Force v Tahs, round 9 2014

[Inside Shoulder]

Best advice is to get the preparations right. Spend the day before at Feral Brewery in the Swan Valley, and head on out to Freo and go to the Little Creatures Brewery as part of Match Day preparations. Great beers and foot in their restaurant. This will have you arrive at the venue in good fettle. Jump on the Train at Freo to get back to the stadium in time.

If time is tight, someone will video Junior Shoulders curtain raiser for you,while you enjoy some of WA's finest brews and produce.

Plenty of time for local brews at the Roots & Blues Festival on Sunday - it was either that or the AFL and the Doobie Bros won!
Little creatures gives me a headache.

 

[brokendown]

just listen to the music IS

 

[BDA]

Really looking forward to this game. too close to call.

Happy to see both teams doing so well this season. Us Reds fans know what its like to have our moment in the sun so it's nice to see the Force having such a great season.

I'd like to see the Force win, They seem to be having one of those seasons where everything is clicking. I'm still not convinced they can win the tournament. I think the Tahs have the stronger squad but Force are perhaps playing better as a team. Whichever team wins I expect will kick on and claim a finals birth. I realise its early days yet but this is an important game for both team's momentum.

Hoping for a cracking game, with no injuries

 

[Quick Hands]

Plenty of time for local brews at the Roots & Blues Festival on Sunday - it was either that or the AFL and the Doobie Bros won!
Little creatures gives me a headache.

Hope you'll be sampling some Margaret River reds while you're there. Post match of course.

 

[tranquility]

What type of crowd is this likely to pull? Other than well-hydrated and blue.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

What type of crowd is this likely to pull? Other than well-hydrated and blue.

I would say about 14k would be a good turn out. We usually struggle for big crowds when facing aus teams but with the form the team is in the bandwagon is growing and they are marketing it as the force vs izzy with the afl public.


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[Nipper]

Folau is an absolute key for the Tahs. No Folau = kicking for territory and pressuring the Waratahs line-out. It sounded like there are some niggles with Douglas. The line-out is the only target that sticks out for the Tahs. Folau = kicking a very dangerous thing to do. We have a habit of nothing kicks that go directly to the opposition back 3.

Good point. However, if they kick contestable kicks, it may not be a bad option. Kicks that give Izzy time and space to counter are a death sentence for the opposition.

However, contestable kicks - even if he wins them - will likely take him out of the subsequent attack for a phase or two. And that ain't a bad thing.

 

[I like to watch]

The problem with contestable kicks,is if you do not regain the footy or force an error,you are not gaining enough territory as a payoff for turning over possession.
They tried that last time they played and got punished.

 

[Moono75]

Good point. However, if they kick contestable kicks, it may not be a bad option. Kicks that give Izzy time and space to counter are a death sentence for the opposition.

However, contestable kicks - even if he wins them - will likely take him out of the subsequent attack for a phase or two. And that ain't a bad thing.

I don't think anyone has kicked well to Izzy. Its almost like his reputation has preceded him and teams are too scared to try him out. It's only a matter of time before he gets nailed on one. And as far as being a great take of the high ball.....he was nothing special in AFL. No reason why any other team couldn't practice the skill a lot more. I think a lot more low grubber kicks in behind him and force him to turn around would do the trick.

 

[Nipper]

The problem with contestable kicks,is if you do not regain the footy or force an error,you are not gaining enough territory as a payoff for turning over possession.
They tried that last time they played and got punished.

Definitely - but in the first match, the problem seemed to lie in the execution, rather than the tactic.

Deeper kicks for territory - that is much riskier. If they don't find touch they provide plenty of time and space for Izzy, Beale, and whomever else drops back to attack.

The payoff is that if they DO find touch, there's an opportunity to attack the Tahs lineout, which appears to be a weakness.

Risk/reward scenario.

 

[ChargerWA]

Kick it back deep and spend the week at training getting your defensive kick chase line rock solid.

 

[Bairdy]

Force should be watching the tapes from the Brumbies vs Tahs match.
They managed to keep him quiet for about 60-65 minutes with their tactical kicking and effective kick-chase.

In any case, the Force should hold on to the ball and run the Tahs pack around. But if the Force need to kick, they need to kick the shit out of it into touch, with some grubbers to the touchlines added in.

 

[Pfitzy]

I see public transport is included - we don't have public transport to Tahs games at the SFS!!

Because "public transport" and "Sydney" are oxymorons.

 

[Ash]

I don't think anyone has kicked well to Izzy. Its almost like his reputation has preceded him and teams are too scared to try him out. It's only a matter of time before he gets nailed on one. And as far as being a great take of the high ball...he was nothing special in AFL. No reason why any other team couldn't practice the skill a lot more. I think a lot more low grubber kicks in behind him and force him to turn around would do the trick.

You didn't watch Folau in league, he was the standout player under the high ball in league. League and rugby you can compare high ball ability, but it's hard between rugby and AFL because the ball is completely different, and so is the style of catching.

It's hard to grubber a ball well behind a rugby fullback and turn him around. Wingers yes, not too sure though that's a good tactic to regularly try on a fullback.

 

[thierry dusautoir]

A lot of emphasis and praise is lumped onto the Force's backrow and how it seems to be so balanced and how they have been a real catalyst for the Force's success.
However I would argue that their back three are just as important and equally as balanced. I am not sure who made the decision, but converting Hayward to 15 has been a real masterstroke for the Force.

Hayward provides a real custodian at fullback, whose ball running is continueing to improve. On one wing the they have the Honey Badger who provides real grunt and a tradesmen like work ethic. Although he may not provide a kicking option or much flair he is complimented by his wing partner Morahan who provides a solid boot and much needed finesse to the force backline. Having a balanced back 3 is a severely underrated facet of the game, one only needs to compare the 2011 reds to the 2014 to see that.

I am expecting a close affair and I wouldn't be surprised if the Force get up, however Marcel Brache is an unknown quantity and how he Godwin work and communicate in defence will be key to how this game pans out.

 

[Moono75]

You didn't watch Folau in league, he was the standout player under the high ball in league. League and rugby you can compare high ball ability, but it's hard between rugby and AFL because the ball is completely different, and so is the style of catching.

It's hard to grubber a ball well behind a rugby fullback and turn him around. Wingers yes, not too sure though that's a good tactic to regularly try on a fullback.

I'm sure rugby could benefit from adopting some AFL marking techniques. I don't see why in rugby you cant go up in some situations and take (mark) the ball above the head instead of taking it on the chest all the time.

 

[Braveheart81]

I'm sure rugby could benefit from adopting some AFL marking techniques. I don't see why in rugby you cant go up in some situations and take (mark) the ball above the head instead of taking it on the chest all the time.

It's just a much lower percentage play and the downside for dropping it is worse than in AFL.

You are also not competing with someone who is just trying to stop you from catching it by punching it.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I'm sure rugby could benefit from adopting some AFL marking techniques. I don't see why in rugby you cant go up in some situations and take (mark) the ball above the head instead of taking it on the chest all the time.

I think the other issue is that AFL marking is a 360 degree contest whereas rugby and loig are basically about 45 degree contests, in that any threat will almost always approach from in front and when and and if it does you have what Braveheart says about the means permitted to stuff up the quality of the ball

 

[Richo]

If the Force want to put up contestable kicks, the Tahs will be delighted. Izzy is extremely good at taking kicks on the run, and confident leaping into traffic. A quick recycle and the ball goes to Foley or Beale. The Tahs are also very dangerous in broken play, which is what often results from contestable kicks as both teams try to get onside and avoid obstruction, etc.

 

[Spieber]

Slight segway but it would seem rugby still has some ways to go in Perth. My nephew (an avid footy fan) is in year 10 at Christ Church (not an enormous school) - he is aware that there is a sport at his school called rugby - he is not aware that his school is featuring in a curtain raiser to the Force Tahs game.