Hickey's future

[Hawko]

New Age or not, I'd just like him to be in a position to truthfully say that his players "owned the breakdown". That's where games are really won and lost.

I thought we owned the breakdown against the Reds, and that converted straight to a winning performance. Then the last two weeks the breakdown has been given away. I'd really like him to publicly explain why we lost the breakdown two weeks in a row, the second week worse than the first. But then he'd have to have some responsibility for not fixing it after the first week.

 

[Ash]

The Tahs have owned the breakdown vs two teams who did not field real traditional fetchers: the Reds and Rebels. Todd (Crusaders) and Brussow (Cheetahs) who are more traditional fetchers caused a lot of havoc at the breakdown against the Tahs.

Regarding the Reds, it really shows just how monumentally they screwed up in their backrow selection for the Tahs game. The Tahs still smashed the Reds pack, by and large, but if the Reds had started with Beau, Higgers, and Houston (or Quirk at 8) it would've been a lot more interesting a contest at the breakdown. All the Reds did is show just how dangerous the Tahs can be with continual fast front foot ball. Now teams seem to know that if you disrupt Tahs ball they tend to have no plan B.

The point is, the Tahs need to man up at the breakdown vs a real fetcher. This means every person on the team, whether a forward or back, putting in the effort to get the bastard off the ball. In situations where you are beaten to the breakdown the closest man has to take responsibility. This is key, as they are facing a Brumbies with potentially two fetchers - Finger (most ) Jnr and (out of form and stinking up my Fantasy team) Salvi. All players need to work hard to secure their own ball, and make sure it's clean.

 

[Ash]

Oh, and work on a plan B for slow ball.

Too much slow ball and Barnes goes into his kicking shell. They need to work on using slow ball (like a piggie or Carter hit up off a flat Barnes), and keeping Barnes out of a deep pocket once he falls back there once or twice. Once your ball is slow, move it a channel away from those bastards who are slowing it down. Remove the reliance on a cross field kick, too, and give Barnes a few more options.

 

[DPK]

Oh, and work on a plan B for slow ball.

Too much slow ball and Barnes goes into his kicking shell. They need to work on using slow ball (like a piggie or Carter hit up off a flat Barnes), and keeping Barnes out of a deep pocket once he falls back there once or twice. Once your ball is slow, move it a channel away from those bastards who are slowing it down. Remove the reliance on a cross field kick, too, and give Barnes a few more options.

Mitchell to first reciever, or Beale.

Actually, if slow ball comes in the opposition half, Barnes kicking shell isn't that bad. When the Tahs are in front his drop goals are handy.

 

[OLDDOG]

Is "Awesomeness" new age psychology speak?

Har har good one

 

[Red Rooster]

Foley must be the most promising head coach we've got going around. Would love to see what he can do with the Tahs.

You are already seeing what he can do - he is doing the role now. He has had a go at Head Coaching before in the UK - almost took bath to relegation - John Connelly had to come in and save the day

 

[Red Rooster]

Has it proven to much?
The tahs havnt gone backward under him, he is at the very least very compitent at his job. He hasn't progressed them to the stage of world beaters. they never have been though

Has any Australian coach really done better? Link will get brought up, but has he installed the culture or inherited it, does the fact in his years at the tahs he achieved only a smudge more than hickey ignored for the. Reds one good year?

I doubt Link inherited the culture otherwise they would only be winning three games per year as per the previous 5 coaches. i think he changed it - just listen to the players. If a "smudge more" is two finals and a semi compared to Hickey's one semi then you are discounting performance over time which is significant