The hardest thing for most new players is to simply be consistent. Also to be at 80-90% while being wounded. By now, most players who have strung a serious of games together are being managed, taped and/or needled.
I always remember this axiom for an interview with Nathan Hindmarsh, he said the simple truth that so much of being a pro footballer is being able to just turn up each week and deliver, through the pain and mental fatigue of the season
Agreed. And I guess my point to BHs post was that I feel Timu has been consistently very good - maybe just not as good as his first 3 games. To be honest I actually think he has been pretty close to that level, but hasn’t had the same opportunities because the team around him hasn’t been quite as good.
I noted your post in the Waratahs thread that Pocock is a better 8 than Timu. I agree, but only in the sense that Pocock is a much better player than Timu (and everyone else) and is used to wear the 8 jersey.
I look at Timu and I see a guy who, on current form, is in our best 3 backrowers at the moment and who brings a skill set that the Wallabies have been sorely lacking.
The problem though is that Hooper & Pocock are are two best forwards and are proven at test level and none of them are noted line out jumpers. I still think that Cheika might be prepared to run with them as a unit though on the basis that two of Coleman, Rodda & Phillip are good jumpers and Timu & Hooper can be used if required (I personally think we’d struggle without a genuine third option but Cheika has always seemed willing to compromise the lineout for other parts of the game).
But I also half expect Timu to drop off a bit - simply because almost every first year player does.
