Queensland Reds 2009

[TOCC]

well this is good news for the development of Andrew Shaw

Although former Reds star David Croft was close to the Brethren?s best on field in their first round 67-7 victory over the Sunshine Coast Stingrays, Hilton has nominated Andrew Shaw at openside flanker, moving Croft to number eight.

?We?re really looking at Andrew Shaw?s development there. He?s a genuine prospect to play some high level football at seven.

?(But) you?d imagine Crofty will be pushing Andrew Shaw from the back to the breakdown.?

 

[RugbyReg]

They are the Queenslanders that got away from the Reds.

The Queensland rugby expat community - 16 Wallabies among them - is a mix of former schoolboy talents who have made their names at other franchises, Reds stars lured interstate, and long-time Super 14 players who have chosen an overseas stint to end their careers.

The result has been an exodus of quality and experience that has stripped the Queensland Reds to their bare bones and has forced head coach Phil Mooney, in his second year at the helm at Ballymore, to look to a new generation to fill in the gaps.

Such has been the rate of migration - be it for Perth, Canberra, Ireland or France - that the out-of-state banana benders would make a mean team if they were thrown together on the same field.

They'd make a formidable opposition, surely, for any side including, of course, the Reds themselves.

Their undisputed strength is in the back three and the back row. The trio of Chris Latham, who has unfortunately had his season ended by a shoulder injury since departing the Reds for England's Guinness Premiership last year, and Test wingers Lote Tuqiri and Drew Mitchell is plain frightening while at the back of the pack the line-up is similarly mouthwatering.

The difference at flanker and number eight, though, is that none of our three selections have played for the Reds.

Richard Brown, born and raised in Julia Creek, and Rocky Elsom and David Pocock, who were schoolboys at Nudgee and Churchie respectively, are all Wallabies who rose to international status elsewhere in Australia, at the Western Force and the Waratahs.

What Mooney would give for one or more of those three to finally wear a Maroon jumper someday.

If there are weak links in our side they are at fly-half - where we have chosen another former Nudgee lad, the 18-year-old James O'Connor, despite being slightly out of position, and in the front row, where France-based Ben Coutts is required at loosehead.

O'Connor is one of nine in the Reds expat squad now at the Force, the creation of which in 2006 was

the primary catalyst for the mass lines of rugby players at Brisbane Airport.

Losing players to the Perth franchise was a reflection on the state of affairs at the Reds, according to former coach Mark McBain.

"They left to the Force in droves because of the way Queensland was at the time," said McBain, whose 2001 Reds side was the last to have made the Super 14 semi-finals.

"The players didn't like what they saw here and they were offered lots of money."

McBain said the Reds suffer from a lack of leadership, with the side's senior figures, James Horwill and Berrick Barnes, only 24 and 22 years old.

"(Mooney) has lost so many core players in the team he has picked up," he said.

"Fellas like Nathan Sharpe, (Mark) Chisholm, Junior Pelesasa and Stevie Kefu . . . if they were around you'd have some leadership there."

David Croft, a Queenslander who never became an expat during a 116-game career for the Reds, is another who believes the loss of Wallaby lock has been felt more than most.

Sharpe went to the Force at the end of the 2005 season.

"Sharpy is a guy that left Queensland as the captain," Croft said.

"The guidance he could have given and the leadership would have been fantastic."

a fairly rote response from the media following another bad loss.

Interesting though has been the comments by the Ear, Mark Oberhardt, over the last couple of weeks, the latest being:

THE Ear didn't know whether to be flattered or fretful at the amazing response to my thoughts on the Reds (The Ear, April 13). I was swamped by readers. Although most agreed it was time to get on with the job many are still very bitter. (One even suggested I "publicly shame" the Famous Five I hold responsible so they could be "birched" under the Ballymore goalposts) But I should point out those five thought they were doing the correct thing and considered me the troublemaker. It doesn't matter what I think because you can't turn back history. In 1999, Queensland was one of the most powerful rugby provinces in the world. Today it is, well, not. The thing is to now ensure in 2019 we are back on top. While we need to build from the base up money will have to be found for at least one quality back to direct the show. Put a Chris Latham in the Reds and they would have won their past two games.

I wonder who the five are?

Theo Psaras would have to be one wouldn't he? And then whomever were board members then I guess.

 

[RugbyReg]

Hmmm. Braid may play for us next year yet. The Welsh team he signed for (Scarlets?) Might ditch the contract cause of his injury. 6 months rehab time which means he's back in time for next S14 season but would miss a month or so oop norf!

 

[RugbyReg]

What? Snippet in the paper today saying MMM expected to go overseas at season's end. Odd decision given RWC timing etc.

Please come home Rocky.

 

[Ash]

What? Snippet in the paper today saying MMM expected to go overseas at season's end. Odd decision given RWC timing etc.

Please come home Rocky.

That's pretty devastating for the Reds if he does. Yet another starting player lost, and after his first complete season too.

 

[formeropenside]

What? Snippet in the paper today saying MMM expected to go overseas at season's end. Odd decision given RWC timing etc.

Please come home Rocky.

That's pretty devastating for the Reds if he does. Yet another starting player lost, and after his first complete season too.

I'd rather see him go OS rather than south or west, but hell, that would still be a major blow.

 

[Spook]

What? Snippet in the paper today saying MMM expected to go overseas at season's end. Odd decision given RWC timing etc.

Please come home Rocky.

I think, like Al Baxter, it's all bs. The money players can get O/S is greatly reduced. Australia has suffered far less that Europe with the economic crisis.

 

[cyclopath]

What? Snippet in the paper today saying MMM expected to go overseas at season's end. Odd decision given RWC timing etc.

Please come home Rocky.

That's pretty devastating for the Reds if he does. Yet another starting player lost, and after his first complete season too.

I'd rather see him go OS rather than south or west, but hell, that would still be a major blow.

Something only a Qlder would say! ;D

 

[Sully]

What? Snippet in the paper today saying MMM expected to go overseas at season's end. Odd decision given RWC timing etc.

Please come home Rocky.

That's pretty devastating for the Reds if he does. Yet another starting player lost, and after his first complete season too.

I'd rather see him go OS rather than south or west, but hell, that would still be a major blow.

Something only a Qlder would say! ;D

Of course it is why would he go south of you?

 

[TOCC]

i wouldnt currently read to much into these possible moves overseas....

McMenimen is in a tight spot though, especially if Elsom returns, the ARU wont be as inclined to offer him a top up, but i highly highly doubt that McMenimen will head overseas..

Ioane has suprised me, i thought he would have been in talks with other unions or the NRL, only because he has mentioned that in the past few years. Yet here he is saying he would prefer to stay in QLD, i reckon the ARU will be very keen to keep him, he is one of the future wallaby stars, he can play wing and centre which is going to come in handy considering Gerrard, Norton-Knight, Staniforth and Rathbone are all heading overseas, Shepherd cant have long left in him either.

 

[cyclopath]

Hey, guys, I don't want to see MMM anywhere but in Red. But if he left them, I would prefer he stayed somewhere in Oz - he's a valuable player. Don't particularly want him to come south...

 

[RugbyReg]

Some interesting snippets here from Berrick.

As Queensland begin the vital quest to retain the services of Berrick Barnes, the Reds playmaker has revealed he would have "struggled to stay" at Ballymore if his contract had expired at the end of last year's dismal Super 14 campaign.

But in positive news for the Reds' ambitions to keep the big-hearted backline general, Barnes says a desire to be around for the elusive good times could be enough to see him in Queensland colours beyond this season.

Snaring the signature of the 22-year-old Wallaby is the top priority for the Reds moving forward, with former Queensland fullback Chris Latham urging the franchise to do everything possible and more to lock Barnes away with a three-year deal.

Despite another disappointing Super 14 return, Queensland's wildly fluctuating efforts this season under second-year coach Phil Mooney may have just been enough to keep Barnes on board.

It wouldn't have been the case last season. Outwardly upbeat and optimistic, Barnes was privately unhappy with his form and battling with the weight of playing in a side putting in every effort and gaining little reward. The game he loves was ceasing to be fun.

"I'll be honest, last year if I came off (contract), I would have struggled to stay," Barnes said. "I would have struggled to stay with the way I was playing. I wasn't enjoying my footy.

"But this year, I can see that we have made improvements. You talk to other teams playing us and they know they are in for a game against us.

"I'd love to be around for the good times, that's for sure. I've done four tough years now and it hasn't been that great. But I'd like to be here when it is good. I've got a long way to go in this process.

"I know we are building towards something. I can see the light a bit more this year and I'd like to be a part of it."

Just how important Barnes is to the Reds equation was shown when he unluckily injured his groin while warming up to play the Brumbies two weeks ago. Without his assured touch, the Reds were floating in the wind, conceding 52 points in a forgettable drubbing.

In typical straight-shooting style, the likeable Barnes says stories about the Reds being a one-man show are "crap". Rather, he says it was the loss of big flanker Hugh McMeniman in the lead-up to the game that put the side on the back foot.

"That's crap mate," Barnes said of the notion he was the heartbeat of the Reds. "People look past it but the bloke we miss most on the field is Hugh McMeniman. Whether we've won or lost in the past few years is often because of him."

McMeniman, yet to sign with the Reds, is courting big money offers from international clubs. If the Reds snare the injury-prone giant, who is currently out for six months with an ankle injury, their chances of retaining Barnes could also improve.

"To us and the Wallabies, he's a massive loss. He brings that physicality. He's athletic. He jumps in line-outs. He gets around the park. For us to go forward, he's one of the key men we need to retain," said Barnes of teammate McMenimam.

Barnes' manager, Pete Rogers, says the kid from Kingaroy wants to stay with the Reds. But with interest rising in his services, nothing is for certain, meaning this weekend's game against the Hurricanes could still prove to be his last for Queensland.

Regardless of the contractual dealing, Barnes wants to overcome his groin injury and give the visiting Super 14 contenders a run for their money.

It's a game where he wants the long-suffering fans to walk out of the ground happy that Queensland has given its all. For the players, after a season that has yielded just three wins, it's about respect.

"You'd love to give the fans something to cheer about. There's no doubt about it that we're going to do it tough against a side that's pretty much full strength and pushing towards the semis," Barnes said.

"But stranger things have happened and we've got 80 minutes for our season and nothing to lose.

"The biggest thing is we have to get that respect back for ourselves. We have to look each other in the eye and say we'll give this a good crack and we had a good crack."

I love Berrick. We really need to build the team around him I reckon.

 

[Scotty]

Definately, he is the right sort of character to have in our team.

 

[RugbyReg]

little snippet from a e-newsletter I get about the sports industry.

Third Half Athlete of the Month: Wallaby Rugby lock James Horwill, who recently forked out $900 to buy caps and scarfs for kids at a Starlight Foundation fund raiser. It was meant to be an anonymous gesture, but it?s important we leak the odd positive snippet out into the market place, just on the off chance anybody is interested in a change

its not major but its nice to note our athletes can have a heart.

 

[TOCC]

ah if anyone is interested, there was a snippet in the paper saying that Daniel Braid is available again for 2010, Scarlets? have apparently torn up the contract, so its now quite possible Braid will remain at the Reds in 2010.