Melbourne Rebels 2011

[Biffo]

If I were Rod Macqueen and in charge of strategy and coaching for Melbourne and screening the o'seas Australians, I would be looking at (alphabetically by surname):

1. Gene Fairbanks
2. Mark Gasnier
3. Gareth Hardy
4. Lachlan Mitchell
5. Luke Rooney
6. Alex Walker
7. Paul Warwick

I doubt that Melbourne could find enough money to afford any more than two of these, in terms of what they are now being paid. :sharpe:

 

[Lee Grant]

I can't imagine that Gaz would come back just to play in the Super15 but he may come back to be considered for the World Cup. The money SF pays him would be too big to give up, but you never know: he could be unhappy over there or simply has been there long enough and wants to come home. The same goes for all the others.

15/10 Warwick is becoming a bit of a legend at Munster and is arguably the player in the team with the best form this season as some of the stars have not been at their best. You'd think that they'd be paying him too much to come back, but you never know.

Rooney is in the same boat as Gasnier, but damn he is looking good. But once he gave it up he probably couldn't get back to France at the same price.

The others are good chance. Alex Walker - geez that's a blast from the past. He was in the Eastwood 1st Grade team a few years ago at a young age for a prop, and in the Oz 21 team. I wondered what happened to him and somebody posted that he was playing hooker in the GP which made sense because he was a THP and a bit on the light side.

I've obviously seen him play but just as surely have forgotten that he was the Aussie Walker.

Hardy looked OK when I saw him recently and young Mitchell looked like a seasoned pro player last season though straight out of club rugby here. Fairbanks would be good value at 12 and covering for 10.

You just never know what non-financial factors would affect such players to make them decide to come back and although it could work the other way: that players we assume would return have non-financial reasons in staying - I bet we have a few good surprises.

And don't forget - they may not come back to play in Melbourne. They may have no interest in playing there but they may come back because there is room now in their home city Super team because off-contract players have been enticed to Melbourne.

This factor may get a few more lads home.

 

[Cutter]

All good points Lee.

The other thing is that often players' wives determine whether or not they come home. Its easy for the player because he plugs straight into the rugby club. Its not so easy for the wife, particularly if she doesnt get on with the other WAGs, and when she starts having children the support network of family is often a very strong lure.

I think we will get a few players home.

 

[TOCC]

its more then just money though, some players may see it as a opportunity to break into the Wallabies for the RWC

 

[RugbyReg]

and there's a Lions tour 2 years after the RWC which, being once in a generation type stuff, might entice a few home.

 

[RugbyReg]

a little par in the paper today:

Former Wallaby centre Lloyd Johansson is set to become one of the earliest signings by Melbourne's new Super 15 side. Johansson is playing for Italian club Viadanabt has always expressed interest in a return to Australiawhere he played for the Queensland Reds.

A sensible signing I believe, but not sure I agree with the admin signing players ahead of appointing a coach? Unless the coach is 'appointed' and having a chat to them in quiet. Otherwise the coach will turn up with half the team already picked.

 

[cheezel]

I don't think we saw the true potential of Johansson at the Reds. Don't get me wrong he was good, but the way he was talked up at the beginning of his career made him out to be great.

Your first signing should always be a coathanger specialist.

 

[Mojoman]

I always thought Johansson was way overrated and amazed he made the Wallabies. I mean, he's too big, too slow and not agile enough to be a 2nd Five/inside centre. He also gets exposed because of his size and lack of pace/agility on defence.

Also, in the current trend of having a playmaker/kicker at 2nd Five/inside centre he just doesn't cut it.

 

[Lee Grant]

Agree Mojoman.

Johansson was one of those schoolboy players who promised a lot but disappointed me when he became a senior player. Being from Sydney, I didn't see a lot of him until I saw him coming on for the Reds. He looked OK but he didn't kick on and always looked like the Super14 was about half a tier too high for him. He also displayed a body language that indicated that he didn't think he belonged either

You never know but it's hard to imagine that playing in Italy would improve his rugby and it wouldn't have improved his speed. He has good hands though and could be a back up 10 or 12. If Sam Harris could be picked by the Force as a backup in those spots, Big Lloyd could be too elsewhere.

 

[TOCC]

i remember watching Lloyd playing for the Breakers, and i was truly amazed at some of the things that this man could do, his confidence took a hit under the Jones regime and he looks like the type of player who plays on confidence.

I honestly think he has the potential to play for the Wallabies again if he returned to OZ, although i do acknowledge Mojoman's point about his size and agility, i could see him playing a Nonu-esque role, i think he has the skill for S15 level at least.

 

[Lee Grant]

I see that Matt Henjak had to be released by Toloun. Top 14 teams are allowed to have just two players who don't have (Kolpak defined) European passports. JMFL, the Argentine, or SBW (it is unclear), had one of them and Henjak the other. Then Toulon poached Argentine Felipe Contepomi from Leinster. It didn't seem a problem because it was assumed than Contepomi qualified for an an Italian passport.

It turns out he didn't, but there wasn't a problem until now because Contepomi has been injured. Now he's back and Henjak had to give up his passport spot.

What Henjak will do now is unclear. One assumes that Henjak will have to be paid for the rest of the season; so he will be a gopher for the coaching staff and one also assumes that some other French team would be interested in him for next year. There is still a streak of perverseness in his play, but he has been good value for Toulon.

Perhaps the Melbourne team are already in contact with him, but perhaps also he will hang around France for top Euro.


PS: It was interesting what Mourad Boudjellal, the Toulon chairman, and a bit like one of his own comic characters, said about the thorough medical examination of Jonny Wilkinson before he signed on for Toulon. He said: "It was not medical session that Jonny Wilkinson passed for us, it was an autopsy."

 

[chief]

I don't think Henjak is welcome back to Australian Rugby ever again.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Lloyd is one of those enigma players.
As a schoolboy he totally dominated due to his size and strength. No one stood in his way but it was obvious from the start he had no speed at all. I remember thinking at the time 'where does he go in senior level?'.
At the Breakers he succeeded again because of his size and tremendous confidence imparted by the media but he never showed that he was world class and if you remember he played a test after we had a terrible attrition of centres over that season. In the normal course of things I would never of though him worthy of the selection as there was just too many better players around.
The worst part for Lloyd as Mojo and Cheezel said - he was talked up tremendously in Queensland and Lloyd became a true believer of his own publicity.

In the end I think Lloyd will become another one of those players alongside Nathan Spooner and others who have played test rugby by circumstance. In a normal environment it wouldn't have happened but things conspire to get you there but it's just a bridge too far to stay there.

 

[Lee Grant]

In the end I think Lloyd will become another one of those players alongside Nathan Spooner and others who have played test rugby by circumstance. In a normal environment it wouldn't have happened but things conspire to get you there but it's just a bridge too far to stay there.

Nice turn of phrase there whispers.

 

[Lee Grant]

Not to the point of players, but cross Munster coach Tony McGahan off the list of possible Melbourne coaches as they have signed him on for another two years.

Oz European watch:

I saw highlights of a game the weekend before last where Gasnier played fullback for SF against RM, the other Paris club. He looked terrific there as highlights footage can make a player looked terrific. Then I saw SF's game last weekend against Toulon. Gaz had to fill in at fullback during the game and he was crap.

But the fullback for Toulon looked quite handy. Guess who? Luke Rooney. He hasn't put a foot wrong playing wing in rugby union and he played with 15 on his jersey to the manor born.

Of the two league converts, Rooney is looking the better rugby union player at the minute and the player most likely to interest a Melbourne coach, provided he has a form guide.

 

[Epi]

Not to the point of players, but cross Munster coach Tony McGahan off the list of possible Melbourne coaches as they have signed him on for another two years.

Oz European watch:

I saw highlights of a game the weekend before last where Gasnier played fullback for SF against RM, the other Paris club. He looked terrific there as highlights footage can make a player looked terrific. Then I saw SF's game last weekend against Toulon. Gaz had to fill in at fullback during the game and he was crap.

But the fullback for Toulon looked quite handy. Guess who? Luke Rooney. He hasn't put a foot wrong playing wing in rugby union and he played with 15 on his jersey to the manor born.

Of the two league converts, Rooney is looking the better rugby union player at the minute and the player most likely to interest a Melbourne coach, provided he has a form guide.

I saw that game too. Fullback is not Gasnier's best position. Other than that he has been playing extremely well though...

The reason it will be hard to bring Rooney back is that he is on an EU passport so he doesn't take up a foreigners spot. This makes him more valuable in the Top 14.

 

[Aussie D]

Anyone heard of any names being bandied about as possible coaches?

 

[RugbyReg]

I will not at this stage confirm, nor deny, an approach made to me to be involved in the 5th team.

 

[eddo]

Anyone up in the Brissi comp - share thoughts on how Mike Hercus goes with the Stingrays.. Could possibly be worth a contract given the 40+ international caps for the yanks.

 

[waratahs_2010]

I've been told that Joe Barakat from the Waratahs is in line to be the head coach for the new Melbourne Super 15 team and he mentioned that he was going to try and sign Lachlan Mitchell from the London Wasps, Lachlan Mccaffrey and Tim Bennetts from the Waratahs and sign a kid by the name of Fine Moeakiola. Not sure how true this is though. Personally I'd try and sign Danny Cipriani from the London Wasps. He is a great player.