The Tahs 2009
- Thread starter fatprop
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fatprop said:
Keiran Reid??
we could then chuck mumm into 4/5, reid in at 6 and fava and robinson on the bench
Not losses 
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
Nod is right. Manning had a professional Junior Waratahs contract last year, not a full S14 contract.
More often than not, though not always, S14 outfits have their 3rd player in a key position, like hooker or scrumhalf, outside of the official squad of 33, but call them in when there is an injury to one of the top 2. It is uncommon that a fellow like Valentine becomes available as he did a couple of years ago, or Burgess last year, and have to get a full contract.
Junior Waratahs get all the training that the main team gets but don't get paid as much, except when they play enough games under this arrangement, e.g. Robbie Horne in 2008, they have to be upgraded to rookie status during the S14 tournament.
Sometimes this interferes with neat forward planning. They would have had Horne pencilled in as one of their rookies for 2009, but now they have to give him a full contract.
NSW had 10 professional players in the JWs this year, counting Horne. In a rare spasm of disclosure they announced who they were last December. One hopes they will do the same again this year.
I have been reluctant to discuss the teams that Noddy has listed, and thanks a lot for the work Nod, because we are never 100% sure that when a journo says a player has been "signed up" what category he is in. He could have been signed up for a rookie S14 contract, a professional JW contract or even an amateur JW contract.
Also, when the ARU changed their stance on hiring overseas players every S14 outfit would have taken pause. They would have all planned to finalise their 33 men squads and professional Academies after their recent tours but the news from the bunker changed all of that and they are now involved in a lolly scramble.
With the exception of Braid we don't know which players the Super14 organisations are after and no chance of knowing if they will be successful.
As for journos: when they mention "rookie" Jeremy Sua, you can't assume that he's getting a rookie Tahs' contract. He's not even in the amateur JWs this year; so he may not be in the 33 - but then, he may be.
That was a very interesting article about Jeremy Sua. I've been mentioning him since he played behind Luke Evans for Oz Schools in 2006 as a promising player, but he dropped out of sight.
A couple of months after leaving Westfields Sports High, I saw him playing for the NSW Academy against NSW Country in a curtain raiser to a S14 trial at Wollongong against the Brumbies. That was on that infamous day when Al Kanaar had the injury which ended his career and Dunning was put out for half the 2007 S14. I never saw hide or hair of Sua again that year but someone said he was playing for Uni Colts as a flyhalf!!
Good for him for moving out to play near his home patch. The next time I saw him at the ground was in a curtain raiser to the Tahs v. Brumbies match this year and I knew he had done the right thing to move and not get stuck behind Haydon and Sievert at Uni.
I enjoyed reading Hickey's comments about the benefit that Sua would have gained playing behind a dud pack. Let's hope he becomes another Catchpole or Hipwell, who had to play so many test matches under such conditions that they became crapmeisters.
PS - I wouldn't assume that Damien Fitzpatrick has a rookie contract, and I am not 100% sure if Ratu Nasiganiyavi has one either, though he probably does.
More often than not, though not always, S14 outfits have their 3rd player in a key position, like hooker or scrumhalf, outside of the official squad of 33, but call them in when there is an injury to one of the top 2. It is uncommon that a fellow like Valentine becomes available as he did a couple of years ago, or Burgess last year, and have to get a full contract.
Junior Waratahs get all the training that the main team gets but don't get paid as much, except when they play enough games under this arrangement, e.g. Robbie Horne in 2008, they have to be upgraded to rookie status during the S14 tournament.
Sometimes this interferes with neat forward planning. They would have had Horne pencilled in as one of their rookies for 2009, but now they have to give him a full contract.
NSW had 10 professional players in the JWs this year, counting Horne. In a rare spasm of disclosure they announced who they were last December. One hopes they will do the same again this year.
I have been reluctant to discuss the teams that Noddy has listed, and thanks a lot for the work Nod, because we are never 100% sure that when a journo says a player has been "signed up" what category he is in. He could have been signed up for a rookie S14 contract, a professional JW contract or even an amateur JW contract.
Also, when the ARU changed their stance on hiring overseas players every S14 outfit would have taken pause. They would have all planned to finalise their 33 men squads and professional Academies after their recent tours but the news from the bunker changed all of that and they are now involved in a lolly scramble.
With the exception of Braid we don't know which players the Super14 organisations are after and no chance of knowing if they will be successful.
As for journos: when they mention "rookie" Jeremy Sua, you can't assume that he's getting a rookie Tahs' contract. He's not even in the amateur JWs this year; so he may not be in the 33 - but then, he may be.
That was a very interesting article about Jeremy Sua. I've been mentioning him since he played behind Luke Evans for Oz Schools in 2006 as a promising player, but he dropped out of sight.
A couple of months after leaving Westfields Sports High, I saw him playing for the NSW Academy against NSW Country in a curtain raiser to a S14 trial at Wollongong against the Brumbies. That was on that infamous day when Al Kanaar had the injury which ended his career and Dunning was put out for half the 2007 S14. I never saw hide or hair of Sua again that year but someone said he was playing for Uni Colts as a flyhalf!!
Good for him for moving out to play near his home patch. The next time I saw him at the ground was in a curtain raiser to the Tahs v. Brumbies match this year and I knew he had done the right thing to move and not get stuck behind Haydon and Sievert at Uni.
I enjoyed reading Hickey's comments about the benefit that Sua would have gained playing behind a dud pack. Let's hope he becomes another Catchpole or Hipwell, who had to play so many test matches under such conditions that they became crapmeisters.
PS - I wouldn't assume that Damien Fitzpatrick has a rookie contract, and I am not 100% sure if Ratu Nasiganiyavi has one either, though he probably does.
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I always new he could play fullback, and infact did it quite well in the ARC, but he has had some great games on the wing especially last year for the Tahs against the Crusaders and with speed like that i thought he was born for the wing. I just hope that he dosent get carted from one spot to another and never settle into any position.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
You are right about Turner being a good fullback. He was from the start for Newington and Oz Schools and it will be his long term future.
Nobody will know better than Tahs coach Chris Hickey who was Turner's Eastwood coach his quality in the 15 shirt at the club level.
Fullback will be his best position but it is also SNKs; so Lachie may have to wait a while for the Tah's spot. It does no harm for a young fullback to play wing, or a young wing to play fullback, for that matter, if a team needs it. Turner has lots of time and it's better to get the easier wing spot down pat. The France test revealed that he has a lot to do at the elite level on the wing.
Drew Mitchell should get the Tuqiri's wing spot ahead of the others.
Nobody will know better than Tahs coach Chris Hickey who was Turner's Eastwood coach his quality in the 15 shirt at the club level.
Fullback will be his best position but it is also SNKs; so Lachie may have to wait a while for the Tah's spot. It does no harm for a young fullback to play wing, or a young wing to play fullback, for that matter, if a team needs it. Turner has lots of time and it's better to get the easier wing spot down pat. The France test revealed that he has a lot to do at the elite level on the wing.
Drew Mitchell should get the Tuqiri's wing spot ahead of the others.
Pfitzy
Nathan Sharpe (72)
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24665469-23217,00.html
According to the article, the draw for the Tahs looks favourable:
Canes (A), Chiefs (H), Clan (H), Reds (H), Brumbies (A), Crusaders (H), ?(H), ?(H), ?(H), ?(H), Bye, Cheetahs (A), Sharks (A), Lions (A)
Odd that we appear to get only 5 away games :nta: The question marks are of course the Force, Bulls, Stormers, and Blues, but in what order I know not.
According to the article, the draw for the Tahs looks favourable:
Canes (A), Chiefs (H), Clan (H), Reds (H), Brumbies (A), Crusaders (H), ?(H), ?(H), ?(H), ?(H), Bye, Cheetahs (A), Sharks (A), Lions (A)
Odd that we appear to get only 5 away games :nta: The question marks are of course the Force, Bulls, Stormers, and Blues, but in what order I know not.
Mmm, mmm. :nta: :nta: :nta:
Doesn't look right. The draw has to be either 7 at home and 6 away or 6 at home and 7 away. We played the Blues in Sydney this year; it's highly unlikely we'd play them at home two years in a row.
Good to see we aren't going to Safferland twice during the rounds, as was the first draft of the draw.
Posted a moment after Noddy's note.
Doesn't look right. The draw has to be either 7 at home and 6 away or 6 at home and 7 away. We played the Blues in Sydney this year; it's highly unlikely we'd play them at home two years in a row.
Good to see we aren't going to Safferland twice during the rounds, as was the first draft of the draw.
Posted a moment after Noddy's note.
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