What do you mean though? Vast majority of the Brumbies do seem to stay local? They also only do it when the Brumbies aren't training/season done. I didn't see any of the Brumbies contracted FT squad in the Shute Shield during the Super season. Could be wrong about that though.How does a Super Rugby team operate effectively if some/most of their players are away training and playing elsewhere? Maybe one of the problems the Rebels faced.
He‘s attached to the Owls. Their season was over. And yes he’s played for them on occasion. Van Nek, Neville, Sapsford have as well. Van Nek and Neville moreso.A bit concerning to see Debreczini turn out in the Shute Shield this weekend.
Does this indicate that he is off to another club next year, or have RABrumbies withdrawn the requirement for Brumbies players to have a JID club?
If JD is gone, that will further reduce the depth available to the team for next year on top of the six players already gone with so far only two new players coming in. If RA has changed the rules re local club representation then I think it could spell the end of the JID feeding players into the higher level. Neither would be good for the club.
My comment about playing away from the franchise was aimed at the Rebels players many of whom played Hospital Cup or Shute Shield rather than stay in the local competition. For the Brumbies, nearly all of them were attached to a local side and played locally when available. Ed Kennedy may have been an exception. I understand he played (for Randwick?) in the Shute Shield.What do you mean though? Vast majority of the Brumbies do seem to stay local? They also only do it when the Brumbies aren't training/season done. I didn't see any of the Brumbies contracted FT squad in the Shute Shield during the Super season. Could be wrong about that though.
The argument for playing Hospital Cup or Shute Shield would be that it's a higher standard of play than the local competition and the benefits for Super Rugby development outweigh any potential loss of cohesion or training synergy.My comment about playing away from the franchise was aimed at the Rebels players many of whom played Hospital Cup or Shute Shield rather than stay in the local competition. For the Brumbies, nearly all of them were attached to a local side and played locally when available. Ed Kennedy may have been an exception. I understand he played (for Randwick?) in the Shute Shield.
Bowron is a potential 2 for next year.I like that you've got things started Caputo, but I dislike the lack of some quality recruits.
No replacements for Brown and Kennedy will mean a lot more game time for Reimer and Scott, but injury in the backrow could spell problems.
While it will be interesting to see how Feliuai goes after being called into the Wallaby squad, I don't think he is yet a like-for-like replacement for Tua. I suspect we'll see Ollie Sapsford playing No 12 at least early in the season, backed up by Feliuai and Anderson.
Tualima has some promise but overall the second row will be weakened by the loss of Darcy Swain.
I was hoping to see us pick up another winger or two. For all his loyalty, Andrew Muirhead must be nearing the end of his top class career, but there are no obvious replacements for any injuries to our wingers. Declan Meredith has No 15 covered unless he specialises as cover for Noah at 10. The other option at fullback or 10 would be Jack Debreczini. Maybe Sapsford stays out on the wing (where he had some impressive moments this year) and Muirhead becomes the wing injury cover? Longer term, it's a shame that Angus Staniforth elected to head overseas rather than spend time in the Brumbies Academy.
I am expecting a decline, hopefully small, in the team performance next year due to the player losses that have not been adequately addressed.
On the matter of Academies, has anyone here heard if the Franchise Academies at the Brumbies and Tahs will continue to operate, or will they disappear into a centralised RA Academy?
I see the 23 next year looking something like:
1/17 - Slipper/Schoupp
2/16 - Lonergan/Pollard
3/18 - Ala'alatoa/ van Nek or Kautai
4/19 - Frost/Tualima or Shaw
5/19 - Neville/Hooper
6/20 - Valetini/Hooper
7/20 - Reimer/Scott
8 - Cale or Valetini
9/21 - Lonergan/Goddard or Thorn
10/22 - Lolesio/Debreczini or Meredith
11 - Toole
12/23 - Sapsford/Feliuai or Anderson
13/23 - Ikitau/Creighton
14/23 - O'Donnell/Muirhead
15/23 - Wright/Meredith or Debreczini
This is looking really short of players at No 2, in the backrow and on both wings.
EDIT : I missed Ben O'Donnell in the above discussion. He could well surpass Muirhead in the starting side in 25. Have now included him. Still look a bit light on for wingers though.
Playing No 7 this weekend. But, yes, I agree.Bowron is a potential 2 for next year.
Vella isn't the only Brumby limping after the Super Rugby campaign. Ollie Sapsford broke his hand in his first game for the Uni-Norths Owls after the Brumbies' season finished, and Charlie Cale turned up to the Brett Robinson Awards night wearing a bumbag.
No, it wasn't a fashion statement from the impressive 23-year-old, who made his Test debut last month. Cale had an IV drip in the bag after getting an infection while on Wallabies duties.
He is still recovering and has been unavailable for the first two Rugby Championships squad.
Speaking on Brumbies in the Wallabies, and Joe Schmidt has turned to the Canberra side for back-room help as well. Already with Laurie Fisher on his staff, Schmidt poached Chris Thomson to be the team's manager and then Byron Field to lead the Wallabies' athletic department.
Field - a close confidant of Stephen Larkham - won't be lost to the Brumbies, though. It is expected he will still be based in Canberra and work closely with the club.
Poor bugger.Yikes, I totally missed that Vella did his ACL again and won't play next year.
Also, from the Crimes...