S15 - Rebels V Reds
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Peter Sullivan (51)
I guess they are the people who think he should be in the squad, I would struggle to select him in my squad, let alone the bench or starting
T
TOCC
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does anyone know where there are youtube/vimeo highlights of this game, cant watch the fox sports highlights out of australia
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Peter Sullivan (51)
I just dont like overhyped players, I just dont see why he gets all of the love. I do think he has obvious talent, but dont think he is better in any position in our backline than our other options. He might make it as a bench player but I would have Barnes on the bench for his versatility and I think he has an old head. The idea of having Cooper, Beale and JOC (James O'Connor) in the same team scares me as I dont think they are mature enough (can play a boring game when needed) to rely on in close games. I think their combined brilliance can win the occasional game but I think they have the potential to lose many games more than they win. Just as Beale is finally realising that you should only chip and chase when it is actually possible to get the ball back, I think JOC (James O'Connor) (and Cooper to a certain degree)needs to realise that sometimes in a contact sport you actually have to take some contact and not try to create a miracle pass or a miracle step and offload.
Once again I want to say I think he has all the talent in the world, but I just dont trust him as a player, he just seems to lack commitment to me.
And yes I hate his haircut but more than that I hate him being on the leadership comittee after missing the team anouncement last year. I would never have picked him again after that as it showed his lack of maturity
I don't think he is our best player in any position.
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Peter Sullivan (51)
If I thought he was a world class winger I would pick him, but if you need to add utility to his job description then I think it indicates that you are willing to take a lesser player based on the chance that there will be an injury and he can fill the gap.
I am all for utility players on the bench, but not in a starting team....in any position
Joe Blow
John Hipwell (52)
Unless that utility is better in the position than the specialist.
For instance, would you play Vuna ahead of JOC (James O'Connor) because Vuna is a specialist winger and JOC (James O'Connor) is a utility?
Joe Blow
John Hipwell (52)
If he could fix the hair it would help a lot.
Scoey
Tony Shaw (54)
My thoughts on JOC (James O'Connor).
- Couldn't have said it better. He is not our (Australia's) best player in any position.
- Simply cannot understand the man-love the Fox commentators had for him on the weekend. He had a couple of good runs but also a couple of big balls ups. Whilst Cooper played a fantastic game, quite understated but very composed and considered - yet he got very little praise. To the point where my wife (who doesn't follow Rugby beyond what's on the field) said, "Do you think JOC (James O'Connor)'s manager has a deal with Fox to talk up his image?" Makes sense.
- He is perfectly suited to the bench as a "utility back". Can cover 10/11/12/14/15 well and provides good impact when used later in a game.
- If he simply shaved his head his 'perception' as a rugby player would imediately go up.
- He is a massive douche bag.
Bowside
Peter Johnson (47)
I think JOC (James O'Connor) is the most talented backline player we have. Is skill set is far and away the most complete and he is also our best goal kicker (behind harris).
I would start him at 12 or maybe 14/15. Deans first picked him as a 15 and when you watch him play you can defiantly see some elements of fullback play in his game, but he didn't go too well there at international level and we have Beale and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) who are both great fullbacks. We've seen him play as a winger for the wallabies, I think it limited his game as he did not have as much space to work with and couldn't utilise his short kicking game as much. There is also the fact that we already have a roaming winger in digby so JOC (James O'Connor) would have to play more the second fullback role as a winger. As other have said he cant play 10 because often his first instinct is to run rather than set up his outside man. We also have players better suited to 10.
So with that in mind I would move him back to the midfield - where he played his schoolboy rugby and where he played a decent amount of time with the force.
Problem with playing him at 12 is that it wrecks the game plan. We would go from playing a direct game with one out runners in the middle of the park to playing a wide game and attacking on the outside. I imagine that in attack the 10 would play one side and the 12 would play on the other giving the team the option to attack both sides. Would also give the team kicking options on both sides of the field, as well as from the back.
How can we knock it until we've seen it tried?
I have said this on another thread, but anyone who advocates a Wallaby backline without JOC (James O'Connor) is an idiot. He was head and shoulders above all our other backs at the RWC, and has a track record of standing up in the big games. Genia is the first picked, he is the second.
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Scoey
Tony Shaw (54)
Gotta disagree Barbarian. I simply can't see how you can support a claim that he was "head and shoulders" above all our other backs. And you say, he is the second picked back - but in what position? We have better players (from a positional point of view) in every position. He is a utility back and his best spot is on the bench - if that.
bloodred
Fred Wood (13)
I have had a sicky today and have been watching a replay as I type. Probs don't have foxtel?
Did you watch the World Cup? Who in our backline played better?
He is our best winger. This was proven many times in 2011. Digby is a close second.
He could well be our best 12 as well.
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Peter Sullivan (51)
I am an Idiot then
I agree at times he is our best back, but I just cant select him ahead of others, I would select a team on who I think can perform the best in the next match, not what they have done in the past, and I just dont see him as a better propersition than others.
Athilnaur
Arch Winning (36)
If, and only if, Mitchell was back to blistering form, and Beale was gtg at fb, and Ioane was fit, and Barnes/Cooper and McCabe were available, and Horne or AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) had grown into passers, then, and only then would I consider O'Connor to bench.
And I'd still be conflicted about it.
Otoh if he ever misses another key sponsor launch even vaguely as important as the last one I'd have him carrying the teams bags for years.
And I'd still be conflicted about it.
Otoh if he ever misses another key sponsor launch even vaguely as important as the last one I'd have him carrying the teams bags for years.
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