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The Roar

Gary Russell-Sharam

Roar Rookie

Joined October 2010

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Persistence is the mother of miracles and half of achievement. Best match I played in was in Hawaii against Greg Somerville I got to tackle him once during the game.of oldies I had reached the prime age of 67 and its my best memory playing rugby

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Hog your are totally correct

'Previous chairman can not be a scapegoat': First salvo fired in bid to spill the Rugby Australia board

Kiwi your opinion is pretty much what I would say, thanks for that

'Previous chairman can not be a scapegoat': First salvo fired in bid to spill the Rugby Australia board

IMO I have always said that he is far too overweight. On his day he is a matchwinner but that’s on his day. I anticipated that he would suffer injuries, carrying that much weight around is bound to affect the bone structure. If he did move overseas I see that as a plus for him and for the wallabies if they allow him to be selected from overseas. If the rebels fold its a no brainer for him to go. And playing on the softer fields and the structure that they play over there would suit him much better than playing here. The only doubt I have over his future is the ongoing injury problems that may arise due to the size of the man, injuries are only going to increase as the wear and tear on the body increases with age. However most props do not reach there zenith until they are 30+ so maybe with his move overseas to softer grounds etc he might last the distance.

'Such an emotional guy': Why RA should let their biggest star leave for the sake of the Wallabies

Gee it seems that the F word is becoming very prevalent in today’s modern word. You cannot watch a movie or even a tv series without being bombarded with this word. I taught my boys to be circumspect about swearing. There is a time and place for this. You do not go on public radio and curse without restraint. There are a wide selection of the community that listen to the radio and they do not want to be inundated with profanity. My philosophy in teaching my boys was that if you have to use profanity as an extra adjective to get your message across you lack intellect and show how limited you vocabulary is. That set the level with my sons, they can swear with the best of them but are able to pick and choice when and where. They do not use profanity in circumstances where it may offend others. I am very proud of them, as I am sick of hearing profanity used instead of proper descriptive adjectives that require some intellect. To end this. Why am I not surprised that Mitchell would be using this type of language in public. I need say no more.

'I don't care if I'm swearing': Latrell set to escape NRL sanctions despite foul-mouthed radio interview

I remember the game back in the 90s what a great initiative this is to resurrect the concept. In the nineties we packed Ballymore. What a great place to watch rugby and cheer your team on from the hill and the stands it was just fabulous. With ABC televising and my old Wests mate Joe Mosey on camera in front of the windows of the club and we all behind him in the club getting replays on his monitor for us members, They were the good old days

'A wonderful initiative': 33-year first as Wales to take on Queensland Reds in 'nod to traditional tours'

Watched the game and they missed Averillo and also I was at Toowoomba watching Uwen Aitken playing Q cup and having a blinder, they were both missed in a very ordinary performance by the Fins Also I have never been a fan of Jessie Niu he is just not quite there, and that added to Farnworth struggling a bit. The Cowboys were good though Deardon played really well

Bizarre Hammer blunder and penalty try raise eyebrows as Cowboys ride roughshod over dreadful Dolphins

I totally agree with Freddy and Gallen. I do not condone racial slur at all but the media has just gone overboard with this and the other players especially Mitchell (who is not the perfect ideal to be commenting anyway) should but out of this and if they support Mam by all means ring him up and talk, but pumping yourself up in front of the media is rather self gratuitous. But we should be used to this by Mitchell. I just wish he would put this much effort into playing when he is on the field then he might be really good.

Fittler wants players who've criticised Leniu to face sanctions for influencing judiciary, Gallen slams 'hysteria'

I would be happy to see Jordan Petaia go to the Dragons, can’t wait. Here is a case of a bloke that was going to be the next big thing and we are still waiting years later, he can do some good things but makes far too many mistakes and he has been given so much opportunity to be good. I’m a bit flabbergasted with the continued support of this bloke. To me he has kept out of the Reds and the Wallabies, players that could have warranted selection and been better propositions than Petaia.
And you never know he may thrive in League with the less complicated game plan. He is big enough and fast enough, but his error rate is far too high for my liking, Many more rocks than diamonds. If he did shift to the Dragons, Lomax could play inside him and feed him good ball and also mentor him, a win win for the Dragons

NRL News: Dally M voting blunders strike again with Hammer polling despite shocker, Dragons target Wallabies star

I thought overall it was a good tough win. The hit on Lynagh should have been a yellow card in today’s interpretation of the rules. However in past days it would have been a penalty only as Okeefe ordained. I’m still unconvinced that Vunivalu is up to this standard he played OK but did make some errors and missed a tackle or two. I wonder at the propensity to keep playing him while perhaps there are others that might be better, sitting on the sideline. But the money they shelled out for him has to be repayed I suppose. Therein lies the problem with buying League players. They can be great and draw a crowd like big Wendell and Matt Rodgers etc and to a degree Loti. But it seems those days are over with leagies drawing a crowd. Sualali (spelling incorrect) will be playing next year and there will be some excitement for a while. However if he doesn’t gel he may be another Vunivalu. The 400 person crowd to see the match in Hamilton was a disgrace. This proves that there is diabolical problems with the admin of Rugby. I have now advocated for a while for a domestic comp instead of Super Rugby. And if you can only get 400 people to watch a match live at Super rugby level I’m sure that a domestic comp would be so much better than that and far less expensive to run. And with the monetary problems that RA have at the moment, IMO it would be a quality fiscally intelligent move for all. Naturally there would be teething problems but I don’t really see RA trading out of the enormous debt that they have built up over the last few years and also with the pending court case that is coming up via the Rebels, this could also build on that debt. The states will also try and get what they are owed so compounding the problem. IMO we are way over our heads in debt and even with a WC looming I do not see us trading out of it. All the while the clubs are battling on as they always have done with very little or no assistance form the big end of town. I also pity the women. they are a vital part of rugby in Australia and are being treated like second class citizens.

'Over the moon': Reds deny Chiefs for 23 PHASES to win 'titanic' trans-Tasman clash as Kiss' revolution continues

Hog your comments are spot on I have been advocating for this to happen for a long time now. Super Rugby is shot, stadiums are like wide open spaces there are no crowds there are no supporters to speak of Suncorp in Brisbane is pathetic the stadium can carry 55 thousand and a super game is lucky to draw 12 to 14 thousand. Like the recent Reds V Waratahs game.
As you say a national domestic competition is the way to go with PE included and free to air TV
And horror that we might copy the league competition that just might succeed. This should have been done when we went Pro in 93, But the boffins that controlled Rugby in those day had the view that they were above all that. A great success story (I don’t think).

ANALYSIS: The Rebels aren't going down without a fight - and they might drag Rugby Australia down with them

This is an obvious appointment, Fisher is a profoundly good forward coach and ruck coach and is very good with defence that goes hand in hand with the other two categories. He will be an assert to the team. I have never thought of him as a overall main coach but as an assistant he has no peer. I also think that he should be appointed to a coaching forum to set up a pathway for aspiring coaches to progress, somewhat like a Dick Marks type of strategy.

Exclusive: Schmidt set to bring 'Lord' back to the Wallabies as first key appointment

It amazes me that the media would go to Mitchell to comment on this. It only adds to the beat up. Mitchell himself is no saint cast your mind back to Covid days etc. Mitchel, is lauded as a great player, IMO he could be so much better if he wasn’t so lazy, I watched a game recently that he played Fullback and when the tough stuff was on when you had to run the ball out from your line. In the whole match he achieved two of these runs where most fullbacks of any that are worth their salt put their hands up to do this on multiple occasions, to give their forwards a break. Most of the time Mitchell is on the end of really good play by the blokes inside him to score a try and then he plays it up as though he is the man. I get a bit tired of this, and the Media give him air. Whether or not Leniu is guilty should be determined by the judiciary not by the media and Mitchell. Mam made the complaint, what makes this so silly is that both are coloured men. If both of them take racism seriously surely they would be mad to voice this sort of stuff. I’m a bit over this racism stuff anyway. I once had a teacher call my son out for referring to his best mate, as his black mate at school (he was born a New Guinea) My sons best mate said but I am black that’s the colour of my skin. I do think we have gone way over the top at times. I have various mates that are coloured and racism never comes up at any time. It is treating all as equals that is the key

'NRL better deal with this s--t', says Latrell: Mam accuses Leniu of 'monkey' racial slur as Roosters outmuscle Broncos

I agree, a draw is the best result for any hard tough game that both sides would appreciate. You need to be rewarded for all that effort. 2 points for each side is a much better reward. On the subject of Rugby being professional. Many years ago when we went pro, you would have thought that the Rugby heads of state would have looked around to see who was successful in running pro sport. That would have revealed that League, AFL and Soccer were to a degree very successful at running a professional competition. IMO the best course of action would have been to replicate Rugby League, Not as a game but as a competition. League is very successful in running a comp that encompasses various states and territories. They have a multi team comp that entertains the crowds. They initiated SOO. Well when you look at Rugby we already had SOO it was when the Qld played NSW and we had an additional series Qld Country played NSW country. All this was in place so why did we go for the Super model. In my opinion the Rugby boffins thought that they were above those League’s and that “we would show them” and then we had the “from the top down the money would flow” it did not. Now we are left with a comp that barely has a crowd to a super game, Stadiums are like wide open spaces. there is no tribal following and the whole top of the game is going broke. Grass roots are thriving, no thanks to the top tier though. So in hindsight it would have been better to have started with perhaps an 8 or ten club competition and built on that all those years ago. As I think that this is what is being contemplated by Waugh presently. I think it could work. Together with private enterprise and free TV etc. I mean when we were amateur we didn’t have super rugby we had club rugby and aforementioned two interstate games were the basis for selection for the wallabies and we were rated in the top 3 in the world, What are we rated now, a second tier nation, not even good enough to be in the first tier. Mistakes were made in the first inception and this is what Waugh etc is struggling with now. To try and unravel the disaster that Super Rugby is today and create a competition that will bring the crowds back to watch Rugby and save the game that’s played in heaven.

'Let's see what the worst thing about rugby league is and do that': Loathsome blight union never needed

After watching the game I have to agree with much of what you are espousing Harry. I used to think that Hannigan was a bit of a girl when he first came on the scene but watching him recently he seems to have turned the corner and matured into a fine player. Hollaway has always been good and he is the equivalent of a couple of players that are at that level for Aus. I have watched Edmed for a couple of years now and I’m impressed he has matured into a very good flyhalf and has outscoped the others who were vying for this position. I’d be happy for him to be selected. I think the others, Gordon, Lolesio, Donaldson have not progressed like Edmed has. I’m waiting to see what the Reds man, Lynagh, produces during the season to see if he may challenge.

Jed, Ned and Tane Edmed: The direction Joe Schmidt should head to put Eddie era to bed

Edmed controlled the game and kicked well, his calmness under pressure was good to see. The best part of the win was that the Tahs controlled the ruck and matched the Saders up front. Wilson played well as did a few others. It was a good all round performance totally different to previous week

'No one backed us': $8 outsiders Waratahs upset Crusaders AGAIN as Edmed steps up to deliver famous win

After reading a few lines I thought it was me writing this dissertation, his words are a mirror of my philosophy. A well written article that speaks volumes of what it is to be a career coach. I too feel for Coleman he is on a slippery slope. At times we are too rapid in deciding to ditch a coach. Rebuilding sides take time, even when the previous coach commenced the operation and got sacked it still takes time. You cannot pull a rabbit out of the hat. And I’m against the premise of buying in players from outside. My philosophy is to build from within and then you have longevity. And Penny is right if you have your people working behind the scenes and worthy talent being nurtured, that is the way to go.

'They haven't learned anything': Crusaders' Penney opens on Tahs - and why he 'feels really sorry' for Coleman

And if we (ARU) are smart (I say this with little belief) they would emulate a Japanese model of rugby for Australia to instigate and follow, instead of the now Wallowing Super Model. I have posted on numerous times that a domestic competition needs to be invented backed with Private enterprise and either 12 to 16 teams from around Aus to battle out over a decent season with finals etc. Something like league has, and then you get tribalism that doesn’t occur with Super Rugby. By all means have your B cup at the end the season and intersperse the season with test matches. League do it with SOO so why cant it be done with tests.

'Ready to go': Jaguares set for early return to Super Rugby if Rebels fall over

Fisher has been a great contributor to rugby in Australia over a long period of time. IMO I would like to see him as a mentor of coaches, heading up a department that nurtures coaches. I consider him a very good coach that could impart lots of knowledge and incite to aspiring coaches. In saying all this I think it is time to move to young new coaches for the super sides and the wallabies, we need to move on and give younger coaches a chance to coach. I cite one Phil Mooney who’s pathway was through schools and then on to under 20 Wallaby coach then onto the Reds where he was very successful and if the QRU had a bit more belief in him he would have been even more successful, looking at the bones of the side that he built. I believe in giving people a chance, you never know what can be achieved if you don’t give people a chanced to have a go. The focus that ARU has is that we need old experienced coaches to direct us around the park. ie Jones etc. If you are stalled in that era you will get the same result. I especially liked Link after he used the bones of the side left by Mooney and turned them into a winning concept. And Link was not that old at the time either. Fisher is wealth of knowledge that should be utilised by RA to mentor young coaches, however I don’t see him as a coach of the Wallabies in the future

'Laurie brings that': Why 'there's no one better' to help Joe Schmidt restore key trait to Wallabies

It is amazing how people can stuff up a simple situation and make the wrong decision. You would have thought that the people involved would have had more brains. That seems to be the blight that tracks Rugby throughout time. RA is populated by old Rugby blokes that have this view that they are better than the ordinary person. And as we now have seen most of the time they have made decisions that an ordinary person would not have done. We only have to look at recent times, the hiring of Jones (even in my opinion) was flawed from the start, he failed with England and then we go and hire him to be a success with the wallabies. Then the gigantic overspend at the WC. The list goes on. From the time we went professional it has been catastrophic, the mistakes made are laughable. If this was a private company they would have gone to the wall years ago. However I’m waiting to see what Waugh will do to try and fix this Fiasco. I am willing to give him some latitude but time is running out. The tide has turned with Super Rugby. Just have a look at the stadium for the Reds V Tahs match. This used to be the pinnacle of rugby each year. A look around the stadium on Saturday and you could sit anywhere there was that much space to choose from. In a stadium that sits 50 thousand easily, the crowd was pitiful, lucky to 10 to 12 thousand there, a sign that super rugby is dead and dying.

'He screwed our state': The act that still angers Twiggy Forrest and why he's not ready to jump back in

Hi TOG I actually have to disagree with your statement. people that are close to me coached at Uni while Heenan was there and said exactly what I espoused, that’s why I wrote this, I would never write something fictitious. I always check my facts

'Our system is failing': The 'crisis' sinking Australian rugby - and the 'crucified' coach that shows it

He makes so much sense it must be embarrassing for the heads at RA to read this. I have written about this before and agree with all that he has said. Super Rugby is dead, or shall I say it is dead with the current way that it is played. The season of top rugby is so short that it is insignificant for most of us who would want to watch each weekend. Better to have a national comp up and running of our top club teams from each state fighting it out over a complete season lasting from March to September. 16 team comp. 6 from Qld 6 from NSW 2 from Vic and 2 from WA. With private enterprise supporting clubs and free to air TV coupled with Stan. You can always have a play off at the end of the year Aus V NZ

'Destroyed the soul of rugby': Ex-NZR boss delivers damning verdict of Super direction - and his plan to fix it

Hi JD Sacking Dick was the greatest injustice every done in Rugby Australia Dick is a friend and a very intelligent person who doesn’t suffer fools easily. And probably that was his problem. I don’t need to say any more

'Our system is failing': The 'crisis' sinking Australian rugby - and the 'crucified' coach that shows it

Hi Don IMO Heenan was not a great coach even at club level He had a good UNI team of players that he coached at the time and that was the difference. I was quite happy that he did not get the nod at the Reds. He was not a wholeistic coach and only concentrated on the premier side. Good Prem Coaches are inclusive of their under coaches and nurture them. Keenan was not that type of person. The Best coach that I had anything to do with was back a ways and that was Roy Prosser who coached Wests to their inaugural grand final in 1977. Roy was the complete coach, inclusive of the coaches that coached 2nd 3rd and 4th grade. He worked to have everyone on the same page so that if a player was injured in the top grade he was replaced with like, from the grade below and they were conversant with all that was being coached at Prem level and so forth down the line. That’s what you call coaches being mentored and all on the same page. This is what we should aspire to

'Our system is failing': The 'crisis' sinking Australian rugby - and the 'crucified' coach that shows it

I think this appointment is a positive for Womens Rugby. They need an experience Woman to be coaching them, not a bloke. I enjoy watching the women play when they are performing properly as a rugby player. The disappointment I saw when watching a trial Reds V the Tahs the other day at Roma was awful. watching the Reds I had the impression that they just didn’t want to touch the ground, they threw silly passes as they were being tackled, instead of going to ground and setting a ruck. It looked like they were frightened to get on the ground. Women’s rugby is entertaining a great to watch when they play it as it should be played. The Reds need to lift their game to another level. They were great a couple of years ago but not today.

The Wallaroos' new coach is a trailblazer in Australian sport - but she doesn't want to be known as that

Hi Tom your comment is spot on. I have commented before that we need to ditch Super rugby and develop a national comp. ie say 6 teams from qld and 6 from NSW with two from Vic and 2 from WA that makes a 16 team comp. If league can sustain a comp like this why cannot Rugby, together with Stan backing and sponsorship from private enterprise to back clubs, I’m sure that this is achievable. It is amazing to me that when we went pro in the 90s, why did we not look at what league does and copy that. Instead RA thought that they were above league and decided to do their own thing and it never ever worked out. P.S. I hope this comment gets published my last one got culled, for no reason. Or no reason was given.

Poaching NZ coaches won't solve the Wallabies' woes - the real solution is a lot less sexy

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