Rebels 2018

[Rebels3]

Would not be surprised if he's looking elsewhere. He's probably 5th in line for a spot on the wing.

Ratu, Tupou etc are also more fancied by the staff

 

[glass half full]

Am I right in thinking that people were blaming McGahan for last years bad defense? He's gone but they still leaked big time twice, and doesn't he have something to do with defense at the Reds?

 

[lou75]

Am I right in thinking that people were blaming McGahan for last years bad defense? He's gone but they still leaked big time twice, and doesn't he have something to do with defense at the Reds?

Yep, McGahan was blamed for last years bad defense and also for the low team morale that ripped at the heart and soul of the players.
Yes, they still leak this year and (hopefully) are working on it. Same guys pretty much that played for McGahan in the backs still need to build up their skill set, no doubt. I haven't written them off though - they 've done some good work this year.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Ratu, Tupou etc are also more fancied by the staff

Wouldn't mind seeing either or both of Ratu and Tupou on the end of a backline. Talent and speed to burn.

 

[Tex]

I don't disagree. It does feel like a bit of a Melbourn issue, even last year -- they were not a bad team at all last year, but they were just unable to win games when they got hard. This year they have much more talent but still are unable to win tough.

You know what, I'm pretty one-eyed but I'll disagree with you there and say we were objectively a bad team last year.

 

[Zero_Cool]

You know what, I'm pretty one-eyed but I'll disagree with you there and say we were objectively a bad team last year.

I disagree, I felt like you didn't have an outright bad team. They weren't as good as the team this year, but they were far from as bad as they ended up.

When I looked at that team sheet from last year, I was like second half of the ladder but at worst 3 quarters, not dead last.

TL;DR: They were bad but also underachieved last year; they weren't Sunwolves bad!

 

[Mr Wobbly]

Had we been able to get our best team on the park once in a while we would have been more competitive last year. The game plan would have still been diabolical though, a game plan designed to lose by less.

 

[James Pettifer]

Am I right in thinking that people were blaming McGahan for last years bad defense? He's gone but they still leaked big time twice, and doesn't he have something to do with defense at the Reds?

No, we were blaming McGahan for

• Having no game plan. We now have a game plan but probably need 2
• Pretty much every player not developing and playing worse than the prior year

We did lose to the Hurricane 71-6 last year and had 7 out of the 15 games where more than 40 points were scored against us.

There is clearly a gap in the team around self belief and being able to regain composure. The team has only been together for 5 games so hopefully that grows through the season.

I'm pretty happy with 3 wins from 5 games, being top of the ladder and scoring many more tries than we did last year in the whole season.

 

[lou75]

I hear a lot of hot air about how the team needs to grow together - unfortunately I am of the opinion that if each player did what they were trained to do (and paid to do) then the team would work with precision from the get go - think of a surgical team that is rostered together who haven't worked together before, you still expect the surgery to go well and the patient to survive, right? Well these guys have trained together for six or seven months already - they ought to know how they take their tea, how to pass, catch and kick is second to nature by now , I would have thought.

 

[James Pettifer]

I hear a lot of hot air about how the team needs to grow together - unfortunately I am of the opinion that if each player did what they were trained to do (and paid to do) then the team would work with precision from the get go - think of a surgical team that is rostered together who haven't worked together before, you still expect the surgery to go well and the patient to survive, right? Well these guys have trained together for six or seven months already - they ought to know how they take their tea, how to pass, catch and kick is second to nature by now , I would have thought.

And that works great until the shit goes down and the panic sets in. What is then needed is strong leadership to calm the situation down and trust that people are going to do their jobs. The Rebels don't seem to have that at the moment.

I'm not convinced about Coleman as captain. The line out penalty he gave in the 2nd half was always going to be given and just gave the Hurricanes another 30 meters and was reflective of how the whole team was performing.

 

[wamberal]

Surgical teams are not confronted by another surgical team. Even so, mistakes are made (unforced errors) - quite a few as it happens.



The Hurricanes upped the ante in the second half, they were a class above in just about every department. Plans and techniques tend to go to pieces when a team is faced by an overwhelmingly strong and committed opposition.


Let us suspend judgement until a few more of our teams have faced the boys from across the dutch. I for one am not all that sanguine about our chances.

 

[Killer]

And that works great until the shit goes down and the panic sets in. What is then needed is strong leadership to calm the situation down and trust that people are going to do their jobs. The Rebels don't seem to have that at the moment.

I'm not convinced about Coleman as captain. The line out penalty he gave in the 2nd half was always going to be given and just gave the Hurricanes another 30 meters and was reflective of how the whole team was performing.

I think DW is a good coach, but all good coaches need a good Captain. I think Coleman will be good in time.
The key difference between the Force last year and this year is Hodgo. My understanding was that he had a huge input into the coaching last year in advice to David and no doubt in getting the player group fully onside.
Hodgo's ability to get a team up and running in recent months just supports the reported strength of his role last year.

 

[lou75]

I'm not judging our boys, but I don't buy the rhetoric. I support them and think they are a lot better (directed) than last year but there is still room for improvement in terms of game plan and reading the play. No argument re the Hurricanes being a class above - suspect some other NZ teams are too.

 

[Zero_Cool]

No, we were blaming McGahan for

• Having no game plan. We now have a game plan but probably need 2
• Pretty much every player not developing and playing worse than the prior year

We did lose to the Hurricane 71-6 last year and had 7 out of the 15 games where more than 40 points were scored against us.

There is clearly a gap in the team around self belief and being able to regain composure. The team has only been together for 5 games so hopefully that grows through the season.

I'm pretty happy with 3 wins from 5 games, being top of the ladder and scoring many more tries than we did last year in the whole season.

I am not a massive fan of the McGahan bashing, I do think there were some curios decisions, but he's won a title with Munster and was a former Wallabies defensive coach IIRC.

I personally feel like there was pressure from head office for him to play various players in certain positions but he's a good coach. I think the real issue was the culture and while that is largely placed at the feet of the Head Coach it's not just the head coach who creates it. Wessels is a very good coach, and it is starting to look like he might not have truly turned the culture around.

I do think the Rebels have done very well, they've convincingly beaten most teams in front of them; some were expecting three wins for the season! So by that standard it's already a good season.

I think DW is a good coach, but all good coaches need a good Captain. I think Coleman will be good in time.
The key difference between the Force last year and this year is Hodgo. My understanding was that he had a huge input into the coaching last year in advice to David and no doubt in getting the player group fully onside.
Hodgo's ability to get a team up and running in recent months just supports the reported strength of his role last year.

Yeah, I felt like they missed a trick by not naming Genia as capitan. The other thing as I alluded to above is there is a lack of 'winning culture' in Melbourne; you look at the Brumbies of the past and even the Reds this year -- it's get the job done, Melbourn feels like their culture is more style over substance. (That's just the feeling I get form the team.)

I think the way to address this is to look at the signings, they let Lance go (IIRC), they really need leaders who can put defence first, guys who are somewhat more 'agricultural', they don't need to be last years Brumbies -- that would be too far the other way.

 

[lou75]

I am not a massive fan of the McGahan bashing, I do think there were some curios decisions, but he's won a title with Munster and was a former Wallabies defensive coach IIRC.

I personally feel like there was pressure from head office for him to play various players in certain positions but he's a good coach. I think the real issue was the culture and while that is largely placed at the feet of the Head Coach it's not just the head coach who creates it. Wessels is a very good coach, and it is starting to look like he might not have truly turned the culture around.

Ahh, he was assistant coach and knifed some other sucker to get head Coach - great culture right there. As a former Wallabies defensive coach he was shite.
If the culture of the club doesn't come from the head coach well it sure doesn't come from the opposition coach. Mate, the fish rots from the top and when McGahan is laying into the players in the change room before, during and after a match, then the culture is crap and no-one wants to be there.
That's all I've got.

 

[Zero_Cool]

Ahh, he was assistant coach and knifed some other sucker to get head Coach - great culture right there. As a former Wallabies defensive coach he was shite.
If the culture of the club doesn't come from the head coach well it sure doesn't come from the opposition coach. Mate, the fish rots from the top and when McGahan is laying into the players in the change room before, during and after a match, then the culture is crap and no-one wants to be there.
That's all I've got.

He looks to be doing well in Brisbane. As for 'knifing' someone, Declan Kidney left to coach Ireland... That's gotta be a pretty big knife to push him into the national coaching role!
And with regards to the Wallabies job -- Nathan Grey!

 

[Tex]

He looks to be doing well in Brisbane. As for 'knifing' someone, Declan Kidney left to coach Ireland. That's gotta be a pretty big knife to push him into the national coaching role!
And with regards to the Wallabies job -- Nathan Grey!

Another Rebels coaching alumni!

Coleman will come good. I remember when I've had a job change or promotion - the first six months or so are balls.

I get that these guys are paid to perform but expecting a group of 15/23 men to execute a multi-dimensional plan across 80 minutes, while running a heart rate of ~170bpm and in the face of 15/23 other men doing exactly the same thing, when they've played a handful of matches together is a big ask.

I'm just going to relax and continue to thank my five stars that I can sink beers at AAMI Park on a Friday night.

 

[Rebels3]

Can’t confirm it, but I believe Hutch might be back in the 7s camp going forward. He’s over in HK atm but not sure if he’s going to link up permanently or not.

Happy to have been proven wrong here, although still believe this could still be a fair possibility.

Btw he and Horwitz are linking up with the Classics team in the 10s

 

[James Pettifer]

Another Rebels coaching alumni!

Coleman will come good. I remember when I've had a job change or promotion - the first six months or so are balls.

I get that these guys are paid to perform but expecting a group of 15/23 men to execute a multi-dimensional plan across 80 minutes, while running a heart rate of ~170bpm and in the face of 15/23 other men doing exactly the same thing, when they've played a handful of matches together is a big ask.

I'm just going to relax and continue to thank my five stars that I can sink beers at AAMI Park on a Friday night.

And let's be brutally honest ... 3 wins from 5, being top of the table and having more tries in the first 4 games than the whole of last year isn't bad ....

 

[Braveheart81]

And let's be brutally honest . 3 wins from 5, being top of the table and having more tries in the first 4 games than the whole of last year isn't bad ..

You guys are selling yourselves short. You have four wins!