Victorian Reds Fan
Bob Loudon (25)
Let's hope we never have to play Chisholm in the team again.
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TOCC
Guest
yes, and i think he made it after a long injury lay-off as well, the opportunity was there for him, injury culled his chances
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tranquility
Guest
Not to be rude at all, but how does Hodgson game at 6 differ from what Beau would add if he were thrown in the mix?
Both very good players though, so I am not phased either way.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
Add to that Robinson's far better form this year and his greater impact at the breakdown.
qwerty51
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Do you watch either play? It's pretty obvious tbh. Hodgson is very good ball carrier and an option at the lineout. Beau is neither.
tigerland12
John Thornett (49)
Hodgson has been injured for half the season hasn't he? And he has been one of the most consistant players in the country for a while now. He just hasn't really had an opportunity to prove himself at international level yet. Robinson is playing so well, but as Mr Timms said, he is a straight up openside, and David Pocock will play 80 minutes every match.
Idealy I would have McCalman on the bench (assuming Higginbotham/Palu are starting).
RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
Gnostic, agree with your sentiment re Robinson (and its relativity to, say, a Hodgo). I'd add to it:
- IMO, too often players here are picked solely on the basis of a kind of in 'in a bottle, standing alone' assessment mode, vs allowing for their emerging, complete skills package in building victorious outcomes for the team. Eg, I think of what might be called 'mindset' attributes v raw skill attributes, e.g., sustained intensity of application under pressure, low error rate under pressure, quick-minded and precise link play to close support, non-fumbled offloads, etc. All of these attributes in the positive have really impressed me re Robinson in 2011, let alone his exceptional 'standard' work at the breakdown.
- I am also a great believer that players who have experience at the core of a team that starts to win a lot of the bigger battles pretty consistently gain a second-order competency (winning in the end) and self-confidence from that that is not quite the same for very talented players who consistently play for teams with a poor w-l ratio. That's why if I had a choice, I'd pick a Horwill over a Sharpe to Captain the national team this RWC year, with no discredit whatever to the fine skills of the latter. And, for me, there is no question that Robinson has played an invaluable role in many of the Reds' key wins this year, just as Braid did last. The (usually under-rated) Reds' forwards have, in general, been a model for the next Wallabies, with the exception of their scrum defects. (Just a BTW: that is not to say the Tahs' forwards have not been such a model, in fact they have been. The Reds' forwards could learn from the Tahs' superb forwards' defence, for example. I have marvelled at the Tahs' defence all season.)
kiap
Steve Williams (59)
While I can see that Matt may be a better jumper than Beau, calling him a lineout option is a bit of a stretch. One is 6 foot tall and the other is 5'11. Against a genuine test number 6 they're both midgets.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
And neither are jumpers. You can have a midget (relative) in the lineout as long as they are good jumpers. Hodgo isn't a jumper. Mowen, Dennis and to a lesser extent Elsom and Higginbum are. I have always seen this as a major flaw in selecting Hodgo at 6 when you have Palu at 8. McCalman eleviates this problem a bit as he is a 50:50 lineout option. I rate Hodgeson very highly but as RH says and I said on the backrow discussion thread you have to pick to suit the dynamic of the backrow and in conjunction with the second row selections.
tigerland12
John Thornett (49)
well to put this in perspective, neither of these players will be starting, so I don't see how Line-out options are really that important. From your reserve backrower you really aren't looking for them to be prolific line out jumpers when they come on. Both players would prove to be significant impact players, but Hodgson just has that more versitility to cover 6,7,8. If we didnt have the best 7 in the world (yeh i said it!), I'd be more then happy for Robinson on the bench.
kiap
Steve Williams (59)
These guys would be relying on someone like Du Plessis to do another job on Pocock to really feature. Hopefully that won't happen.
Deans is in trouble if he has to rely on Hodgo at 6 or 8 for an extended time in a big test. Just can't see Matt getting picked on the bench to cover those positions. It'll probably be McCalman.
tigerland12
John Thornett (49)
Yeah I'd have McCalman (or Higginbotham if the selectors pick Elsom).
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tranquility
Guest
It was probably your tone.
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ROKDOG
Guest
Does anyone have the official attendance for Friday night? Looked like 30 to 35000. Cant seem to find it on super25 website.
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ROKDOG
Guest
Oops, super15
Ali's Choice
Jimmy Flynn (14)
Wait till the Crusaders visit. Last time I was at Suncorp for a Crusaders game Caxton St was a sea of red and black.
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