Queensland Reds 2025

[dru]

Ha! Obvious. But also good re-initiation prior to this game happening.

 

[TSR]

Any word on the injuries to Salakai-Loto or Daugunu?

 

[Adam84]

not yet.. LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) will probably get a scan once back in Australia and one article mentioned Daugunu as been In doubt for Moana Pasifika

 

[Strewthcobber]

I wonder how they manage that injury to LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto). Sitting on a plane for 24 hours can't be a great way of dealing with a recent knee injury. Must get painful too

 

[Ignoto]

As long as there's no concern about clotting, it's a perfect opportunity to help with recovery If you put him in business class.

Elevation and immobislation is perfect for serious injury. Keep it iced and pain managed.

Any discomfort is short term and you would imagine preferable than being stuck in a hotel/hospital by yourself + a support person rather than being at home around family.

 

[Crashy]

i dont think rubgy players 'sit' on planes these days...

 

[Strewthcobber]

I thought it was all about getting them as mobile as possible as quickly as possible these days?

 

[PhilClinton]

I hope some positive experience stories start filtering through clubland after the tour. Too much over analysis happening from the peanut gallery about it in my opinion so hopefully the players do the talking and genuinely enjoyed it.

It is fairly common for trial games in the NRL to be played against club sides. The Broncos played Burleigh over the weekend and had 7 regular first graders in the starting team (albeit no super stars). They also ran a fully opposed ‘team run’ against Wynum the day before with all their players involved.

I imagine going into it, they assumed Bristol would be putting up a similar fight as Ulster did. Yes the scheduling might have been a bit off but the Reds can’t control the team that runs out against them.

Oh and let’s not forget the travesty of JTA (Jeffery Toomaga-Allen) having to attend the season launch photo shoot.

 

[Crashy]

sorry who is JTA (Jeffery Toomaga-Allen)?

 

[Wilson]

I wonder how they manage that injury to LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto). Sitting on a plane for 24 hours can't be a great way of dealing with a recent knee injury. Must get painful too

Will depend a bit on the severity I guess, but between the bye and the lock depth there's a fair bit of flexibility, so there's every chance he sits the Moana game even if he could play in a pinch. Deciding he'll sit that game out early may also give them the freedom to fly him home a few days later if that'll help his recovery.

 

[Sword of Justice]

i dont think rubgy players 'sit' on planes these days...

I’ve been wondering about this but too afraid to ask. The Reds have decent fins at the moment but that is one absolutely enormous travel invoice if they are all going business. Like $300k for the return flights. Also depending on the plane they may have to split up the squad which is actually good practice.

 

[PhilClinton]

I haven’t travelled long distance for a while - are there even 50 odd seats in business?

 

[Strewthcobber]

I’ve been wondering about this but too afraid to ask. The Reds have decent fins at the moment but that is one absolutely enormous travel invoice if they are all going business. Like $300k for the return flights. Also depending on the plane they may have to split up the squad which is actually good practice.

BMS paying?

 

[Adam84]

I hope some positive experience stories start filtering through clubland after the tour. Too much over analysis happening from the peanut gallery about it in my opinion so hopefully the players do the talking and genuinely enjoyed it.

It is fairly common for trial games in the NRL to be played against club sides. The Broncos played Burleigh over the weekend and had 7 regular first graders in the starting team (albeit no super stars). They also ran a fully opposed ‘team run’ against Wynum the day before with all their players involved.

I imagine going into it, they assumed Bristol would be putting up a similar fight as Ulster did. Yes the scheduling might have been a bit off but the Reds can’t control the team that runs out against them.

Oh and let’s not forget the travesty of JTA (Jeffery Toomaga-Allen) having to attend the season launch photo shoot.

If what you're referring to here by 'overanalysis from the peanut gallery' is a crack at the comments I and others made about the team Bristol fielded and the scoreline, then I think you need a bit of perspective on this issue.

Teams and players want to play the best; Ewen McKenzie himself publicly stated he sought to organise trials against the Crusaders in 2010 & 2011 pre-season because they were the best team in Super Rugby at the time and wanted to prepare against the best. Reds management and players will be disappointed that Bristol fielded a weaker team than usual; whether they say this publicly is an entirely different story. Fortunately Ulster put out a stronger team.

As for the tour... would it have been beneficial? Absolutely. Could it have been of better value if Bristol had fielded a better team? also yes.. Regardless, of this I'm sure the players genuinely enjoyed it

 

[Crashy]

Have a chum who spoke with Tate at Bne airport after they got back - sounded like the players and support crew loved it - team in a good place.

 

[Wilson]

I’ve been wondering about this but too afraid to ask. The Reds have decent fins at the moment but that is one absolutely enormous travel invoice if they are all going business. Like $300k for the return flights. Also depending on the plane they may have to split up the squad which is actually good practice.

Hard to know if all, part or any of the squad are travelling business (it's a pity JTA (Jeffery Toomaga-Allen) isn't there, he'd be pumping out social content and travel diaries), but as has been said it sounds like BMS has picked up the bulk of the tab for this one. Beyond that there are deals to be had in buying at the sort of scale they're working with that might help a bit here, but I have no idea by how much.

The Reds partnership with Alliance Airlines has also offset a lot of their travel costs in the past. I can't see it being directly relevant here with Alliance not flying to Europe, but that saving may have helped.

 

[Ignoto]

I thought it was all about getting them as mobile as possible as quickly as possible these days?

Yeap definitely - hell people these days having hips replaced are up walking the same day.

But, there's a difference between doing deliberate movements and being on your feet all day.

I've got no idea what Lukhan has done, I could easily see the staff making sure he's fit to fly and just immobilizing it tell he gets home and fully assessed.

Remember, whenever we see those guys who get huge injuries like ACL or Achilles injuries, they put them in boots/braces and fly them home as its not like the injury can be made worse in the 20-24 hours of flying.

 

[PhilClinton]

If what you're referring to here by 'overanalysis from the peanut gallery' is a crack at the comments I and others made about the team Bristol fielded and the scoreline, then I think you need a bit of perspective on this issue.

It wasn't about your comments and it wasn't just on these forums.

Plenty of people were complaining about the costs involved, taking the Reds away from Australia and playing trials in front of home fans, Bristol team strength, the impact of travel on the players before the season.

The list goes on.

The negativity I saw around the tour seemed to outweigh the positive reactions, which I found frustrating. God forbid our game tries something different. It's not like the stuff they've been doing the same year on year was yielding amazing results for both the Reds and Australian rugby in general, but the vast majority seemed to believe we should have just kept the status quo.

 

[Adam84]

Fair enough, I think besides a handful of people disappointed in the quality of opposition rolled out by Bristol, most of it has been positive.

I think there is always going to be an opportunity cost in hosting these kinds of tours, and that's not necessarily an argument focussing on the negatives but just highlighting what you're trading off to experience a UK pre-season.

As for the costs, well, yeah it's a massive undertaking that no other Australian team has done, at least not in recent years, it would have been an expensive tour. I think most people are genuinely interested in the financials behind it. Who paid, and how much did sponsors/hosting teams cover.. At the moments it's all speculative.

 

[dru]

The negativity I saw around the tour seemed to outweigh the positive reactions, which I found frustrating.

I'd call myself disappointed rather than negative. I'm not disappointed about the Reds trying something different or on the team benefits of a pre-season tour. I like that a lot.

What has been disappointing is the fan connection. I really have enjoyed the Santos festivals recently and being fully locked out from one trial is either ignoring fan engagement or it is at least in spite fan engagement. We start the season proper with a bye which all adds to a lethargic start for the fans.

I'm looking forward to the rugby, it just seems to still be a little distant where in recent past years I was easily on the train by this point.