FairWeatherAussie
Ted Fahey (11)
I'll start this off by saying that given a 30/70 chance of winning the world cup or a 70/30 chance of making the final, I would completely go for winning the keep-sake.
Two facts stand out. Firstly the winner of our pool has a quite easy run to the finals. The semi would be against either France or our nemisis England. But of the choices between; the top team in the world - New Zealand, the previous world cup winner - South Africa, or England or France, having the second two is an easy (easier) run.
The second fact is we have a top heavy team. Our first team can beat (and has beaten) anyone in the world. Unfornately we haven't got the depth to back them up. Our A' and a 1/2 team couldn't even beat Samoa, an island of a few hundred thousand inhabitants. And half of the team we played in that game were actually our first choicein their position! We just missed our super'stars'. In My Humble Opinion - Australia's first 15 - Poc, JOC (James O'Connor), Gen, Coops, Scoops and Beale, and most importantly the Fat Cat (and don't forget Rocky) can take it to anyone in the world. But for us the scary factor is that the other half our first team played against one of the 'minnow's, and couldn't.
So based on the two facts above, two things can be said. Firstly. We can't lose to Ireland! We have to play our full strength team against them. Secondly. We can't affort _any!_ injuries to our crucial players prior to the finals if we want any hope of winning.
I know this is an anathema to a lot of supporters, but should Australia take the group games, outside of ireland, 'lightly'? And should we cotton wool a few players. Obviously the argument against this is that doing so would set a negative spirit, retard our preparation, and be detrimental to the team as a whole. We should be hungry in every game and we should develop our combinations in the space leading up to the world cup/WC final. But there is an opposite argument that asks what are we actually achieving belting fringe teams anyway (well except for losing to Samoa). Wouldn't it be be better just to do the same thing in contact practise sessions (where the opposition isn't! actually trying to maim you).
Losing Mitchel was a blow to our world cup preparations. Losing Fat Cat was a disaster in my mind. His loss took us from a WC candidate to a WC hopeful. Luckily we won't actually know this until we play England/France in the SF. But imagine now if we were to lose Genia or Cooper in the preliminary stages.
We finished the super 15 main competition with arguably over a third of our first choice 15 out through injury. The core of those are already, or will be, fit again for the world cup. But to hope that our first fifteen will come through the tri-nations and then the preliminary stages of the WC without suffering injuries at the same rate, is just foolhardy. Or wishful thinking.
Two facts stand out. Firstly the winner of our pool has a quite easy run to the finals. The semi would be against either France or our nemisis England. But of the choices between; the top team in the world - New Zealand, the previous world cup winner - South Africa, or England or France, having the second two is an easy (easier) run.
The second fact is we have a top heavy team. Our first team can beat (and has beaten) anyone in the world. Unfornately we haven't got the depth to back them up. Our A' and a 1/2 team couldn't even beat Samoa, an island of a few hundred thousand inhabitants. And half of the team we played in that game were actually our first choicein their position! We just missed our super'stars'. In My Humble Opinion - Australia's first 15 - Poc, JOC (James O'Connor), Gen, Coops, Scoops and Beale, and most importantly the Fat Cat (and don't forget Rocky) can take it to anyone in the world. But for us the scary factor is that the other half our first team played against one of the 'minnow's, and couldn't.
So based on the two facts above, two things can be said. Firstly. We can't lose to Ireland! We have to play our full strength team against them. Secondly. We can't affort _any!_ injuries to our crucial players prior to the finals if we want any hope of winning.
I know this is an anathema to a lot of supporters, but should Australia take the group games, outside of ireland, 'lightly'? And should we cotton wool a few players. Obviously the argument against this is that doing so would set a negative spirit, retard our preparation, and be detrimental to the team as a whole. We should be hungry in every game and we should develop our combinations in the space leading up to the world cup/WC final. But there is an opposite argument that asks what are we actually achieving belting fringe teams anyway (well except for losing to Samoa). Wouldn't it be be better just to do the same thing in contact practise sessions (where the opposition isn't! actually trying to maim you).
Losing Mitchel was a blow to our world cup preparations. Losing Fat Cat was a disaster in my mind. His loss took us from a WC candidate to a WC hopeful. Luckily we won't actually know this until we play England/France in the SF. But imagine now if we were to lose Genia or Cooper in the preliminary stages.
We finished the super 15 main competition with arguably over a third of our first choice 15 out through injury. The core of those are already, or will be, fit again for the world cup. But to hope that our first fifteen will come through the tri-nations and then the preliminary stages of the WC without suffering injuries at the same rate, is just foolhardy. Or wishful thinking.
