Our Centre Partnership - Moving Forward

[Train Without a Station]

I personally dont think JOC (James O'Connor) should be considered at 12 until he can outplay Tom Carter, Pat McCabe and the like at Super Rugby level. Got shown up by both his year, so try again next year.

 

[Lyall]

i dont think anyone with a hair clip should be in our centres

Geeez, doesn't he have ANY friends who can tell him what they really think!

It does look nicer up though.....

 

[TOCC]

one of the older blokes needs to give him a clip of the ears(excuse the pun) and tell him to start looking like a man and not some hetrosexual model who wears skinny jeans and sits in grungy cafes sipping decaf lates.

 

[Scotty]

Horne didn't have a great year but let's put some perspective on it. Basically this has been his first full season without being broken. In its own right that is an acheivement and string a couple of seasons together and he will reach that potential.

I have a sneaking suspicion that his injury issues have severely reduced his explosiveness. He can still defend well, but has turned into a bit of a plodder in attack.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Wallabies players of course get top ups (not sure how much) and those players that can get cash endorsements (which aren't many - JO'C for Swisse the first and only one that readily comes to mind) are the ones that can possibly retire at the end of their career. I think O'Connor gets about $2-$3M a year.

i dont think anyone with a hair clip should be in our centres

When a player is earning serious "up yours" money do you think he gives a toss about what the punters think about his hair style? How much extra do you think he'd earn with a short-back-and-sides, TOCC?

And for what it's worth I don't think he'll ever be an international 12. But when the national coach is on $1 million plus regardless of results, he wouldn't give a toss what I think either.
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[redstragic]

When a player is earning serious "up yours" money do you think he gives a toss about what the punters think about his hair style?
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Surely you are not positioning yourself in the hairstyles supporters camp Bruce? Would you be as supportive if he sported a massive permed ginger mullet?

 

[Waylon]

In 2007 the Australian schoolboy midfield consisted of 12. Tapuai, 13. Rob Horne. Keeping JOC (James O'Connor) on the bench.

Ironically Rob Horne burst onto the scene ahead of time, and was appearing as if he were to be the reincarnation of Jason Little. Meanwhile Tapuai meandered in Brisbane club rugby, and worked on his areas on weakness, primarily fitness and adding subtlety to his ranging skillset. To most it seemed like he was underachieving, but now it looks as though he could be a key player moving forward. Meanwhile, Rob Horne despite showing so much early promise has lost all enterprise and looks a very ordinary player currently.

Pat McCabe is a crucial player to the Wobs, but at what position noone is sure. I tend to think that it will be fullback.

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) looks best at 13, and should stay there until someone can play an entire season of super rugby and outplay him head to head.

My thoughts on the matter are long-term; 12. Taps, 13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), 15. McCabe

Discuss..

schoolboy rugby is a massive w@nk

Too much importance is placed on it in Australia. Too many good players drop out of rugby because they weren't schoolboy stars.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

schoolboy rugby is a massive w@nk

Too much importance is placed on it in Australia. Too many good players drop out of rugby because they weren't schoolboy stars.

There is something to that I think. The reason being (in my view) is that schoolboys rugby is seen as the natural pathway to U/20's and then the big time. Waylon is right when he says that the game loses too many young blokes who didn't get picked in junior rep sides. Unfortunately gone are the days of doing the hard graft in club footy against tough grown men who smack any youthful arrogance out that you may have (speaking from personal experience!). Other than Pat McCabe (to a degree) how many of the "late bloomer" players do we have in the Wallaby squad?

Maybe this is the key reason why we need a 3rd tier comp, but that's a discussion for another day.

 

[tranquility]

schoolboy rugby is a massive w@nk

Too much importance is placed on it in Australia. Too many good players drop out of rugby because they weren't schoolboy stars.

I attempted to address this by juxtaposing Tapuai and Hornes careers trajectories up until this point using schoolboy rugby as a reference point.

 

[fatprop]

I have a sneaking suspicion that his injury issues have severely reduced his explosiveness. He can still defend well, but has turned into a bit of a plodder in attack.

Maybe too much time in gym lifting rocks while wounded.

He looks massive but seems to have lost agility

 

[Scarfman]

When a player is earning serious "up yours" money do you think he gives a toss about what the punters think about his hair style? How much extra do you think he'd earn with a short-back-and-sides, TOCC?

And for what it's worth I don't think he'll ever be an international 12. But when the national coach is on $1 million plus regardless of results, he wouldn't give a toss what I think either.
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We all know who you would pick at 12, Bruce. But who is your second choice? McCabe? Can you have McCabe and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) side by side?

 

[Scotty]

A game that always sticks out to me as far as our attack and centres are concerned from recent years was a Perth test vs the Boks, where Giteau started at 10, but Cooper came on and really sparked the attack. The attack was partially sparked by Coopers involvement, but also because Giteau went to more of an outside centre role in attack.

Would be good to see this more agile player running at 13 in attack in a second wave (either JOC (James O'Connor) or Tapaui), while the straight runner is at 12 on occasion.

I would have 12 Taps, 13 McCabe in defense but swap them in attack at least 50% of the time.

 

[TOCC]

When a player is earning serious "up yours" money do you think he gives a toss about what the punters think about his hair style? How much extra do you think he'd earn with a short-back-and-sides, TOCC?
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Bruce, he is an international rugby player, he chooses to get outrageous haircuts because he obviously enjoys the attention.. I am allowed to say I think it's a shit haircut, I also think its a haircut that a lesbian would generally wear not a pro rugby player.

People say that the AB's have a mental edge over the opposition because of the haka they perform at the start of the game.. Well I'm going to put it out there that JOC (James O'Connor)'s lesbian haircut is the opposite of the haka effect.

 

[wamberal]

Ma'a Nonu's mascara doesn't seem to have much of a bad effect on his football.

 

[TOCC]

I never said JOC (James O'Connor)'s haircut impedes his ability to play rugby..

I said its a shit haircut

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

12. McCabe 13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) for now.

Tapuai needs to produce a strong Super Rugby season and not be injured at crucial times to put himself really into contention.

JOC (James O'Connor) needs to excel at the Rebels next season.

Horne and Fainga'a both need to improve their attacking game considerably to be realistic options going forward. Fainga'a needs to learn to kick if he wants to play 12.

Barnes could end up playing 12 next season for th Tahs if Cheika decides he wants Foley at 10. Barnes needs to improve his option taking. He has all the skills to make him a good option. His goalkicking improves his chances.

Mike Harris needs to develop his game in all areas to become an option at 12. Currently he is a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none. His stocks go up if there are no good goalkicking options.

Largely agree with this. I also say Mccabe and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) for now.
Up and comers who need a big season next year are Taps for 12, Inman and Cummins for potential 13s (you could have inman at 12 in the mould of roberts).
I think Horne needs to massively improve ditto fainga and they will have very stiff competition from the incumbants and the above mentioned up and comers.

I like the idea of JOC (James O'Connor) being given a go at 15 and i've said it before, i would be interested to see KB (Kurtley Beale) get a run at 13 at some point. he's got the pace, frame and defence to be a quality 13....or with the way quade is going, one of them to 10 and the other to 15! thankfully there's three amigos.

 

[Waylon]

I attempted to address this by juxtaposing Tapuai and Hornes careers trajectories up until this point using schoolboy rugby as a reference point.

what?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I think what Tranq was saying was that Horne took the fast track through schoolboys and under age rep sides through to the Tahs and then the Wallabies, whereas Taps had to do more hard graft through first grade in Brisbane.

 

[Braveheart81]

Largely agree with this. I also say Mccabe and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) for now.
Up and comers who need a big season next year are Taps for 12, Inman and Cummins for potential 13s (you could have inman at 12 in the mould of roberts).
I think Horne needs to massively improve ditto fainga and they will have very stiff competition from the incumbants and the above mentioned up and comers.

People criticise Horne's attacking game so much yet he still scored a modest 4 tries in 2012 for the Tahs.

Cummins scored three tries during 2012.

I find it interesting how much people talk up Inman as being the next big thing. He didn't score a single try during 2012.

All three of those sides struggled to score tries and had average backlines (the Rebels probably had the best backline at times when JOC (James O'Connor) and KB (Kurtley Beale) were fit).

So far I would say that McCabe and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) are the only centres that have really had an impact at test level. Horne and Fainga'a have been reasonable but struggle to have much impact in attack. Horne has certainly had more impact than Fainga'a.

I don't subscribe to the premise that guys like Cummins and Inman who don't do anything exceptional in Super Rugby will suddenly become better attacking options at test level.

Tapuai is the great unknown in that he is a fantastic talent but needs to put himself in contention at the right time. 2012 could have been his year to become a Wallaby regular but he was injured at the wrong time. 2013 could be anything for him, but I'd say he still starts the 2013 season down the pecking order.

 

[tranquility]

I think what Tranq was saying was that Horne took the fast track through schoolboys and under age rep sides through to the Tahs and then the Wallabies, whereas Taps had to do more hard graft through first grade in Brisbane.

Sorry Waylon, that was a rubbish sentence - it was late at night. I was trying to say that I mentioned that Taps spent more time in the wilderness, ie club rugby, and it appears to have been a better pathway than Rob Horne being chaperoned into the Tahs / Wobs.