Melbourne Rebels 2011

[topo]

My 20c worth:
I think Davo could slot in well at No 6. You don't lose anything by having this guy in your team.
Phipps looked good with his limited opportunity at the end. He seemed to give them a bit of zip. I would persist with him. I think he will turn out to be a very good half back at this level.
I was very impressed with Al Campbell's work rate when he came on. At one stage he made 3 or 4 tackles in very quick succession including the try saver on Hangers that was very similar to Horwill's effort on Shepherd. He should start ahead of Byrnes this week.
I thought Hux played OK at fb without a lot of attacking opportunity. However, I don't think he is a 5/8 these days. Uni tried him there last year for a couple of games and he struggled. You would probably have to go back to his Qld days to find the last time he played top level rugby as a no 10. That was a long time ago and IIRR he didn't go that well then either. A new team needs security at the back. Leave him there.
Kingi would obviously be a risky choice at 10, but a risk that may be worth taking in a building year. He's got lots of skill and pluck. I suspect he could make a go of it.
The front row is good despite what happened in the 2nd half. I will back them to get over the top of a lot of teams this year. Ged Robinson played well until the sin binning, but like Hodgo, he didn't have a lot of choice in that one. Let it go and it was definitely try time.
Lipman and Delve were 2 of their best on the weekend and they are the sort of players you can build a team around.
Vuna needs more time and Mortlock looked seriously off the pace.
I have no idea what wingers do, so I will leave others to comment there. However, I have seen a lot of Betham play over the years and I can tell you that he will give you some very good days and some pretty ordinary ones. You just have to hope the good ones come at the right time and outnumber the bad ones. Hopefully, as he gets older and more experienced (he turned 22 recently) he will sort this out.

 

[RugbyReg]

Also is anyone aware of why Hilgendorf came to the Rebels to begin with?

I've been meaning to ask this question for ages because I think he is a more then quality Super journeyman but wasn't there talk that he was trying to clock up Japanese residency to make their WC team?

yeah, but I don't think he would've been eligible in time for this years' RWC so I suspect he gave up on that opportunity

 

[en_force_er]

yeah, but I don't think he would've been eligible in time for this years' RWC so I suspect he gave up on that opportunity

Surely he would have known from the start though.

Ah well, at 28 he can still go back and complete the final year or two he needs.

 

[stoff]

I know McQueens been out in the press squashing the Michalak rumour, and with pretty good cause at the moment. Saw the Biarritz - Toulouse game last night and Freddie had a shocker. Kick charged down that went for a try, another one charged down by a prop that almost did the same. It was wet conditions, so you can accept a few handling mistakes, but all in all a shocker. If Rod was undecided, I think that one would have made his mind up for him.

 

[TOCC]

Mitch Inman will join the Rebels in 2012 after turning down a offer from the Force

 

[WB3]

^ Really? That's good news for the Rebels

 

[RugbyReg]

Mitch Inman will join the Rebels in 2012 after turning down a offer from the Force

rumour or confirmed?

 

[barbarian]

Confirmed:

Western Force centre Mitch Inman will join the Melbourne Rebels next season after turning down an offer to extend his contract in Perth.

The move comes as a surprise as Inman has cemented the Force No.13 spot and will be behind Stirling Mortlock at the Rebels.

The Rebels used their links to Inman's Sydney University club - his brother Dane has club connections and Rebels assistant Damien Hill coached there - along with Inman's eastern seaboard family ties, to woo him.

 

[Lee Grant]

Somebody on the forum mentioned that Hill had been instrumental in getting Weeks to the Rebels and I reiterated it recently. He may be a good recruiter.

I always thought Mitch and Luke Inman were 13s who would be better off playing 12. Maybe he will get a shot as inside centre at the Rebels, but his passing will have to improve.

Good to see an Aussie diluting the foreign flavour at the Rebels. No doubt his position at the Force will be taken by an Aussie. As I have said a few times: the ARU did a good thing in allowing so many foreigners to play for the Rebels at start-up. The depth of Oz rugby could not have handled the emergence of a 5th team without that dispensation. Instead, the staged withdrawal of foreigners will enable Aussies to filter into the team and not affect their existing teams too much.

What we trainspotters would like to know is: when do each of the foreign contracts terminate?

 

[Bruce Ross]

The Rebels used their links to Inman's Sydney University club - his brother Dane has club connections and Rebels assistant Damien Hill coached there - along with Inman's eastern seaboard family ties, to woo him.

I would be astounded if Dane Inman would agree that he still has "connections" with Sydney Uni. He played Colts there but then moved to Randwick. I would say he is now a rusted-on Coogee boy with those links being strengthened by the fact that he teaches at Waverley.

Big brother Luke is the one who still has Uni connections, being the doctor for their Colts teams. The other factor mentioned, "Inman's eastern seaboard family ties", would very likely have been a major influence in his decision. The Inmans are a very close family, perhaps even more so since the death of the father Ron a few years ago.

 

[qwerty51]

Am I the only one who thought Chamberlain was great off the bench last Saturday? How can he not be in the team..

 

[Gnostic]

I have been disappointed in Rooney. Some very good reports and stories about him in the lead up but he has been, well, average at best and at worst an outright liability.

 

[Lee Grant]

I spruiked him a bit too after watching him play for Toulon, first as a winger and later sometimes at fullback. I remember saying that apart from Rogers, who had played rugby union for Oz Schools, he was the Oz league player who had switched codes effectively the quickest. But also I have mentioned that Sidey was very good for the Dragons and was glad to get him back for the Tahs last year, but they dumped him. Lee Tomiki had played some really good games for Castres, said I, yet he can't get a game for the Reds.

Yarda, yarda. All I can say is: I thought the comments were right at the time. At least another guy I mentioned as playing well, for the Wasps: Lachlan Mitchell, isn't embarrassing himself as some of the others have.

A few days ago I said I would like Nic Berry back in Oz, to play for the Tahs if Burgess went offshore, as is likely; but I guess I should be careful what I wish for.

 

[blues recovery]

No individaul foreign contract can go longer than 2 years. The Rebels recruitment policy going forward will focus on local players with only the odd marquee international player

 

[TOCC]

No individaul foreign contract can go longer than 2 years. r

whilst this was the case for the other provinces, i doubt it will be the case for Melbourne

 

[daz]

whilst this was the case for the other provinces, i doubt it will be the case for Melbourne

The only way I can see this being extended is if the Rebs are in serious danger of being uncompetitive with the release of several foreign players from the squad.

Is 2 years enough time to develop Rebs academy players to fill the gaps? How did this work for the Force?

As an aside, even the Reds wanted to extend Braid's contract, and the Reds are hardly a new franchise as well as having a solid academy behind them.

 

[TOCC]

The only way I can see this being extended is if the Rebs are in serious danger of being uncompetitive with the release of several foreign players from the squad.

Is 2 years enough time to develop Rebs academy players to fill the gaps? How did this work for the Force?

As an aside, even the Reds wanted to extend Braid's contract, and the Reds are hardly a new franchise as well as having a solid academy behind them.

2 years is nowhere near enough time to develop succession planning, the ARU IMO wont do this, with the added post RWC drain and the Rebels in 2012, it would place to much demand on the Wallaby representatives, the foreign players will be allowed to sign on for more then 2 year

 

[TOCC]

also the Rebels drew a bigger crowd on Friday night then the Storm's first match of the season last night which only drew 14'000

 

[Eyes and Ears]

2 years is nowhere near enough time to develop succession planning, the ARU IMO wont do this, with the added post RWC drain and the Rebels in 2012, it would place to much demand on the Wallaby representatives, the foreign players will be allowed to sign on for more then 2 year

The ARU has given them extra marquee players. While other teams are allowed only 2 (one a development player), the Rebels are allowed 10 in 2001, 8 in 2012, 6 in 2013 & 4 in 2014. The ARU may consider this enough and not relax the 2 year rule.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

also the Rebels drew a bigger crowd on Friday night then the Storm's first match of the season last night which only drew 14'000

What was the rebels crowd?