Rising v Rays, 24 August @ AAMI park

[Train Without a Station]

Generally the best club players will be the ones that will potentially be up to Super Rugby level though.

More wanted to note the fact that it's not like just a rep club team, but it's more about identifying those that will go further.

 

[Dave Beat]

I think you're having a whinge for the sake of it.

Nope - I'll be behind the comp & supporting the Rays.

 

[Tex]

Fellas - let's wait until the team is announced before we get all pissy about hypotheticals?

The 'unique' sporting environment the Rebels/Rising are operating in is a topic that's been raked over many times already. Let's keep the snark to non-match threads, hey?

 

[Train Without a Station]

It's not unique though.

There's the Force/Spirit.

Then there's the Brumbies/Vikings

Then there's the Reds/BNE City & QLD Country

Then there's the Waratahs/Rams, Stars, Rays, NSW Country.

To balance it out teams have been limited on how many Super Rugby players they can use. Where a squad is stretched further, funnily enough they pick up those players.

I'm sure these Sydney based teams wouldn't be fans of the limit on Super Rugby contracted players if these players were for some odd reason aligned to a club they played for 3 years ago over the franchise and associated entities which employ them.

Instead of worrying about teams like the Rising having their full quota they should focus their attention at the NSWRU making squad decisions on players that would be playing for them. Why has Alofa Alofa left? Potgeiter's contract allows him to play overseas, there's a spot an NRC player should be in.

Either that or they should have realised somebody had to suffer for the ridiculous decision for NSW to have close to 50% of the teams and thankfully, it is those teams and not everybody else.

 

[Tex]

Sure - but let's take that chat to the NRC thread or in the appropriate teams' thread, not in the match one.

I'll be at the match on Sunday and am really looking forward to it. Hopefully the weather gods smile and we get a sunny afternoon.

 

[Highlander35]

1.Toby Smith (Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)

2.Pat Leafa (Box Hill/Melbourne Rebels) (Vice Captain)

3.Paul Alo-Emile (Power House/Melbourne Rebels)

4.Sam Jeffries (Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)

5.Cadeyrn Neville (Foostcray/Melbourne Rebels)

6.Luke Jones (Moorabbin/Melbourne Rebels)

7.Sione Taufa (Harlequin)

8.Lopeti Timani (Footscray/Melbourne Rebels)

9.Nic Stirzaker (Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels) (Captain)

10.Jack Debreczeni (Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels)

11.Tom English (Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)

12.Mitch Inman (Southern Districts/Melbourne Rebels) (Vice Captain)

13.Sefanaia Naivalu (Box Hill)

14.Telusa Veainu (Melbourne/Melbourne Rebels)

15.Jonah Placid (Melbourne Rebels)

16.Tom Sexton (Power House/Melbourne Rebels)

17.Tuiatua Tuia (Moorabbin)

18.Cruze Ah-Nau (Footscray/Melbourne Rebels)

19.OJ Noa (Harlequin)

20.Reuben Rolleston (Endeavour Hills)

21.Ben Meehan (Box Hill/Melbourne Rebels)

22.Lloyd Johansson (Harlequin)

23.Joe Kamana (Moorabbin)

 

[en_force_er]

Massive fan of this squad, no issues here.

2 locals starting is probably the right amount and whilst Noa is probably more deserving IMO it's probably more about balance in the back row. Naivalu could be very special, watch this space.

 

[Braveheart81]

2 Dewar Shield players starting, 5 on the bench.

5 Super Rugby players who've played barely any Super Rugby starting and 3 on the bench.

That to me seems exactly what you'd want from this side.

So really there's only 8 regular Super Rugby players in this matchday 23 (Smith, Leafa, Alo-Emile, Jones, Neville, Stirzacker, Inman, English).

 

[Highlander35]

Debreczeni breaks his leg in the second minute. Does Lloyd play 10 for the full game? That would worry me.

 

[Braveheart81]

Debreczeni breaks his leg in the second minute. Does Lloyd play 10 for the full game? That would worry me.

Johansson playing 10 in the NRC would worry you more than Debreczeni breaking his leg?!?

 

[elementfreak]

Lahiff out injured for the NRC as well?

Playing for a different team to get more game time.

 

[en_force_er]

Debreczeni breaks his leg in the second minute. Does Lloyd play 10 for the full game? That would worry me.

That IS worrying.

 

[Wilson]

2 Dewar Shield players starting, 5 on the bench.

5 Super Rugby players who've played barely any Super Rugby starting and 3 on the bench.

That to me seems exactly what you'd want from this side.

So really there's only 8 regular Super Rugby players in this matchday 23 (Smith, Leafa, Alo-Emile, Jones, Neville, Stirzacker, Inman, English).

And of those regular super rugby players 3 are fringe wallabies(Jones, Inman, English) looking to push for higher honours, absolutely nothing wrong with this team.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Good to see Jones in the back row.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Oh and I rate that as a good team. Except for Rolleston who I think is a dud (for this level of rugby) and should swing by and grab a tatts lotto ticket after the jersey presentation.

 

[en_force_er]

Oh and I rate that as a good team. Except for Rolleston who I think is a dud (for this level of rugby) and should swing by and grab a tatts lotto ticket after the jersey presentation.

I don't disagree but he is an impressive looking athlete, a local product, and is young enough to surprise.

I doubt he'll get on though, you'll probably see Noa come on at 6 and Jones into the row.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Local via South Africa. If they wanted an impressive local athlete surely somebody like Brenden Westney, or Jack Porritt would have been better.

I know I am probably a little biased being a Uni man but both these two are impressive in their own ways (Westney athletically, Jack more so his hard nosed play) and are genuine locals.

Personally I would have fucked all 3 of them off and taken Ryan O'Sullivan though.

 

[en_force_er]

Local via South Africa. If they wanted an impressive local athlete surely somebody like Brenden Westney, or Jack Porritt would have been better.

I know I am probably a little biased being a Uni man but both these two are impressive in their own ways (Westney athletically, Jack more so his hard nosed play) and are genuine locals.

Personally I would have fucked all 3 of them off and taken Ryan O'Sullivan though.

Personally I would have taken Koliavu from Melbourne but I see your point.

To counter, Rolleston is 23 (young but not too young), he's been in professional/rep environments for a long time, and by all accounts is an excellent man with a great training ethic.

If I had to guess he's probably someone influential's project player.

Best of luck to him.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Personally I would have taken Koliavu from Melbourne but I see your point.

To counter, Rolleston is 23 (young but not too young), he's been in professional/rep environments for a long time, and by all accounts is an excellent man with a great training ethic.

If I had to guess he's probably someone influential's project player.

Best of luck to him.

I wondered what happened to Anare now I know he ended up in melbourne.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I dare wager if he hadn't been in the Vic rep system up to 20's, he likely wouldn't have made the squad.

But from what I've heard of the guys from the Rising squad, he was the type of trainer which coaches like (i.e. the ones that fucking turn up and actually put in) so you cannot fault his work ethic certainly.