Brumbies 2009

[Lee Grant]

Please add to this:

These are Brumbies changes that I remember:

Gains:
2 Stephen Moore (Reds)
4/5 Sitaleki Timani (WFO)
4/5 Ben Hand (ex Tahs)
W Alfi Mafi (Tahs)

Losses:
2 Saia Fainga'a (Reds)
12 Anthony Fainga'a (Reds)
W Peter Playford (Japan?)
L/BR AWH (Japan)
8 Jone Tawake (Japan)
15 Julian Huxley (retired)

 

[Spook]

Gains:

4/5/6 Shawn Mackay (ex Tahs/League/Sevens)

Head Coach - Andy Friend
Scrum Coach - Bill Young
Defence & Skills Coach - Tony Rea

Losses:

Laurie Fisher
Nick Scrivener
Matt O'Connor

 

[Lee Grant]

I forgot Mackay. We always though that he would miss out on selection in a S14 squad but I reckon that the ELVs have given him a glimmer of hope.

 

[Sully]

I have only seen him play sevens. How does he go at real Rugby

 

[Lee Grant]

He was reasonable player for Randwick without being a standout, and quite good in breakout situations as you can imagine. He's been playing up in Brisbane this year; so I don't know how his form is.

I can't see him getting a lot of game time with the Brumbies but in an ELV regime you never know.

 

[spectator]

Sitaleki Timani - that's the giant I saw playing for the BaaBaa's a few weeks ago. I think Turbs made mention of him a few months ago.

Watch for him next year.

 

[RugbyReg]

how long has MAckay signed for? I missed that.

 

[the gambler]

I dont like being so negative (unless it is about SHarpe) and someone can save this for the shame thread but if Shaun McKay starts a game for the brumbies then I will.... well I dont know what I'll do but I will be very very surprised. Even with the lack of Tall Timber in Australia I cant see how he is super 14 standard, ELVs or no ELVs.

 

[Mainlander]

I dont like being so negative (unless it is about SHarpe) and someone can save this for the shame thread but if Shaun McKay starts a game for the brumbies then I will.... well I dont know what I'll do but I will be very very surprised. Even with the lack of Tall Timber in Australia I cant see how he is super 14 standard, ELVs or no ELVs.

I smell a "Kirwin" "I will be an All Black before Scott Hamilton" quote coming up.

 

[Lee Grant]

Sitaleki Timani - that's the giant I saw playing for the BaaBaa's a few weeks ago. I think Turbs made mention of him a few months ago.

Watch for him next year.

Is now playing for the Rats. Came off the bench on Saturday and lasted 3 minutes. Out for 3 weeks.

how long has MAckay signed for? I missed that.

1 year (rookie contract).

Even with the lack of Tall Timber in Australia I cant see how he is super 14 standard, ELVs or no ELVs.

I can see him coming of the bench and playing a lineout 6 role. He's much the same dimensions as Sam Wykes, who started in the 2nd row with the Force this year now and then, so he could get a gig there too late in the game.

Most, though not all, of the guys who are signed up at this time of the year are fringe players and Mackay is one of those but with a few injuries, who knows?

 

[Lee Grant]

As we were surmising on the Waratahs tour to Fiji thread, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported today that LHP Jerry Yanuyanutawa and hooker Nathan Charles, both from the Sydney University club, have been signed up by the Brumbies. As is common, we punters were not advised about the category of the contract nor the length of it.

The Brumbies were mentioned as the likely poachers in that other thread but this is the first official notification that I know of.

For those who don't know: Jerry Y was chosen in the Oz A squad, though mysteriously never played in a game, and Nathan Charles was one of the Oz U/20 rakes in the IRB tournament a few months back.

Jerry was always good enough to be considered by one of the Oz S14 teams but the Tahs already have two Wallaby LHPs in Benn Robinson and Sepoku Kepu and Dunning can play there also. Likewise Nathan Charles was good enough to get an apprenticeship somewhere. He may have got a professional spot as the Tahs no. 3 rake but Hickey has preferred Kirkpatrick - or, who knows, Charles preferrred the Brumbies.

But they both have so many people in front of them in Canberra it is unlikely that we will see them on the park next year unless there are a couple of injuries in each spot.

They probably have the equivalent of an professional Academy contract and though that doesn't sound like the keys to the rugby kingdom they will get a lot of physical conditioning and technical expertise. If they are good enough we will hear a lot more about them in a couple of years time.

I wonder if the Force approached these two guys? They probably were closer to getting some game time next year out west.

 

[Spook]

One hopes that Alexander removes Henderson from the team and either Shep pulls his finger out or Ma'afu steps up.

Sitaleki Timani will be interesting. Campbell and Chisolm will be watching over the shoulder for Timani and Kimlin...particularly Al.

 

[fatprop]

Does Sitaleki Timani play like a lock or a back?

 

[Lee Grant]

Spook

Though I know bugger all about the merits of props, Henderson and Shepherdson have disappointed me greatly in the last Super14 season or two.

My neat theory about them when they came on board for the Brumbies, about the same time IIRR, was that they should have been at their technical and strength peak about this time. Yet we hardly ever think of them these days as being Wallaby candidates.

It was difficult to assess Alexander's prowess in S14 scrums this year because he had his noggin in so few of them but one hopes that he can make the step up and become a Brumbies starter. The scrums for the Rams in the ARC last year seemed to be pretty good (until the semi-final IIRR); so he could be a good 'un.

He played little rugby for Norths this year that I can remember; so that doesn't help to judge him either, but I note that coach Mumm had him playing THP for a couple of games.

Jerry Y is a similar player to Alexander but the Uni scrum is pretty well credentialled; so he probably knows what he is doing.

I hope that these are not another couple of neat LG scrum theories that don't work out.


fatprop

Both - and before you shake your head and think we don't need another Giant Seagull in Oz rugby, I saw him play in an Elimination Final for the Rats a few weeks ago and he wasn't shirking his duties in the tight stuff.

He was the MOTM in my eyes, in a losing team, and though his line breaks and setting them up were naturally more noticeable, his lineout and contact work couldn't be faulted.

Although this was only a club match it was a crunch club game, which augurs well. Chisholm playing for the opposing Randwick team did not compare to him. Apparently he had a blinder against Manly the week before also.

He looked like a more powerful version of a 2004 Radike Samo. If he can bring that game to the Brumbies in the Super14 for a couple of years, things could be looking up for us nationally.

Or it could be another neat LG theory.

 

[fatprop]

Lee

It may be my cynicism as to the Brumbie philosophy, but with Kimlin and Chislom probably being the starters, any game time he gets will be more focused on tackle breaking, running and big tackles than being a lock

 

[Lee Grant]

Could be, and could be also that a couple of injuries here and there could see players like Timani get a chance to shine.

Kimlin is a sure starter for the Brumbies next year if for no other reason (which there is) that there's not that many 2nd rowers left in the ACT.

Campbell's name is no longer on the Brumbies site. His departure was rumoured before, but I notice that Richard Stanford's monicker is not there either. AWH, a club lock, has gone to Japan as we all knew.

It may not be the case that Campbell and Stanford won't be playing for the Brumbies just because their names aren't listed - but anybody know about Stanford's movements?

Will Timani and perhaps Chapman be the only reserve 2nd rowers available?

Timani may be getting a bit more S14 time next year than we all thought.

 

[Biffo]

Be prepared for a change. Andy Friend's ideas on forward play are almost opposite those of his two immediate predecessors at the Brumbies.

 

[Pfitzy]

Here's hoping (for all our sakes) that Andy Friend puts the emphasis back into the Brumbies set piece. They were supposed to do that last two seasons and sort of got there in a few games

 

[Lee Grant]

Lee

It may be my cynicism as to the Brumbie philosophy, but with Kimlin and Chislom probably being the starters, any game time he gets will be more focused on tackle breaking, running and big tackles than being a lock

I didn't really respond to this right - to your point that the Brumbies won't drum into Tamani the virtues of hard, tight play over running play.

Let's hope that NTA is right. There were too many games (and the Chiefs game comes to mind in particular) when there wasn't enough grunt and every Brumby forward seemed to be looking at each other to do the work.

A change of coach may be just the ticket that the Brumbies need.

 

[Lindommer]

Isn't Campbell returning to the Tahs next year?