Actually, like McCalman, Roe went well in his first few tests and was touted briefly as the long term number 8 for the Wallabies, before getting injured. McMalman was unheralded, had barely played Super rugby, and opposition teams didn't know him. McCalman went very well in the Tri-Nations, in particular some Bledisloe games, but was well below that standard on the EOYT, and in fact I thought he was barely above Brown-level in a few games. McMalman NEEDS to be the first choice 8 at the Force next year.
I like to be a bit more pragmatic with players like Simmons, Slipper, McCalman, etc who get a few test caps at a young age and little Super experience and go great guns in those few caps. We have a history that is filled with players who have done similar, then struggled for a few years before either fading away, or finally establishing themselves. Even looking back in the last 10 years, you can name a few in the front row for just starters, like Blake, Holmes, Kepu, and so on. Hell, Shepherdson was ever so briefly (on the back of one season at TH for the Wallabies) called Australia's long term solution at THP. Even S. Fainga'a had a few good games initially at hooker this year before later getting found out.
Oh, I am hoping these guys make it, but have seen it all before. Young guys make an impact, but then get given time to get found out or let it get to them. I prefer to think that they (Slipper, Simmons, McCalman) have done well, and then merely hope for a solid Super season to back it up, then be pleasantly surprised if they do better. Otherwise, we'll get disappointed very often. It's a shame that the media already will be heaping all too much pressure onto these young guys and then watch them go to the Chisholm stratosphere.
I guess I am probably mostly by myself around here with those views, but that's how I feel.
