Lance Free; son of Grumbles Growden

[RugbyFuture]

just wondering, are they related, both are so negative....

 

[Scotty]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...d-heads-troubled/story-e6frg7t6-1225905090277

Wayne Smith is coming from the same place. Hard to argue with anything he has written (part of article following):

The one coach who did challenge Deans, forwards coach Michael Foley, didn't survive beyond the first season. It is understood the two fell out in South Africa in 2008 over whether Nathan Sharpe should come back into the squad for the Johannesburg Test after Dan Vickerman injured his shoulder in the Durban victory. Foley insisted Sharpe was needed to run the lineout, Deans thought differently. The Wallabies, without Sharpe, lost by the biggest margin in Australian rugby history.

There is no question Foley is the best forwards coach in the country. He is no yes-man and his tendency to question everything, while admirable, can also be annoying. But he is needed back at the Wallabies, and quickly.

So, too, if he can somehow ease his way out of his contract with Ireland, is another former Wallabies assistant coach, Alan Gaffney. How galling that the Wallabies, so bereft of ideas whenever Quade Cooper is not at five-eighth, should have been denied victory in Dublin last November because of an old Randwick move Gaffney taught the Irish backs.

And perhaps, while we're at it, John Muggleton, the man who masterminded what for a decade was the best defence in world rugby, could be recalled as well.

Selections, too, are becoming a major concern. Nominally, there is a three-man panel to select the Wallabies: Deans, Williams and David Nucifora. All evidence suggests the real decisions are made entirely by Deans. That's not necessarily a bad thing given the head coach lives or dies on the team's success but some of Deans's calls have been baffling

 

[Scotty]

Tactically the Wallabies have fallen behind, technically they are off the pace and selections are too often askew. If it is not the wrong player being chosen, it's the right player being chosen at the wrong time and/or place. Surely, just as an example, it would have made more sense to select Anthony Fainga'a for his run-on debut alongside his Reds five-eighth Cooper, not outside Matt Giteau. And just because James O'Connor doesn't pass the ball doesn't mean that wing is his position.

 

[Scarfman]

RF - quote some text and argue against it. Or put more effort into your argument. Don't want to hit and run like this, especially against a guy providing free, independent, knowledgeable rugby commentary for us.

 

[Scarfman]

And Scotty - that stuff about Foley is awful. Jim Williams does give the impression of being a yes man.

 

[Gnostic]

This was part of my argument against Deans in the "Time to Sack?" thread.

It is obvious to many that the Wallabies coaching/tactics/selection has become a one manband. Does anybody believe Richard Graham is the best "skills" coach in Oz. Does anybody think he has any input into backline moves?

Whilst I was a huge fan of Williams as a player, and he had good success as a coach in the NH he really needed to get back and refresh his knowledge of SH and Oz Rugby in particular.

As scrum coach I'm am positive that Pato is at least as good as Foley in that particular aspect but I am positive that he has no say at all in who he gets in what position. The massive improvements in the scrum between the Fiji test and now proves how effective he is. The fact that he has had to coach Ma'afu to resort to illegalities to get parity (how many times in two tests did he angle in on the hit to negate the opposition drive?) is just another indicator of poor selection.

This is where the ARU has to say 'Robbie, your way is failing spectacularly. We still believe that you are the man for the top job but you WILL accept the input of others into selection and play. If you cannot live with that then you know what you have to do.' The ARU then sacks Graham, Williams, and removes all input from Nucifora and appoints proven specialist coaches such as Foley and Mooney.

The Muggelton defensive system had its day, and was still as hard to break as ever but I agree with others who said it limited the team in counter attack as the alignment did not allow the rapid flexibility change to counter attack in depth. If we had seen this attack from the Wallabies for more than brief spurts I would be against the return of such a system. Perhaps with propper selection practices, improved techniques in the forwards, generally improved skill levels and actually use of the bench that could be achieved.

Instead of wholesale changes to the whole system just Foley and Mooney (or equivalents) may be sufficient to turn the Wallabies around.

As things stand on all markers the Wallabies have gone backwards in the last 2 years.

 

[Scotty]

I can't see Pato being a 'yes' man though. Pretty sure he wouldn't be backwards in coming forwards.

 

[Gnostic]

I can't see Pato being a 'yes' man though. Pretty sure he wouldn't be backwards in coming forwards.

I agree, can't see Pato doing that but it does look as if his role has been strictly limited. Do you really think that he would have picked a front row of Ma'afu and Daley. A solid argment could be made for Daley on S14 form but Ma'afu?

 

[Red Rooster]

Mooney is 0 from 3 with Otago after yesterday so I dont know if he will bring much

 

[Lance Free]

Lance who? Bah humbug....

 

[H...]

i'll take Muggleton's system any day over any of the "Systems" we've seen since.

 

[Ruggo]

Mooney is 0 from 3 with Otago after yesterday so I dont know if he will bring much

I don't think he has the whole package for a head coach but as Reds coach their skils were excellent. As an assistant to Deans as a "skills coach" he would have alot to offer.

 

[Scarfman]

I reckon Link will be lining up Mooney for a job with the Wallabies in 2012. It's almost inevitable. Foley could well come back at that point, too, if he's not the head coach of Japan, or similar.

 

[fatprop]

Foley as Tahs coach would be nice

 

[Scarfman]

Spot on fp, spot on. I would love to see him back with the WBs, but for his own development, he's got to take a head coach job somewhere.

P.S. I reckon Todd Louden would be the other person well placed to get a call from Link in 2012.

 

[chief]

I think Mooney will make a great ARU performance manager. Spotting talent seems to be his forte and retaining he wasn't too bad either.

 

[TOCC]

I think Mooney will make a great ARU performance manager. Spotting talent seems to be his forte and retaining he wasn't too bad either.

if Mooney does want a future in Australian Rugby then he is going the wrong way about it, suing the reds for unfair dismissal wont bode well with the heavy weights.

 

[RugbyFuture]

Lance's latest article is my proof.

We're playing the two best teams in the world all the time, we're expected to lose, but we ain't below par.

 

[Hawko]

Foley as Tahs coach would be nice

With a couple of conditions I agree: firstly he must embrace running rugby (his NH record didn't, dour forwards play was the norm) and secondly he needs a high quality backline coach. But given those two conditions he would leave Hickey for dead and be a real chance to lift a super title next year.

 

[RugbyFuture]

transitions perfectly