EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7
Syd Malcolm (24)
I think QC (Quade Cooper) would be a fantastic option on the bench as an impact player. With more work on his defence i see him more as a 15.
Poll: Cooper at 10?
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EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7
Syd Malcolm (24)
Also,
Whatever the decision on who plays 10 on Saturday let's back him to the hill!
Congratulate his selection, get behind whoever it is. No negativity this week! We are not Kiwis!
Whatever the decision on who plays 10 on Saturday let's back him to the hill!
Congratulate his selection, get behind whoever it is. No negativity this week! We are not Kiwis!
nugget
Jimmy Flynn (14)
ken oath!
Ash
Michael Lynagh (62)
Cooper was terrible. I'll accept the flat pass that was incorrectly called forward, the dropped inside ball off Genia as the pass was poor, or even the forced inside pass to a forward runner in the first half where there was a miscommunication. That is what you get with Cooper. What got me was the crap cross field kick out on the full, the grubber in the second half on the rare occasion we had the ball and the charged down 22 drop (although du Plessis did look a step inside the 22). Those three kick mistakes should be not made and are unforgivable, particularly in a game where we struggled for field position and possession.
That said, I would still play Cooper. It'd be a brave move to reconfigure the team this close to the All Blacks game, and I'd run the risk of Cooper not having the same shit game twice in a row rather than risk the alternatives, given where we are in the test season.
The thing I'm not 100% sold on is the supposedly excellent option Barnes presents at 10. Barnes went well vs the USA (although was still guilty of a grubber into the in goal, wasting a try scoring opportunity), and has worked well interchanging with Cooper at first receiver vs Russia and Boks from the bench. What I doubt it Barnes' ability to run a game from 10 - if the forwards get beaten on attack, like ours were against both the Irish and Boks, then Barnes at 10 historically has moved deeper and deeper into the pocket and kicks endlessly. Barnes may have improved in his decision making, but I don't know - because he hasn't played at 10 for the Wallabies this year to show he has. It'd be a risky move in my book, dropping Cooper for Barnes. It'd be a completely different proposition if Barnes had been fit and gotten some early test-season time in at 10 against, say, Samoa where our forwards were well beaten.
That said, I would still play Cooper. It'd be a brave move to reconfigure the team this close to the All Blacks game, and I'd run the risk of Cooper not having the same shit game twice in a row rather than risk the alternatives, given where we are in the test season.
The thing I'm not 100% sold on is the supposedly excellent option Barnes presents at 10. Barnes went well vs the USA (although was still guilty of a grubber into the in goal, wasting a try scoring opportunity), and has worked well interchanging with Cooper at first receiver vs Russia and Boks from the bench. What I doubt it Barnes' ability to run a game from 10 - if the forwards get beaten on attack, like ours were against both the Irish and Boks, then Barnes at 10 historically has moved deeper and deeper into the pocket and kicks endlessly. Barnes may have improved in his decision making, but I don't know - because he hasn't played at 10 for the Wallabies this year to show he has. It'd be a risky move in my book, dropping Cooper for Barnes. It'd be a completely different proposition if Barnes had been fit and gotten some early test-season time in at 10 against, say, Samoa where our forwards were well beaten.
waratahjesus
Greg Davis (50)
Barnes is much better at this than Quade is, that said i dont think they should be dropping one for the other, i think having barnes there to kick and run things (of which i believe he has a much better decision making brain than quade) will allow quade to inject himself rather than try so hard. Throwing Barnes in at 10 and not having cooper in the team will lead to him suffering the same fate as Giteau, we dont have an alternate game plan and losing the width that quade achieves will lead to a compressed attacking line and little options.
Ash
Michael Lynagh (62)
That's basically what I agree with re Barnes - Barnes needs a second option around him so he doesn't fall back into his old habit of setting too deep. I doubt that McCabe and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) wouldn't provide the type of midfield that Barnes would need on attack.
Cooper was awful, but playing 10 on attack can be a poisoned chalice if your lineout crumbles and your half back insists on box kicking half your ball. I am hoping that the lineout, Cooper and Genia all don't go the same way next week. Genia is key here, too - he was great apart from his decision making on attack.
Cooper was awful, but playing 10 on attack can be a poisoned chalice if your lineout crumbles and your half back insists on box kicking half your ball. I am hoping that the lineout, Cooper and Genia all don't go the same way next week. Genia is key here, too - he was great apart from his decision making on attack.
Scarfman
Knitter of the Scarf
Don't blame the forwards, Cooper was pants. It was almost Yakkity Sax time again. Refused to tackle, refused to take the ball into contact. Full-on gutless, shithouse, run 10 laps of the park before you even think about showering kind of performace.
But we don't really have a back-up 10, unless it's JOC (James O'Connor). I think the sensible option is Barnes at 12, with the playmaker role when we're kicking it. He can also kick goals.
But we don't really have a back-up 10, unless it's JOC (James O'Connor). I think the sensible option is Barnes at 12, with the playmaker role when we're kicking it. He can also kick goals.
There were plenty of times when Cooper didn't even get to do anything stupid because Genia had already put in a bad box kick.
He had a pretty average game yesterday. The accuracy of those box kicks was really poor.
He had a pretty average game yesterday. The accuracy of those box kicks was really poor.
To me, it is too late to change the Wallaby's structure built around Cooper in the week before the RWC semi. There are just too many injuries/woundeds and there won't be a full week to get stuff sorted, so Cooper it is.
But to totally contradict that statement, if Beale can't start, I would stick Barnes at 15 and let them play tag.
But to totally contradict that statement, if Beale can't start, I would stick Barnes at 15 and let them play tag.
M
Motorboater
Guest
Barnes has easily got the best kicking game within our squad. Boy, we could have used him earlier. JOC (James O'Connor) is not too far behind. However Cooper is well back in the pack. Although he excels at attacking kicks, he really is quite poor at clearing the ball.
Barnes running game really is underrated as well. I agree in that I wouldn't mind seeing him at 15 for Beale.
Barnes running game really is underrated as well. I agree in that I wouldn't mind seeing him at 15 for Beale.
RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
One thing's indisputable: QC (Quade Cooper) plays even vaguely as badly at 10 as he did in the QF, we come home Oct 17. He's not been improving this RWC, since Italy he's deteriorating. Saying 'he just can't be as bad as that again' is just statistically highly risky (or wishful) thinking in a crucial knockout - he was comparatively poor v Ireland.
So IMO some radical rethinking about QC (Quade Cooper) and our backline is not risky on the grounds of 'very late reconfiguration', it's smart and essential if winning this comp is the paramount objective. And I don't see that all these robust 'structures and combinations' based upon QC (Quade Cooper) are working in the real world in any event; I just see relatively wild ploys and little coherence in our current back line arrangements, there are not large chunks of skilfully designed ensemble capabilities on show and to lose, if only there were.
So IMO some radical rethinking about QC (Quade Cooper) and our backline is not risky on the grounds of 'very late reconfiguration', it's smart and essential if winning this comp is the paramount objective. And I don't see that all these robust 'structures and combinations' based upon QC (Quade Cooper) are working in the real world in any event; I just see relatively wild ploys and little coherence in our current back line arrangements, there are not large chunks of skilfully designed ensemble capabilities on show and to lose, if only there were.
T
The_Riddler
Guest
Looks like McCabe will be fit to play, makes the debate of Barnes vs Cooper at 10 more of a real one - http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/wallabies-sweat-on-beale-and-kepu-20111010-1lgvh.html
Sorry to be a pedant, but winning the quarter final gets you two more weeks because of the 3 vs 4 playoff.
RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
Yep, sorry. Got too metaphorical re 'coming home'. Playing for 3 or 4 not too exciting though.
RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
it's obvious, he plays a shite load better when
is in town.
He was pining for her all week in his tweets even. The aru should be flying her on a friggin lear jet pronto to get over there and calm him down in whatever way she can...
whatever it takes!!
waratahjesus
Greg Davis (50)
It's obvious, he plays a shite load better when
is in town.
He was pining for her all week in his tweets even. The ARU should be flying her on a friggin lear jet pronto to get over there and calm him down in whatever way she can...
with the amount of drop ball, i hope quade has the snip so he doesnt make another mistake.
Jnor
Peter Fenwicke (45)
Anyone had a look a Bret Harris' take on things? Seems a bit harsher than most of this thread but the rest of the media seems to have been pretty quiet on QC (Quade Cooper)'s performance so far (although I think Georgina Robinson might have mentioned it)
http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2150730018/Quade-cooper-a-monstrous-dilemma
http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2150730018/Quade-cooper-a-monstrous-dilemma
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