Sam Harris

[Burke's Boot]

i noticed that this slow as wet week back and turnstile is no longer on the Force website. Does this mean we have finally seen the back of this player who has managed to hoodwink coach after coach in both codes?

Love to know why he wasn't retrained as a forward and even the Mungoes had the good sense to realise he is too slow for the backs and the NRL is hardly packed with players with real gas.

 

[en_force_er]

I think most intelligent Union coaches realise after Colts retraining a player to a completely position is more often then not fool's gold.

I mean it's one thing to go from Lock to Loosey or LH to TH but Inside Center to Forward is pretty balsy. Maybe in France they'd do it.

 

[Burke's Boot]

What about Big Jim Williams? He went from being a winger for the Warringah Rats to a No8 for the Brumbies and Wallabies and quite late in his career too.

 

[en_force_er]

What about Big Jim Williams? He went from being a winger for the Warringah Rats to a No8 for the Brumbies and Wallabies and quite late in his career too.

Yeah I'm happy to say that there will be exceptions but Williams was also in the days of early professionalism when things like that were simpler.

I mean look at Cowan's attempted conversion to Hooker.

 

[dobduff11]

At london wasps they tried to retrain Mark Odejobi from a winger to an openside flanker. He was 25 and had been an England u20 wing. He was a physical specimen and rapid but I dont know why they tried to make him a flanker.

Harris was never going to do well last year, especially when they chucked him at 10. I'm fairly glad he got dropped though

 

[sevenpointdropgoal]

I'm fairly sure he's retired. I seem to remember someone telling me he was probably going to sign for a coaching position with the Warringah Rats.

Edit:/ It would seem he has indeed taken up the clipboard... http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/insert-web-head-here-81/

 

[en_force_er]

Spies and Bekker are example of people successfully cross trained in their Colts years.

Much of the time the Cross-training is a coaches experiment at the players expense, for example Afoa was a great prop but never a good hooker during this year's silly experiment.

 

[Epi]

I thought he had his moments in the centres - a disaster in 10 though.

Good luck to him.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Yeah I'm happy to say that there will be exceptions but Williams was also in the days of early professionalism when things like that were simpler.

I mean look at Cowan's attempted conversion to Hooker.

Andy Sheridan may be another exception. Didn't he switch from flanker to prop? I agree very few make a successful transition.

 

[Lindommer]

Richard Harry went from breakaway to prop, but it was in the early days of professionalism. Took him about two years to reshape his body.

 

[jay-c]

i always thought harris was dynamite in the arc
shame he could never transform that to his chances at s14-

 

[Burke's Boot]

So he has hoodwinked the Rats board and got a head coaching gig without any experience and at 30 years of age! I don't have a club rugby side that i really care about but i do have slight soft spot for the Rats and Marlins seeing i grew up on the Northern Beaches and i hope he is another Rod Macqueen for that club.

 

[en_force_er]

So he has hoodwinked the Rats board and got a head coaching gig without any experience and at 30 years of age! I don't have a club rugby side that i really care about but i do have slight soft spot for the Rats and Marlins seeing i grew up on the Northern Beaches and i hope he is another Rod Macqueen for that club.

I actually think this is pretty odd and a case of looking after one's own. Which isn't awful but maybe not in the Rat's best interest.

Perhaps he didn't have many credentials outside rugby and they didn't want to leave his destitute but I do think that he should have started coaching a lower grade or at least as an assistant.

Andy Sheridan may be another exception. Didn't he switch from flanker to prop? I agree very few make a successful transition.

I think he was a lock that was a handy player and a beast but too heavy to lift (or at least that's what I've been told). I also think it was reasonably early in his career.

The reality is we can probably site a fair few conversions that have made it but can't list the many many players who have been attempted conversions and failed miserably.

 

[Jets]

I find it incredible that Premier clubs are happy to hand over the running of their top teams to former players who have never coached before. Coaching is very different to playing and even though these guys have been exposed to top line coaches doesn't mean that they themselves can coach. Saying that good luck to him.

Lote was converted from wing to flanker for a bit at the 2003 RWC game against Romania. Looked a bit out of place but had a lot of fun.

 

[qwerty51]

What about the biggest change.. Pocock from inside centre to openside

 

[Done that]

I find it incredible that Premier clubs are happy to hand over the running of their top teams to former players who have never coached before. Coaching is very different to playing and even though these guys have been exposed to top line coaches doesn't mean that they themselves can coach. Saying that good luck to him.

Lote was converted from wing to flanker for a bit at the 2003 RWC game against Romania. Looked a bit out of place but had a lot of fun.

I agree , however do you know how difficult it is to find experienced coaches who are of a proven first grade standard ?


(Laurie Weekes B/w to prop )

 

[Brumbies Guy]

What about the biggest change.. Pocock from inside centre to openside

Lomu from Prop to Wing?

 

[RugbyReg]

No 8 wasn't he?

 

[RugbyReg]

What about the biggest change.. Pocock from inside centre to openside

he was an openside, filled in at 12, then reverted back to his original position

 

[en_force_er]

What about the biggest change.. Pocock from inside centre to openside

I really don't think that's the biggest change, 7s are link men and playing 12 would lend itself to this.

But he did this whilst still at school which lends itself to my Colts or earlier theory.

Moore was also a prop pre-colts.

Lomu from Prop to Wing?

Pretty sure he was an 8. Even still he wasn't a very typical winger was he.