerful for a winger. Huge defensive ability as well which Kellaway does not have. Kellaway's strength is positioning and running lines, but he lacks the power or speed to put them to full effect at higher levels.
freddieeffer
Roar Rookie
Yep. The words "distinguish yourself or go home with your tail between your legs" is not an appropriate challenge for the Wallabies playing in NZ this year, or indeed for many years now. Relying on 1-2 X-factor players to conjure up some winning magic rarely works because of the unsustainable pressure it puts on the whole team, for differing reasons of course. Consequently, the Wallabies have gone home with their tail between their legs almost without exception for 20 years. Boys, just do your job well and play as a team, and play your percentages. Any random Petaia X-factor stuff is a bonus, but only if it emerges playing Test percentages.