Spamnoodle
Alfred Walker (16)
I never made a cheap shot, just pointed out the flaws in your thinking.
Anyway, if you want to just throw pot shot one liners and expect no return you can meet Mr ignore button.
Queensland Reds 2026
- Thread starter Adam84
- Start date
I never made a cheap shot, just pointed out the flaws in your thinking.
Anyway, if you want to just throw pot shot one liners and expect no return you can meet Mr ignore button.
Nuggetyflyhalf
Allen Oxlade (6)
This forum is about the Reds. Let’s move on.
Spamnoodle
Alfred Walker (16)
I think most people would be happy if you did....
Sword of Justice
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
I wonder what Marce is up to these days.
Tomthumb
Ken Catchpole (46)
Honest question, what would you tweak?
PM'd me too, "apparently need to play the ball not the man"?
I just genuinely want to know how the reds are playing worse or going worse when we ended up at the QF with a larger injury toll?
The Reds only get 1 useful bye (Rd 10) this season. I reckon that hurt a bit. The 1st round bye is such a waste. I'm not suggesting this led to where our season ended up:
Crusaders had Rd 3 and Rd 12
Chiefs had Rd 7 and Rd 14
Brumbs had Rd 8 and Rd 15
Blues had Rd 7 and Rd 15
Crusaders had Rd 3 and Rd 12
Chiefs had Rd 7 and Rd 14
Brumbs had Rd 8 and Rd 15
Blues had Rd 7 and Rd 15
Strewthcobber
Michael Lynagh (62)
In a desperate attempt to get this thread back on track, I'll have a crack at this
The loss to Drua away was clearly a turning point, and probably meant they'd finish outside the top three.
I get all the arguments around resting players, tough travel etc, and managing young player's workload, but I reckon the writing was on the wall when Kiss put Lynagh on the bench for that away trip.
There aren't any easy games in Super Rugby, and the tweak I think they would be looking at is getting the best team on the park as often as they can
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PhilClinton
Paul McLean (56)
I think the biggest overall tweak I'd make to the Reds squad overall would be finding a journeyman flyhalf/second player maker who would happily sit on the bench. Going into the season I didn't think we would miss JOC (James O'Connor) so much but seeing his steady form for the Crusaders and our lack of consistency was a huge hole he could have filled.
HMP hasn't come on as well yet, maybe a bit of the classic second year syndrome similar to what Junkyard dog had. Hard to say whether Kiss deliberately dealt HMP the shit hands with the away games but I'm fairly sure at least a few of them were due to Lynagh injury.
Particularly with Lynagh being a concussion liability now and HMP still being quite raw, I think having a safe set of hands who we know can do the basics right at the back end of games would really benefit the team.
HMP hasn't come on as well yet, maybe a bit of the classic second year syndrome similar to what Junkyard dog had. Hard to say whether Kiss deliberately dealt HMP the shit hands with the away games but I'm fairly sure at least a few of them were due to Lynagh injury.
Particularly with Lynagh being a concussion liability now and HMP still being quite raw, I think having a safe set of hands who we know can do the basics right at the back end of games would really benefit the team.
Tomthumb
Ken Catchpole (46)
Yeah, I can understand that, but they had winnable games vs the Brumbies and Hurricanes after that and blew them both. I understand the injuries etc., but the constant theme seems to be they seem to lose their way at the back end of seasons
To be honest, regardless of who's on the field I don't think they have a chance to win anyone playing the way they have in the last two QF losses. Underdog on the road on a freezing night, they play way too loose for that scenario. They did the same last year too so I wonder if that's just the only way they can play and you aren't going to beat really good teams teams in finals footy playing like that
Blues vs Chiefs is a prime example. They aren't better than the Chiefs and they knew that. They just didn't beat themselves, forced the Chiefs to play the rugby and stay in the arm wrestle. Not every game needs to look beautiful
I think this is a key point that needs to be taken into consideration with more teams than just the Reds.
Now that it's a six team finals series it's hard to break in there for the teams outside that.
For the Reds, moving up to the top 3 to get a home final is difficult. You've got to displace some very good teams ahead of you.
Offseason recruitment only goes so far. Teams are working with finite resources to recruit from a fairly limited pool of good players. There are loads of journeymen out there but only in very rare circumstances do any of them really move the needle.
For most teams it needs to be about identifying and nurturing young talent (and probably most importantly, having talent with a high enough ceiling coming through). Players who will exceed their contract cost and make an impact on matchday far outside of what you are paying them to contribute.
Strewthcobber
Michael Lynagh (62)
If we want to talk long term culture, I think I'm right in saying the Reds haven't ever won a final away from home since professionalism (Mind you, they wouldn't be alone there!).
It's really hard to win a final away from home, especially in NZ, so they need to either get good enough through the regular season to qualify top 3, which means winning almost all home games and not dropping away games by resting players, which the Reds have managed a few times through the years, or, by breaking a nearly 30 year streak and win away finals.
It's really hard to win a final away from home, especially in NZ, so they need to either get good enough through the regular season to qualify top 3, which means winning almost all home games and not dropping away games by resting players, which the Reds have managed a few times through the years, or, by breaking a nearly 30 year streak and win away finals.
It's similar to the AFL where there is a fair bit of travel and you really need to finish top 2 (if you're an interstate teams).
If the Brumbs don't win this weekend they should come under the same amount of heat as the Reds.
Solid roster, Same coaching and pretty manageable injury list. If so, I'm sure we'll find the same criticism from @Tomthumb in the Brumbies thread.
If the Brumbs don't win this weekend they should come under the same amount of heat as the Reds.
Solid roster, Same coaching and pretty manageable injury list. If so, I'm sure we'll find the same criticism from @Tomthumb in the Brumbies thread.
Wilson
John Eales (66)
Hopefully the resting should somewhat solve itself next year - RA went pretty heavy on enforced rest to start because of the Lions series, but looked to back down on the policy to some degree around the middle of the season. With no Lions series next year, an All Blacks tour of South Africa potentially softening the calendar further, and no extra squad allowances from the end of the Rebels it'll be hard for them to justify a resting policy anywhere near as strict as this years.
Spamnoodle
Alfred Walker (16)
Nuggets ears.
A couple of bigger bodied backs and the ability to stay switched on for 80 minutes. Drua away game hurt them no end.
Do what 2010\11 Reds did and knock hoodoos on the head like whackamoles.
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Tomthumb
Ken Catchpole (46)
Losing in a semi final is not the same as losing in a Quarter Final, but it's more the manner of the loss that I will always criticize. If the Brumbies fold like a cheap suit without a plan you best believe I'll call them out for it
You guys seem to take criticism of the Reds as a personal affront. They are a professional team with really talented players and an international coach that underperformed their own expectations. It's ok to demand more and still be a fan
Ignoto
John Hipwell (52)
We had three players of the senior squad this season who never played a single game of Super Rugby this year; Gibbs, Gordon and Henry.
Gibbs and Henry's lack of presence hurt the Reds when we had forced rotation and dealing with the usual injuries.
I'm not saying having those three would have changed anything but having three extra fit players in areas we struggled this year would have gone a long way to helping the Reds not fall away at the tail end of the season.
JRugby2
Phil Hardcastle (33)
Wins and Losses column
JRugby2
Phil Hardcastle (33)
I think it's harsh to squarely blame the coaching staff for our season in which we couldn't run out a first choice XV in almost every round, and it wasn't just the number of injuries but also who was injured too. That's not to completely distract from our failings but it had a massive impact.
Biggest thing I'd tweak is the size of our team. We got bullied too much at the scrum and collision this year which meant we had no option but to spread the ball and pray for a line break. Some size would help for sure.
Biggest thing I'd tweak is the size of our team. We got bullied too much at the scrum and collision this year which meant we had no option but to spread the ball and pray for a line break. Some size would help for sure.
Wilson
John Eales (66)
Five - Matt Gibbon and Will McCulloch didn't play either.