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Scotty, oh, how right you are IMO. The June Tests should have been used for just these types of 'high yielding experiments'. Either via run-on, or via good time off the bench (perhaps mostly the latter). The Tris are the events to put the best discoveries from these experiments to work, and can...

Thanks Ash, your usual good insights and ideas. It's been blindingly obvious has it not for 5+ years that Oz rugby had to do far more with deep forwards development, in all of numbers, skills, 'mongrel', etc. But far too little has been done pro-actively, we've kind of just hoped that something...

Ash, I assume you will also be sending this advice re 'restrained enthusiasm' down south to the Tahs posters here....btw, did you hear JP's rather catty aside about the Reds/QLD on the last Rugby Club?

Frankly, for many of us Reddies, the other more recent re-motivating factor is to compare this year's Reds with this year's debacle-a-minute, dispirited Wallabies. No one is saying (yet ;-) ), the Reds are better, but the contrast in many respects could not be greater.

As you imply Langthorne, we'd all be much more comfortable if selection was the only issue we all had to worry over. It would be terrific if we could trust that a good team culture, tough, winning mindset etc was assured to be on the park for 80, and that game plans were coherent and...

Let us recall too that in these June internationals, virtually the only distinguished elements of any of the 6 games (that lasted more than a lone burst of 5 minutes) were: back line play Perth, defence Perth. I know I may be condemned in some quarters for saying this, but I think that given...

As you said naza, wasn't it pretty poor when he came out in Rugbyheaven a week or so ago and said something like '...we may have been taking selection for granted...will now try harder...'. To your good point re many of the new boys in the recent Wallabies that seem to feel it's some sort of...

Ash, hard, very hard, to disagree with you. In fact the most productive _realistic_ positive goal now maybe for a real breakthrough for the Oz S15 teams next year, leveraging the new format to the hilt. Say, 4 S15 teams in the final 6, and 2 in the final 4 (is that possible in the new format...

I guess one of the serious points here is that, for QC (Quade Cooper) in the Wallabies, you need to choose a clean strategy for the back line: Either (a) give QC (Quade Cooper) the complete package of back line players that have developed instinctive running and co-operation patterns that work with him OR (b) use a new...

All fair points HG....but note your post's dependence on 'continue the winning form', that's the crucial bit. Good winning form, season in, season out. I guess I am concerned about the implied downside in this scenario - if we make the type of mistakes and game stuff-ups that really hit the...

Daz, I think the long-suffering fans will surely remember them. At Suncorp vs Ireland, fully 20% or more of the fans around me got up and left 15-20 mins before the end of the game and almost all were volunteering statements like 'crap game, thought Walls would be better than Reds', 'what a joke...

Scarfman, and Catchpole: both excellent posts that lead the way in making public sports e-fora positive and code-aiding places to be....and I speak as the father of a young rugby-playing son. (Btw, Scarfman, IMO some of your 'guidance' could well be applied to the 'non-schoolboy' fora as...

Naza: If the above is an unusual attempt at humour you need to make that clear. I am assuming it is not. On behalf of Ben Daley, I take great exception to the near-defamatory, vicious, unnecessarily abusive manner in which you have attacked this young player. Whatever your views on Daley - you...

Hahaha....mate, give us time, give us time.

That may well be the case daz, as you state it. What I would contend, with the currently thin, elite player base we have in Oz, is that such a dislocated model where the S14 development programs are largely detached for 6 months + from key programs to build real Wallaby depth, is not the best...

LB, thanks. Points re dominance of TV in this economic scenario are v well made. The other point to throw in here is that IMO the recent arrival (in most homes now) of large screen, HD plasmas with HD rugby broadcasts (and with 3D to come) may well materially affect the motivation of many to go...

Gagger: Responding to the above by number (added in by me). 1. Scroll bar down your best weapon there. I try hard to write thoughtful posts that one or two readers might find of interest. Sometimes fermenting ideas (or getting down to one's core thoughts on a biggish topic) just cannot be done...

And then scoring say a 40+ metre try single handed! Love to see that dash and not being caught, eh? The beauty of a Davies or (not grouping them as to class) Habana.

There can be little more devastating for a parent than accidentally seriously injuring one's own child. It's positive to see all the compassion on GAGR today.