Reds 2019

[Finsbury Girl]

agree, 10/12 is a big concern with 15 by extension. Lucas will fill one of those spots which is exciting. Just who fits the others.

Our backrow balance will be key too. Probably more rotation but I like the idea of 6 Wright, 7 McReight, 8 Wilson with ASY (Angus Scott-Young) on the bench. Locks will remain Rodda and LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) with Hockings and Blythe rotation on the bench.

You're a hard taskmaster Reg, Scott-Young has been one of our best all year it should take some mighty performances from the bench to dislodge him.

 

[Dctarget]

You're a hard taskmaster Reg, Scott-Young has been one of our best all year it should take some mighty performances from the bench to dislodge him.

Interesting you think that. I think ASY (Angus Scott-Young) has been solid but nothing to write home about yet.

Is Lucas signed for a while yet?

 

[Finsbury Girl]

Interesting you think that. I think ASY (Angus Scott-Young) has been solid but nothing to write home about yet.

Is Lucas signed for a while yet?

He does what I like to call the hard yards. If he's not tackling he's cleaning out. 4th on for super rugby in tackles with an almost 90% effectiveness. Because he doesn't seagull out in the backline you don't notice him. He needs to work on his running game for sure, too often he is at a standing start. But he has the build to be a wrecking ball. I think he can be our best since Mattie Cockbain. So yeah I have wraps on this bloke.

 

[Ignoto]

Agreed FG, I think ASY (Angus Scott-Young) and Wright have complimented Higgers perfectly this year. The flankers constant work rate allowed Higgers to be more selective in his involvement and took advantage of his tackle bust and running game.

If we get a No. 8 that's in the mold of ASY (Angus Scott-Young) and Wright, then I feel we'll suffer a similar fate of the Waratahs of having too many players with the same style.

 

[TSR]

He does what I like to call the hard yards. If he's not tackling he's cleaning out. 4th on for super rugby in tackles with an almost 90% effectiveness. Because he doesn't seagull out in the backline you don't notice him. He needs to work on his running game for sure, too often he is at a standing start. But he has the build to be a wrecking ball. I think he can be our best since Mattie Cockbain. So yeah I have wraps on this bloke.

I think you have highlighted the key - ASY (Angus Scott-Young) has been very good, but he has to kick on to continue for the squad to progress, or they will look for someone else who can do his job and more. If the wraps on Wilson are right, then someone’s spot is in jeopardy.

It’s a good problem to have and ASY (Angus Scott-Young) is not the only one who falls into that category.

Stewart is an interesting one. He has been shuffled around a bit and has shown some promise this year, but if doesn’t nail down a spot next year then you would guess he will either become the dreaded ‘journey man’ or depth player. Still very important to any squad, but a role I’d bet most players don’t want to fill and one which I think he has potential to be more than. He would seem to have the attributes of a good 12, so maybe that will be a good fit. I really hope he kicks on.

 

[RedsHappy]

I for one cannot believe how loyal fan expectations and evaluative standards have fallen on these Reds' GAGR boards over recent years. Almost as far as is the sheer decline in the number of posts and posters here re the Reds in general.

Some posters refer to this 2019 season as 'mediocre'. Again at the near-bottom of the Super table, again! Home crowds of (real numbers) c. 5,000! Virtually no public interest any more in Brisbane, and no consistent or prominent media coverage anywhere to be found. Being totally, and embarrassingly, shown up by the Brumbies with their comparatively tiny local rugby-liking population and needing to build a team largely from cast-offs and imports from NSW and QLD. And where QLD is (or was) one of two 'great rugby States of Australia'.

The word is not 'mediocre'. The words are ' utterly disastrous'. In all respects. It's an mitigated disgrace of sustained incompetence and administrative arrogance of the highest order, poor coaching, deep fan departures and public disillusionment (which btw shows all the signs of being permanent), such is the profundity of local and media disenchantment.

Any other description than the above purely arises from some kind of rusted-on fanaticism blind to hard facts. That's perfectly OK, as long as it's not tested against the reality of the situation facing the ever-hapless, chronically mis-led QRU whose own unchanging institutional blindness and in-brededness is bringing the game to its knees in its home State.

The aggregated Super-level quality of the Reds' squad - facing 2020 - is declining not improving, worsened greatly by the fact that one of maybe only 2-3 Test-credible Reds players is departing. The 'let's develop and rebuild with good young players' story has been the lamentable excuse played out at the end of yet another failed season for some years now and it's never born fruit in the next year for the only thing that matters in pro team sports: winning lots of games with a few demonstrably exciting players and getting into Finals.

The _overall_ lack of sustained player and aggregate skills development evident in today's Reds squad is an appalling indictment of the QRU's player and coaching development policies and related implementation ability for 8-10 years or more, and the effects of that negligence is ever-deepening and painfully cumulative as each year aggregates upwards the failures of more and more policy-delinquent previous years. We are seeing the past in the future.

The only sensibly cast question that remains is whether or not QLD pro rugby can be saved from this horrendous low point. The question is on a knife-edge and suitably hard analysis of the current facts would tend to indicate not.

Wise posters here - whose love of this great code is unquestioned - should turn their minds to how this _systemic_ catastrophe can be reversed. Be assured, the answer will not be found in one or two or three 'bright young Reds prospects' playing better in 2020.

 

[RugbyReg]

Stewart is an interesting one. He has been shuffled around a bit and has shown some promise this year, but if doesn’t nail down a spot next year then you would guess he will either become the dreaded ‘journey man’ or depth player. Still very important to any squad, but a role I’d bet most players don’t want to fill and one which I think he has potential to be more than. He would seem to have the attributes of a good 12, so maybe that will be a good fit. I really hope he kicks on.

yeah, I reckon there will be clubs chasing him given Foley, Cooper and Lealiifano are all likely gone next year.

 

[Getwithme]

Can't remember the last time you said something positive RedsHappy. We also see the shit, we're trying to find a balanced viewpoint so that we can look forward instead of saying 'we suck how good was McKenzie'

 

[upthereds#!]

Blyth > Hockings

Hockings can't scum - too weak still.

 

[RedsHappy]

Can't remember the last time you said something positive RedsHappy. We also see the shit, we're trying to find a balanced viewpoint so that we can look forward instead of saying 'we suck how good was McKenzie'

But my point in rebuttal would be: but these are not typically in any sense 'balanced viewpoints' at all. (And just who is the 'we're' above, btw, is that you?). They are typically viewpoints heavily biased to concocting post hoc favourable assessments of the Reds when none of the immediate historical or present facts justify such assessments.

The last time I 'said something positive' here was precisely when, objectively on merit and on results attained, there was something meaningfully positive to say that was not mere unsupportable gushing to make myself (and maybe others) feel good for 10 minutes, or until next Saturday's disappointment. I have no problem with posters doing that - how could I? - it's just not verified by reality or a consistent enough pattern of factual outcomes.

You may recall at near the outset of this season, I correctly predicted the sad outcome of this season. That was then branded as 'too negative' by some here and I was told that 2019 was going to be so much better now the Reds' culture was fixed, and so on.

It's not a self-guide for everyone, but I'd rather make an essentially correct assessment based upon fact than a dreamily deluded one based upon nothing but wishful thinking and a self-kidding truth-avoidance motive. I'd rather demand high standards in a pro sport environment that depends upon paying fans and TV viewers, than effectively endorse mediocrity and declining standards, and thus indirectly encouraging or underpinning such poor and viability-degrading standards.

Further, in the tiny band of posters now left here, often 'trying to find a balanced perspective' is simply code for trotting out more lame excuses for dismal results, non-validated plaudits for 'players with (unrealised) potential' that we liked in GPS rugby or Premier Grade, apologies and convoluted post hoc rationalisations for manifestly poor coaching, rubbish speculations re 'poor cultures fixed by Thorn' (when no hard evidence for 'poor cultures' - bar endless losses' obvious impacts upon team morale - was ever validated), and similar.

(To be brutally blunt, I actually think numerous posters here are or were affiliated or otherwise directly or indirectly engaged by the QRU such is some of the silly happy-talk rolled out here and that's devoid of evidence or robust trend analysis.)

 

[Adam84]

Just because I try to identify positives doesn't mean I don't see the negatives.

Yes there are glaring negatives which exist that much is clear, I'm pretty sure all Queensland fans are aware their team has underperformed the past 7 years now. But, I come to this forum because I enjoy rugby and because I enjoy discussing the team I support with a group of like minded individuals, to me focussing on the negatives isn't an enjoyable discussion.

RedsHappy I understand everything you say and don't disagree with any of it, but for me focussing on the negatives isn't an enjoyable discussion, its as simple as that. It has nothing to do with affiliations to the QRU or wishful thinking/self-kiding truth-avoidance motive. Whether you or I are brutally honest and are objective critical on merit has no bearing on the decisions that are made at the QRU, so why not focus on what I enjoy instead.

 

[RugbyReg]

But my point in rebuttal would be: but these are not typically in any sense 'balanced viewpoints' at all. (And just who is the 'we're' above, btw, is that you?). They are typically viewpoints heavily biased to concocting post hoc favourable assessments of the Reds when none of the immediate historical or present facts justify such assessments.

The last time I 'said something positive' here was precisely when, objectively on merit and on results attained, there was something meaningfully positive to say that was not mere unsupportable gushing to make myself (and maybe others) feel good for 10 minutes, or until next Saturday's disappointment. I have no problem with posters doing that - how could I? - it's just not verified by reality or a consistent enough pattern of factual outcomes.

You may recall at near the outset of this season, I correctly predicted the sad outcome of this season. That was then branded as 'too negative' by some here and I was told that 2019 was going to be so much better now the Reds' culture was fixed, and so on.

It's not a self-guide for everyone, but I'd rather make an essentially correct assessment based upon fact than a dreamily deluded one based upon nothing but wishful thinking and a self-kidding truth-avoidance motive. I'd rather demand high standards in a pro sport environment that depends upon paying fans and TV viewers, than effectively endorse mediocrity and declining standards, and thus indirectly encouraging or underpinning such poor and viability-degrading standards.

Further, in the tiny band of posters now left here, often 'trying to find a balanced perspective' is simply code for trotting out more lame excuses for dismal results, non-validated plaudits for 'players with (unrealised) potential' that we liked in GPS rugby or Premier Grade, apologies and convoluted post hoc rationalisations for manifestly poor coaching, rubbish speculations re 'poor cultures fixed by Thorn' (when no hard evidence for 'poor cultures' - bar endless losses' obvious impacts upon team morale - was ever validated), and similar.

(To be brutally blunt, I actually think numerous posters here are or were affiliated or otherwise directly or indirectly engaged by the QRU such is some of the silly happy-talk rolled out here and that's devoid of evidence or robust trend analysis.)

tin foil hat time.

 

[LearningCurve]

yeah, I reckon there will be clubs chasing him given Foley, Cooper and Lealiifano are all likely gone next year.

Agree Reg, I think Stewart should be looking elsewhere given how he has been treated. He certainly seems to be on the outer at the Reds. When is he contracted until?

 

[gel]

(To be brutally blunt, I actually think numerous posters here are or were affiliated or otherwise directly or indirectly engaged by the QRU such is some of the silly happy-talk rolled out here and that's devoid of evidence or robust trend analysis.)

Definitely none of the management or board - it's unlikely the laptops they let them use would be able to post to these forums.

 

[RugbyReg]

Agree Reg, I think Stewart should be looking elsewhere given how he has been treated. He certainly seems to be on the outer at the Reds. When is he contracted until?

This year.

 

[drewprint]

Just because I try to identify positives doesn't mean I don't see the negatives.

Yes there are glaring negatives which exist that much is clear, I'm pretty sure all Queensland fans are aware their team has underperformed the past 7 years now. But, I come to this forum because I enjoy rugby and because I enjoy discussing the team I support with a group of like minded individuals, to me focussing on the negatives isn't an enjoyable discussion.

RedsHappy I understand everything you say and don't disagree with any of it, but for me focussing on the negatives isn't an enjoyable discussion, its as simple as that. It has nothing to do with affiliations to the QRU or wishful thinking/self-kiding truth-avoidance motive. Whether you or I are brutally honest and are objective critical on merit has no bearing on the decisions that are made at the QRU, so why not focus on what I enjoy instead.

Great post. Agree X 100. I get enough negativity (again, mostly justified) out in the real world from my pals. Here I can read and contribute with like minded people who still just bloody love rugby.

 

[wamberal]

I want to see the Reds dominate the competition. There are some hopeful signs. Stick with it, Reds, you are on the right path.

 

[SouthernX]

He does what I like to call the hard yards. If he's not tackling he's cleaning out.

When I hear the term of hard yards... I think of someone running the ball with defenders draped over all limbs of his body fighting to get past the advantage line.

I can Say ASY (Angus Scott-Young) biggest weakness is his ball running. His just not good at it. (Not in the sense that Caleb Timu of Higginbotham are)

There’s been a lot of talk about moving ASY (Angus Scott-Young) to the back of the scrum but unfortunately I don’t think his game is suited there... hopefully Coach Rob Sieb trials him at 8 in this upcoming NRC season to see if he could play there but if not there’s plenty of available 8 talents in club land who’d be more versatile ball runner then ASY (Angus Scott-Young).

That’s my only weakness on the kid... absolutely love his work rate around the ruck!

 

[Adam84]

I say bring Harry Wilson into the mix, he is obviously playing against slightly smaller opposition at U20s but his ability to run nice lines and get over the advantage line is a big reason this young wallabies team has gone so well. I know they’ve said he is the Higgers replacement, but he reminds me of Owen Finnegan a bit in his style of play.

Stick with the ASY (Angus Scott-Young) and Wright's for experience, but slowly bring on the next generation. McReight and Wilson are too good to ignore.

 

[The Nomad]

^ He has built good combinations with some of those players around him in that U20's team, has played a lot of footy with McReight at Brothers.

Ran great lines off Lucas playing 10 for GT in 2016, to the point where he probably had more run metres in that team than most the backs outside Will Eadie.