The "Finds" of Wallaby EOYT

[Joe Mac]

I am a huge Cliffy fan and agree that what he does well is play tight. Something we are really lacking.

BUT

As with the Ben's coming back from injury this year; there is every chance he may come back half the beast he was before injury. I hope Palu, Horwill and TPN can get back to where they were at the beginning of '09. They need to if we are going to have any chance in next year WC but it wouldn't be the first time we have got our hopes up about returning players only to be disappointed with the performance.

 

[dobduff11]

PALU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36HrVPCphuI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP6qELeH9JQ

 

[Newb]

The find of the 'tour' was for me some semblance of a game plan. O.K it took until the France game and OK it was against what proved to be average opposition, but it did appear to be a game plan.

i like this one. it wasn't so long ago that you could count the number of set plays run on a finger or two. and they were boring as fuck. there has been some very good ball movement on this tour and vs. france good work off the lineout. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) in the first try of the game comes to mind. good luck running anything of quality off the back of that scrum, but overall it's an improvement.

 

[Joe Blow]

I am a huge Cliffy fan and agree that what he does well is play tight. Something we are really lacking.

BUT

As with the Ben's coming back from injury this year; there is every chance he may come back half the beast he was before injury. I hope Palu, Horwill and TPN can get back to where they were at the beginning of '09. They need to if we are going to have any chance in next year WC but it wouldn't be the first time we have got our hopes up about returning players only to be disappointed with the performance.

Possible but unlikely. Palu was in career best form on last years EOYT and was finally playing at a very high level in back to back tests.
He is going to be very keen and if fit will add a lot to the Wallaby pack.

 

[qwerty51]

Possible but unlikely. Palu was in career best form on last years EOYT and was finally playing at a very high level in back to back tests.
He is going to be very keen and if fit will add a lot to the Wallaby pack.

Most importantly I reckon he'll stable the scrum

 

[Done that]

Some disappointments but no " finds " for me.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Possible but unlikely. Palu was in career best form on last years EOYT and was finally playing at a very high level in back to back tests.
He is going to be very keen and if fit will add a lot to the Wallaby pack.

My exact concerns. EOYT form is irrelevant when compared to Tri Nations form in my opinion due to the quality of opposition.

 

[TheTruth]

Some disappointments but no " finds " for me.

DT,
a tough marker, you are

 

[MrMouse]

My exact concerns. EOYT form is irrelevant when compared to Tri Nations form in my opinion due to the quality of opposition.

Really? Irrelevant? Who beat the top two ranked nations at the 2007 cup? Oh, that's right, it was France and England, two "irrelevant" teams. I just do not buy that at all. The attitude that SANZAR teams are the only ones that count loses world cups imo.

 

[Slim 293]

I've been a cliffy critic I the past but he's generally been the best performing 8 in the s14 and on the previous eoyt he was immaculate... No other 8 has come close yet... And we certainly need another big unit back there who will support the scrum...

 

[Richo]

Agreed, MM. The NH teams play a different brand of rugby and the Wobs have to be able to win those slowed-down, grind 'em out kind of games in order to win the Cup.

 

[Lee Grant]

Agree - and that kind of rugby is also necessary with wet weather and unfavourable ground conditions. We get those every now and then in night tests in NZ, and on EOYTs.

The Wallabies test team was lucky that they didn't have to play in conditions that the dirt-trackers encountered playing against Munster, because they would have been like babes in the woods too. We all remember the game at Murrayfield a year ago when conditions were bad; but they were benign compared to the Munster match.

There is a connection between our generally temperate playing conditions and our general inability to grind out games - which the Deans' Wallabies team has manifested during his tenure. I don't know what the answer is except to do more work on the boring basics at every level once lads leave school.

The Tahs have been boring and have ground out more than their share of games compared to other Oz Super sides - or so it seems. There's a lesson there but I'm not sure what it is.

My only idea is that when such games are likely then selections should be slanted towards forwards who talents lie more in gaining and retaining possession compared to others, and halves who can control the game with their kicking better.

 

[Brumbieman]

Really? Irrelevant? Who beat the top two ranked nations at the 2007 cup? Oh, that's right, it was France and England, two "irrelevant" teams. I just do not buy that at all. The attitude that SANZAR teams are the only ones that count loses world cups imo.

Well, as the World Cup is once every 4 years, and we play SA and NZ in a total of 7 games each year, I place a much higher emphasis on players standing up and performing down here. For the Bledisloe Cup. And the Tri-nations. Who gives a fuck about beating Italy?

That is my gripe with Palu. He's not enough of a c*nt.

He's performed brilliantly on every EOYT since 2006, when he cut loose against Italy and was branded the new Kefu. But every year since, we've been waiting for him to start dominating games in the tri-nations, and he just doesn't. Yeah he defends well, and yes he's strong at carrying the ball into contact and then offloading.

But fuck me, could you imagine if Ben McCalman was the same size as Palu? For someone who is 194cm and 120kg, he's rather soft with ball in hand.

 

[dobduff11]

I dont know how much closer to a "Karmichael Hunt" you could get Brumbieman especially in union circles.

"Palu has had a few brushes with the law, having spent a 6 month period in a penitentiary centre after an altercation at a night club led to him being charged with aggravated assault and then in January 2009 he was arrested for being caught for the second time in two years for driving without a licence. He was eventually fined and given a suspended sentence."

Also i dont think he is soft, he breaks alot of tackles off of the scrum see reds game 2010, some match against the AB's when he broke richies tackle. Also this beauty http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36HrVPCphuI

 

[Brumbieman]

That just reminded me of when one of the mungo commentators did the inevitable, and declared that 'kunt' had taken the high ball and was charging back into the line :lmao:

RE the jail thing: His cousin was being roughed up by the police outside the nightclub, and one of them lamped Palu as well, who then whacked him back.

What I mean is that even when he nails someone in a tackle, or throws the ball at someone's head who cheap shotted him, he's so apologetic about it. He plays well within his size. Jerry Collins was 2 inches shorter, and 10kg lighter, yet was much more destructive with ball in hand.

 

[dobduff11]

Fair point mate wasn't sure of the circumstances but he seems to be the only "hard" player in the wallabies. He should be more angry but I suppose it may not be within his nature (his criminal record suggests otherwise). Tpn is a legend off the field but he never seems to be apologetic after his turf cutter hits

Oh Mungo commentators, they are so simple. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YGgjDTG88w

Also Jerry Collins is a monster http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy7H78O0M_o

 

[Brumbieman]

Fair point mate wasn't sure of the circumstances but he seems to be the only "hard" player in the wallabies. He should be more angry but I suppose it may not be within his nature (his criminal record suggests otherwise). Tpn is a legend off the field but he never seems to be apologetic after his turf cutter hits

Oh Mungo commentators, they are so simple. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YGgjDTG88w

Also Jerry Collins is a monster http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy7H78O0M_o

That's my point though. Palu should be our Jerry Collins. Drew Mitchell is more effective at breaking tackles/bumping players off, and I just don't get why. Perhaps growing up with Kefu and Finnegan in the Wallabies backrow has given me unrealistic expectations...

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Cliffy has always struck me as a quiet sort of bloke, who probably takes a bit to get fired up. When he does though, it's great to watch if he plays for your team. What I would like to see is him be less of an impact style guy and more of bloke that Genia or Burgess can pop a short ball to for some easy go forward metres in the early phases. His size makes him hard to tackle and he can offload in the tackle too. With that kind of momentum, our backs would have an absolute field day running off him.

 

[jay-c]

haha palu with the "maui side step"

 

[Lee Grant]

Can't believe some of the comments about Palu; probably the same folks were rubbishing Elsom not too long ago. Maybe not, come to think of it, because he plays for the Brumbies.

I do expect Cliffy to be very slow to hit his straps in the S15 though. He takes a long time to get going after an injury. The good thing is that the comeback is at the start of the season. I'd play him in all the trials; even the 1st one which is typically played by a lot of 2nd string and academy guys.