Quade Cooper and Summer Digressions

[Rob42]

...KB (Kurtley Beale) can slot into 10 when the other side has the ball ...

KB (Kurtley Beale) can slot into 10 when we have the ball too, and do a pretty decent job, I'd say. Quade can then reposition on the bench. Gits isn't the only alternative 10 in the squad. Robbie's tough talk is welcome, but he might have to back it up with actions to show that he's serious.

 

[fatprop]

Beale is growing into a solid defender at 15, but at 10?

I never, ever thought I would hear people talk about Beale being brought in for his defense to cover for someone.

 

[Lee Grant]

How the world turns.

 

[Rob42]

Beale is growing into a solid defender at 15, but at 10?

I never, ever thought I would hear people talk about Beale being brought in for his defense to cover for someone.

True - it was he who was being rotated out of the defensive line when he first played 10 for the Tahs. But did anyone expect his ability, on both sides of the ball, to rise so rapidly since the last couple of rounds of the Super 14 this year? He's the perfect example of someone who's capitalised on their talent and obviously worked hard on their weaknesses this year. If QC (Quade Cooper) plays the speed-bump role again this weekend, I say give KB (Kurtley Beale) a shot at 10.

 

[lincoln]

But he's got a beautiful long flat pass that no-one else can apparently deliver so that makes up for everything

Until the opposition teams start to watch for them (aka what happened to Jason Taylor's cut out pass in League) and take the easy intercept and try.

 

[I like to watch]

@ $600k pa QC (Quade Cooper) should probably be more wary of JON than RD.
It's one thing to get benched, it's another to be looking for a new gig after everyone has worked out the emperor has no clothes.
Who doesn't think JON will be looking at his contract, clauses & behaviour etc if QC (Quade Cooper) is on the bench. JON has done this before.
I am predicting that QC (Quade Cooper) will improve marginally enough to hold his spot, but not to the level where he is no longer a liability.The thing QC (Quade Cooper) has in his favour is that the next picks for 10 are hardly standing out. He might well end up being the best of a bad bunch.

 

[fatprop]

A bit of hearsay from PR

Had a brief talk with Link earlier (having a self congratulatory wank here) this year and he said that Cooper's defensive frailties were always obvious from the outset HOWEVER he felt that his attacking value and potential were irreplaceable (his words not mine) and far outweighed this aspect of his game.

As such he was given a mandate to go missing in defense for the Reds. Basically the other Reds are told to cover for him in the defensive line and take on his tackle load.

Methinks his teammates in the Walla's setup are not so keen on this arrangement and he is struggling to suddenly readjust...

 

[Groucho]

Until the opposition teams start to watch for them (aka what happened to Jason Taylor's cut out pass in League) and take the easy intercept and try.

But that's what's really good about Cooper's long pass: he has a wonderful three-dimensional awareness, and if players move up out of the line then he realigns and does something else.

 

[Groucho]

A bit of hearsay from PR

Have to take that one with a grain of salt, FP. That doesn't seem like a Link-esque approach. Link would analyse Quade's weaknesses and formulate and execute a plan to overcome them.

I think Link might even use those words.

 

[I like to watch]

That being the same Link that threw KB (Kurtley Beale) to the wolves straight out of School?I am not sure he should be the author of of any workout solutions for 10's

 

[Groucho]

That being the same Link that threw KB (Kurtley Beale) to the wolves straight out of School?I am not sure he should be the author of of any workout solutions for 10's

KB (Kurtley Beale) did extremely well in his first year at 10, piloting the Tahs to the S14 final and being the best player in it until he was hurt. His temporary yips set in after that.

 

[topo]

KB (Kurtley Beale) did extremely well in his first year at 10, piloting the Tahs to the S14 final and being the best player in it until he was hurt. His temporary yips set in after that.

Not quite, that was his second year out of school, 2008, but your point is still valid.

 

[fatprop]

Have to take that one with a grain of salt, FP. That doesn't seem like a Link-esque approach. Link would analyse Quade's weaknesses and formulate and execute a plan to overcome them.

I think Link might even use those words.

Dunno, I reckon he would also use a guy and hide him in defense if and when he had too, which is what he did with KB (Kurtley Beale) - he ended up as blind side wing a lot with Lote or Turner filling in in the centre of the field

While hopefully working with in the background to improve

 

[RugbyReg]

Link spoke in a podcast about the value of having those x factor players, as long as you surrounded them with MR Dependables who you knew would produce at a high standard every game. So you could have a guy who varied from 10/10 to 1/10 match to match/moment to moment, as long as you had someone who was a 8/10 or 9/10 consistent around him.

Sounds like Cooper and Fainga'a too me. Perhaps why he had Vaalu on the wing alongside Diggers/Davies rather than Morahan too.

 

[Groucho]

Not quite, that was his second year out of school, 2008, but your point is still valid.

I recline corrected.

 

[Lee Grant]

I reckon that a way can be found to get a solution to the Cooper question in Super rugby and most test matches. In those I can still see a net gain over time.

It's just the big ones every now and then like against the Poms on the weekend, when his deficiency was game changing, that concern me. Because his forwards were being driven back whichever side had the ball he never got many credits to offset his debits.

Winning the last three matches of a RWC will not be likely unless something is done to address both his tackling and the forwards holding back.

 

[DPK]

He needs to improve his attitude in defense and bend his back.

I've always found it's easier to drop your knees. Bending your back is like asking to be pushed over backwards, bending your knees drops your whole body height.

 

[Spewn]

I've always found it's easier to drop your knees. Bending your back is like asking to be pushed over backwards, bending your knees drops your whole body height.

I've always found it easier to use a stiff arm to the head. I would rather see him sent off for an aggressive, stupid senseless violent act than playing double handed touch or wall rugby.

 

[DPK]

I've always found it easier to use a stiff arm to the head. I would rather see him sent off for an aggressive, stupid senseless violent act than playing double handed touch or wall rugby.

Can't run without a head, as they say...

 

[Scotty]

I've always found it's easier to drop your knees. Bending your back is like asking to be pushed over backwards, bending your knees drops your whole body height.

Bending the back is more a figurative term. Bending at the knees and hips is probably more accurate.