Roar Rookie
Joined April 2021
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A Rugby Union and Ice Hockey tragic from Sydney. I also follow the MotoGP and a little cricket.
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After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the Australian Ice Hockey League makes a triumphant return in 2022. The 2022 season will see…
The questions are always around whether we have 3 teams or whether we have 5. The number of players plying their trade overseas simply increases or decreases so our depth is always just as shallow. That’s why IMHO reducing teams won’t help. It just means fewer players will remain on our shores. More prospects will head overseas when they can’t cut the existing (now reduced) SR squads.
The lower level competitions just don’t cut it, they’re not enough for such players to stick around. We need something mid-tier between SR and club if we want any hope of keeping more prospects here & develop more depth. Reducing the SR clubs simply reduces the options.
Pressure Points: Kevin's conundrum as 2024 threatens clash of culture vs clash of results at the Rebels
Back in 2022 when The Oracle (as I know refer to the guy) called Eddie Jones a traitor, after Eddie yelled at him to get back here, I strongly suspect away from budding microphones Eddie must have said something along the lines of “I’ll show you a what a traitor is!”. And he sure did.
Fan Rant: The ONE positive from Eddie Jones' lies - and how it could help Aussie rugby rise from the ashes
Donno mainly needs to rediscover his form from 21 and 22. He showed no signs of it at all in 23 and the Tahs just couldn’t get it out of him. Other than one match, Eddie failed in that venture too.
Hopefully the Force can find a way to bring out his best again and find how to keep him at that level. If they can, he’ll be fantastic for them. If they can’t, well, the Force have other options in 10.
'A really even battle': Tahs' No.10 jersey wide open after Donno's departure, Jorgo on track for Super start
If Harrison can return he’s my pick for 10. In 20 and 21 he was the pick of the 10’s, but became predictable largely due to always behind a beaten forward pack which significantly reduced his options. Donaldson showed spark in attacking the line in ways he hasn’t done for quite a while, but a healthy Harrison IMHO is better. He’s much more creative & skilled in his options. Has much better heads-up play.
He’s also the best goal kicker bar none, when he goes through his process.
His main flaws are the length of his clearing kicks (there isn’t much if any length there), and he’s never had much success when holding the ball and attacking the line himself.
'A really even battle': Tahs' No.10 jersey wide open after Donno's departure, Jorgo on track for Super start
By that definition not a single player ever is lost when they move on to other pastures or other locations to play.
Exclusive: Rising Wallabies hardman set to leave Australian rugby in warning sign for RA
Showing some more discipline? Showing some discipline. Right now he’s too big a card threat and especially that 30-seconds-in infringement on a Brumbies player earlier this SRP season, has shown he isn’t learning nor working on it.
Hopefully they get him to work on it in Europe. And IF they do, hopefully we don’t then lose him as we did Dempsey.
Exclusive: Rising Wallabies hardman set to leave Australian rugby in warning sign for RA
But on a serious note, I am actually VERY in support of what the OP is saying here. Year on year on social media I’m saying I’d love it if NSW would hold one or two regional matches each season. And I’m talking in-season matches, not pre-season.
I’ll be taking OP’s lead here and making a concerted effort to refer to them as NSW going forward rather than “the Waratahs” or “the Tahs” as I have done historically.
I’m a nobody though. And I’m just one person. But so is every other NSW fan, and if all of us “just one person”‘s do the same, it’ll be a massive change.
It’s time to re-emphasise the ‘NSW’ in the NSW Waratahs
What’s wrong with the Eastern Suburbs Waratahs?
It’s time to re-emphasise the ‘NSW’ in the NSW Waratahs
“Threats thinly disguised as headlines from McLennan – “Spear me and there will be a world of pain” – are not the way to go about this.” – comments along those lines just makes it sound to me like Hamish is doing some level of funny accounting tricks and a lot of bluffing going on at RA, and they’re currently going through a “fake it until you make it” style thing with the organisation. In a very dire situation of their own causing and only digging deeper, hoping they’ll miraculously get out of it on top if they keep digging down.
Sound familiar? It’s almost exactly like the tricks Eddie tried for the RWC that gave us our first pre-finals exit.
The Wrap: What will the Wallabies' external season review reveal that we don’t already know?
I fail to see what was “controversial” about that call. Watching it live it seemed pretty straight forward to me. These kiwi’s need to stop throwing their toys out of the cot. It’s not becoming of them.
Rugby News: Ex-Wallaby follows in late dad's footsteps with Tonga call up, refs' boss backs Berry in Ardie dispute
#InRennieEddieWeTrust
'Major coup': Rennie axed with Eddie Jones returning as Wallabies coach on mammoth deal for two Cups
I’d definitely like to see the clock automatically stopped the moment a scrum is called, and only re-started once the ref calls “set”. I don’t mind the forwards using it to get a breather in, what gets me is them running down the clock.
As far as the time it takes for a game to play, these numbers are quite similar to what I see in my other favourite sport – ice hockey. In ice hockey they stop the clock when ever there’s a stop in play. Clock management is done by the score / time keepers on the sideline, not by the ref. The game takes 60 minutes of game time from start to finish, 3 by 20 minute periods. Each 20 minute period generally takes 35-40 minutes of real world time to play when it comes to NHL matches.
If we were to do similar things in rugby, going by the numbers above the game would take twice as long to play which would make it too long for most fans and wear the players out too much. So while I don’t think rugby should go so far as for every penalty stopping the clock as ice hockey does, doing so for things like scrums would definitely be good.
Can anyone find rugby's lost minutes?
Half the Wallabies & Wallaroos matches in Sydney. That’ll sure set off the people who like to whine about RA being too Sydney-centric.
I’m going to love it though. Just don’t ask my wallet it’s thoughts.
Wallabies, Wallaroos fixtures CONFIRMED as Schmidt eyes 'fantastic turnaround challenge' against RWC rivals