• Welcome to the forums of Green & Gold Rugby.
    We have recently made some changes to the amount of discussions boards on the forum.
    Over the coming months we will continue to make more changes to make the forum more user friendly for all to use.
    Thanks, Admin.

The Wallabies Thread

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I think Kafe being involved in his new capacity is an inspired choice. I've been wondering when he was going to put his money where his mouth is in the coaching/development stakes for a while. This isn't a dig at him, more a recognition that the bloke has a lot of knowledge and a lot to offer the ARU. Maybe he's never wanted to be a coach, but I would love to see his skills utilised by more than Fox on the sidelines.
 

upthereds#!

Peter Johnson (47)
lol. Cheika wants to go in a different direction for the WC than Quade. Soo does that direction include having no backup for foley or picking people out of position, eg Beale, Hodge & Hunt?

If you want to go in a different direction...at least try to let us know which direction that might be. Is it investing in a youth flyhalf in Mason who has already been in 1 camp? If so...why isn't he involved in this train on camp instead of sitting around when available. Is it Lance as a solid option? hmm not in this camp either but sitting around and available. Is he going to gamble with Lealiifano who is still a question mark?

What direction cheika...if it is a different one...please say it it is a direction other then nowhere.
 

fatprop

George Gregan (70)
Staff member
lol. Cheika wants to go in a different direction for the WC than Quade. Soo does that direction include having no backup for foley or picking people out of position, eg Beale, Hodge & Hunt?

If you want to go in a different direction.at least try to let us know which direction that might be. Is it investing in a youth flyhalf in Mason who has already been in 1 camp? If so.why isn't he involved in this train on camp instead of sitting around when available. Is it Lance as a solid option? hmm not in this camp either but sitting around and available. Is he going to gamble with Lealiifano who is still a question mark?

What direction cheika.if it is a different one.please say it it is a direction other then nowhere.


As someone else said, it appears Beale will be back up on game day, if Foley is wounded, they can bring someone else in
 

Viking

Mark Ella (57)
Latu and Ready sound like they both need to get a dose of self-control with regards to being professional footy players, if you believe all the scuttlebutt being bandied around about them. Both with plenty of upside, you'd think, if they can get and keep the focus.


Seems to be an issue with many Australian footy players. Or Sportmans for that matter.
 

gel

Ken Catchpole (46)
Quade's not going to prove himself in training camps.

Ripping it up in NRC is.

(I am presuming that injuries are not the issue).
 

KOB1987

John Eales (66)
Quade, Lance, whoever. Wouldn't you want the potential back up 10 training in the squad?
The inference from Cheika is that he wants Quade to play his way back into the squad. He's better off doing that than looking the goods at training and not getting any game time. This is all in the absence of an injury mind you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dru

Ignoto

Peter Sullivan (51)
Soo does that direction include having no backup for foley or picking people out of position, eg Beale, Hodge & Hunt?


As this year is pretty much a write off, I'm happy to see something new/different tried at 10. However, in saying that, the last time I remembered Beale playing in the 10 role, he had a horrible tendency to crab and run at an angle, rather than taking the ball to the line and distributing. That type of style is fine for a player to have, if they're a 12/15, but as we saw with Giteau around 2010-12, a flyhalf who crabs just screws the rest of the back line and makes it too easy to defend.
 

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
As this year is pretty much a write off, I'm happy to see something new/different tried at 10. However, in saying that, the last time I remembered Beale playing in the 10 role, he had a horrible tendency to crab and run at an angle, rather than taking the ball to the line and distributing. That type of style is fine for a player to have, if they're a 12/15, but as we saw with Giteau around 2010-12, a flyhalf who crabs just screws the rest of the back line and makes it too easy to defend.

Beale is better as the second playmaker playing at 12, but overcalling when required. It's a difficult balance and it took a while for it to work when he was at the Waratahs. He generally hasn't played his best rugby at 10 at the higher levels.
 

dru

David Wilson (68)
Both Beale and Hunt, even Hodge are adequate as 23 being ready to fill flyhalf in a game. The question is what next if Foley is out injured? It seems completely illogical to call in a new 10 who hasnt trained with the team.

This all said, I dont mind Quade being told to be impressive at NRC if he wants any kind of shot. Just put Lance in the squad in the mean time.

It isnt complex.
 

Joe Blow

John Hipwell (52)
As someone else said, it appears Beale will be back up on game day, if Foley is wounded, they can bring someone else in

That is paper thin and puts a lot of pressure on Foley. To not have a backup 5/8 in a train on squad of 38 that will likely have another 6 or so added from the Brumbies is reckless, being that there is not a recognized fly half likely to come from them(Lealifano has not had any playing time this year).

Giving Quade and Higgers the public hand slap of not being included in the wider wider squad is nonsensical as well. Give them a chance to show what they have in training and cut them when the squad is finalized if need be, but no need for the public humiliation tactic. They have both returned and re-comitted to Australian rugby for the future.

I'm not following this at all.........
 

TSR

Andrew Slack (58)
Higginbotham was average in the June series. He didn't live up to his Super Rugby form and isn't a player for the future.

Hanigan clearly is and showed glimpses of it in June. He also did some average things and hopefully we have a stronger 23 than needing him in the Bledisloe Cup because I certainly don't think he finished the season strongly.

I wouldn't have selected Dempsey in the squad.
.
IMO Higgers is clearly a better test player than Hanigan or Dempsey at the moment. He also gives better balance to our side than McMahon. Hanigan & Dempseys place can't be assumed as 'development' since both have already been given test jerseys.

It's hardly definitive, but Higgers was nominated by a number of people here as being one of the best 3 against Fiji. He was ordinary against Scotland, but no worse than Hanigan.

I have no real issue with Hanigan being given a shot, but personally I missed the glimpses he showed. I actually thought he showed quite comprehensively that he wasn't yet ready for test rugby. His form since for the Waratahs has been worse.

Dempsey has done nothing to warrent his place.

We might all be disappointed that Higgers hasn't reached his enormous potential at test level, but we still need our best 5 backrowers, that give us the most competitive/balanced side in the test squad and I can't, for the life of me see how he is not in that group. Happy for anyone to name the 5 they think are better. (I don't agree - but would accept the view point that Hooper, Timani, RHP, Fardy & Hardwick/McMahon are better - but I note RHP isn't in the squad anyway.)
 
Top