BraveandGame
Bob Loudon (25)
My comments stand and were not based on watching a 'couple of games' last season but watching the body of work and development of the team over the last 3 years.
For a start last season alone they transitioned the previous 10 to 9 to accommodate a new 10, (a player who was a better footballer than the boy he replaced but maybe not a better 9 - yet) their 'star' 12 moved to 15 to accommodate a new 12 who had never played union before. The starting 8 and 5 from the year before moved to 2 and 3 respectively, while the staring 1 went to 11!!!, the old 15 moved to 14 and they settled on a somewhat new 13 after playing at least 4 boys there in 2014 and they had a new 8 who moved in from the centers and mostly the B's.
All this on top of an immersion program that robbed them of precious training time and opportunity to play together consistently - injuries also took out the new 12 and various key forwards for games throughout the season.
The performance of a very unsettled team over a few games last season is only a very small part of the story that will unfold on the field in 2016.
Edit - the real potential and issues within this team moving forward was best evidenced in the trail V NC, that was the game you wanted to see of all last seasons fixtures.
For a start last season alone they transitioned the previous 10 to 9 to accommodate a new 10, (a player who was a better footballer than the boy he replaced but maybe not a better 9 - yet) their 'star' 12 moved to 15 to accommodate a new 12 who had never played union before. The starting 8 and 5 from the year before moved to 2 and 3 respectively, while the staring 1 went to 11!!!, the old 15 moved to 14 and they settled on a somewhat new 13 after playing at least 4 boys there in 2014 and they had a new 8 who moved in from the centers and mostly the B's.
All this on top of an immersion program that robbed them of precious training time and opportunity to play together consistently - injuries also took out the new 12 and various key forwards for games throughout the season.
The performance of a very unsettled team over a few games last season is only a very small part of the story that will unfold on the field in 2016.
Edit - the real potential and issues within this team moving forward was best evidenced in the trail V NC, that was the game you wanted to see of all last seasons fixtures.