ACT have been pretty disappointing this season, but they always grow an extra leg when they play NSW.
I thought ACT spoiled NSW ball at the breakdown quite well, making Phipps's job that much harder. That said, I still though Hooper played very well for NSW
Hard to say whether Foley would have been able to seize the game with his go-forward, given the slippery conditions. Folau didn't look at home at 13, which in part was due to factors mentioned before. I'm not convinced he has the right skill set or body for it. He has a good football brain and it should be used to help Phipps and Foley (when he returns) at 15.
Easy to identify Speight as a standout for ACT, while losing a player like Fardy will be a big blow for the development of younger players. Australian rugby need a guy like him setting the example as a professional loose forward (yes, I saw the YC).
One thing that bothers me is that Australian backs seem to run sideways at the moment. It sounds basic, and there's probably something Gibson, Larkham, and co. know that i don't, but it all looks so easy for a competent sliding defence to defend against. It robs space from the outside backs, and either forces the wing to take an inside ball (and get smashed), or take a rapidly narrowing outside channel (and get smashed into touch). And there's nothing worse to watch than a predictable dead-end attacking play; if I wanted that, I'd have caught the train to Olympic Park for the NRL.
