Pressure on the Waratahs to make the Finals

[I like to watch]

Injuries only cloud the issue. Hickey learnt nothing from missing out on the semis despite winning more games than sides that made it due to bonus points. He has continued to select "safe" players,who will beat weak teams,and some strong teams if they are not on their game.
You are destined to limp into semis at best with this mindset.You will never ever get beyond a semi appearance with this strategy.
Unless the tahs have a huge cleanout in the off season. we will continue to get what we have got.Unfortunately we might have to go backwards to go forward.

 

[rustycruiser]

Is the Tahs' amount of injured players higher than the average? Or do they have zero depth? Every team is struggling with injuries. I remember reading a stat earlier this year that the Cheetahs were missing 11 of their first choice players. Squad depth is more important than ever. You need 30 players in a squad that can play at a Super level. If you only have 15, there is no way you are going to make it through the longer season. Just look at the Stormers last week. Winning with their scrumhalf playing 10 after losing their 3rd choice flyhalf in the game, with both first choice centers out injured as well. The best thing about this Super Rugby season for me has been the emergence of the young South Africans. Guys like Cronje, Elstadt, , Oosthuizen, the Ebersohns, Sadie etc who where in the SA u20 teams in 2008/2009. Getting their chances to put their hands up after toiling away in the u20 Currie Cup and Vodacom teams for the least 2-3 years.

 

[fatprop]

Fatprop all true. The Tahs have had more critical injuries than any other team. However, if the season review at Moore Park goes something along the lines of "tough shit, boys, we have a bad injury run so let's just forget a bad season and look ahead," then all I can say is good luck Tah fans, stock up on your 2012 valium now. The competition will be tougher next year because most teams will improve.

agreed

my biggest disappointment with Hickey is his propensity to take the safe option in selections (ie giving the final contract to Soseni Anesi instead of a guy like John Grant).

You get injuries and they can be an opportunity to blood the next level of young player, so why hasn't Ben Seymour or Rohan Saifoloi been sighted on the bench as cover for Barnes & Hangers?

Why go to Batger & Perritt when John Grant, Tim Bennetts, Miles McCaffrey, Maile Latekefu & Lopeti Timani, are on the books?

 

[Moses]

You get injuries and they can be an opportunity to blood the next level of young player, so why hasn't Ben Seymour (Eastwood) or Rohan Saifoloi (Eastwood) been sighted on the bench as cover for Barnes & Hangers?

Why go to Batger (Eastwood) & Perritt (Eastwood) when John Grant (Eastwood), Tim Bennetts (Eastwood), Miles McCaffrey (Eastwood), Maile Latekefu & Lopeti Timani, are on the books?

Amazing how many of these Eastwood players keep showing up at the Tahs. They must win the Shute Shield every year with so much talent.

 

[fatprop]

Ben Seymour is at Manly, Rohan Saifoloi is at Souths and all the Uni players are already signed

 

[spectator]

I really hope that the Tah's can get up in this game but it will be a massive ask. Just be good to see two Aussie sides in the finals.

 

[Scarfman]

To be in the position they are with three rounds to go is testament to the side.

Mate, you are living on the Planet Koozebane. How about the ****s learn to catch and pass? If you look at the Tahs 2011 highlight reel, it will consist of indivually brilliant tries by Drewster and KB (Kurtley Beale) and whole lot of awful kicking and basic skills. And tackling, to be fair.

 

[waratahjesus]

Mate, you are living on the Planet Koozebane. How about the ****s learn to catch and pass? If you look at the Tahs 2011 highlight reel, it will consist of indivually brilliant tries by Drewster and KB (Kurtley Beale) and whole lot of awful kicking and basic skills. And tackling, to be fair.

and if you look at the reds team it will be full of the same between cooper and iaone, dont understand your point there.

 

[TheNextBigThing]

It's a worrying thought that we're yet to beat a single team still in finals contention (barring the Reds who got their own back later in the season).

Thankfully by the time they run out for the first finals match, they'll have the Bulls' and Highlanders' heads above the fireplace.

 

[waratahjesus]

Injuries only cloud the issue. Hickey learnt nothing from missing out on the semis despite winning more games than sides that made it due to bonus points. He has continued to select "safe" players,who will beat weak teams,and some strong teams if they are not on their game.
You are destined to limp into semis at best with this mindset.You will never ever get beyond a semi appearance with this strategy.
Unless the tahs have a huge cleanout in the off season. we will continue to get what we have got.Unfortunately we might have to go backwards to go forward.

this is still the biggest joke for me, the tahs are missing strike weapons, they have used every member of there squad due to injuries and even beyond. I dont understand what a safe player is, is it someone who has enough basic skill not to fuck up? is it someone that can defend? is it someone that can catch and pass? so the theory is, he should select players based on there ability to score freakish trys even if they have poor ball security cant tackle or take instruction, cos that would give the tahs a better chance of winning the comp?

hickey is doing such a horrible job keeping a team that has every right to be down and out in the hunt for a finals spot, im glad the actual squad and coaching staff are more resilient than the average fan.

 

[darkhorse]

4th - Crusaders 48 points (game in hand)
5th - Sharks 47 points
6th – Waratahs 46 points
7th – Bulls 45 points
8th - Highlanders 44 points

CRUSADERS - Bye, Blues (H), Hurricanes (H)
SHARKS - Cheetahs (A), Lions (A), Bulls (A)
WARATAHS - Bulls (A), Highlanders (H), Brumbies (H)
BULLS - Waratahs (H), Stormers (A), Sharks (H)
HIGHLANDERS - Force (H), Waratahs (A), Blues (A)

Looking at that list, the Bulls have a real shot at 5th spot. Maybe Sharks 6th, Tahs 7th?

They're in form, but it would seem to me that they have the hardest run in out of everyone. But the bulls seem to better than the sharks and tahs, so you have a fair point.

 

[allitsab]

I think Tahs or highlanders will finish 6th, other will miss out . Reds and Blues should finish 1 and 2 but wouldn't surprise me if the blues didn't win another game as they play 3 kiwi teams.
Tahs(6th) could well be playing stormers(3rd) away week 1 and winner would face blues the following week. They may have played shit most of the year but Tahs fans have hope unlike fans of hurricanes brumbies and chiefs.

I thought that the team to play 2nd place (I presume Blue's in this scenario) was the highest placed winner of 3 v 6 and 4 v 5, which is why I'd be worried if the Reds finished 1 and Tahs 6 (assuming the Tahs managed to get over the stormers)

 

[Gnostic]

WJ have you been partaking in the herbal remedies a "friend" gave you? I am looking for logical reason for your assertions, but there just isnt one that I can find.
1. Some of us predixted this outcome in week 3, due the systemic issues at the Tahs.
2. The fan forum highlighted issues in culture, mode of play and basic skills execution which formed the core of why we thought this outcome would hapen.
3. Hickey'scomments since the forum prove that he has taken nothing from the intervention and will in fact refuse any change to his plan (which contrary to Bruce Imo it is a simple plan of minimising losses and scoring opportunities for the opposition).

The Tahs this year will finish as per their long term average and I have no doubt Hickey will produce stats and injury excuses supported by Waugh and Mumm to prove they did wdll and met all their core KPIs.

The reality is they have a massively declining fan base and the engagement of even the core fans who have stood by them for a very long time through thick and thin (i have been a Tahs fans for over 30 years) is being jeopardized. It has already been said once but I will say it also, i have had enough. If Hickey continues next year, or there is no major redirection of the organisation then they can expect there will fewer fans next year, as I and many others will not attend and will turn off the TV. Why continue to do something that just brings frustration?

So WJ if you and your few fellow patriots can pay the Tahs bills good luck to you, otherwise be sure to turn off the lights when you leave.

 

[waratahjesus]

Gnostic, I always have to ask the question, what do you want?

In week three after two brilliant wins you. Wrote the tahs off?

The fan forum highlighted issues talked about. In the media, yes those angry men really had thereown opinions.

What hickey comments? The one where he answered questions with responses on topic?

What change of culture do you want? The boys go out. To win every week, this has been a very tough year injury wise, but that aside there hasn't been many games they wernt in.

From what I can gather, the really angry tahs fans who booed want the tahs to rip teams apart score try's from everywhere, win every game, personally acknowledge every person that turns up and tell them there special, maybe a call from hickey on your birthday?

Even the reds that are sprouting about there success, which is great for them and aus rugby only got there by hitting rock bottom, the players they have and the position there in are reactivenotprogressive, it's lucky.

 

[Gnostic]

Ok, WJ that post has convinced me. You have absolutely no conception of what the forum was about or why the Reds are now the most successful Oz side in terms of performance on the field this year and in business terms.

As for what and others like me want is simply some decent Rugby. Ie. Well executed basic skills and that includes kicking from hand decent tactics, thoughtful selections for a balanced game not picking a side to fulfill defence only, and finally a side that plays with passion not just to meet a base statistical analysis of their performance. If they do that the fans will return and winning will look after itself. Amazingly as it has for the Reds. The core point is basic skills, cat h pass and kick, the Tahs are so poor here and have been for years they are unable to execute anything but the limitted plan they have.

 

[waratahjesus]

Ok, WJ that post has convinced me. You have absolutely no conception of what the forum was about or why the Reds are now the most successful Oz side in terms of performance on the field this year and in business terms.

As for what and others like me want is simply some decent Rugby. Ie. Well executed basic skills and that includes kicking from hand decent tactics, thoughtful selections for a balanced game not picking a side to fulfill defence only, and finally a side that plays with passion not just to meet a base statistical analysis of their performance. If they do that the fans will return and winning will look after
itself. Amazingly as it has for the Reds. The core point is basic skills, cat h pass and kick, the Tahs are so poor here and have been for years they are unable to execute anything but the limitted plan they have.

The fan forum was for middle age men to feel important by voicing there opinion in front of others. Like the guy that said "the team and it's fans have never been further apart" what does that mean and what does that man want? Cos that's what the fan forum didn't answer, what did the fans that stood up actually want?

It was a PR tool designed to make people feel they where part of the organization. Did it work, I don't know if you can measure it, maybe you can?

The concept of the reds is a funny one, my point was without the force stripping there playing ranks then there board botching a coach change and losing barnes in the process as well as balimore taking them close to if not into bankruptcy they wouldn't be where they are, they wouldnthave the team or the coach they have or the current board. There success is a result of reactive thinking, that thinking has garnered them success but it's how they handle and build on it now that will measure how "successful" they are. Im sure qld rugby knows winning = money and money = success, so like any team there only a few losses away from losing the progress they have made

I guess my question is, if the tahscatch and pass and kick with purpose and finish mid table are you happy?

 

[Scarfman]

So, the Waratah Fan Forum turns out to be a terrible idea and you .... wait for it .... blame the fans.

I've been following the Waratahs for 30 years. In that time, I've always been a bigger Waratah fan than Wallaby fan. If my second child had been a girl, her middle name was going to be Waratah. And I am just sick to death of excuses, I'm sick of boardroom bullshit, I'm sicking up right now thinking about the Waratahs' gameplan and basic skills execution.

I'm supposed to love rugby. If that's true, how could I support the Waratahs to beat teams like the Crusaders or Reds who really have a fucking go. The Waratahs play like they are trying to finish high enough up the table to keep their jobs.

I reckon there's going to be some fantastic rugby played over the next few weeks. But I'm not going to waste my time watching the Waratahs.

 

[Bowside]

I guess my question is, if the tahs catch and pass and kick with purpose and finish mid table are you happy?

If they play good rugby the results will look after themsleves.

 

[RugbyReg]

The fan forum was for middle age men to feel important by voicing there opinion in front of others. Like the guy that said "the team and it's fans have never been further apart" what does that mean and what does that man want? Cos that's what the fan forum didn't answer, what did the fans that stood up actually want?

It was a PR tool designed to make people feel they where part of the organization. Did it work, I don't know if you can measure it, maybe you can?

The concept of the reds is a funny one, my point was without the force stripping there playing ranks then there board botching a coach change and losing barnes in the process as well as balimore taking them close to if not into bankruptcy they wouldn't be where they are, they wouldnthave the team or the coach they have or the current board. There success is a result of reactive thinking, that thinking has garnered them success but it's how they handle and build on it now that will measure how "successful" they are. Im sure qld rugby knows winning = money and money = success, so like any team there only a few losses away from losing the progress they have made

I guess my question is, if the tahscatch and pass and kick with purpose and finish mid table are you happy?

how wrong you are...

 

[waratahjesus]

how wrong you are...

Sorry reg, synergy, community, togetherness
Cooperate sellout enough?