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Reds 2018

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dru

David Wilson (68)
From the sound of it, neither will EVER play for the Reds again (under BT).

Yup.

My interpretation of the Thorn comments are:
a) Does not see how Hunt can open the door
b) Quade's door is nailed home, and there are plenty more nails available if need be.
 

Linebreaker

Allen Oxlade (6)
Stewarts not ready to take the reins as a Super Rugby 10, yet.. Poor kid, most of us seem to expect so much from such little experience.
I thought he was a good distributor of the ball but little input as a game changer/controller in NRC, (or u20's) DP did most of that in NRC, his kicks for touch where very inaccurate as he seem to want to impress by trying for distance and not making touch etc.. he has shorten them up lately, defensively, he's learning quickly, just needs to stop trying to make every tackle his & I'm sure he's at more brake downs than a tow truck..not where a 10 should be...
Would have like to seen him in club for a year to learn & iron out a few things because Corozza's not going to do it for him.
 

The torpedo

Peter Fenwicke (45)
1. When objectively since late 2012 have they (the Reds) been 'going consistently well and showing serious, sustained improvement'? When - again objectively - has the QRU demonstrated a series of sound actions that show the appalling trends of 2013-2017 will be addressed in a serious and competent manner? So derivatively, in the noted period, when in a trend sense vs the rare momentary success spot event that has _always_ proven the exception to the rule, have the QRU and the Reds 'not been going shit'?

2. I have been posting here since June 2010. When coaching competency had obviously returned to the Reds in that period and right through 2012, I posted very positively regarding the team, its coaching group as a whole (and btw the group as a whole was highly important vs just the skills of Link) and mostly also regarding the enhanced management of the Reds' business affairs that I considered was being delivered then by J Carmicheal.

3. The very moment I saw Richard Graham's appointment in early 2012, I predicted right here that this would ultimately spell disaster and would bring the Reds and the QRU back to its worst days and, despite (quite vicious) protests here from certain die-hard posters that were typically wilfully blind, that predication has, tragically, proven correct.

I meant in more recent times i.e. when we were 3-1.

And I too thought when RG was appointed "well, we're fucked"
 

The torpedo

Peter Fenwicke (45)
and when McGahan was appointed, I thought, "well you're f*&ked"

Well everyone thought (including me) "what the fuck are we doing" when TT was hired.

Think this is relevant again:

1.png
 

RedsHappy

Tony Shaw (54)
I meant in more recent times i.e. when we were 3-1.

And I too thought when RG was appointed "well, we're fucked"

For 2018 I approached the new Thorn coaching group era with considerable caution and trepidation for the reasons I have long stated. I did not then and do not now believe the QRU leopard has changed its spots, it's just coated itself with a new round of wash-off spray paint.

And Torp I have consistently said here a new HC and his coaching group cannot properly be assessed until at the very least 6-8 Super games have been played under that regime both home and away and against a variety of types of competitors. Luck and easy competitors (and also rusty competitors that will soon improve) can bias early season outcomes without necessarily sustaining anything after just the first couple of games in a new Super season.

Accordingly I was never going to jump in and start emitting positive enthusiasm for the Thorn Reds era until at least the above-noted competition point. And I keep saying: how can the actual credentials of the QRU's 2018 Reds' coaching group encourage any form of objectively based optimism that such represents the risk-weighted basis for a positive Reds transformation process?

Be assured, if I saw a genuinely better/improvement track Reds team emerging over the last 2-3 games in 2018 I'd acknowledge that. I would say that what I see when comparing Stiles' 2017 mediocrity with Thorn's (so far) 2018 mediocrity is simply that they are different versions and types, with very similar outcomes both in terms of factual results and, just as concerningly, their impacts upon a deeply disillusioned - or completely departed - Reds fan base that pays for the QRU's survival (or not).

Do we actually recall how the Reds decisively beat the Chiefs at Suncorp in May 2012 and away in Liam Gill's debut game vs the Chiefs in 2011? I do. Do we seriously believe we will see anything even vaguely similar from the 2018 Reds at home this coming weekend? Assuming not, that is 6+ totally wasted years where we have not even stood still (no recipe for sustainable success in any event), we have vastly deteriorated.

Why is that so?
 

sunnyboys

Bob Loudon (25)
Up until a few years ago at least, Frawley and Miller worked in the same building. Probably worked out the transition at the coffee cart downstairs.
 

RedsHappy

Tony Shaw (54)
and when McGahan was appointed, I thought, "well you're f*&ked"

The remarkable thing (or one of them) regarding this bizarre appointment of McGahan to the Reds was how poorly it was declared as justified and on what basis justified (in terms of the manifest needs of the Reds post the various preceding coaching and team results crises).

They would have been far more honest and even credible to have said 'we like this QLD-er bloke who we all know and trust and so we're hiring him for the Reds and that's all we're prepared to say right now'.
 

Zero_Cool

Arch Winning (36)
So I guess the first question(s) is, is Lance viable; is Toua viable?

The if we answer no to one or two of those the next is who comes in to those positions?

I personally think both could stand to be replaced towards the end of the season. If you were to take both Lance and Toua out I do agree it isn't the time for Stewart to be starting at 10 yet. But I'd consider playing Paia'aua at 10 (given we are ignoring Cooper), and for the moment I'd be playing Stewart at 15 (it looks like Thorn is trying to get Stewart on the field and that will most likely be via the 15 jersey to begin).

But for now I'd be taking Toua out (although awkwardly he's been a better playmaker than Lance) to do this I'd bring Stewart directly into 15 and have Lance shair that playmaking duties with Stewart (similar to Beale/Foley), this could also get Daugunu/Perese some exposure to filling in at the fullback position.

But I think we've seen what Lance can give us and as improved as our defence has been it's clear our backline can't score against a decent defence. We've gotta do something and Paia'aua just can't fit into the current setup, yet he was the best Aussie 12 last year yet is now out of the 23.
 

Zero_Cool

Arch Winning (36)
A lot of talk about Lance and his play at fly half and the ball not getting wide to the wings. In between are two centres who don't draw and pass. Not sure if this is BT's game plan or lack of skill set from the centres whose 'comfort play' is to try to run over the top of defenders.

Oh, I don't disagree at all with this, but if we drill down to the reason we have the two crash ball centers (and Kerevi is starting to look like an inside center) is because Lance forces our hand, if we played Quade, Stewart, or Paia'aua at 10 we would have no problem playing some other combination at 12/13. Even Toua when he steps into first receiver is doing a better job making plays.
The bottom line is we've tinkered with the centers trying to get this attack to work, now it's time to look further up the chain. I also feel like we might have an issue with Tuttle (at least playing with Lance) because Tuttle is use to the 'give it to the flyhalf' approach of scrumhalfing and that's fine when you have Quade Cooper at 10 who will find the right player to get the ball to no matter where they are on the park. But with Lance at 10 we need to be using our forward runners and the halfback needs to be choosing where we go more (think Aaron Smith or Willie-G). This difference was very obvious with Lucas in even for that short period against the Brumbies. The difference is we have a world class 10 being paid nearly a million dollars a year hanging around on the sidelines we have Tate McDermott as our alternative halfback.
 

biggsy

Chilla Wilson (44)
Quade is not the answer.

He doesn't have the confidence in himself, and you can see that when he "runs" the ball.

The knee injury in 2011 screwed him mentally and he hasn't got it sorted out.


I take my earlier post back, you are the most negative one on the forum.
Leave QC (Quade Cooper) alone. :p
 
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