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Rebels 2014

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hammertimethere

hammertimethere

Trevor Allan (34)
Lahiff impressed me the other night. Just doing drills to warm up from the bench (hit shields, wrestling, jumps and line out lifts etc.) the other night you could plainly see that he is exceptionally powerful. Built like a Panzer battle tank, I thought he played well in his limited time on. Slipper and subsequently holmes both had issues on his side of the scrum (it looked like the longer time spent in engagement suited him, because it gave him a chance to express his upper body strength in the wrestle). He tackled well (particularly 1 or 2 off the ruck) and counter-rucked effectively a few times. Didn't get much of a chance to carry the ball.
 
suckerforred

suckerforred

Chilla Wilson (44)
Lahiff looked good when he played in the ITM cup. I could see much of what was happening in the scrums on Friday night but I am glad he is in Australia.
 
elementfreak

elementfreak

Trevor Allan (34)
http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/02/16/rebels-with-a-cause-for-excitement/

With the 2014 Super Rugby season (finally!) under way, I am going to make a wild prediction. 2014 is going to be the year of the Melbourne Rebels.
I am not going to say anything as wild as ‘They are going to go undefeated and take home the trophy’, because I would never say that about any team. But the Rebels, they are a team that is going places and 2014 is going to be a magical one for the Melbourne-based franchise.
“And what makes you say that?” you may ask, and justifiably so.
Of course, I could give you a long-winded answer, but I think what it comes down to, at the most basic level, is the new team environment which has followed the appointment of new coach, Tony McGahan. It is widely acknowledged that McGahan is a ‘tough love’ type of coach who puts great emphasis on hard work and staying grounded – as a team – and as individuals.
After the highly publicised off-the-field antics of ex-Rebels Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor, it seems McGahan feels this is an imporant quality for the team to foster. In a recent interview McGahan stated, “There are no compromises, no exceptions to team dictates and certainly no egos” (Herald Sun, Feb 2014), a warning of sorts that any player who thinks he is greater than the team will not be tolerated.
Working as a team unit seems to be a key focus for McGahan and the Rebels. In the same interview McGahan went on to say, “There’s some really good attributes in the group and they’ve got a great spirit and mateship about them. They work exceptionally hard for each other. Those qualities are evident.” (Herald Sun, Feb 2014) It doesn’t take a genius to work out that if players in a team are working hard for each other, as a cohesive unit they are going to play better.
Since the Rebels pre-season began late in 2013, there have been several accounts in the news media, as well as on social media, about what a hard trainer McGahan is. He has commented that the Rebels defense is a key area for the team to work on, and although he has been running the players ragged, it seems to be paying off.
The Rebels went into the first of the 2014 trial (pre-season) matches having NEVER won a trial match against another Super Rugby franchise. With the trial matches now over and done with, what is their win/loss record for 2014 so far? Three wins and no losses against the Waratahs, Hurricanes and Reds.
People say that trial matches don’t count for a lot, but for a team like the Rebels, who hadn’t won a single trial match before 2014, those three wins can only bolster their confidence and get the into a great mindset for the season proper.
It seems that the new look Rebels haven’t only caught the eye of fans either. On Friday after the Reds versus Rebels trial, Reds and Wallabies player, Will Genia said, “The Melbourne Rebels have acted wisely by clearing out the old guard and starting again in its quest for Super Rugby respectability.” (The Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 2014) It is clear that before the season starts, other teams are sitting up and taking notice of the ‘new’ Rebels.
And so they should.
A mention also needs to be made of Scott Higginbotham, a player that made a vital impact the moment he first stepped onto the field for the Rebels. After filling in for injured captain Gareth Delve in 2013, Higginbotham being named as Rebels captain for 2014 was an obvious choice. With 78 Super Rugby games under his belt, as well as 23 caps for the Wallabies, Higginbotham will be able to provide a wealth of experience and knowledge that will no doubt benefit the whole team..
While the Rebels aren’t a team full of Wallabies, they are a team with a perfect mix of skilled ‘old hands’ and impressive up-and-comers. Under the tutelage of the more senior players, the younger players are going to continue improve as the season progresses, and perhaps we will see players like Hugh Pyle, vying for a spot in the Wallabies.
I think the team in its entirety is a very exciting one, but as with all teams, there are a few key Rebels players to look out for this year:
  • Hugh Pyle – fast and strong with an uncanny knack for stretching out and reaching the tryline. Go-go-gadget arms, anyone? Made the Wallabies wider training squad in 2013.
  • Jordy Reid – the dreaded flanker had an impressive first season with the Rebels and looks to be in awesome physical form!
  • Bryce Hegarty – possesses awesome speed and amazing footwork, as well as an excellent kicking game. Who could forget his two tries in the Rebels last Super Rugby match in 2013, against the Highlanders?
  • Tom English – had a good season in 2013 and was a key player in each of the Rebels three trial match wins.
  • Jason Woodward – it could be said (and I am saying it) he was the find of the 2013 Super Rugby season. Scored an impressive 56 points in his 12 games for the Rebels, equally dangerous with the boot as with the ball in hand.
Whatever happens, 2014 is going to be an exciting year for the Melbourne Rebels, and I am looking forward to bringing you regular updates as the season progresses.
Just don’t ask me who I will be supporting on March 14, when the Rebels play the Crusaders!

Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter –@LastWordEmma. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
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swingpass

swingpass

Peter Sullivan (51)
i think the rebels are blessed with two very good loosehead props this year, and it augers well for our scrummaging. i think both weekes and PAE are more than capable on the TH side as well.
lahiff is truly enormous and rewriting all the rebels "strength" records apparently.
i look forward to lots of long drawn out scrums ;)
 
KevinO

KevinO

Geoff Shaw (53)
Lahiff was impressive in Geelong as well, just a shame he has came to the club when we signed Smith as well. Would have been a started if Hendo was still around.

Have not seen Lahiff on the tight side for a while but he has played their with London Irish.

Why do we have another bloody bye to start the season, this extra week wait is going to hurt. At least we will be middle of the Australian conference going into our first game I suppose :)
 
Highlander35

Highlander35

Andrew Slack (58)
Perhaps we'll, i dunno, actually manage props, and make sure they're sufficiently rotated in order to be functioning fully for when we need them to? Oh yes, Australian front row management...

Sorry, a bit snarky. With only 16 games outside of Internationals, it IS a lot less important to rotate and manage the props.

On a serious note, if the big 4 (Lahiff, Smith, Weekes & PAE) all took a single round off, Cruze gets an extra 4 games under his belt, which means if someone is actually injured, or the reds lure PAE home, or something like that, we wouldn't take as big of a hit. Hell, If they took 2 games off each, Cruze gets half a season under his belt, and they still play 14 games each.
 
Tex

Tex

Greg Davis (50)
Thoughts on this stunt?


The shot at Buddy Franklin on Valentines Day was top notch but this feels a bit bitchy.
 
D

daz

Guest
Very, very poor form by the Rebels. For a club that usually handles PR stuff so well, whoever authorised this really dropped the ball.

I couldn't care less about the tit-for-tat between Buddy, JOC (James O'Connor) and the Rebels, but you never, EVER take a personal view or publically have a stab at an individual. Especially in marketing mode.

I assume this was supposed to be light hearted and a bit of a laugh. It comes off as neither.

Bagging an AFL player? In Melbourne? Not sure I see that being a winning strategy!

I suggest Adam Freier needs to adopt a few GAGR rules in his role as GM Marketing and Communications.

Don't play the man Adam, even if he is a tool.
 
Highlander35

Highlander35

Andrew Slack (58)
I like it. I'm an AFL fan. I live in melbourne. But I also:

Like Rugby
Like the Rebels
Don't like Franklin
Don't like O'Connor
Think that the incestuous circlejerk of melbourne footy journalism is way too big for its own good.

So I'm probably biased.
 
FiveStarStu

FiveStarStu

Bill McLean (32)
Tex said:
Thoughts on this stunt?

The shot at Buddy Franklin on Valentines Day was top notch but this feels a bit bitchy.
Click to expand...


I think it's brilliant. The club needs a bit of chutzpah about it, and who better to target than the king of blatant self-promotion?
 
Jimmy C

Jimmy C

Allen Oxlade (6)
I'm in two minds about this Buddy crap. Like Tex, I had a laugh at the Valentines Days crack at him. And as much as JOC (James O'Connor) and Buddy annoyed the crap out of me last year with their 'superstar' attitude, the Rebels might be going a bit far. I think I lot of people will look at this last ad as a bit of a 'trying too hard to be cool' move. The first was funny and made a point. And it would have made non rugby people sit up and think, "wonder what this Rebel mob is about?", and hopefully have a laugh. The rhyming helped :). But come on guys, sometimes it's best to let things go.

But now...and I know we all love a bit of tin-foil hat conspiracy here on G&GR, what if there is some connection between the Rebels and someone at Hawthorn. Maybe rocking the boat as a bit of a favour? :p
Probably a stretch, but you never know ;)
 
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