eldiablo
Ted Fahey (11)
GPS should have worked harder to get one of them. Apparently Phil Kite is making the move down to club rugby in Canberra in an attempt to pick up a contract after not having such like here in QLD.
Reds 2015
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GPS should have worked harder to get one of them. Apparently Phil Kite is making the move down to club rugby in Canberra in an attempt to pick up a contract after not having such like here in QLD.
FilthRugby
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
Not too sure, Reg. I heard Talakai is linked to University, through the Buildcorp association with both UQ and SUFC.
I understand this should be on the Premier Rugby thread.
I understand this should be on the Premier Rugby thread.
I'm not sure if he was the youngest, but Steven Kitshoff debuted for the Stormers in Super Rugby when he was 19.
If Tupou is good enough, he's old enough. There's no reason he shouldn't play a Super Rugby game next year if he is doing well.
hammertimethere
Trevor Allan (34)
Sure, but no pressure on the kid.
Have the Reds fully filled their squad now or is there still space for an older more experienced prop to round out the squad?
Have the Reds fully filled their squad now or is there still space for an older more experienced prop to round out the squad?
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
Good article on JOC (James O'Connor) in smh..link below.......personally I find downside of Australian Culture /media is we can be a bit self righteous when young footballers go astray in some cases on lower end of the scale as end of the day JOC (James O'Connor) did not kill someone or be involved in domestic violence incident (unlike some of the NRL cowards in the press on this).
Personally would rather people just back off and give JOC (James O'Connor) a break given he was a young kid in the spotlight who made some mistakes but after so much time past nothing really worth him being put on a cross and crucified for the rest of his life...more a sad indictment of Australian media / culture to beat so much up on this....personally disappointed in this aspect...
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http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...-irish-coach-brian-smith-20141129-11wjr3.html
Personally would rather people just back off and give JOC (James O'Connor) a break given he was a young kid in the spotlight who made some mistakes but after so much time past nothing really worth him being put on a cross and crucified for the rest of his life...more a sad indictment of Australian media / culture to beat so much up on this....personally disappointed in this aspect...
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http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...-irish-coach-brian-smith-20141129-11wjr3.html
Brumby Runner
Jason Little (69)
I think the only questions now are :
i) can he produce sufficiently good form for the Reds to warrant selection in the Wallabies?; and
ii) will he stay for 2016 if he doesn't make the RWC?
Assumes of course that he has grown up a fair bit while he's been away.
USARugger
John Thornett (49)
Based on his current form with Toulon he's almost definitely going to the World Cup and I can't really remember him ever having a dramatic dip in form over his career (aside from when he was played a couple dozen meters out of position at flyhalf).
There were some defensive lapses that were 50/50 him and the next defender in making mistakes or failing to communicate effectively in the last few tests before he got booted by The Coach but that's really all I can remember in that regard. In his larger test career he's generally been a very strong defender both in terms of positioning and the tackle itself, he has excellent tackling technique.
He used to have a bit of a habit of man-shaming international locks (I'm pretty sure he table-tops Victor Matfield later in that video as well):
(Having issues embedding with the time stamp but click to 1:15)
He's shown so far in Europe that his running game is still strong and has actually improved in the time between his arrival at London Irish and at Toulon (weather and pitch quality a possible factor) and he's gotten a bit better with his game management which makes him a stronger option at 15 than he was when he was younger.
O'Connor is still not, and should never be a 10. But that's fine because his footwork and acceleration is actually world-class, even if he is a little small in the 88-90kg range that still makes him about 10kg heavier and 10cm taller than Shane Williams (and arguably more skilled overall). As a red-blooded, god-fearing American myself I watch my share of NFL on Sundays and sometimes during the week and O'Connor is the only player outside of Folau who I think could absolutely switch codes and have a good shot at making a fist of it.
He's a freak athlete with a very broad but also deep skill set and if he can just keep his fucking head in he will be a huge asset on the field for the Reds and also Wallabies as he almost always has been in the past.
There were some defensive lapses that were 50/50 him and the next defender in making mistakes or failing to communicate effectively in the last few tests before he got booted by The Coach but that's really all I can remember in that regard. In his larger test career he's generally been a very strong defender both in terms of positioning and the tackle itself, he has excellent tackling technique.
He used to have a bit of a habit of man-shaming international locks (I'm pretty sure he table-tops Victor Matfield later in that video as well):
(Having issues embedding with the time stamp but click to 1:15)
He's shown so far in Europe that his running game is still strong and has actually improved in the time between his arrival at London Irish and at Toulon (weather and pitch quality a possible factor) and he's gotten a bit better with his game management which makes him a stronger option at 15 than he was when he was younger.
O'Connor is still not, and should never be a 10. But that's fine because his footwork and acceleration is actually world-class, even if he is a little small in the 88-90kg range that still makes him about 10kg heavier and 10cm taller than Shane Williams (and arguably more skilled overall). As a red-blooded, god-fearing American myself I watch my share of NFL on Sundays and sometimes during the week and O'Connor is the only player outside of Folau who I think could absolutely switch codes and have a good shot at making a fist of it.
He's a freak athlete with a very broad but also deep skill set and if he can just keep his fucking head in he will be a huge asset on the field for the Reds and also Wallabies as he almost always has been in the past.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
hammertimethere
Trevor Allan (34)
Some of the smaller running backs are about the 200-210 pound range. Kick returner would be a good spot for him.
I'm excited about what JOC (James O'Connor) might bring back as far as tactical kicking and goal kicking prowess that he may have picked up from a good set of coaches up North including J.Wilkinson.
I'm excited about what JOC (James O'Connor) might bring back as far as tactical kicking and goal kicking prowess that he may have picked up from a good set of coaches up North including J.Wilkinson.
Micheal
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
Absolute freak. Why he was ever taken off the wing I have no idea. I'm salivating at the thought of Cooper / Hunt / JOC (James O'Connor) tearing teams apart next season.
USARugger
John Thornett (49)
JOC (James O'Connor) could play as a dual-threat running back and also kick returner. Folau would be a great receiving tight end.
Marcelo
Ken Catchpole (46)
JOC (James O'Connor) as an NFL running back?? Are u crazy? Most RBs weigh over 100 kgs, he should win at least 8 kgs to play at RB.
He could play at WR (World Rugby) like Julian Edelman IMO. A slot receiver as Wes Welker
Dumbledore
Dick Tooth (41)
Plenty of smaller ones too. Andre Ellington, Tavon Austin, Gio Bernard, Shady McMcoy, Darren Sproles, Chris Johnson...
JOC (James O'Connor) wouldn't look out of place in that crowd. The most obvious spot for him would seem to be a slot receiver and kick/punt returner though.
Maybe even free safety, he'd be almost exactly the same size as Earl Thomas I reckon.
Anyway, he's a freaky talent and I think he's going to do amazing things for the Reds and Wallabies next year. I'm glad he's coming home, we need him.
matt james
Stan Wickham (3)
The only possible problem with JOC (James O'Connor) is his attitude.
However I cannot foresee this being an issue next year.
By coming to the reds he is giving up money (obviously will be on less than at Toulon) in order to have a shot at the world cup. He wouldn't make that choice unless he planned on behaving himself and contributing to the team.
On the topic of Hunt/JOC (James O'Connor) I thought it would be reasonable to expect to see JOC (James O'Connor) at 15 and Hunt on the wing at the start of the season with the two eventually swapping; interested in others thoughts on whether Hunt can go straight to fullback.
Getting pumped for the season already.
However I cannot foresee this being an issue next year.
By coming to the reds he is giving up money (obviously will be on less than at Toulon) in order to have a shot at the world cup. He wouldn't make that choice unless he planned on behaving himself and contributing to the team.
On the topic of Hunt/JOC (James O'Connor) I thought it would be reasonable to expect to see JOC (James O'Connor) at 15 and Hunt on the wing at the start of the season with the two eventually swapping; interested in others thoughts on whether Hunt can go straight to fullback.
Getting pumped for the season already.
USARugger
John Thornett (49)
Both of the primary RBs for the NFL team I support weigh 94 and 86 kg respectively. They're two of the most productive runners in the league.
There's plenty of places to run other than between the Tackles, mate.
Yes, Edelman and Welker also are a similar size - but JOC (James O'Connor) has far better footwork than either of them and would be a very dangerous run/catch RB. He could fit into the slot so could even take on a Dexter McCluster/Corradelle Patterson role in a team.
The way the game is being refereed right now his lack of size could potentially be much more of a liability at WR (World Rugby) than at RB if he's allowed to be man-handled by the free safety or one of the corners all the way upfield. It's also an entirely different style of play at WR (World Rugby), RB would be a much more natural transition - it's far closer to what he already does.
Gillys_ghost
Dave Cowper (27)
Does anyone know when the 2014 annual report is released?
it would be interesting to see the correlation between the poor results and the stats. we had some very impressive stats in 2013: we achieved a surplus of over $200 i think, the most memberships in all of the qld sporting franchises, most memberships in all of super rugby including NZ and SA, the largest match-day attendance in Queensland, and the largest participated on-field sport in Queensland.
it would be interesting to see the correlation between the poor results and the stats. we had some very impressive stats in 2013: we achieved a surplus of over $200 i think, the most memberships in all of the qld sporting franchises, most memberships in all of super rugby including NZ and SA, the largest match-day attendance in Queensland, and the largest participated on-field sport in Queensland.
Crashy
John Solomon (38)
Having a read of the 2013 report, it looks like although the new financial year now ending at the end of October mean a 10 month year, they are predicting a surplus and a complete repayment of all debt. 2015 they have also predicted a $1 million surplus before depreciation. They however clearly know that 2014 and 2015 is a key year for the ARU financiallly and this could undo everything.
This new TV deal couldnt come fast enough......
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