The Tahs 2009

[Lee Grant]

But how many times have you seen SNK play club rugby this year? Your answer is correct.

 

[Scarfman]

Do we like the sound of all this, or not?

Hickey favours attack mindset

By Bret Harris
July 02, 2008

NEW coach Chris Hickey has promised to introduce a similar kind of attacking philosophy to New South Wales next year to that Robbie Deans is implementing at Australia.

Deans has given his players the freedom to play what is in front of them and Hickey, who started his new job on Tuesday, has the same attacking mindset.

It is something Hickey has always encouraged at Sydney club Eastwood.

"I know it has become a popular catch-phrase (play what is in front of you), but I think good teams have always done that," Hickey said.

"Good teams are able to react to the situation and good players see the opportunities.

"From a philosophical point of view I would support the approach that Robbie Deans has been looking to implement at the Wallabies."

Hickey's comments will be music to the ears of the Waratahs, who played safety-first rugby under previous head coach Ewen McKenzie until the players effectively took over the running of the team themselves in the second half of this year's Super 14 series and played a more attacking style.

While Hickey is not a fan of player power, he encourages "player responsibility" and will look to tap into the "intellectual knowledge" of the players.

Hickey will also be a hands-on coach.

"At different times you are different things as a coach," Hickey said. "You don't wear one hat.

"Obviously, if you've got good coaching staff, who are very good at what they do, you want to use their skill set.

"But I also think as a coach it is important to have contact with the players and to be on the training park.

"That's important just in terms of knowing the players, knowing whether the game is developing in the direction you want to take it.

"I don't see myself as a manager, but by the same token there is no point having a good defensive coach and trying to run it."

What specific coaching duties Hickey assumes will depend on the make-up of his coaching staff, which he will assemble from scratch.

"The good thing about coming from a background in club coaching is you've got to be able to do just about the lot," Hickey said.

"You've got to be able to do the defence, the scrum, the lineout, attacking, kicking. So you develop some all-round skills.

"I imagine we will look at the coaching staff we'll put together and then see where my role might complement what they are doing.

"It's just looking for that balance. Having said that, you don't want everyone who thinks the same. You want a bit of black, a bit of white. If you can blend it that way, you'll end up with a strong coaching team."

Hickey said the recruitment of the coaching staff was a high priority and he hoped to have it in place within 30 days.

While Hickey was reluctant to divulge the names of potential candidates, he confirmed speculation that he was talking to former Wallabies skills coach Scott Wisemantel about joining the Tahs.

"Scott is a very good coach in many ways and would have a lot to offer the coaching team," Hickey said.

The other main task facing Hickey was finalising the Waratahs' roster, including finding replacements for departing Wallabies forwards Dan Vickerman and Rocky Elsom, whose boots will be hard to fill.

 

[Aussie D]

Do we like the sound of all this, or not?

Definitely like the 'vibe' given off by this article but will believe it when I see it. I am hoping Hickey will be the Attack / Defence co-ordinator next year and get 2 assistants to head up the Contest and Attacking Skills portfolios. Hopefully Lidbury stays on aty the 'tahs (unless they can coerce Blades back into coaching). Not sure about Wisemantel as I don't know enough about his background. When was he involved as a Wallaby assistant? Pity they don't seem to be interested in getting Gary or Glen Ella involved as backs coaches.

 

[Lee Grant]

I don't like the talk the talk messages by coaches, especially new coaches, and players ditto. They're all the same.

The journos should just get copies of the articles published when the likes of Dwyer and McKenzie - add the name of any Oz S14 or Wallaby coach in the pro era in here -were hired, change a few words and names, and put that in the paper.

 

[whocares]

does Cameron Mitchell have any kind of contract with the tahs.
i think it would be better to put him in as a rookie rather than Lachlan Mitchell or Rory Sidey

 

[Lee Grant]

Cameron Mitchell could get a rookie contract next year. There is certainly enough precedent in the last couple of years for players getting such contracts the year after leaving school. I've never seen so many.

Cameron was in the NSW amateur Academy (or Junior Waratahs) this year, as he had to be as a schoolboy. I think that the Tahs would like to promote him to the professional JWs in 2009 with a rookie chaser for 2010, after all: Robbie Horne didn't have a rookie contract at the start of this year. He was in the pro JWs and got to play in a lot of S14 games only because of injuries to Tahu and Jacobs.

But there are 3 other S14 teams in the market.

The 4 S14 teams will have their scouts at the national schools tournament next week. They will already know about all the lads in the NSW and Qld teams and many more that weren't selected. Depending on their midfield stocks they'd already have a separate clipboard for Mitchell, who will be one of their primary targets.

They will know how he played last year in the Oz Schools team from the bench, but they won't know how he has progressed until they see him against the Qld Is. And they won't be able to assess the others properly either until the tournament is over.

If NSW offer Mitchell a pro JW contract the others could trump them by offering a rookie contract. But they'd have to watch their own squad profile. They won't want to have too many junior players in their roster in case they have a lot of injuries.

Who knows - Mitchell could have an ordinary tournament and they could go cold on him. Or he could have an ordinary schools tournament as Quade Cooper did in 2006 and give him a rookie contract anyway as the Reds did to Cooper.

Yeah, Lachlan Mitchell and Rory Sidey wouldn't have been as talented as Cameron Mitchell when they were the same age, but they have been seasoned in senior rugby now and if they get a rookie contract for 2009 they don't have to be guaranteed anything afterwards.

But there's more. New Tahs' coach Chris Hickey from Eastwood will know all about Cameron Mitchell, an Eastwood junior. Conversations between Hickey and the Mitchell family could have already taken place.

We'll have to watch this space.

 

[fatprop]

We have plenty of backs, buy some bloody locks :angryfire:

 

[whocares]

im just thinking for someone to replace Jackobs next year

but in terms of locks they should try to poach Kimlin or Wallace-Harrison or even Chisolm
but i doubt the Brumbies would let go of them if their not already in contract

 

[Ash]

Wallace-Harrison wasn't a real lock, and besides, he's off to Japan next year.

Chisholm has a few years left on his contract - the Reds tried unsuccessfully to lure him back to Queensland last year. Kimlin, from what I understand, is rather settled in ACT, but I'm not sure what his contract status is.

There's been rumour of NSW luring Al Campbell back to the Tahs. Just what the Tahs need - a soft second rower who goes missing replacing Vickerman. Let's hope Campbell is left in rugby wilderness. Caldwell and Mumm should be the starting locks next year for NSW, but who will back them up will be a mystery. Lyons, Palu and Elsom are all also last minute lock back up options, but 2 of them are gone.

 

[fatprop]

Campbell & Humphries are the best two available

 

[Lee Grant]

im just thinking for someone to replace Jackobs next year

but in terms of locks they should try to poach Kimlin or Wallace-Harrison or even Chisolm
but i doubt the Brumbies would let go of them if their not already in contract

Horne, in effect, would be replacing Jacobs anyway. He started off the year with a Junior Waratahs (Academy) contract but played in 10 games because of injuries to others. Because of that the RUPA agreement would have required the Tahs to uprade Horne to a 2008 rookie contract during the tournament. So; for 2009 he would have to have a full contract, and as I wrote, in effect replaces Jacobs.

I assume that he has one for next year but I can't remember seeing a confirmation. More likely he was signed for 2 or 3 years starting this year and just the type of contract he will be under needed to be changed.

Kimlin and Chisholm are contracted to the Brumbies until the end of 2009 and AWH had a yen to go offshore. Kimlin is a local CGS lad and probably wouldn't want to leave the ACT anyway.

As I said above: there's not a lot of tall timber available in but we can be thankful that because of the ELVs that 200cm players are not as important for the S14 anymore so long as they have other non-measurement attributes to make up for it and are around 195cms.

I will be looking carefully at the 2nd rowers in the Oz Schools tournament for the medium term but in the meantime fatprop is right: Campbell and Humphries are the two best seasoned locks available.

2007 schoolboy Siveteni Mafi was in the amateur Junior Waratahs this year and the Oz U20 team. He is a top player but at 198cms and 102 kgs is a bit of a stringbean who is naturally skinny and probably not one who can put on too much weight.

Worth a punt under the ELVs though probably: his lookalike Sam Wykes has similar dimensions yet did well enough for the Force this year.

 

[whocares]

what about others from Oz schools?
David McDuling playing 1st grade for Uni
Ben McCalman also playing 1st grade uni and also played in the under 20's but in the backrow

Phill Mathers was Oz schools 2005 and playing for Eastwood now
Marty Wilson is his partner at Eastwood and played for the Rams in the ARC

 

[Lee Grant]

Wilson has been around in the Tahs system before. If the pro Junior Waratah locks from last year, Byrnes and Thompson, aren't available (I still haven't heard of any official word about Byrnes going to the Reds), Wilson could get a spot if everything else fell through, because of his experience, but it would be scraping the bottom of the barrel.

The best hope of the others you mention is to get a pro JW spot.

I saw Eastwood play at the ground a couple of weeks ago and wondered who this big boofhead was showing some intermittent mongrel and I looked him up in the programme and it was Phil Mathers.

I knew Phil's play when he was at Kings and have seen him a few times in senior rugby, and he's always appeared to be in the Al Campbell nice as pie category of second rowers. So, I had to check his name again - but it was he.

Maybe it was his 10 minutes of mongrel for the season but if he keeps it up he could get a pro JW gig. Another candidate is Damiam Lloyd from Wests, but I'll need to see more of him.

McCalman is only 191 cms so I don't think he has a future in a S14 second row. He played 8 for Oz Schools and the Oz U/20 team.

McDuling was a running second rower at school last year and was noticeably shorter than Siviteni Mafi. I have seen him play on TV this year but not at the ground so I can't judge if he has gotten any taller.

Because of his height I always thought that he had to be a 6 to succeed as a senior player. He got into the Sydney Uni 1st Grade team as a lock this year after leaving school in 2007. This is not too shabby even if other players aren't available, but some club locks a very short.

I would put Siviteni Mafi ahead of them for a pro JW spot even though he was the youngest player in the Oz U20 squad this year, and is very thin.

 

[the gambler]

I have heard some talk of Ben Hand returning to Australian rugby having had a year in Italy. He probably fits into the Marty Wilson category of having had a shot yet not been able to crack it.

I guess there are worse options as a back up, although the likes of Wilson and Hand wouldnt be able to take a rookie contract which may work against them.

Can I take a guess and say that Who Cares is mates with Aussie Dominance. Suggesting way too many King's kids and his grammar is as bad as mine.

 

[whocares]

I have heard some talk of Ben Hand returning to Australian rugby having had a year in Italy. He probably fits into the Marty Wilson category of having had a shot yet not been able to crack it.

I guess there are worse options as a back up, although the likes of Wilson and Hand wouldnt be able to take a rookie contract which may work against them.

Can I take a guess and say that Who Cares is mates with Aussie Dominance. Suggesting way too many King's kids and his grammar is as bad as mine.

awww harsh

I dont know who aussie dominance is, but i heard somewhere that Hand has connections with Brumbies maybe.....?
cant remember may have been a dream

 

[Lee Grant]

Very harsh indeed 'whocares', very harsh indeed. Incidentally - I forgot to welcome you to the forum - so, welcome aboard.

You're right: Hand is with the Brumbies until 2010.

 

[the gambler]

I only said it was as bad as mine. I dont actually have a problem with it, but watch out for Lindo, he is the grammar nazi.

Now you mention it I remember Hand signing for the Brumbies. My mistake. They obviously agree that he is a better option than Big Al.

 

[whocares]

Very harsh indeed 'whocares', very harsh indeed. Incidentally - I forgot to welcome you to the forum - so, welcome aboard.

You're right: Hand is with the Brumbies until 2010.

Cheers Lee
I spent sometime in the sportal forum mixing it up with some of your posts but thats gone to the dogs so iv come here
but anyway......
I agree with what Gambler said about the Brumbies picking Hand over Campbell. They seem to have a surplus of second rows over there with a good mix of established and up and comers. If they do send us Campbell i hope we can find someone else that isnt established mediocrity (maybe thats a bit harsh). If not maybe he'll do what Luke Burgess did and have a great season as soon as he comes east.

 

[Spook]

i hope we can find someone else that isnt established mediocrity

Perfectly defines Campbell. Welcome aboard. Isn't it interesting that Laurie Fisher hardly started Kimlin and Alexander and yet these guys are rated by Deans and Co. Laurie certainly had his favourites. :

 

[whocares]

i hope we can find someone else that isnt established mediocrity

Perfectly defines Campbell. Welcome aboard. Isn't it interesting that Laurie Fisher hardly started Kimlin and Alexander and yet these guys are rated by Deans and Co. Laurie certainly had his favourites. :

well you just had to look a his Aus A team......full of favourites including Al Campbell as captain :nta: