So it all ends where it began, Perth 8-12/12/1995 – Perth 30/11-4/12/2012. Rather fitting I reckon. Congratulations on an amazing career Rick.

Quade who? 🙂

I know everyone was dropping the pill, but I loved this game. The Wallabies finally having a crack. If I were Robbie I’d hold onto the ‘B team’. It looks as though the second stringers might actually be able to play as a team, not individuals

Great article Aaron, – Thanks.

Hardcore I feel your pain. I’m in Regional SE Qld and the match wasn’t going to be shown until 10.40pm (same as the Aus/SA game the week before). I like you don’t have Foxtel but do have two young kids who wake up at 5.30am and Sunday morning was my turn to get up to them. I always operate better on more than 5 hours sleep, so it was a no from me.

When I lived in the Riverina (NSW) at least Chanel 7 and or 10 would show the Tests liive (or near enought to it) and there was often a condensed replay the following day. Sometimes there is more to be gained than cash in a rights deal. – I do blame JON to a certain extent and as someone who has shelled out a fair amount going to test matches over a number of years, sorry JON you won’t be getting anymore from me if this is how we are repaid. .

I did watch a cracking game between Geelong and Freemantle while the Walla’s took on SA. I will always be a Rugby fan, but I’m more than happy to watch a good game of Aus Rules or RL if that’s whats on offer. If the ARU are reading this, my 5 year old is Aus Rules mad, you have a chance to help convert him, but showing games while he’s asleep won’t do it!

Jez,

You’re right, the largest player base in the country should be able to develop and keep a good portion of their own talent. But maybe that is the problem, they’re so used (historically) at being able to pick the cream that they’ve never had to go looking. Now that there is real competition amongst the franchises for the best talent, they don’t have the structures in place. QLD were in a similar situation that nearly killed them, but have relaunched well. Melbourne have concessions, money and savvy businessmen running the show, the Force are a tougher proposition.

NSW management appear basically to be lazy in their structure development due to the fact that they think they are the controlling state and everyone else should yeild to them. Similar situations are also evident in NSW Cricket and RL and the state govt. Back on topic, even if they could amass a team of stars I don’t think they would have the structures to make them winners.

Thanks RK, now have cake and coffee spit all over my keyboard 🙂

Morning David Sheek and Rabbitz,

I didn’t catch the Rugy Club last night, but I think Mitchell and others are getting passion and basics mixed up. Watch the Kiwi’s, it’s not the flashy plays that win them the matches, it’s catching, passing, tackling and rucking that win them the matches, all well drilled all executed. When the AB’s lose the ball, it’s not from a flashy play but from poor execution of the simple things! The WB’s don’t execute the simple regularly.

While we’re using Aus Rules as an example, look no further than Geelong. Are they a great side (best for past 5 years and 3 premierships) because they play fancy football…. NO. Mark Thompson (previous coach) decided that Geelong would ‘own’ the middle of the field, no going the long way round, no switches, or mucking around on the wings. He took a bunch of talented players and drilled them in kicking and handpassing and increased their fitness until they could all hit a man on the chest with a kick from 25m-50m while running at top speed. These basic skills executed to well allowed them to own the territory, that creates confidence and the ability to implement tactics.

The Wallabies display none of these traits, KB, DM, and Higgers are currently running around with a spare tyre on their gut, the Waratah players all look too big, thus not enough in the tank and the team’s basic skills across the board are all poor. I heard JOC say last year that once you are at Wallaby level there is not much a coach can teach you regarding basic skills, if that is the attitude in the team then we are eternally stuffed.

Perhaps we can convert him… (cue Star Wars music).

Nice one Jez – agree with yours and most of the other arguments put forward. For mine, I would leave Higgers at 6. He may be able to play tight, but it’s not what comes natural. Plenty of people argue, with good reason, that moving Genia from 9-10 was suicide for QLD as it weakened 2 positions, I apply the same reasoning here. Higgers is our strongest 6 – leave him there. Plus I’m yet to see him shove from 8, is always a mile behind the ‘engage’ and is too busy prarie dogging when we realy need a push.

I’d also like to see some of our forwards play like the NZ’ers when defending…. 1st guy tackles, 2nd misses but manages to crash into the opposition’s support, taking out the first 1 or 2 that would help the tackled player/form a ruck. This leaves either the tackler or 3rd Kiwi a free run at pilfering while our 3rd/4th guy try and get there to form the ruck while the Kiwi who ‘missed’ stands just off the ruck while ‘attempting’ to get back onside. I don’t have a problem with it, I just think we should try it. The Kiwis are definitely masters at slowing the ball down even before the ruck forms! 🙂

Great read David. Was given Gideon Haig’s ‘The Cricket War’ for my birthday a few weeks back and you rate a few mentions there as well!: “An energetically mediocre club captain at Mossman until 1973,…..” Ouch! 🙂 You really did upset the Packer mob, thanks for your side of the coin. Must admit I love every one of Kerry’s blasts, it must be a rush to have that kind of power, double edged as it would be!

To those who wonder about why Chapelli didnt want Cozier: “I must confess I’ve still to be convinced that Cose is ready for test cricket….He appears overweight and I wonder how hard he is prepared to work at his batting at this stage”. ‘Given the choice by Packer, he thought Cosier was dispensable.’

Am loving both the book and the mini series.

Please publish your list of Rugby names David…..it’ll be The Roar’s little secret 😉

Clyde,

Tend to agree with your idea about growth in Melb and Perth – Kids do need to have options and maybe that Gilbert will be under the arm. Just an observation of my own 4 year old boy. Spent the first 4 years of his life in Albury – AFL heartland. By the age of 3 he and his mates were all running around with a little Sherrin. It didn’t matter what I said about any other football, if it wasn’t the Cats, Tigers, Brisbane Lions in that order, it just wasn’t footy! I had the rugby on every weekend, the best response I ever got was NO, NOT RUGBY again. Have now moved up to SE QLD and have a season ticket to the Reds, took the little fella along and now it’s still AFL 85% of the time, Rebels and Reds the other 15%. – Small steps! 🙂

Hill seems to be settling in as coach. I like the way he talks, understandable, logical, seems to have a game plan that is coming together, maximising resources. While the Rebels may be looking at the most improved award, perhaps same could be said for one D.Hill. Two more decent head coaches in Aus and we might field 5 competative teams!!

Never read your articles and drink coffee, I’m either gonna choke,drown or cause my computer to short out when it gets sprayed. Great article CC and well done on getting the sports minister’s comments 🙂

🙂 Gold, unfair but Gold anyway 🙂

Another great article Jez. All I can say is no wonder Robbie Deans gets lambasted with every move, reading all 117 posts til now very few Roarers can agree on 8 positions, haven’t bothered working out the specific permutations/combinations but a quick calculation gives about 4300 possibilities, so no matter what happens there will be 4299 people not satisfied for every person who is – who’d want to be a coach!! 🙂

I love Origin, great great game, go QLD……but get over the whole Delahunty gaff, it was obvious the guy was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He made a mistake in his speech, he knew it, you all (media) knew it, and that made him even worse leading to more mistakes. I wouldn’t care if game 3 was played in Naru, I’d still be tuning in and if I happened to be in town I’d go!

Given the growth in memberships for the storm, I think it makes sense. It is 1 game every three years and the Northern media go through the same hand wringing every time. Brace up guys it will probably happen again in 2015 🙂

Thanks Jez, always nice to brush up from those in the know – I remember reading your article last year, another informative one. Cheers.

KPM I think you are getting power and technique a little confused. It took Thorne years to become the player he was in his last few seasons. He is a player who is always strong, what he did do was develop his technique so that he used all power available to him. That’s why he was more successful in his second AB stint than his first, technique, technique technique…..

What I noticed last year was the AB’s, Ireland and others getting lower than us at the breakdown, by hitting the ruck lowest you can drive the opposition up off the ball to either secure your own or counter ruck effectively. Wallabies were often caught too high. It was the same at the start of the Super season, particularly the NZ teams, low and driving. The Brumbies have been the exception, but now in the past few weeks I have seen the Reds, Rebels and Force all hitting the rucks in the same fashion, and suddenly they’re all winning ball (the Force have other issues!!). The only team that are still inconsistent in this area are the Waratahs, they have a couple of good players doing tthis but the rest are passengers.

So yep, I’ll take a pair of locks that can last 80 minutes, control the lineout (technique), do their bit in the scrum (technique again – Jez a few more fine pointers for the uninitiated here please), Mongrel and great technique at the break down, and the ability to run through/create/spot a gap rather than try and run over someone. So far I haven’t (nor have others here apparently) seen enough of this from either Timani, not saying they won’t get there, but others are more developed at this stage with equal potential to be great, not just good.

Less power and greater technique will always beat greater power and less technique.

KPM, I’ve got to admire the way you stick to your guns, but personally I don’t think the Timani’s are it, yet and are down on the others mentioned.

Jez, I like your reasoning and pretty much agree, Fardy looks to have some mongrel a bit Vickerman like, but it will be good to see how it comes out in tests. For that reason I would have had Jones as well if not suspended. Pyle has a big frame that appears to be still filling out which is why I reckon he’s fading lately, still growing, maybe not up, but out.

Ah yes, but at least good kickers in the AFL can hit a man on the lead, or put it into the space, to their advantage when they want to, unlike the Waratahs. Waratahs would also be to conservative to win any AFL silver wear they’d be kinda like the tigers, good team, always finish 9th 🙂

As a proud Vic, now living interstate (again) I was disappointed that they chose Melbourne as the name. I have never spent more than a few weeks living in Melbourne, growing up 250kms from the capital. I will still support them because they are Victorian, but rural and regional Vic’s often resent Melbourne’s narcissistic nature. Jeff Kennet paid the price for being to Centric. I am a passionate fan, but an opportunity was missed.

I too have had the same dream Matt….. still think about it quite a lot, the things we could achieve. But reading today’s Courier Mail I was surprised to hear that James Horwill played AFL and Rugby up until he was 15 or so, when his body developed to be more suited to Rugby ie: too heavy to be mobile enough to play high level AFL. So given that the Southern/Western states have a similar population to NSW/QLD, why isn’t Rugby scouring over those states 14/15 year olds identifying those who are going to be too Heavy/tall, Heavy/short/slow to play AFL at the top level and coming up with scholarships/education/incentives/conditioning/intense coaching to develop them into top flight forwards. It’s not like we couldn’t use a bit more competition, particularly the front 3.

There would be dozens of ‘fatties’ in those states with great ball skills/natural coordination that are left wallowing about in local club Aussie Rules that would have the potential to be Super Rugby players or better. Rebs and Force should develop a business plan and present it to the ARU, 5 – 7 years and both teams could field all Victorian/WA front rows with maybe a flanker or two for good measure. You’d still have to compete with AFL for the Locks/Ruckmen and you could still grab the Ioane’s and Lealifano’s from the local stocks to give a presence in the backs! Makes it sound easy eh! 🙂

Yep, no doubting the man’s genius. I remember watching the 99 WC including waking up 20 minutes late for the final!! It’s always good to see good coaching turn a team of old and unknowns to start playing above themselves.

David, completely agree about the good work of Muggleton. It no doubt helps that the Rebs don’t have to do the 10/14/15 waltz when changing from attack to defence with KB at 10. Perhaps when he comes back JOC should go to 15 and forget about 10.

Is it a coincidence that the attack of the Brumbies and the Rebels is starting to see great structure, plenty of options and all running onto flat ball. Seems that N.Grey and Bernie weren’t involved in our last successful period for nothing and are now developing as coaches! Muggleton, Bernie and Grey, all names from that era…….